Salvadoran food is perhaps best symbolized by the pupusa, above, on the menu at Mis Raices in Reseda. But there’s so much more to this cuisine, and L.A. is the gateway, as this week’s cover story in the Food section shows. What follows is a look at just a few of the Salvadoran restaurants in and around L.A. that are proving just that. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Owner Ana Velasquez looking through the ordering window at El Santiagueño restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, considered the starting point for a Salvadoran gourmet movement.
Chef Nora de Aquino cooks pupusas and mojarra frita at El Santiagueño. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Everything is cooked to order at El Santiagueño, which has a sunny patio. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Pacaya, palm flowers cooked in the typical style of a relleno, fried in an egg batter, is on the menu at El Santiagueño in downtown Los Angeles. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Sopa de pescado -- fish soup -- on the menu at El Santiagueño. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Mis Raices in Reseda. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
If you go to Mis Raices, make sure you say hello to Carlos Rodriguez, son of owner Mercedes Rodriguez. Here, he holds a payaca dish on the menu at Mis Raices, where it is served with a wedge of cheese, rice and beans. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
A closer look at that pacaya dish. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Flor de izote -- an egg and plaintain dish -- on the menu at Mis Raices. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
With the opening of a second location four months ago, Sonsonate Grill of Los Angeles has developed a following among tourists following L.A.’s culinary scene. (Mariah Tauger / For the Los Angeles Times)
The parrillada Salvadorena dish at Sonsonate Grill includes grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, steak, rice and a salad. (Mariah Tauger / For the Los Angeles Times)
From left, Regia and Suprema beers at Sonsonate Grill. (Mariah Tauger / For the Los Angeles Times)
