Restaurant Review: Asi Es Colombia
This 16-table spot features authentic, homestyle Colombian cuisine in mass quantities for very reasonable prices
Reviewed by Mick Vann, Fri., Sept. 10, 2010
Asi Es Colombia
Mon.-Fri., 9am-9pm; Sat., 9am-2am; Sun., 9am-10pm
13717 MoPac N. #250, 244-7006
Monday-Friday, 9am-9pm;
Saturday, 9am-2am;
Sunday, 9am-10pm
In what used to be Los Portales Mexican Restaurant, in a big strip center on the east frontage of MoPac, about 500 feet before the Wells Branch Parkway intersection, sits the relatively new Asi Es Colombia. It is a family-run operation, with mom Nury Belez in the kitchen, son Jon Ravera out front running the floor, and young Andrew doing whatever they ask. This 16-table spot features authentic, homestyle Colombian cuisine in mass quantities for very reasonable prices. If you leave hungry or unhappy, you just didn't try very hard.
We started with the appetizer portion of the menu, which offers some unique treats. Aborrajado ($3) is a sweet plantain fritter the size of a Nerf football. It's stuffed with a mild cheese, dipped in a light batter, and deep-fried; think of a savory apple pie topped with melting cheese, and you're close to the excellent flavor. The empanadas (3 for $5) are wonderful: A thin, crispy golden cornmeal pastry surrounds a moist, rich beef-and-potato filling, even better with some of the ají chile salsa spooned over it. Chorizo con arepa ($4) features arepas, the cornmeal discs of bread Colombia is so famous for, as well as an incredible sausage imported from Colombia: Big chunks of meat and fat are encased in a snappy skin, making this my favorite sausage of the year. We also tried arepas con todo ($4.50), which are three "sandwiches" made of arepa "buns" with a layer of succulent braised beef inside and topped with an amazing chicken and avocado salad. They're messy, and the fillings tend to squeeze out the sides, but they are so worth the mess.
From entrée world we sampled bandeja paisa ($13.50), which is considered the national dish of Colombia, much as feijoada completa is in Brazil. A huge platter contains two nice chunks of tender carne asada – excellent but better with some of Asi Es Colombia's fantastic chimichurri sauce on top. Near that is a pile of ground beef which might be better described as powdered beef: The minced beef is mixed with garlic, onion, cumin, spices, and beaten egg, then cooked well-done before being powdered until fluffy in a food processor. It goes well with the fried egg and the richly seasoned red beans. The dish also includes a link of my favorite chorizo, along with two nice thick chunks of fresh fried pork belly, a scoop of rice, fried sweet plantain, an arepa, and thick ripe avocado slices. Whew! Seriously good eating, and lots of it.
Pollo sudado ($10.50) is the classic chicken stew (actually more like stewed chicken) of Colombia. We received a whole leg quarter that was moist, tender, and loaded with flavor (we extracted whole sprigs of fresh thyme from the top before diving in). The meat is in a sauce of tomato, three colors of peppers, onions, garlic, chunks of yucca, and potato. The potatoes have absorbed so much chicken flavor that they literally melt in your mouth. Also on the platter were crisp tostones, rice, and a nice salad of shredded cabbage, cucumbers, and tomato.
Our tamal ($10.50) was huge, with the mass of a butternut squash. A banana leaf wrapper encloses a very light yet rich masa stuffed with many surprises: a whole chicken leg, big chunks of unctuous pork belly, carnitas-like cubes of succulent pork, potatoes, carrots, peas – it is a cornucopia of Colombian flavors. Like the rest of the platters, it comes loaded with additional goodies. There are many dishes left to try on the menu, including a steak that looked incredible on a neighboring table and a comida tipica street-treat hot dog with pineapple from the kids' menu that has my name on it.
Asi Es Colombia is exactly the kind of restaurant we love. The food is authentically prepared and done so with obvious care and love; it shows not only on the plate but on your tongue. If, the next time we go there, this place isn't packed with a line out the door, there is no justice.
