Often, when we think about food from Latin America, we start and stop with Mexico. But, there’s an entire continent of cuisine that’s worth exploring.
La Boca Loca, located close to where the Whitemud passes under 99th Street, is a spot that offers diners a culinary tour of the Americas. From Chile to Argentina, Colombia to Peru, the menu offers a sampling of cuisines from throughout South America. But, alas, I am only one man, and one man cannot eat a continent’s worth of dishes. So, I order the Chilean Porotos Con Riendas. It’s a stew with pumpkin, noodles and beans, with a choice of either chorizo sausage or grilled beef. When I am told the chorizo is made in house, I go with the sausage. I would fully endorse a letter-writing campaign to the people who come up with the Canada Food Guide, demanding that sausage be designated its own food group. After all, it’s a combination of meat, spices and, sometimes, vegetables or even fruit. It is one of the food inventions that show how humankind is truly civilized.
The sausage is fantastic — a hint of spice in the background, but a real zing of pork flavour up front. The mix of pumpkin and beans acts as a counterpoint to the meat, the subtle and the strong. It’s so, so good.
Then, come the churros, covered in powdered sugar and served with a caramel sauce. These churros aren’t as over-the-top sweet as some others I’ve had in Edmonton, and that’s a good thing. The sauce provides the big sugar kick — and putting something that’s already very sweet into a sweet sauce, that’s counterintuitive, right?
La Boca Loca
Strathcona Industrial Park | 3903 99 St NW, Edmonton | 780.463.3233 | labocalocaedmonton.com
