El Tipico features Mexican cuisine with a Honduran twist | Grub Scout
Last week was one of those where I started out with a Plan A in terms of which restaurant I would visit and when, but by the time Sunday rolled around, I was on Plan J. Short story even shorter, The Grub Spouse and I wound up dropping in for either a very late lunch or a very early dinner (Lupper? Linner?) at El Tipico Restaurant & Market. We found it to be practically the only commercial venture in what is otherwise a residential enclave north of Sutherland Avenue.
A server showed us to a table and handed us a couple of menus that laid out a fair but not overwhelming array of Mexican and Honduran cuisine. In that respect, we spotted lots of familiar items but also several that I typically have not found at other Mexican-food eateries. For example, El Tipico serves sopes, which are, traditionally, thick fried tortilla bases that hold a variety of meat toppings, ranging from carnitas to lengua (tongue) to shrimp. We also noticed quite a few caldos (stews) and huaraches (flatbreads).
Among the more familiar fare were items like tortas (sandwiches), burritos, quesadillas, chimichangas and fajitas. Seafood dishes include camarones al mojo (shrimp), ostiones (oysters) and langostinos (similar to prawns). Dishes from the Classic section of the menu include Enchiladas Ranchera, pollo en crema chipotle and the intimidating Combo Maya: chicken breast, steak and two fried tacos served with rice, beans and a vegetable medley.
Since Honduran food was part of the lineup, The Spouse and I decided to order almost exclusively from this collection of dishes. Among the items that caught my eye were the pescado frito (fried fish), the balleada (a flour tortilla stuffed with beans, crema and hard cheese) and the Carne Asada Hondurena.
I ordered the pollo con tajadas ($12.99), which is fried chicken served with fried bananas, cabbage salad and house dressing. The Spouse got the chuleta frita ($12.99): pork chops served with fried bananas as well as refried beans and rice. Just for grins, I also ordered a chorizo taco for $2.99).
While we waited, we watched as other patrons received their meals. We saw huge portions of food going out on huge platters. One in particular was the previously mentioned fried fish meal, which featured what appeared to be about a foot-long fish, fried whole — eyes, fins and all.
Our own dinners were similarly substantial in size. My large, square plate was loaded with seven pieces of chicken (wings and drumsticks primarily) that were prepared breaded and deep-fried, essentially the same as the American treatment. Also taking up a lot of real estate were the deep-fried banana slices. The colorful cabbage salad accounted for the rest of the available space. They served my chorizo taco on a small side dish.
The Spouse’s presentation was similarly grand. It was comparable to my own, except instead of chicken, The Spouse received two large fried pork chop cuts.
Confession: We had just come from a lunch gathering with family, where we had nibbled on small servings of fried falafel, mainly to stave off low-blood-sugar-induced hangriness. So coming into El Tipico, we weren’t stuffed, but we weren’t exactly starving either.
However, that did not impact my enjoyment of all three dishes. The Spouse’s pork chops were seasoned well and were plenty moist. The side of beans was fair, but I noted that the rice was traditional white rice, not Mexican rice. My fried chicken delivered super-crispy skin and juicy, tender meat. The chorizo taco, topped with cilantro and grilled onions, benefitted from the flavors of both the sausage and the soft corn tortilla. And though I’d had fried plantains at any number of Cuban-food restaurants, I believe this was my first time trying fried bananas, and I actually think I prefer them to plantains. These slices were not too firm, not too soft, and the mild flavor was distinctively less sweet than that of plantains.
We ate as much as we could comfortably enjoy and requested boxes for what would be plenty of next-day leftovers.
I think there may be only one other restaurant in town that has Honduran cuisine on its menu, and for that reason alone, I would recommend a trip to El Tipico. The name roughly translates to “typical,” but I found their authentic treatment of both Mexican and Honduran dishes to be anything but.
El Tipico
Food: 4
Service: 3.75
Atmosphere: 3.5
Overall: 3.75
Address: 4329 Lonas Drive
Phone: 865-583-4008
No alcohol service
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Sundays
Savor the flavors of both Mexico and Honduras at this unique neighborhood restaurant and market.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: El Tipico's Mexican, Honduran cuisine satisfies | Grub Scout
