Ahhhh my two favorites. Tacos…
Unfortunately there were no drinks this time. My third and fourth stops of the day were brought to you by cotijas and tostones. First of all, I have never had either of these foods before so I was super excited. Before I talk about the foods and the restaurants, lets talk about the history. Let me educate you so you can further appreciate the food.
In an article titled, The Global Chef: A Taste of the Caribbean, can be found on record-eagle.com. It was written by local columnist, Nancy Krcek Allen. She gives a very in-depth description of the platano classification. From her list we need to focus on platano verde and platano maduro. According to Allen’s article, ” Green plantain (platano verde) has a tough skin and is starchy and bland, similar to a potato. When the skin is bright green and firm, use plantains for tostones, plantain chips, mashed plantains and soup. To peel green plantains, remove the ends and make a lengthwise slit through the peel with a knife before you strip off the peel with your hands and slice the fruit”. She then describes platano maduro, ” Fully ripe plantain (platano maduro), has a banana aroma and is almost banana sweet with dark yellow to brown skin. The tips turn black and the fruit feels tender. Use platanos maduros to prepare fried sweet plantains, a fried plantain omelet or or boil, mash and form deep-fried plantain balls”.
COTIIJJJJAAAA… is actually a type of cheese, but on the Tacos & Tequilas menu, it’s the name of this side. Tacos and Tequilas is a Mexican restaurant located on 650 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, in Atlanta, GA.
I promise it was waaayyy better than it looks. I paid $4.90 with tax for this. This place was the only restaurant that would let you use a card for purchases under $6. Cotija is a dish that is made by slicing and frying platano maduro, then sprinkling it with cotija cheese. Out of all the sliced and fried plantains I had, this was the best. It had the right amount of sweet and savory flavors. While the texture was soft and a little mushy, the outer parts were crispy. The cotija crumbles go perfectly with the plantains.
I drove to a Dominican restaurant right behind Plaza Fiesta. Sabor Dominicano is located on 4186 Buford Highway NE, in Atlanta, GA. I ordered a side of tostones, which costs $2.50 without tax. Allen’s article states that tostones are, “sliced green plantains, fried, smashed, and fried again”. This dish was made from a green plantain or platano verde. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I took my first bite. It tasted like a potato, well more specifically like a french fry. It was ok, it could’ve been great if it had seasoning. I would definitely recommend adding some salt, cheese, and valentina hot sauce. I’ll leave a video or two below for the ones who want to make this at home.
Culturally Delicious 