Sabores de Mi Tierra (Tucker)

Toddler Foodie Rating:  2.5 out of 5 Gummy Bears

:) = This restaurant is a casual, family-owned hole-in-the-wall - it's 100% kid-friendly.  Parking is plentiful.  High chairs are available.

:( = We weren't in love with what we ate... and we really, really wanted to fall in love with Nicaraguan food.  Are there other Nicaraguan restaurants in Atlanta that we can try for comparison?

Cerdo con Yuca

We saw Sabores de Mi Tierra randomly, as we were driving around running errands.  Mommy thought it sounded interesting, so she decided to give it a try.  We walked in thinking we were going to eat Colombian or Cuban food - which we eat often and love - but Sabores turned out to be a primarily Nicaraguan restaurant serving some Colombian and Cuban dishes.  We had never tried Nicaraguan food before, so this was a really exciting surprise!  (We also confess that we all were unsure where Nicaragua is relative to Colombia and Cuba, so we took a look at this cool interactive map to get a mini geography lesson.)   

With our server's help, we ordered Cerdo con Yuca (a pork and yuca stew topped with a vinegary cabbage salad called curtido; in Nicaragua, this pork stew is also called Chancho con Yuca); Carne Asada al estilo "Sabores" (the restaurant's signature grilled beef dish), which we ordered with gallo pinto (rice and beans) and tostones (fried plantain slices); and Maduros con Crema y Queso Frito (fried plantains served with a side of cream and a slice of fried cheese).  For our beverages we ordered pinolillo (a traditional Nicaraguan drink made of sweetened cornmeal and cocoa powder) and fresh orange-melon juice. For dessert we had arroz con leche (rice pudding with cinnamon).

"Cheers to our first time trying Nicaraguan food!"

"What should I eat first - the bananas or the cheese?  And do I dip the cheese in the cream, or just the bananas?  So. Many. Questions."

What can we say about our inaugural Nicaraguan meal?  Well, to be honest, not much.  We didn't dislike any of the dishes; they just didn't excite us.  That was a hard pill to swallow because we are so enamored with other types of Caribbean, South America, and Latin American cuisine.  We liked the maduros (plus the queso frito) and the orange-melon juice best.  We also liked the pinolillo, in small gulps.  (Mommy mentioned that pinilillo reminded her of the besso shake we tried at an Ethiopian restaurant recently.  We wonder if there's any historical explanation for that.)  We thought we would really enjoy the Cerdo y Yuca because we're suckers for meat-and-potatoes dishes - and we did eat it - but our tummies told us the dish could have been better. 

"What I like most about this dish is that the meat is still on the bone.  It's like a lollipop."

"Okay, Mommy, I tried 3 bites of the carne asada and gallo pinto like you asked.  Can I eat my plantains in peace now?"

We can't stress how much we want to fall in love with Nicaraguan food.  If you know of a good Nicaraguan restaurant in the Atlanta area, please comment below, connect with us on Instagram (@toddlerfoodiesatl), or shoot us an email (toddlerfoodiesatl@gmail.com).  We're on a mission!

"Well, this wasn't the best meal we've ever had, but let's not give up on Nicaraguan food yet, okay?"