130869 Sun Aug 31 02:09:51 -0700 2003 5 10 Florida 0 707369 While I was waiting for a death certificate I had to pick up at the county board of health, my friend and I were hungry, so we headed down the street looking for a quick empanada or the like. I pulled into El Tamarindo, at 233 SW 24 St. (SR 84) just west of Federal in the lower left corner of Ft. Lauderdale and just a few blocks from Lester's Diner. Turns out the dark-windowed standalone place--with a sign touting "Latin American Food"--is a nicely appointed, clean and rather civilized Salvadoran restaurant once you step inside, decently decorated with a new wooden bar, nice lighting, tiled floors and cloth napkins on the (vinyl tableclothed) tables. Prices are no higher than they are at more divey places. The menu was pretty typical and presents few obvious surprises for anyone used to, say, Cuban or (more to the point) basic real Mexican. Carne asada, pork chops, red and green salsas and so on. Since we were just there for a quick bite and had to be out in twenty minutes or so, we didn't get any entrees and instead just got a couple of pupusas (queso and loroco--that herb with tiny flowerbuds) and one each of galina (chicken) and elote (plain sweet corn) tamales. The pupusas were freshly made to order and on the whole equals to the ones at the tiny Guatemala Restaurant a couple of miles to the northwest, and it seems they use fresh or dried loroco instead of pickled. The slaw is fresh and decent, and the reddish-orange salsa tasty but not too hot. Good stuff. The tamales were more of a mixed bag. The chicken one--wrapped in a banana leaf?--was good, if a bit on the soggy side, with a brownish mole-like character and some bits of vegetable. It came paired with the same slaw that was served with the pupusas. The tamale de elote didn't do it for me. Where the Guatemela Restaurant makes it from sweet white cornmeal, this is yellow and coarse and on the dry end of the tamale spectrum, a lot like cornbread. Good cornbread, and nice enough dipped in a sweetened crema, but not really my thing. My companion felt otherwise, so you make the call--just don't miss Guatemala Restaurant's version. Everything was fresh, nicely presented, and uncompromisingly authentic; I'd expect their entrees to be of equaly high quality, so get on over there. The 4 items made a fine light lunch for two, and the total tab was less than $9. I'd go here over Ft. Lauderdale's other sit-down Salvadoran, La Molienda, in a heartbeat. Sun Aug 31 02:09:51 -0700 2003 0 s.m. koppelman 1 708385 El Tamarindo is fine as long as you are Spanish. I've been there alot of times since they opened, but because I'm white & speak English, you get treated different. The food is good, but I'm not going back. I can spend my money other places where I get treated alot better. Fri Nov 21 13:49:41 -0800 2003 707369 0 Sandy K 2 2517741 I am sorry to hear of your bad experience at El Tamarindo. I have been there 8-9 times and every time was treated absolutely flawlessly. The staff and owner are extremely attentive and I am as white as you can be with no spanish whatsoever. (i.e french canadian) Everyone I have ever taken there only has high praises for the place. I would try it again if I were you. Thu Apr 26 11:24:15 -0700 2007 708385 61782 mcbinfla 2 2562883 I agree with mcbinfla, sorry you had a bad time. We were there in nov. 2006 I was in town for a conference and my wife came to shop. I had read about El Tmarindo in the Sun Sentinel and we decided to give it a try... our meal was wonderful, the service was very good (and it was very crowded). The food was so good my wife went back the next morning for bfast, and she stayed there most of the am talking with the staff and fellow diners, and she does not speak spanish. We will definatley go back when we are in S. Fl. Fri May 11 15:22:52 -0700 2007 708385 37151 lmeder 1 2875520 Good to know about this place. I have a difficulty finding Salvadoran places in an area filled with Cuban and Mexican restaurants. Although I probably won't visit El Tamarindo, I wanted to inform those in the Central Palm Beach area about a place called Restaurante Y Pupuseria El Guanaco - 2001 10 AVE #4 LAKE WORTH, FL 33460 (561) 585-0530 . I found it by chance on a long internet search. It was a hassle trying to find it again since it definitely isn't an established and well-known restaurant. I haven't been there in many months, but I can say that they have fairly decent pupusas = very thick, plump, cheesy and moist. We only tried the cheese and refried bean pupusas. Though it wasn't as flavorful and probably needed some saltiness. The curtido should have added some of that extra flavor, but it was lacking a little. It wasn't as tart, vinegary, citrusy and strong as I would have liked it. The hot sauce was definitely hot...a little too hot for me. It somewhat masked the other ingredients in the sauce. Overall it was good, but just needed a few improvements. I didn't try anything else plus I don't remember what else they offer. So hope you enjoy Thu Aug 23 16:23:51 -0700 2007 707369 106683 saiboogu 1 2877534 A bit farher south and west is a good neighborhood Savadoran restaurant -- El Altakat (its located on Taft Street a couple blocks west of University). Very friendly staff, but at times there may be few, if any who are proficient in English. I don't speak Spanish, but have found that what English speakers often interpret as being "treated differently" is in fact a bit of shyness or awkwardness on the part of the individual who doesn't speak English (or does so imperfectly). The tales of haughty Spanish speakers are greatly exaggerated. Fri Aug 24 09:24:00 -0700 2007 707369 33118 floridan