Mercado Central I

Mercado Central
1515 E. Lake Street
12 food vendors
$2-15

We started our evening across the street from Mercado Central, at Guayaquil, which we thought was a Mexican restaurant, but ended up serving primarily Ecuadorian fare. This was hard to decipher at first, until we had a seat and ordered a round of beers and glanced at the menu. Ecuadorian menu items including Seco de Chivo, an Ecuadorian goat stew and Churrasco, a fried steak served with fried yucca and avocado dominated. Off to the side, there was a small Mexican section and since we decided to stay on track, we ordered 3 Arepas as an appetizer.

Arepas were the perfect option at this point. We didn't have to commit to an entire meal and it was the perfect way to start off a night of sampling. Golden cheese bread cakes surrounded a creamy avocado and chicken filling. Every bite was savored!

The Mercado Central is an intimidating foodventure because of the amount of food vendors in one location. There are 12 bakeries and food booths with a central eating area. A note to those late eaters: closing time is 8:00 M-Sat. on the dot, not before or after.


LA LOMA TAMALES
I have died and gone to heaven, where they only serve Oaxaqueno tamales. Banana leaves keep the spicy pork and corn meal dough moist and tender. Every bite is magical! Do I have to try a different kind? There are so many options Puerco, Pollo, Mole and four vegetarian styles. How can I steer myself away?

So, I did this time and I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I opted for the Puerco (pork) tamale and it did not live up to the Oaxaqueno. I blame the corn husk, as it is not as protective as the banana leaf. It does not have the moisture lock to keep the flavor fresh and the corn meal moist. The flavor was good, similar to the Oaxaqueno. Red chili is the main flavoring for both of these tamales.

Oaxaqueno tamale: 5
overall rating: 4.5

COCINA EL MEXICANO
By the time we reached the dining section of the Mercado Central, it was nearly closing time. All of the vendors were packing up at about 7:45 PM. We quickly scanned the row of food vendors to find an open booth. A woman at Cocina El Mexicano waved us over and we quickly and randomly ordered the chicken flautas.
The menu the Cocina offers a standard list of items and there didn't appear to be a specialty.

I was impressed by the perfection of the flautas. Each one was perfectly rolled and fried. The balance of the crunchy tortillas and the creamy queso fresco was addictive. My only complaint is that they may have gone a little overboard with the cheese. Either way, I would return for another sampling of these golden goodies.

flauta rating: 4