Comments on: El Cuscatleco v. El Cuscatleco II

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 18:10:06 +0000

My husband and I had never eaten bad Latin American food until we ate at el Cuscatleco II. It was horrible. We had a groupon for this place, so we thought we would check it out. I wanted to try Salvadorian food as I had never had it before. I ordered the “plato tipico” which was recommended by the waitress. My husband stuck with a safer option, the Chimichanga. My puposa could have been good as the center – pork and cheese – was good, but it was burnt. (And we were the only people eating in the restaurant at that time around 7 on a Friday night). The yuca fries were ok but bland. The platanos were overcooked and dry. (Nothing like the ones I enjoy at Carmens or Mami Noras). The pastelito tasted like a brick and was also overcooked. The tamal was horrible! It was soggy and reminded me of a wet diaper. My husband’s chimichanga was ok, but he was served brown guacamole on top of it. Normally, I am the type to complain when I am not happy with the food, but honestly, I was so turned off by what I had that I could not imagine eating anything else. My hope is that the normal chef was on vacation and the food there is not always so bad. My advice, if you see brown guacamole and a black puposa, run!

By: GP

GP — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 01:05:07 +0000

Nice! Thanks for the tips on the camera. I’m actually back in the market for one since I lost mine. I’m glad to see that a moderately priced (but tech ladened) point-and-shoot does the job.

By: YAR

YAR — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:50:01 +0000

Apparently using the Macro setting helps too. DNR uses a Canon SD750.

By: GNR

GNR — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:05:53 +0000

I have a Canon PowerShot A520, and that is what we used to take the photos in this post. As far as photographing food, my usual method is to use natural light if possible, no flash, and I attempt to create a nice composition. My boyfriend, who took most of these pictures, says that he also zooms out as far as possible.

By: GP

GP — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:20:58 +0000

Love the reviews! I’ve been wondering… What kind of camera are you using to take your photos? It does a great job in difficult indoor lighting. If you’re using multiple cameras: what is your favorite? what did you use for the ECII post? Maybe you could do a post about shooting food? Thanks for all you do!

By: Beth1

Beth1 — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:46:14 +0000

Great review of both restaurants, GNR. Thanks!

By: TSQ75

TSQ75 — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:41:14 +0000

good lord the eggs and plantains look amazing! how early does I open on the weekends, i wonder…

By: GNR

GNR — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:08:26 +0000

That’s funny; I thought that the scenes in the murals looked oddly Tuscan.

By: Britt B.

Britt B. — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:00:41 +0000

II used to be my favorite italian joint Camille’s, at least the murals are still there. Before that it was the former home of Triangle Tropical Fish, and no it wasn’t a sushi place

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:45:31 +0000

II also has been advertising (via those flimsy little plasticky roadside signs) “kids eat free” on certain days, I think M-W or M-Th. That’s probably going to get us in the door soon.