![]() But the warmth of the Nuñez family and the good food more than make up for it. Look for their lunch specials too, like a ¼ rotisserie chicken with rice and beans or Yucca Frita ($6/8), or Roasted Pork served with sweet plantains, tostones or rice and beans ($8). Ma’s is also open for lunch and has great Cubanos (Cuban sandwich with roasted pork, ham, pickles, Swiss cheese and garlic butter, which comes with plantain chips), as well as Sandwich de Pollo a la Parilla (grilled chicken), Sandwich de Bistec (steak sandwich) and a Sandwich de Aguacate (avocado with tomato, Swiss cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette). If my grandmother had known how to make café con leche, this is what it would have tasted like. And much to my delight, Mercedes made me a lovely café con leche (bottomless…I got two refills!). ![]() (But if you do want a typical breakfast, they also have “Breakfast Americano” – eggs, pancakes, etc.). Mark got the Tostones Sandwich dish - Dominican salami and queso frito, sandwiched between two tostones (3 mini sandwiches). ![]() The cheese was sliced thin and fried, and the tostones - small, tasty corn patties - were perfect for wiping the plate clean. Surrounding the eggs were fried sweet plantains, queso frito and three tostones. The salami was cut in chunks and lightly fried. What arrived were two perfectly cooked eggs with a Dominican salami tomato-based “stew” on top. I ordered the Huevos a Lo Campesino with the eggs over easy. You’ll see Mangu (mashed green plantains), Dominican salami and queso frito (Dominican fried cheese). In the morning, the menu is decidedly more Dominican. When I saw that Ma’s was doing breakfast too, I knew we had to come back. But they are really missing out on something wonderful. Most people don’t think of eating Latino food for breakfast. Julio Senior uses pork shoulder, slow roasted in the oven overnight. Inside the bowl was moist, juicy pork, with red beans and a simple red sauce (from the tortilla soup) on top. Mofongo begins with green plantains, deep-fried and mashed with garlic, then formed into a bowl. In the end, we chose the Bistec Encebollado, thin steak, pan-seared with sautéed onions, and a Dominican dish called Mofongo, served with pork or shrimp. Should we have the Pernil (roasted pork shoulder)? The Lomo Saltado, a Peruvian dish with sautéed steak strips? Or go for the Dominican Seafood Fiesta – a seafood mix sautéed with fresh tomatoes and onions? Julio, Mercedes and Julio’s son, was our guide. When it comes to the entrees, it’s a tough choice. Other appetizers include the classic Tortilla Soup, Dominican Chicken Soup, Lentil Soup, Mixed Green Salad and an Avocado Salad. The fish is “cooked” in the marinade, and served with big Peruvian corn kernels and thin slices of red onion. At Ma’s, the ceviche is fresh Tilapia marinated in lemon juice and peppers. It is pretty much the national dish of Peru. If you want to experience Peruvian cuisine, you must have ceviche. The yucca fries were accompanied by a spicy cheese sauce, a good complement to the fries, since yucca (Cassava) can be a little bland. The papa rellena was delightful – a deep-fried, soft, mashed potato croquette with ground beef tucked inside. The empanada was lightly fried, soft to the bite but with a bit of crunch too. At Ma’s, a good place to start is the Muestra Dominicana which includes a beef empanada, a papa rellena and yucca frita with cheese sauce. What’s for dinner? Whenever I want to learn more about a cuisine, I pick the “sampler” appetizer, the one with a little of this and a little of that. That’s what Julio and Mercedes serve at Ma’s Kitchen – tasty, filling, warming food that makes you feel like you’re sitting in someone’s home kitchen. ![]() And you know it when you taste it, even if it’s not the cuisine you grew up with. But what is it that characterizes “home cooking?” To me, it’s comforting, warm food that makes you feel good. So many restaurants use the term “homemade” very loosely in their menu descriptions. Their children, Delilah, Julio and Kat all help out in the restaurant too. In October 2014, they opened Ma’s Kitchen (named after Mercedes), with Julio in the kitchen and Mercedes charming the customers out front. They moved to Warminster 20 years ago for a better life. ![]() Mercedes and Julio Nuñez met in New York, after both had emigrated from their home countries, Mercedes from the Dominican Republic, and Julio from Peru. Stop in for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and treat yourself to home cooking from the Caribbean and South America.ĭominican and Peruvian? That’s what happens when two people fall in love. Such is the case with Ma’s Kitchen, a Dominican and Peruvian restaurant in Warminster, in the same shopping center as Thunderbird Lanes on Street Road. Why? Because you find the best little restaurants tucked away in them. I like small, nondescript shopping centers. ![]()
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