EASTON, Pa. — On the menu: Cheesy baleadas, fluffly pupusas and savory chorizo.
At Mi Casa Resturante, patrons can feast on traditional dishes from Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Gutaemala and Mexico.
The eatery, located at 204 W. Madison St. at the top of Smith Street Hill on South Side Easton, is operated by Saurabh Passi and chef Xiomara Morales.
Latin food, full of flavor
Morales, from Honduras, took up cooking as a young girl.
“I have always loved to be in the kitchen and would help my mother and grandmother. They taught me a lot about cooking, and to make things with love,” she said in her native Spanish.
The three of them would griddle up traditional Honduran baleadas (flour tortillas filled with refried beans, crumbled white cheese and poultry or meat) and hearty plates of arroz frito con camarones (fried shrimp and rice) and pollo catracho (chicken with green plantains, cabbage, pico de gallo and housemade tomato sauce with mayonnaise and ketchup dressing).
Morales serves those dishes, along with Honduran appetizers such as salchipapas (French fries topped with hot dogs, melted cheese and cilantro garlic sauce) and tripe soup (with potatoes, yucca, carrots and peas).
The menu also highlights pupusas from El Salvador.
The stuffed corn tortillas cost $3 each and come in several varieties (cheese and chicken, chicharrón and cheese, cheese and beans, cheese and chorizo, and cheese and loroco, a traditional Salvadoran herb).
Breakfast (available all-day) includes desayuno staples from four Latin countries: Honduras, Colombia, El Salvador and Mexico.
For those wanting American fare, Morales' menu includes American eats like pancakes, cheeseburgers and chicken tenders.
“I used to see people come in to the restaurant with fast food [bags] for their children,” she said. “I want to be able to give everyone a choice if they don't want to eat Latin food.”
So far the feedback has been good. A lot of the customers have told me how the food reminds them of their childhood and what they would eat back home.Saurabh Passi, owner Mi Casa in Easton
Platters from paisa
Morales worked for 12 years as a chef at Delicias, a Colombian eatery on West Joseph Street in Easton.
It's there where she learned how to prepare bandeja paisa, a popular platter from the country's paisa region.
The meaty dish features Colombian sausages, steak, crispy pork belly, red beans, white rice, plantains, avocado, an egg, and an arepa.
Morales' version cost $25 and arrives to the table with a toothpick-sized Colombian bandera, or flag.
The tiny flags accompany all plates, and are placed there so the eater knows what country the meal stems from.
“I am big on presentation. I like the food to look as good as it tastes,” Morales said.
The search for a new 'casa'
In 2022, Morales opened her first restaurant, also named Mi Casa, at 270 E. Kleinhans St., but due to lease issues, it closed a year later.
She met Passi, a real estate investor, who owns Mi Casa's current venue, along with other buildings in Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
The corner building once housed Sole Mio Italian Grille, and more recently, Isabella's Pizza and Italian Cuisine.
Passi, a big fan of Latin food, felt it was a no-brainer to offer customers “passports” of foods — a nod to the growing Latino population in the Lehigh Valley.
“So far the feedback has been good. A lot of the customers have told me how the food reminds them of their childhood and what they would eat back home,” Passi said.
Mi Casa held its soft opening on Mother's Day weekend, and will hold a grand opening party sometime in June.
The BYOB restaurant seats 75 people, including a second dining space for celebratory occasions.
“I see a lot of potential. I hope we can grow the restaurant into a local, favorite spot for people to come eat and also have parties, birthdays, quinceañeras, and other events,” Passi said.
“I think it would be fun to do something for the community, maybe a salsa night with music and a deejay.”
