Salbutes, Panades and Garnaches, Oh My
My friend Josh and I have been on the hunt for really good Belizean food in Los Angeles. Most specifically, we were looking for inexpensive, fried and delicious things. Well we found our place, and its name is Little Belize.
Finding it was only slightly difficult. We spotted it on the other side of an intersection while waiting at a red light behind another car. I thought I might have an interesting picture of the exterior, so I took out my camera and pointed it at the restaurant. But I decided it was a bad shot, and put the camera away. Just then, the car in front of us noticed the camera and adjusted its rear-view mirror quickly to get a look at us. The light turned green and both of our cars crossed the street. Now we were at the restaurant, so Josh was about to pull into one of the many perpendicular curbside parking spots. But right before he could, the car in front of us whipped over to that same curb (taking up about four spots) and came to an immediate stop. We realized that the driver was paranoid about us, and had pulled over hoping that we’d drive past him. But Josh was parking— so he pulled in right behind the other car. The guy in front of us just glared at us from his side mirror, not moving, not talking— just sitting there with the motor running. Eventually, Josh said out the window “We’re just going to this restaurant,” and then the car sped off.
So we weren’t murdered. And I’ll take that as a positive.
Happy to be alive, we headed into the restaurant. Tucked into Inglewood on Nutwood street, it’s an unassuming but very welcoming spot. We were greeted right away by the owner, Adrien. This self proclaimed “King of Oxtail” has been running Little Belize for 8 years, and is even talking about expansion.
We ordered at the counter, then slid into some booths with a pair of the Belizean beers called Belikin. Then the food arrived. His stewed oxtails are indeed tasty, served with a nicely fried plantain, some buttery, peppery white rice, potato salad (seemingly a Belizean staple) and a soupy bowl of stew beans. I would happily just eat a bowl of his flavorful white rice, topped with stew beans and a few squirts of Adrian’s homemade habanero hot sauce (even though I do so love the standard table hot sauce of Belize— Marie Sharp’s). And when things got a little on the spicy side, the potato salad proved to be a nice cooling agent.
But the real winners of the afternoon came in the form of cheap, delicious appetizers. They ranged from $1-$1.50 and each have their own merit. We had:
- Panades: Similar to small, tasty empanadas.
- Garnaches: A fried tortilla spread with beans and cheese.
- Salbutes: Our favorite, and possibly an import from Yucatan. A crispy, pliable fried disc of cornmeal topped with shredded meat, tomatoes and some cabbage that tastes like it’s been quick-pickled and tossed with a little of that home made hot sauce. It’s a real delight.
- Meat Pie: Small and with a tender but flaky crust, it’s a perfect balance with the nicely seasoned ground beef tucked away inside. Add a dash of hot sauce and you’re home free.
There was also a tamale ($3), which had an almost custard-like consistency, with large pieces of bone-in chicken filled inside. This wasn’t a bad dish, but neither of us found it particularly interesting, or quite frankly, worth finishing.
Regardless, I’m very happy to have found this place. Tough to beat a plate of tasty fried things for a dollar each that’s a little different than what you’re used to, but still hugely accessible.
Food Breakdown: 2 beers, 7 appetizers, 1 entree.
Cost: $33
Little Belize
217 E Nutwood St
Inglewood, CA 90301
(310) 674-0696
www.littlebelizeres.com
Open every day until 8 PM
