Official GrubClub Outing: Chibcha Colombian Cuisine

The GrubClub recently made its first official outing to Chicha Colombian Restaurant on Sunset in Silverlake. Lured by the promise of a plethora of fried pork as so deliciously described in J's previous post, several of the GrubClub members gathered one summer evening to check it out for ourselves.

We started out with a round of fruity beverages, some made with milk and some not. This was the cause for a rather extended and convoluted negotiation process with our waitress/chef/owner (this is a family-run establishment, after all), but ended up in a colorful assortment of delicious drinks -- just don't ask me what was in them or what they're called. All I remember is the white one was guanabana and it's made with milk. Just close your eyes and pick one from the menu -- they're all good.

Next up was a plate of empanadas. Good stuff. Fried pie shells with meat inside -- who doesn't love that?? Then, our main dishes: the specialty of the house seems to be the combo plate pictured here. This was the plate so aptly described by J in her original post, complete with the crown of chicharon at the top. 'Nuff said.

Pictured above is a glorious pile of fried pork riblets, deep fried chicharon chunklets (is that a word? if not, it should be... chunklets is the perfect way to describe these mini-chunks of bacon-like pork) and grilled beef, interspersed with fried plantains, fried yuca, and potatoes. Whew! This would be the perfect accompaniment to a pitcher of beer and a ball game on a warm summer night.

Final analysis: good, stick to yer ribs, meat 'n potatoes comfort food. Not the place to go if you're trying to watch your cholesterol, that's for sure. But it's tasty and a great value -- which is, after all, what we GrubClubbers are all about.