El Cuscatleco

Never judge a book by its cover...

But with certain restaurants, you can tell something special waits inside. Local spots that may not be much to look at, but the parking lot is always full and the crowds are overflowing. 

Hidden gems, hole-in-the-wall, Dives. Call them whatever you like, just be sure to check prejudgments at the door and channel an adventurous spirit.

El Cuscatleco in Durham is one of those places, and should not to be missed out on.

Cinco De Mayo Margarita

Serving up authentic Mexican and Salvadorian cuisine, El Cuscatleco is not your usual Tex Mex restaurant with a generic combination based menu. There are many options that the average Mexican restaurant fan can find solace in, but also lots of delicious ethnic specialties that are just waiting to be explored. I speak from personal experience, in order to know exactly what you're ordering, smart phone web searches may be required...

The appetizer of plantains is a great way to start, served with sour cream and a side of refried beans. They were cooked beautifully, and the warm, sweet flavor is so addicting it's hard to divert fork attention away from the plate

Plantain Appetizer

For my main dish, I got one of the vegetarian  plates that included a cheese pupusa (thick, grilled corn tortilla filled with cheese) and a corn tamale served with rice and lettuce/tomato/cheese.

Pupusa y Tamale

The pupusa blew my mind. Think of a quesadilla, but with all sides closed in on the cheesy goodness within. They also had versions with chicken or pork mixed with cheese. For those craving a little animal protein, I tried a bite of the chicken variety, courtesy of my girlfriend, and it was just as good.

The corn tamale was another unique taste experience. The insides were stuffed with a sweet corn meal mixture, that reminded me of very dense cornbread. Very delicious indeed, but left me pretty thirsty...

And what would going to a Mexican joint be without ordering up a round or 5 of margaritas? We went on Cinco De Mayo, when they were being sold at the ridiculous price of $1.50 per marg. I can't say they will always be so cheap, but I can say that they were really good, not too sweet with a pleasant tequila flavor coming through in each sip.

Take a hint from the line of cars and people waiting to get inside the humble exterior, this place is a great find.

El Cuscatleco
4212 Garrett Rd, Durham, NC 27707
http://www.elcuscatleco.com/