Eat Great Cheap 2015The aluminum facade, swivel stools, and Formica counter bring to mind an Edward Hopper diner. But the menu is an amalgam of Latino plates by way of Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico. The Honduran fare is what keeps us coming back—in particular a dish called baleadas. It looks a little plain, just a tortilla folded over some filling. But oh, what filling—slice into it and you’ll find scrambled eggs, refried red beans, avocado, cheese, steak or chicken, and crema. Also good is the Honduran enchilada, similar to a Mexican tostada without the heat (grab a bottle of hot sauce to remedy that). It includes ground beef, cheese, and shredded cabbage with a creamy pink “secret sauce.” If you want a change from tortilla-centered cuisine, go for the beef soup, a robust bowl crammed with bone-in hunks of meat, chayote squash, and corn on the cob. Like just about everything else on the menu, it’s terrifically satisfying—and enough to make a meal.
Cuisine: Honduran
Where you can find it: 2408 University Blvd., Silver Spring; 301-946-1494
Also good: Pupusas with cheese and loroco, a citrusy flower; Honduran tacos, which are rolled and fried; green plantains; tamales.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
