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At Mi Casa Grande, folks who order enchiladas may be met with a question other than “Steak, chicken or pork?”.
The new restaurant off Cypress Street in West Monroe offers both Mexican and Honduran enchiladas, catering to the two cultures that make up its ownership. Folks placing an order will need to choose which nationality’s enchiladas they would like to try.
“Aquí es auténtico hondureño y auténtico mexicano,” co-owner Norma Mauricio, who hails from Mexico. Here, it’s authentic Honduran and authentic Mexican.
The Honduran side of the restaurant comes from Mauricio’s partner and co-owner Javier Corea. The pair opened the restaurant July 22 to bring the recipes they learned growing up to West Monroe.
Mauricio said despite adding descriptions to the menu under each dish, some customers are surprised when they order a Honduran enchilada.
“No conocen mucho la comida hondureña,” Mauricio said. Many people aren’t familiar with Honduran cuisine.
Unlike its popular Tex-Mex counterpart and Mexican peer, Mauricio said the Honduran enchilada looks more akin to a tostada. Luckily, Mauricio said customers are down to try something new.
What’s on the menu
The menu boasts traditional Mexican menudo, a red chili pepper-based soup filled with beef tripe, onions and cilantro. There’s also pupusas, a Honduran hallmark where corncakes are stuffed with a mixture of meat, beans and cheese, and pollo ceibeño — chicken that’s seasoned overnight, fried and placed atop a bed of sliced fried plantains. Mauricio said they have been happy to answer customer questions about what the dishes contain and how they are made.
Among the new bites for American palates there are familiar favorites, too. Mi Casa Grande serves sizzling fajitas, tacos al pastor and carne asada. To wash it all down, the restaurant offers horchata and fresh fruit juices made with pineapple, melon or tamarind.
For those stopping by for breakfast, there’s more than just burritos. Folks can order Honduran baleadas, where eggs, beans, steak, avocado and queso crema — thick sour cream — are served into a folded flour tortilla or huevos ala mexicana, eggs spiced up with tomatoes, onion and jalapeños. There’s also huevos con chorizo, where patrons can choose between pork or beef chorizo to enjoy with their eggs.
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Mauricio said that while Mi Casa Grande offers Mexican food, none of it is Tex-Mex, which can confuse some customers. Chimichangas and bowls of queso are not on the menu.
If you go
Mi Casa Grande is located at 3426 Cypress St., Suite 7 in West Monroe. The restaurant is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, and patrons can choose to dine in or order meals to go. Folks can learn more about Mi Casa Grande on their website at https://bit.ly/3Ej1w8X orat on Facebook at bit.ly/2VqZodF.
Follow Sabrina LeBoeuf on Twitter @_sabrinakaye and on Facebook at https://bit.ly/3B8sgHo.
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https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/2021/09/09/west-monroe-authentic-honduran-mexican-restaurant/5751484001/
