Luzmila's, Bolivian in Falls Church

[DonRocks]

"Luzmila!"

The cashier called out across the room.

"¿Hay Picante Mixto?"

An unseen female voice answered from behind the tall counter.

"Si!"

Luzmila's restaurant is one of our area's great treasures, but flies under the radar for several reasons. It doesn't serve alcohol (or if it does, I'm not aware of it), it closes at 5 PM each day, it doesn't have a website, and perhaps most importantly, it needlessly takes many people out of their dining comfort zone.

I really like the homestyle food here, long-cooked and made with love - most recently the Picante Mixto ($11.75), a huge plate of cow tongue, dark-meat chicken, rice, potatoes, and a little chuño omelet, served with some tomatoes and onions, spicy sauce, and a freshly baked roll. This is plenty of food for two people to split.

On weekends, and particularly on Sundays, they have dishes not featured during the rest of the week. I would love to try the Sunday-only roast pig.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Scott Johnston]

Don,

I have passed by this place a million times. Is it open just for lunch (late lunch) or breakfast as well? Maybe I can set up a weekend/holiday DR lunch here. What else is good?

[Bob Wells]

"Luzmila!"

The cashier called out across the room.

"¿Hay Picante Mixto?"

An unseen female voice answered from behind the tall counter.

"Si!"

Luzmila's restaurant is one of our area's great treasures, but flies under the radar for several reasons. It doesn't serve alcohol (or if it does, I'm not aware of it), it closes at 5 PM each day, it doesn't have a website, and perhaps most importantly, it needlessly takes many people out of their dining comfort zone.

I really like the homestyle food here, long-cooked and made with love - most recently the Picante Mixto ($11.75), a huge plate of cow tongue, dark-meat chicken, rice, potatoes, and a little chuño omelet, served with some tomatoes and onions, spicy sauce, and a freshly baked roll. This is plenty of food for two people to split.

On weekends, and particularly on Sundays, they have dishes not featured during the rest of the week. I would love to try the Sunday-only roast pig.

Cheers,

Rocks.

I defy anyone to eat an entire order of Luzmila's Pique Macho -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pique_macho -- in one sitting and not keel over from heart failure.

[Ericandblueboy]

This is explore Rt. 7 week. Monday I had Blanca's. Tuesday I had Orso. Today I went to Luzmila's. The small restaurant was packed at 12:30 p.m. I ordered a beef saltena and plate called Falso Mixto. The saltena arrived almost immediately - probably because lots of people order them for eating in and taking out. They're definitely on the sweeter side, filled with potatoes, an egg yolk, beef, and maybe other stuff. I prefer the more savory version down the street at La Caraquena. The Falso Mixto is a mix of thinly sliced beef tongue, crusted thin beef filet, both simmered in Bolivian sauce served with rice, potato, and chuño I really enjoyed the sauce and the proteins. Left the starches alone because I don't need more calories. The one thing that I didn't like, in fact, find it gross, is the chuño. First of all, I had no idea what it was but it didn't look appetizing. After I had finished what I had intended to eat, I decided to try a bite. I almost spat it out. It tasted kind of like rotted fish. Gringos beware!

[The Hersch]

The Falso Mixto is a mix of thinly sliced beef tongue, crusted thin beef filet, both simmered in Bolivian sauce

Why do you suppose it's called "Falso Mixto"?

This is explore Rt. 7 week. Monday I had Blanca's.

I hope I may be forgiven for pointing out that Blanca's is on (US) Rt. 29.

[Ericandblueboy]

Why do you suppose it's called "Falso Mixto"?

I hope I may be forgiven for pointing out that Blanca's is on (US) Rt. 29.

It's short for Picante Mixto Lengua Y Falso Conejo. I don't speak spanish other than "donde es el bano?" Orso is also not on Rt 7. I was just driving down Rt 7 from my office to reach these joints. Tomorrow I go to Chef Geoff and Friday maybe I'll be in love with Mad Fox.

[monavano]

It's short for Picante Mixto Lengua Y Falso Conejo. I don't speak spanish other than "donde es el bano?" Orso is also not on Rt 7. I was just driving down Rt 7 from my office to reach these joints. Tomorrow I go to Chef Geoff and Friday maybe I'll be in love with Mad Fox.

Funny story, and off topic, but when Mr. MV and I were in some town in Spain and I had to use the ladies room. We found a relatively large grocery market and I figured they'd have a public restroom, which they did. I walked over to one of the cashiers and proudly uttered what little Spanish I've retained: "donde esta el bano?".

Blank. Stare.

Oy.

[The Hersch]

It's short for Picante Mixto Lengua Y Falso Conejo. I don't speak spanish other than "donde es el bano?"

I believe that "falso conejo" would be "mock rabbit". They call beef fillet "mock rabbit"? Reminds me of the old days when everyone knew that at drugstore lunch counters and other similar down-scale eateries the chicken salad was made with veal.

[Bob Wells]

I believe that "falso conejo" would be "mock rabbit". They call beef fillet "mock rabbit"? Reminds me of the old days when everyone knew that at drugstore lunch counters and other similar down-scale eateries the chicken salad was made with veal.

Yes, mock rabbit. I saw falso conejo on the menu at Llajtaymanta, which is hard-core Bolivian and has real conejo on the menu as well. It's also in FC.

[DonRocks]

I had lunch at Luzmila's last Friday. I'd just worked out and was starving, but I still couldn't (or, should I say, "I made an intelligent choice not to") finish my Lomo Con Chorrellana ($12.95, I think). This carryout order was served in a typical large, white, square styrofoam guilt container, and consisted of two piles of boiled rice and french fries on the bottom, topped with a relatively small spoonful of chorellana (cooked onions, tomatoes, and peppers), topped again with a huge steak - itself nearly the size of the square styrofoam container - and then topped again with two fried eggs (hard when I got around to eating them, alas). Accompanied by a little tub of salsa verde and a large dinner roll (!), this platter weighed several pounds, and was so impressive in size that I almost took a picture of it to post, but my camera had a dead battery.

Cheers,

Rocks

[Marty L.]

This carryout order . . . consisted of two piles of boiled rice and french fries on the bottom, topped with a relatively small spoonful of chorellana (cooked onions, tomatoes, and peppers), topped again with a huge steak - itself nearly the size of the square styrofoam container - and then topped again with two fried eggs (hard when I got around to eating them, alas). Accompanied by a little tub of salsa verde and a large dinner roll (!), this platter weighed several pounds . . . .

Aren't you forgetting something? . . . . How was it?! (and how would you rank it vis-a-vis the other NoVa Bolivian joints?)

[DonRocks]

Aren't you forgetting something? . . . . How was it?! (and how would you rank it vis-a-vis the other NoVa Bolivian joints?)

Well I've been to Luzmila's several times, and this particular dish was more "bulky" than it was good, although there was nothing wrong with it; I've had other things here that were more interesting. The restaurant itself is often patronized by hungry laborers, and the portion sizes have me looking around for a shovel to eat with. (See the first post in this thread regarding some intriguing weekend specials.) For salteñas, I go down the street to La Caraqueña (the best I've had, even though the chef is Venezuelan), or El Pike at Seven Corners; Luzmila's are too sweet and (although it's been awhile since I've had one), I remember the fillings as tasting canned and bland, and also there's no unpitted olive.

Cheers,

Rocks