While we were still on our adventurous streak, the Mo and I went to Asados Dona Flor on High Street for lunch. The area used to be my old neighborhood, back when I was 5 years old living on Chestnut Street. We would knock on strangers doors to buy frozen "limbe" and I have fond memories of walking to the store with my grandma and buying things with her sandwich bag full of coins. This is also the time of my life where my older brother thought it would be comical to tie a rope around my neck and herd me on the street like as if I were a cow.
Although the restaurant doesn't have a website, the Colombian restaurant opened its doors about 8 years ago. The exterior looks a bit shabby but once you walk in the restaurant, it boasts a great Hispanic cultural ambiance.
There were heating tables tucked in a corner on the right. There were grilled meats and fried food in one and pastries in the other. In the pastries section, there were things that resembled bagels and turnovers. I scoped out the selection for some appetizer choices. While we were there, there were customers that came in just to order from that section. The owner didn't speak English but he called his daughter to come by and answer my questions.
We were seated by the entrance and brought menus. The Mo ordered a mango juice and was asked if he wanted it with water or milk. We were both surprised. Mango with milk? Never heard of that before, needless to say, he went with the water option. The juice was served in a large carafe, enough for 4 servings at only $3.50.
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| Mango Juice Pitcher $3.50 |
For starters, we split two types of fried stuffed goodies and an order of tostones, fried plantains. The empanadas tasted a bit old and the wrap was chewy and tough. It was served with a homemade hot sauce that I enjoyed very much.
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| Empanada $1.50 ea and pastel $2.00 ea served with homemade hot sauce |
The tostones were good and served with a ketchup/mayo blend sauce, almost like a lighter version of Thousand island dressing.
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| Tostones $3.50 |
For lunch, the Mo went with the traditional Colombian "Bandeja Paisa" platter. There were two sizes and he opted for the smaller one. As you can see, the smaller one was still huge. The meal consisted of chicharron (fried pork belly), sausage, sweet plantains, rice, eggs, steak, beans, arepa (cooked flour patty) and "carne en polvo" which is Colombian style "powdered beef."
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| "Bandeja Paisa" $ 11.95 |
Although we really should have split the above platter, I ordered my own entree and went with the arroz pollo which is simply rice cooked with chicken broth or stock and shredded chicken. Although it's not fancy, its super delicious and a staple in many Spanish and Latin cuisine.
The rice and chicken was on point and I loved the sweet plantains. I wasn't a fan of the ketchup garnish and could have done without the generic crinkle cut fries.
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| Pollo Aroz $11.95 |
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| Leftover for days |
For two entrees, two non alcoholic drinks and 3 apps, our bill was about $39.00.
Asados Dona Flor
197 High Street
Lowell, MA 01851
(978) 452-0175