Brick-sized Nicaraguan tamales, known as nacatamal, are superior to just about every other steamed leaf- or husk-wrapped tamale. I’m confident that you’ll reach the same conclusion with your first bite of nacatamal at Las Segovias in Huntington Park. Green olives and raisins peek out from the masa filled with bone-in pork ribs or chops. Once you dig a little deeper into the center, there’s a lump of rice, potato and slivers of tomato. All the components, including the pork bones, take on a decadent, custardy texture and the bittersweet taste of sour orange. The quesillo is served in a plastic bag, similar to the way it’s sometimes packaged on the streets of Nicaragua. The corn tortilla is thick and almost cake-like, blistered and folded around a blob of soft, mild white cheese and crema that oozes out the back. There are bowls of indio viejo, with strands of shredded beef suspended in a thick, savory gravy, and big platters of grilled meats alongside mounds of gallo pinto and triangles of fried cheese. Everything is better with a spoonful or three of the house condiment, diced onions soaked in a vinegar chile sauce that tastes a lot like Tabasco. After you eat, you can browse the sandals, clothing and snacks in a small marketplace at the rear of the dining room. The refresco of choice is cacao, a tall glass of milk flooded with crushed, whole cacao beans that drinks like a slightly grainy chocolate milk. “It’s very nice,” my server says, handing me a Big Gulp-sized cup with a straw. Yes, it really is.
Read All Read Less
