La Esperanza ~ Long Beach, California

Orange Ave @ 17th. They have a second location in Torrance.

Lady Music had never had Salvadoran food and had recently read an article about some in the area. We decided to try a close by place called La Esperanza. They have a large menu with many Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Mexican dishes. But we were there for Salvadoran delights! They make handmade papusas to order with quite an array of fillings including loroco (an herb from Central America) and chiltepin (a small, potent chili pepper) as well as the usual meats, shrimp and other veggies. We ordered pork with cheese and decided to try spinach and cheese (definitely not traditional fare). We also got sauteed plantains with refried black beans and Salvadoran crema. And got a Guatemalan tamale with chicken and Guatemalan rice. The young lady that took my order was super nice and spoke English very well, which was good as I had questions. I watched the woman working there form the masa and make the papusas. Nothing like fresh made food! Although today, I took the food to go. The order came with plenty of the marinated cabbage slaw, the tomatoey sauce and some spicy sauce. Everything was really good. The papusas were packed with a generous amount of filling. The masa shell was slightly thick as I had hoped and was tender and tasty. I liked the pork better, but Lady Music really liked the spinach as well. The plantains, sauteed in butter were perfect! Just ripe enough to be sweet and slightly soft. The black beans were creamy and tasty. The Salvadoran crema was super rich and creamy. I like mine more sour, but it was good. The rice was lightly seasoned but nice. It was not bright yellow like you sometimes get with Central American food, but not reddish like Mexican rice or even white either. It had some seasoning and peas with carrots. The Guatemalan tamale was thick and wrapped in a banana leaf as customary. The masa is less congealed and not as dense as the Mexican cousins you might be used to; just like every other Guatemalan tamale I've had. They really aren't for everyone and generally light in flavor. I like them though. This one had a bit less chicken than I've seen in them, but once smothered in the tomatoey sauce (which has a delicate, but nice flavor) and a dab of the spicier sauce, I was a happy camper. All in all it was a good experience and we plan on going again. I'd like to dine in. The dining area is not too small and was clean with a dozen or so booths that are roomy enough to comfortably seat 4. These days booths can be a tight squeeze for 4, so I appreciate the extra room! Next time some yucca frita, a loroco papusa and maybe something new!

- Mr. Music review