Thursday, April 11, 2013

Strip Mall Success: Carrollton's Ethnic Cuisine


For our latest adventure, we headed to our hometown to try out Peruvian cuisine. Inca’s Café is tucked away in a strip mall in central Carrollton. It also happens to be a few doors down from one of our favorite foodie finds, International Bakery-Cuban Dulceria. We headed to the restaurant for an early lunch on a Saturday.

The first thing we noticed about Inca’s is the large menu with a variety of dining options. It took us several minutes to browse the menu and decide what we wanted to try. We started with a side of fried yucca. The yucca fries came out with two sauces, a more mild red and a spicier green option. The fried yucca was very enjoyable, and I particularly liked the green sauce.



I ordered the chicken empanada plate that came with rice, an avocado salad, and fried plantains. The size of the dishes at Inca’s are more than generous and we could have easily split an entrée. The empanadas were fried nicely and more herbaceous than others I have tried. I was surprised by the lack of spice used in the dishes, but I think that may be characteristic of Peruvian food. The avocado salad was irrelevant to me, after eating the slices I didn’t go back for more. The rice was tasty, but the fried plantains stole the show. They were the quite possibly the best plantains I have tried. They were sweet and flavorful and could have served as a dessert. Overall, I was pleased with my choice.


Sara ordered a traditional Peruvian dish called Lomito Saltado. The dish consists of sirloin, onions tomatoes, served over french fries. The dish was served with rice and a fried egg. Initially, Sara was confused as to what exactly she was eating. She kept saying that she liked it, but just didn't understand it. We later found out that the dish is a representation of the melting pot culture found in Peru: Latin and Asian.  After awhile, she thoroughly enjoyed it and I liked the few bites that I stole. Sara loved the rice and said that it was her favorite dish at the restaurant.

Even though we were stuffed after our meals at Inca's, we had to stop by International Bakery for dessert. Sara ordered a meringue with dulce de leche and I had my usual guava pastry. Sara said the meringue was more decadent than others she has had before and enjoyed it. I, as always, loved every bite of my flaky and delicious guava pastry.

We left feeling a little more prideful of Carrollton, knowing that we have found several truly unique and delicious restaurants in the area. You may have to sift through strip-mall parking lots to get to these delicious Latin destinations, but trust us it is worth it.  


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