News & Politics

August, 2004: La Granja de Oro

If you want to eat south-of-the-border food, this is the place to go. The cooking is Peruvian, which means no nachos or enchiladas.

La Granja de Oro, moderate. If you want to eat south-of-the-border food, this is the place to go. The cooking is Peruvian, which means no nachos or enchiladas. The crowd is mostly Spanish-speaking, but there is no problem ordering. A guitar and vocal combo plays on Fridays and Saturdays between 10 PM and 2 AM.

Good appetizers are the tamale with chunks of fried pork, avocado stuffed with chicken, sautéed marinated octopus with garlic sauce and broiled potatoes, and the stuffed potato–mashed potatoes filled with sautéed beef, rolled in seasoned flour, and deep fried. Among main courses, broiled rotisserie chicken is a good bet. So are the steaks, cut thin but with abundant flavor. The mixed grill with chicken, pork, beef, beef heart, sausage, and fried potatoes is very good and for $15.95 is large enough for two. Fish and shellfish are well prepared–try the saltado de mariscos, a mélange of sautéed shrimp, squid, and scallops in a tomato sauce served with fried potatoes and rice. The margaritas are excellent, and most beers are from South America.