Mr Pollo, $20 four-course South American meal

I finally made it to Mr Pollo with a friend (and we lucked into the two last seats in the tiny 8-seat(?) restaurant, at the bar).

What a great place– casual, wholly unpretentious, like sitting in an eat-in-kitchen in a friend’s studio apartment. If the friend had serious South American comfort food cooking talent.

You sit down, pay $20, and get treated to four courses– whatever Manny has in mind to cook for you that night. It reminds me of my friend Clay, who’d said he wanted to start a restaurant serving “dinner” .

Asparagus, beans, roasted carrots:

Shrimp and really flavorful turnips.

We ordered an arepa (white corn tortillas, made by hand in front of us) filled with ground goat, on the side.

Ground lamb and goat with some warm spices I couldn’t place, with rice and chard.

And for the final course, a whole pork shoulder he’d been cooking stovetop, sliced thin, with pinto(?) beans, deep-fried artichoke heart, potatoes, kumquats, and a parsley pesto-ish relish.