Restaurant Review - Las Palmas

Nicaragua, although it has Central America’s oldest city, Granada, and its largest lake, is not a country that attracts much tourism. Indeed, I can’t even think about it without pictures of Ollie North and Ronald Reagan — remember the Contras? — dancing in my head. Earthquakes and hurricanes are also part of its recent history.

Because it’s not been much of a tourist attraction, its cuisine has not caught on in the States, and I only recall one restaurant here featuring it to any measurable extent during the last 10 years. That’s a shame, too. The country, with Pacific and Caribbean coasts, draws influences from Jamaica and Cuba, and its cuisine is a nice change from the usual Latin fare. Las Palmas (4005 Buford Highway, 404-634-0589) is your opportunity to try good Nicaraguan cooking.

The restaurant seems to be half-pool hall with four or five tables taking up a third of the restaurant’s space. When Wayne and I visited on a recent Sunday for an early dinner, we were alone in the restaurant, so I’m not sure what the ambiance is like most of the time. It’s certainly a cheerful cafe, spotlessly clean, with blue and yellow walls hung with the flags of Nicaragua and Cuba (whose cuisine is also featured here). There’s a hand-lettered nonsmoking poster that warns you that if you smoke, “Your brain will not work.” Although our server did not speak English, the apparent owner spoke well, so don’t worry about translation.

We tried a couple of appetizers, including the nacatamal, maybe Nicaragua’s best-known dish. It’s a tamal cooked up to four hours. Pork, marinated in achiote, garlic and some citric flavoring, is cooked with cornmeal (masa) until the meat is done. Red beans figure prominently in the country’s cooking. Gallo pinto — red beans sauteed with rice — is a customary side dish. I ordered, as a starter, red beans with crema, the heavy cream similar to sour cream popular throughout Latin America. The beans were served with sweet, sticky fried bananas.

For an entree, I ordered churrasco, grilled skirt steak served with a chimichurri sauce. This dish is widely associated with Argentine dining, but it actually originated in Nicaragua. The sauce is made of parsley, garlic, olive oil and a touch of vinegar. Las Palmas’ churrasco is served sizzling on an iron platter.

Wayne ordered tasty but less interesting grilled red snapper. Indeed, some of the more compelling dishes are served only on weekends, including classic mondongo (tripe soup) and chicken soup with meatballs, potato stew and salpicòn — minced meat with green peppers and onions.

For dessert, skip the tres leches and flan and go directly to pío quinto, a custardy cake spiked with rum.