First Impression

John: In case you haven’t noticed, the Beacon leans a little bit to the conservative side. So I wasn’t shocked when I got my weekly Dining Duo e-mail from the higher ups. It read, “We don’t care where you go this week, just make sure you go on Wednesday so you can’t watch the State of the Union.” I think it also said something about ‘Obama’ and ‘brainwashing,’ but I can’t be sure because I never read any more then half of an e-mail that comes from a boss. With that in mind, Tim and I ventured out Wednesday night to Roswell’s newest Latin restaurant, Gorda Luna. (That’s ‘fat moon’ for anyone that failed there way through high school Spanish). First, Gorda Luna has a great location, but it’s difficult to find. And yes, I know those two statements seem to contradict themselves. Let me explain, Gorda Luna is on the corner of Holcomb Bridge and Highway 9, in the same plaza as McDonalds. The plaza is easy enough to find, but you really have to look if you want to find the restaurant. As for the inside place, last week I said that I love owners that are actively involved in their restaurant. The owner of Gorda Luna, Ubi Angeles, was the one seating customers, so for the second straight week, big bonus points in my book.

Tim: Gorda Luna is in one of those buildings that you know was something else before the current resident moved in, but you can’t quite pinpoint what it was. My first guess was Waffle House. But then I realized that there’s a Waffle House about two miles away, and there’s no way they would put two Waffle Houses that close together (Oh. Wait. They do that all the time.) Breech, who has a mental catalog of every Waffle House in the metro Atlanta area, reprimanded me for my ignorance on such important topics and calmly informed me that it used to be a KFC. But unless there are some new Kentucky grilled empanadas at KFC, that’s where the similarities between the two places end.

John: A-
Tim: A

Appetizers

John: Our opening course consisted of four things: empanadas, ceviche, chorizo paisa and hogao. So yes, you may want to brush up on your Spanish before you go. The empanadas were hands down my favorite. They are a fried pastry that’s filled with beef, potatoes, onions and tomatoes. I’m a guy, so I love fried foods, potatoes and beef. So empanadas equal awesome. The tomato and onion also added a fresh flavor so that the taste of the beef didn’t take over. Also, you will be given some homemade salsa to put on your empanada. Make sure you do this, it makes a good dish better. Kind of like Avatar is good in 2-D, but once you put those 3-D glasses on, it becomes the best movie ever. I wasn’t a big fan of the Ceviche. Tim and our other dining friend Mel seemed to really like it. The dish is a seafood filled plantain and when I say ‘seafood-filled,’ I am not exaggerating. The plantain bowl was filled to the brim with shrimp and a little bit of squid. I just thought the added lime juice made the dish a bit too tart. Oh and the chorizo paisa is a homemade sausage, I loved it, but I’ve run out of room here. They are served with arepas, hopefully Tim can explain what those are because I’m still trying to figure it out.

Tim: At first glance arepas kind of look like pita bread from the outside. The difference is that arepas are made of corn and they aren’t hollow. The consistency and flavor is very similar to the corn breading in a traditional Mexican tamale—not a ton of flavor, kind of a grainy texture. It basically serves as a little edible plate that is designed to not disturb all the other flavors that it is carrying to your mouth. The arepas and the hogao (a tomato and onion salsa that arrives at your table steaming hot) sent a clear signal from the get-go that this was not going to be a basic Speed Gonzales Mexican joint. This was authentic Latin cuisine from Central and South America that was going to provide a unique experience from start to finish. And I’ll echo Breech here. If you don’t get anything else, get the empanadas. You won’t be disappointed.

John: B+
Tim: A

Entrées

John: Tim, thanks for explaining what an arepa is because everyone is going to need to know this; mainly because we ordered the beef arepa for dinner. We also got a sandwich called the Torta Mexicana and for a third entrée, we ordered three chicken tacos. First, I have to talk about the Torta Mexicana. This was the best sandwich I have ever had. Ever. Is this a hyperbolic statement? Am I exaggerating? You will have to visit Gorda Luna to find out. The sandwich consists of grilled steak, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes and onions on a bun. There is also a special sauce. The bun is almost as big as a baby. Tim has seven babies in his family, so I think he can vouch for this. The beef arepa consisted of beef served over an arepa. There are also avocados on this. As a matter of fact, Gorda Luna puts fresh avocado on almost everything, so if you like avocado (as Mel does), you will love this place. The beef arepa was kind of plain (not many flavors), but it was tasty.

Tim: One thing that was conspicuously absent from the entire meal was cheese. But the interesting thing was that I only realized this after the fact. The food – particularly the new best-sandwich-in-Roswell Torta Mexicana - stood on its own without the easy flavor that cheese provides. The beef arepa was delicious with avocado and a little of the homemade salsa. No cheese needed. The chicken tacos were the same. It’s just meat on a tortilla, dressed with a little bit of cilantro. Throw a slice of avocado and some of the salsa on there and it’s a delectable cheese-less treat. I like the approach of someone saying, “We’re confident that you’ll like our food the way it is. You don’t need to cover it up in cheesy goo to make it taste good,” and then backing it up.

John: A
Tim: A

Desserts

John: There are three desserts at Gorda Luna and we ordered two of them: the torta negra and the tres leches cake. The tres lechas cake is a milky pound cake, it was a big hit at the table. It’s not dry like normal pound cake, but it is as tasty. Everyone at the table agreed that it was better than the torta negra which is a rum and fruit cake. If you don’t like fruitcake, stay away from the torta negra because you’ll get some clumps of fruit in your mouth with each bite. I like fruit cake, I liked the torta negra, but I don’t think Tim did.

Tim: Mel and I were equally thrown off by the torta negra’s impersonation of a chocolate cake. We knew we had ordered torta negra, but because we don’t know what that means we took one look at it once it got to the table and immediately thought the same thing – “That Colombian chocolate looks a little lumpy.”

It’s like when you expect to take a swig of Coke and mid sip you realize that it’s Dr. Pepper. The contrast between the expectation and the reality created a weird experience. The tres leches cake was absolutely delicious, though.

John: A
Tim: B

Final Impression

John: The best thing about this place is that it’s not Mexican. There are plenty of good Mexican restaurants in Roswell, but Gorda is not out to compete with them. Gorda is more geared for a customer that wants to try Latin food that’s not based in Mexico (think Cuba, Colombia, Puerto Rico). I’ve been eating in North Fulton for a while now and the market for non-Mexican Latin food is pretty minimal. The only downside is that because Gorda Luna is located in an old KFC building, it’s tough to get the Latino ambiance, but after you take your first bite of food, the ambiance won’t cross your mind.

Tim: I don’t know if any of you foodies out there watch Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network, but this is the type of place that you half expect Guy Fieri to pull up to in his red convertible. It’s inconspicuous, but the menu is unique, authentic and something that you won’t find anywhere else in North Fulton. They offer a nice selection of beer, wine and mixed drinks (mojito!), and there’s something on the menu for everyone. I’ll finish with this, and I’m not saying it as a plug to the restaurant. I’m saying it for your own good. The next time you think you want generic Mexican slop, go to Gorda Luna instead. Just do it. You will be doing yourself and your taste buds a huge disservice if you don’t.

John: A-
Tim: A