457221 Sun Nov 04 16:28:13 -0800 2007 1 2 Los Angeles Area 0 3094597 I had been sick the entire week prior; a bad reaction to Cipro that left me exhausted, nauseated and aching all over. By Saturday night, I finished the course and had flushed the evil stuff from my system. I was ready to eat a good meal, but sill wanted comfort! Despite numerous fabulous and caring suggestions from 'hounds (thanks so much gang!) decided to go for a place relatively unknown on the board, with one or two exceptions: El Katracho Honduran. The convinience of it being only a block or two from my apartment was only part of my decision. Curiosity and a few stellar reviews from a hound or two, a local Van Nuys site, the LA times and my husband (the naughty man snuck in for lunch one weekday a while back) sealed the deal. Now, El Katracho had a few cards stacked against it. One, it now occupies the space where my beloved Langano used to reign supreme. The only Ethiopian in the Valley and perhaps the best I've ever had, Langano had become a monthly, sometimes bi monthly stop for us. We were shattered when it cosed and the owner moved her family back home. We loathed the nasty sould food place that moved in during the interim. Ick! Also, I wasn't sure if Honduran would be too much for my newly recovered constitution. Finally, I love good beans and tortillas. If the beans and the tortillas don't have it, forget the whole establishment El Katracho played a winning hand an won my "pot". The space isn't very much altered from the Langano days. In layout it is much the same. Such a small space can really accommodate tables in only one configuration. The tables and chairs are of a nice dark wood. For some reason, the interior decorator though that mirroring all the walls would be a smashing idea. I found it somewhat disconcerting. There was no way I could look and not feel like I was staring at my neighbors. Travel posters for Honduras pair with African-esque masks, perhaps left behind by both previous restaurants, adorn the walls. Two large televisions blast soccer games, Honduran travel videos, or "booty girl" videos. Thank God no one was on the karaoke machine. We arrived at about 6:30 on a Saturday, and there were several open tables. None of the waitresses speak good English. I need to practice my Spanish more, anyhow. Still, the menu is in almost perfect English, with pictures on the flipside of a few specialties of Honduran cuisine. Enough English is spoken that someone totally devoid of Spanish-speaking ability could easily get by. A basket of thick chips drizzled with a light red tomato sauce and sprinkled with what looked and tasted almost like Parmesan cheese came out hot. Yum! We each ordered one baleada-a thick honduran tortilla folded over a filling of some sort. You can get one with beans, , onions and cream or go whole hog for a breakfast baleada, with eggs, beans and more. We stuck to the basic model. You can also order a dish of five. We each found one was enough! The warm, thick lightly charred tortilla perfectly held in the fillings, which gushed out into my mouth in a flavorful, comforting gooeyness. I dipped mine in the remaining sauce from the chips. The beans "had it". Not refried exactly, but a gushy reddish bean. Next, I ordered a mango margarita and the marinaded shrimp plate. I wanted to also try the crab soup-huge quarters of blue crab in a coconut infused broth with plantains and yucca. The shrimp won out, and now I have an excuse to go back. My huband ordered the Honduran fried chicken. The plates came out at a dcent interval, as did my margarita, adorned with a tiny Honduran flag. It was a nice margarita, slushy (yes, a blended one..I LIKE those) but with no crunchy crystals, with what seemed to be mango puree, not pre canned juice or mix. My shrimp were nestled thickly in a valley between a cabbage salad and some rice. Hondurans serve white rice with a drizzle of sauce, not the mexican rice one may foolishly expect (I did!) it also came with a side of the yummy thick flour tortillas, but you can order corn. I had a side of beans and crema. My husband's chicken came with a massive pile of lightly fried plantains and more of the cabbage salad. the crust on the chicken wasn't overly thick (this is what we both prefer, we're not into thick crusty chicken, usually). The shrimp were perfect, flavorful, perfectly cooked and juicy. I scooped them with some beans, cabbage, rice and cream into the little tortillas and had myself a mouth party. When she saw what I was doing, our waitress brought me more tortillas-no charge. My husband received a large leg and thigh, and I saw some diners had larger pieces-breasts with wings. we didn't complain-he doesn't eat huge portions, and that was a darn big leg. he had to take some home. He cut a bit ate it, and made yummy noises befitting Frankenstein's monster. I tasted some. It was juicy beyond belief, the crust was deliciously seasoned and not over salted. The plantains were savory, well cooked, and not sweet, as some are. Plantains should only be sweet in dessert dishes. We left happy, stuffed, and having paid under $35, alcohol and tips included. We gotta go back for the soup, or for breakfast. They also serve conch soup! You can get a bucket of six beers for under $20, and they have fruit juices and other margaritas. I saw no desserts on the menu, but then again, I was too full! 14838 Burbank Blvd. Sherman Oaks (818) 780-7044 M, W-Th 9a-9p Closed Tuesday F-Sa 9a-10p Visa, MC, but no AmEx Sun Nov 04 16:28:13 -0800 2007 11201 Diana 1 3095652 oh, and for some reason, it's closed Tuesdays all day. So don't try to go to lunch there on Tuesday! Mon Nov 05 06:37:57 -0800 2007 3094597 11201 Diana