Citizens of Goshen, already spoiled for choice when it comes to exotic cuisine, have the chance to sink their teeth into a unique Salvadoran treat. It’s called a papusa, and it’s being made by the dozen over at Miranda’s cafe, a new restaurant on Lincolnway East.
Walking in, you’d be forgiven for wincing at the garish yellow walls, clashing magnificently with the citrus orange of the building’s exterior, but once you’re seated you can’t help feel like you’ve stepped back in time to some 1960’s American diner. The menu is packed full of traditional American fare, with burgers, patty melts, pancakes, and omelettes dominating every page. In fact, the papusas that I had come in search of didn’t even appear on the official menu. I had to make a special request of the cook in order to actually sample them. Speaking to my hostess, I began to understand why. The owner, Eugene Miranda, is currently supplying papusas to his other restaurant over in Elkhart, Taqueria Tijuana, courtesy of his cook. Though they may be available to customers, Miranda’s is not a papusa restaurant.
The food, once it came, was outstanding. I elected to order the two papusa special. Coming at $10.25, I was served two of the pork-stuffed tortillas with a generous helping of fried rice and beans and a bowl of coleslaw. Asking for instructions on how I should eat my Papusas, I was told I could either eat them straight off the plate with a knife and fork, or fill them with rice and eat them like tacos. Finding the latter method rather messy, I polished off the remainder of my meal with a knife and fork, cutting the papusa into bite-sized chunks and eating them with rice. $10.00 might seem a bit steep for such a light meal, but it’s made with love and I definitely left feeling full.
~Joe Kreider
A papusa special will ring up at just over $10.00.