RESTAURANT REVIEW Xinia holding a pan of Semita Bread As we sipped our drinks, Xinia left us to prepare a pupusa for us to sample. A pupusa is a traditional Salvadoran dish made of a thick, handmade corn tortilla that is typically filled with meats, cheeses and/or vegetables, and is grilled on both sides. We had our choice of several pupusas: Revuelta, made with beans, cheese, and choice or chicken or pork (Chicharron); vegetarian, made with cheese and edible flowers from the Loroco, a vine native to Central America; cheese and beans; cheese and rice; or a simple cheese pupusa. We ordered the Revuelta pupusa with pork, which was served with a side of tomato sauce and a side of curtido, a type of cabbage salad prepared with carrot, onion, cabbage, vinegar and spices. I personally wasn’t sure how to eat the pupusa, so Xinia offered several suggestions. Since my guest and I were sharing, we cut it in half, and I opened my half (like a pocket) and poured sauce and curtido inside. The taste was excellent! I really enjoyed the comingled flavors very much. My guest, who’d tried pupusas before, acknowledged that these were especially good and that the curtido was excellent. Xinia also served us a Loroco pupusa, which was very good; however, I couldn’t really discern a particular flavor of the Loroco—it just had a cheesy taste. Xinia’s pupusas are a big hit with customers and tend to be one of her best-selling items. At a cost of only $2.50 each, they are a real bargain, and are available from the time Xinia’s opens until closing every day of the week. Fresh tamales had just been prepared prior to our arrival, so we naturally wanted to try one. Xinia’s Salvadoran tamales are available in chicken and pork, as well as a vegetarian option made with Chipilin, a native shrub of Central America and Mexico often used in Salvadoran cuisine. We shared a chicken 38 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM SEPTEMBER 2016 tamale, which was served nestled in a plantain leaf, and was filled with long pieces of shredded chicken. The corn-based masa had a much smoother, more appealing texture than other tamales I’ve eaten. When I mentioned this to Xinia, she explained that this is because the dough is cooked both before and after the tamales are prepared. This smoother, finer texture is much more appealing to me, so I am definitely sold on Salvadoran tamales. These, too, are sold at Xinia’s for just $2.50 each. And if you like that price, you should try to drop in to Xinia’s for their daily “Happy Hour” from 11 AM to 3:00 PM daily, during which you can buy as many pupusas and tamales as you want for just $2.00 each! Now that’s very affordable for freshly made pupusas and/or tamales! I would be remiss not to mention some of the other items Xinia has added to the menu this year for example, the Pan con Pavo (Turkey Sandwich), served on fresh bread (baked in house), turkey cooked in tomato sauce and spices, and garnished with curtido, radishes, cucumber and tomato. Then there’s a hamburger served with a special sauce and a slice of pineapple on the burger; fried plantains; savory pastelitas, a turnover filled with potatoes, carrots, green beans, and a choice of chicken or pork; and much more. But now let me tell you about some of the fabulous Salvadoran sweets and pastries that are the hallmark of Xinia’s Bakery. Traditional Salvadoran Pastelitas (fruit filled pies) are plentiful and are available with strawberry, guava, pineapple, apple, mango and custard fillings. Semita bread, made with whole bran wheat, a pound cake center, and a layer of pineapple, is another popular dessert, and is quite moist and delicious. Also available are an assortment of cupcakes and large individual cake slices, including red velvet, chocolate mocha, carrot, lemon, and a luscious Salvadoran Tres Leches cake! We had the opportunity to try the Tres Leches cake and it was so moist and decadent, you’d have to try it yourself to know how wonderful it really is. There are assorted fruit turnovers, assorted large-sized cookies (including popular Alfaros); assorted jelly roll slices, and Budin (Bread Pudding), made using Xinia’s father’s original recipe-- a very popular selling item. There are eclairs and Relampagos (Cream Puffs) topped with caramel or chocolate, and even two kinds of doughnuts. Another of Xinia’s specialties is the Salvadoran Quesadilla, a dessert item made with rice flour and a hint of cream and cheese. It is the size of a large muffin, and the taste and texture reminded us of a mixture of pound cake and cornbread, and was very delicious and not overly sweet. Believe it or not, there are even more items that I could list. It is amazing that so many wonderful items are baked fresh right in Xinia’s kitchen with such a small “staff”. Xinia comes from a very hard-working family and is 3550 San Pablo Dam Road, Suite B1 San Pablo | 510-669-5259 | facebook.com/xiniasbakery
Contra Costa Marketplace - Sept 2016
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