Because mother grew up in Cuba and Mexico, I have grown up with a love of their native foods—including my mother’s delectable homemade Cuban black beans and rice. However, when I have been to Mexican restaurants in the past, I have had a fairly limited variety of dishes—mainly a basic “combination” dinner with enchiladas, rice, beans, and a burrito. It has always been an enjoyable meal, but nothing memorable.
Today, as I opened La Fonda Latina’s menu, I had a different goal in mind. Instead of merely trying out their combination dinners, I wanted La Fonda to work for my money. So, I brought along four other hungry individuals in the mid afternoon to help me discover the different tastes and flavors this quaint restaurant had to offer. La Fonda Latina is a part of a group of restaurants in Atlanta, with other locations in Marietta, Buckhead, Home Park, and East Atlanta, located within easy access of most of Metro Atlanta. Prices are a reasonable $7 to $13. Instead of offering cuisine from a specific location, they have sections of the menu dedicated to Spanish traditions, a Taste of Mexico, From the Cuban Grill, and Cuban Sandwiches. After some deliberation, the five of us settled on five different dishes from all four sections of the menu—Arroz con Pollo, Reuben Cubano, Sopa de Pollo, Chicken Enchiladas, and Verduras a la Parrilla.
While the food was being cooked, I quickly started on the customary chips and salsa. The homemade chips were delectable, the perfect mixture of warmth and crunch, balanced out by the smooth, refreshing salsa. The salsa could have been a bit spicier for my taste, but nonetheless it was very enjoyable. All to quickly, the salsa and chip bowls were empty, and we had to wait a few minutes before they were full again. However, our food arrived so quickly that any agonizing about refilling the chips and salsa vanished.
Plates laden with food filled the table, amidst exclamations of how tastefully the food was arranged. However, silence soon surrounded us as chicken, rice, sandwiches and soup disappeared. Personally, I started on my dish, the Verduras a la Parrilla (Grilled vegetable kabobs), which was vastly unfamiliar to me except for the included rice and beans. However, even my first bite of those startled me—I tasted the beans, and instead of conjuring memories of spiced refried beans from the can, they teased me with rich, spicy, yet sweet, flavor.
Impressed from the first bite, I eagerly continued my adventure with the grilled vegetable kabobs. The squash, onions, whole tomatoes, green peppers, and zucchini refreshed with their juicy, cool taste, while the potatoes and mushrooms added variety in texture. I have never tasted such a dish at a Latin restaurant, but was pleasantly surprised. Portions were of a healthy size—even I got full partway through the second stick!
Chicken Enchiladas and Sopa de Pollo (A light chicken soup) both were, while definitely tasty, were nothing particularly memorable. However, for the person who doesn’t particularly enjoy the standard Latin cuisine yet is along for the ride, the Reuben Cubano, described as “Grilled boneless breast of chicken, Swiss cheese, Cuban coleslaw, pickles and Cuban dressing on Cuban bread” is the perfect solution. Every bite is filled with delectable taste that will have you leaving satisfied.
The last entree ended up being the star of the visit. It arrived, unlike the rest of the dishes, in a heavy cast iron skillet, still hot from the stove. Advertised as one of their specialties, Arroz Con Pollo is the choice to die for. Much more than rice with chicken, every bite makes your taste buds to scream for more. It may be the peppers they use, the white wine for taste, or some secret mix of seasonings, but the chefs at La Fonda Latina have it right. Hear me—it’s spicy. However, I’ve had severely spicy food that is overwhelming, causing the purpose of the meal to be fighting tears rather than enjoying the chef’s proficiency in weaving together flavors. One gets the feeling that the pungent flavor is merely there to cover the lack of quality in the rest of the plate. However, this is not so with La Fonda Latina’s Arroz Con Pollo. It’s just spicy enough to add another dimension without overpowering the rest of the dish. It is this dish that will bring me back to La Fonda Latina again and again—I can safely say it is in the list of best entrees I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.
As dinner progressed, I was able to scrutinize my surroundings more thoroughly. As mentioned before, this location located on McLendon Avenue is a remodeled service station—complete with a sheltered area where the gas pumps used to be that is perfect for dropping off/picking up people in the rain. What used to be a pair of garages for quick car fixes now is transformed into a seating area with tables—the garage doors are still present to add authenticity and seal off the area into its own “dining room” of sorts. Passing through the next door brings you to a long, narrow dining area with booths perfect for parties of four to six. It houses the cash register, openings into the kitchen, and the restrooms.
Herein lies our greatest error. As our group could choose where we wanted to sit, we naturally chose the booths as we believed it would provide easier conversation and more private than sitting in the main dining room. However, we failed to consider that the restrooms, due to space constraints, are located across the aisle from the two booths. There weren’t that many people at La Fonda Latina at the time, so it was not an issue until the very end of our meal, when one of the employees took a restroom break. In order to disguise the smell, air freshener was used. Sadly, it was used liberally and had a very overpowering scent. If an unfortunate victim would be in the middle of enjoying his or her Arroz Con Pollo, it would be an issue that might lead to moving to another part of the restaurant. Luckily, we were literally about to leave, so it was not a huge issue.
This is one of the main disadvantages to having a small restaurant. However, this experience can be easily avoided—this story is merely present to prevent people with the pleasure of dining at La Fonda Latina at the McLendon Avenue location from making the same mistake that we did. There is plenty of seating out in the main dining room.
La Fonda Latina is a wonderful experience I will be sure to repeat. Yes, the location creates some minor issues, though most can be easily avoided with a simple choice to sit in the main dining area. One fact remains, and it eclipses everything else. The food is heavenly.
La Fonda Latina
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