This weekend, you'll be able to taste your way around the world at the fifth annual U.S. Cellular World Food Festival. There will be 36 food vendors offering unique foods from across the globe, plus, beer and wine, live entertainment and cooking demonstrations. But in central Iowa, you can take a global food tour year-round, as the area is home to many authentic ethnic restaurants. Here are a few.
El Salvador del Mundo
2901 Sixth Ave.
Carlos Deleon opened El Salvador six years ago, and prepares authentic El Salvadorian dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Deleon said popular dishes include the el cuco (a dish of grilled meat, shrimp and sausage), and pastelitos (corn tortillas filled with meat and vegetables). Order a side of yuca fritas, Central American-style potatoes that are more fiberous than meaty, or a bowl of sopa de pata, which is a soup made with beef stomach and feet.
Hours: 9:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
La Rosa
2312 Forest Ave.
Rosa Martinez, 34, opened La Rosa in 2003, and her authentic tamales have been an area staple ever since. Made from scratch (like everything else she sells), her well-loved tamales, shown right, are comprised of tender pulled pork and red sauce wrapped inside a hand-mixed corn dough. They're served inside a corn husk from Mexico. Just unwrap it and eat.
Martinez makes about 1,000 every Monday, setting up an assembly line in the front of her restaurant.
"It takes four people about eight hours," she said. "We sell about 100 or so a day, though. People say we make the best tamales in the city."
Martinez uses no machinery to make her foods. Everything is tossed, mixed or prepared by hand. Also popular are her sopas, which are thick, shallow dishes of corn dough topped with meat and vegetables.
Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday, and Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday. Closed Tuesdays.
Namaste India
7500 University Ave., Clive
Namaste opened in 2008 as a place to serve all Indian tastes - North Indian, South Indian, vegetarian and more.
Roger Singh suggested the Tandoori chicken, shown right, which is marinated in yogurt and a handful of Indian spices for at least six hours. It's served with a side of mint chutney, a very spicy green sauce, and tambrin chutney, a sweet sauce similar to barbecue sauce. Don't feel you need to cut the meaty chicken pieces with a knife. Just pick them up and eat them like wings at a sports bar.
Hours: Restaurant open 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Grocery open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.
Saraj
3811 Douglas Ave.
Fuada Aljic moved from Bosnia to Iowa in 1998, and opened her restaurant last year. "I always loved cooking, so it seemed like a good idea," Aljic said.
Popular for gyros, Saraj serves Bosnian foods and baked goods made from scratch. Her pitas are phyllo dough stuffed with beef, cheese or spinach, and look almost like a honey bun.
She also prepares traditional cevapi, a plate of small sausages served with Bosnian pita bread (called Lepinja), onions and sour cream, and baklava.
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
