46 St: I Love Paraguay

Paraguay is landlocked between Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil and the food at I Love Paraguay reflects this: a lot of meat and no fish or seafood. Most dishes are baked. The head chef (and owner) is from Asuncion and most of the staff are Paraguayan as well.

While some of the dishes will be recognizable to Italians (there’s pasta and fresh mozzarella on the menu) and other Latin Americans, there are some items that the staff swear are relatively unknown outside of the motherland. Sopa Paraguaya is a salty corn-based cake. There’s a post on their blog about its possible origins. Marinera (no relation to the tomato sauce) is a thin steak covered in a Paraguayan tortilla and deep fried. The Pollo I Love Paraguay is a chef’s special: grilled chicken strips and curry (a term generally associated with Southeast Asian cooking). For dessert, try the dulce de mammon casero!

Fun fact: Paraguay has two official languages: Spanish and Guariani.