I was on jury duty in the downtown Elizabeth area, and when we broke for lunch I didn't want to do…read moreMcDonalds or any other chain food. I wanted something more "mom and pop" and local. I came across Criollo's pretty much at random. It was early so the place was empty (save for a couple take out customers).
The restaurant has several tables, most with four chairs. Each table is stocked with napkins, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Already a good sign. I walked up to the kitchen/cashier area and started thumbing through the menu. Then I looked up to see a nice older lady looking at me expectantly while and older gentleman had his arms crossed with a look of utter boredom and contempt on his face, not so much at me, but it seemed, his existence in general.
I saw one thing on the menu that looked good. The conversation then went something like this:
ME: "Do you have the oxtail?"
LADY: "No oxtail."
ME: "Okay..." (thumbing through the menu more) "...ah, what about the tongue (I think it was a burrito)."
LADY: "No tongue."
ME: "What DO you have?"
LADY: "Chicken, beef, pork sausage, chorizo..."
So that settled it, I ordered a chicken breast with rice and beans. I also added in an empanada with chicken inside. The empanada was served to me first, and it was nice and hot. I could tell as soon as my fork went into it that the crust was going to be fantastic. It made a satisfying crunch and had a nice, springy feel to it inside. When I took my first bite I was in love. The outer shell was crispy on the surface level, but chewy underneath. Inside was a combination of chicken, rice and I believe some onions. It wasn't just shredded chicken stuffed into a shell and for that I was very happy.
The main dish was amazing in size. I seriously think two people could share this one dish. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and tender. It seemed like it had been cooked in a pan, then grilled for a finish, giving it some nice dark char. The rice and beans were good, but nothing spectacular. It's just the sheer amount of food was awesome. I wound up leaving about 2/3 of the rice and beans because I was stuffed.
I enjoyed my visit to Criollo's, but I did knock down a star for them not having what's advertised on their menu.