La Perlita is Spanish for “the little pearl,” a suitable name for this new Mexican and Salvadorian restaurant downtown. It’s small and low-key, yet surprisingly exceptional.
The chips are always made fresh upon the customer’s arrival and come with a bean dip and fresh salsa, but a hotter, roasted chile salsa is available upon request.
The majority of the menu consists of Mexican dishes: tacos, enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, chile relleno, tostadas, nachos, quesadillas, flautas, chimichangas, arroz con pollo, and carne asada or pollo asado. Some breakfast dishes are available all day, including huevos rancheros, avocado omelets and huevos con chorizo (scrambled eggs and sausage).
We sampled the Big Foot burrito and the Supremo burrito. The Big Foot comes with rice, onions, olives, tomatoes, beans, bell peppers and a choice of beef, chicken or pork. This time beef was selected. The marinated shredded pieces were very soft and nicely spiced, not too much, and the vegetables were fresh and flavorful. A few sauteed mushrooms even found their way into this Big Foot. The Supremo is filled with chicken and a red chile sauce, nothing more, nothing less. The burritos don’t come with beans and rice on the side, which was a good thing, considering their enormous size. All burritos come with sour cream and guacamole.
The avocado, tomato and cucumber salad was also sampled. A large plate comes filled with generous portions of each of the three (plus some lettuce), and dressing on the side.
One can taste something different about this restaurant upon the first bite, probably due to the diverse culinary influences behind owner and chef Francisco Garay. Garay picked up gourmet tricks from his aunt, who runs Los Arcos Mexican restaurant in South Salem.
The family has so far specialized in Mexican fare, but their native cuisine is Salvadorian. The food from this small Central American nation has a mix of indigenous and European tastes, and uses slightly different spice ratios than Mexican food.
Garay is planning to slowly introduce Salemites to his homeland’s recipes. So far, La Perlita is offering pupusas, plantains and yuca, but Garay plans to keep adding more Salvadorian recipes (and perhaps even some Colombian dishes along the way).
Pupusas are soft corn tortillas filled with pork and cheese, bean and cheese, or just cheese, then grilled. They are substantially filling and thrill-seekers can try one à la carte for $2.50. They come with a side of spicy cabbage.
Yuca and plantains are staples in many Latin American countries. Yucas are very similar to potatoes, but drier. Plantains look like very large bananas, but have a completely different taste. They cannot be eaten raw, but can be baked, grilled, fried or boiled in soup. La Perlita serves fried, ripe plantains. They’re very soft and their unique sweet taste contrasts very well with rice and beans. They come with a Salvadoran sour cream for dipping, which is tangier than regular cream.
La Perlita’s seasoning is on the simple side, not overly salty and not terribly spicy (unless requested). The portions are guaranteed to leave customers satisfied for a good price: on one occasion, our bill was $22 and included two entrées, two individual pupusas, one horchata drink and a soft drink. The highest price on the menu is $10.95 for the Steak Mexicano, an 8-ounce sirloin marinated in Mexican spices. Daily specials are available for $5. The service is very friendly and ready to explain every dish or give suggestions.
La Perlita is promising to become a setting for late-night weekend snackers. As soon as Garay obtains a liquor license, which he expects soon, he plans to remain open until 2 a.m.
One loyal customer was concerned over the fate of La Perlita, located in the same spot as California Monster Sushi and Soy Barbecue:
“Everyone should come support this restaurant. I’ve seen every other restaurant here have a short lifespan and I hope this one stays for a long time. I always get the Supremo Burrito [$7.70]. It’s huge, cheap and delicious. What more do you need?”
La Perlita has outside seating and the music inside ranges from modern Latin beats to Top 40.
