Midtown Lunch

Photo via Cuban Food USA 

Tierra Colombiana, the less frou-frou and more distant sister to the Gayhorhood’s Mixto, serves Colombian, Ecuatorian, and Cuban food in North Philly.  It also doubles at a night club. But there was no way I was dancing after all the food I put away.  There are a lot of big plates on the menu, but my group focused on the appetizers so we had more to sample.

Arafitas ($4.50), shredded plantain fries, are a nice, crispy share-able plate to munch on and dip into its garlic sauce, maybe while you contemplate which margarita style you’d like.

Chorizo cubano ($9) is served sauteed in white wine sauce with some black olives.  Fatty, sliced meat is always well received by me and my people, though I prefer a more charred preparation for chorizo.

My absolute favorite bites of the night were of the “maduro relleno de carne molida y queso”- an enjoyably greasy fried plantain that is stuffed with a ground beef and olive mixture and covered in cheese ($5.50).  You can’t really get any better than a sweet, salty, meaty, cheesy combination and this was really well composed.

A Colombian style tamale ($7.50),  filled with pork and chicken, was oversized, but didn’t suffer from dryness.

If you are looking for more of a complete meal or bigger plates for sharing, I recommend the meat. A seafood heavy paella marinera features shrimp, clams, scallops, mussels, and even some lobster.  But I couldn’t stop eating the grilled slices of skirt steak (dipped in chimichurri sauce).

Which perfectly greasy Latin American snack looks best to you?

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Bold flavored appetizers
• Dance party is a few steps away

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Bigger plates might be too much for lunch

 Tierra Colombiana, 4535 N 5th St, 215 324-6086