La Humita
Neighborhood: Old Irving Park
3466 N Pulaski Rd.
(between Cornelia Ave & Newport Ave)
Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 794-9672
www.lahumita.com
What a find! La Humita is one of those out-of-the-way places with good service, great food and personality. If you're feeling adventurous and willing to travel west of I-94, La Humita is well worth the journey. This cozy and quaint Ecuadorian restaurant reflects the pride of its owner, Nestor Correa.
The food is fresh and tasty, and they have a full bar. Entrees, which include soup and sides are reasonably priced between $10 and $15. To our pleasant surprise, we learned that all meals are $9.95 on Sundays. Of small but important note: the bathrooms are very clean and nicely decorated.
We took our kids on the trek back to the ‘burbs after a recent visit to the Shedd Aquarium (skip the Fantasea show – fodder for another blog.)
Among the four of us, we tried “Arroz con Menestra”, a flavorful grilled steak served with lentils and fried plantains; “Lomito saltado”, sauteed steak strips diced onions with peppers (a little spicy!) and tomatoes, served with rice and French Fries; and “Arroz con camarones,” jumbo shrimp with garlic and olive oil, served with rice, peppers, onions and coconut milk topped with naranjilla (a rare Ecuadorian fruit with an orange-like taste) butter sauce.
If we hadn’t been in such carnivorous moods, we would have tried the tempting vegetarian dishes, such as the house specialty, humitas. It’s a mixture of freshly ground corn and cheese, steamed in a corn husk. There’s plenty to choose from, including pork, chicken and fish dishes. We were too full to bother with dessert – and that was the one part of the menu that didn’t thrill us.
Neighborhood: Old Irving Park
3466 N Pulaski Rd.
(between Cornelia Ave & Newport Ave)
Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 794-9672
www.lahumita.com
What a find! La Humita is one of those out-of-the-way places with good service, great food and personality. If you're feeling adventurous and willing to travel west of I-94, La Humita is well worth the journey. This cozy and quaint Ecuadorian restaurant reflects the pride of its owner, Nestor Correa.
The food is fresh and tasty, and they have a full bar. Entrees, which include soup and sides are reasonably priced between $10 and $15. To our pleasant surprise, we learned that all meals are $9.95 on Sundays. Of small but important note: the bathrooms are very clean and nicely decorated.
We took our kids on the trek back to the ‘burbs after a recent visit to the Shedd Aquarium (skip the Fantasea show – fodder for another blog.)
Among the four of us, we tried “Arroz con Menestra”, a flavorful grilled steak served with lentils and fried plantains; “Lomito saltado”, sauteed steak strips diced onions with peppers (a little spicy!) and tomatoes, served with rice and French Fries; and “Arroz con camarones,” jumbo shrimp with garlic and olive oil, served with rice, peppers, onions and coconut milk topped with naranjilla (a rare Ecuadorian fruit with an orange-like taste) butter sauce.
If we hadn’t been in such carnivorous moods, we would have tried the tempting vegetarian dishes, such as the house specialty, humitas. It’s a mixture of freshly ground corn and cheese, steamed in a corn husk. There’s plenty to choose from, including pork, chicken and fish dishes. We were too full to bother with dessert – and that was the one part of the menu that didn’t thrill us.
If you’re looking for an authentic taste of Latin America, you don’t have to update your passport for this one!
--Reviewed by Donna Gaidamak
I've never had Ecuadorian cuisine before, but it sounds fantastic.
I don't know how similar Ecuadorian and Peruvian cuisine are, but I recently had a meal at a place called Macchu Picchu in Chicago: http://www.machupicchuchicago.com/
I highly recommend it- great atmosphere and food!
Posted by: Dan McDonnell | February 25, 2010 at 03:09 PM