Dining Pick of the Week: Esmeralda’s Café

PICK OF THE WEEK:

ESMERALDA'S CAFÉ

714 N. Nellis Blvd. at East Bonanza Road, 702-438-0207

This restaurant combines the very best Salvadoran and Mexican dishes. Mexican plates, such as beef or chicken burritos, shrimp enchiladas, and chicken, shredded beef or cheese enchiladas are served with rice, beans and tortillas. Several Salvadoran dishes feature pupusas, a thick, handmade corn tortilla filled with choice of pork, cheese, rice or beans and served with curtido, a lightly fermented cabbage slaw with red chilies and vinegar. Several house specials are shrimp tostada, carne asada, pork chops, seven seas soup, fried chicken, spicy shrimp and chile relleno. Chicken soup is served daily, with beef soup on Wednesday and Thursday and shrimp soup on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Saturday and Sunday are the days for cow's feet soup. Among the Salvadoran appetizers are beef or banana turnover, root yucca, flan, chicken pie, plantano con crema y frijol (banana, cream, beans) and tamal de elote, a corn tamale that is a favorite breakfast food in Mexico and throughout Central America. Other breakfast entrees, served throughout the day with rice and beans, are eggs with sausage, huevos rancheros and shredded beef with eggs. House specials start at $7 and soups at $5. Esmeralda's Café is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. - Jack Bulavsky