January 17, 2008
Pike Pizza: Something about a Salteña
There are three simple rules when planning a trip to Pike Pizza (which doesn't actually serve pizza) on Columbia Pike in Arlington: Arrive hungry; Arrive early; Hog the salteñas.
Usually available right when the restaurant opens and only in limited supply, salteñas are a version of empanadas, turnovers with your choice of meat combined with potatoes, peas, olives, and a hard-boiled egg. The chicken tends to complement the other ingredients better than the beef, but both are worth trying if you can your hands on one of each. One quirk with the salteña: its ingredients are not well-distributed inside of the bread, thus any one bite may contain some chicken and another the whole olive (thankfully pitted). Essentially, every bite contains a surprise.
As for other choices, Pike Pizza's menu yields no shortage of proteins, which are cooked in traditional Bolivian fashion (pounded thin and fried or roasted) and served with rice or potatoes. Potatoes are one of the biggest crops grown in Bolivia (well, after a certain leaf) and local cuisine is known for its various methods of potato preparation. The most popular preparation on the menu is the chuno, which is an Andean freeze-dried potato and served as a side to most of the meat dishes.
One highlight is the picante de pollo, which does not have the spiciness that its name implies. Two quarter chicken pieces (wing and breast) are roasted, topped with a tomato and onion sauce, and served with roasted potato and chuno. Other popular main dishes are the chicharron (fried pork), falso conejo (beef pounded and fried to resemble the taste of rabbit) and silpancho (fried breaded steak topped with fried egg).
No part of the animal is spared at Pike Pizza, as liver, tongue and tripe are all offered as entrees. If you've always wanted your sausage encased in real intestine, then you're in for a treat. The chorizo, served either as an entree or on a sandwich, is sweetened with orange, cinnamon, and cloves and surrounded by a chewy casing that fails to hold the crumbly sausage after a few bites. One stretchy bite was enough for me to abandon the sandwich and switch to a fork and knife.
For liquid refreshment, try the peach juice, a sweet and savory concoction punctuated by cinnamon. Inca Kola is another favorite, which is like drinking a can full of liquefied pineapple Life Savers.
You'll need to be flexible when ordering, as it's common to run into a dish not being made on a certain day. Although their soups tend to be a weekend specialty, the sopa de mani (peanut soup) is always worth the trip.
Pike Pizza
4111 Columbia Pike
Arlington, VA 22204
Hours: Open 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m on weekdays, until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Transportation: Metrobus 16A, 16B, 16D, 16E, 16F, 16G, 16J, 16K, 16W, 16Y
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If that's the case... THEN WHY ARE THEY CALLED "PIKE PIZZA"????
FYI, for actual pizza and excellent Sicillian and Greek food, go to Mom's Pizza at the corner of Glebe and Columbia Pike nearby.
The restaurant is interchangeably referred to as Pike Pizza and El Pike. The store used to be a pizza shop, and the name on the facade seems to have stuck. I wanted to walk in and ask "Donde esta la pizza?", but alas my wife stopped me.
It stuck becuase they did not want to pay for a new sign. Hee.
Mmmm... salteñas.
Do they serve menudo on weekends? Always looking for a new place that serves fresh hot buckets of gut stew. Nothing better after a night of dancing the gay tarantella and doing shots of mescal.
Putting aside the matter of the sign for a minute, what's the actual name of the business? I mean, like on their licenses and such?
According to the Virginia Department of Health, the official name is Pike Restaurant. You can find several years' worth of health inspection reports online.
In order to properly bake a salteña a heavy-duty oven is needed, and usually pizza ovens fit the bill. Baking salteñas at home never come out correctly. I heard the owners bought an old pizza joint because it came with the oven.
I would recommend Pan-American bakery right next door for better salteñas. It is not a sit-down restaurant, although they have 2 tables. It is more of a take-out joint, with pretty good soups to-go.
moonpie - The Health Department Inspection site is a great source of info. However, it pays to actually read some of the violations before deciding on whether or not to go to a restaurant. Some of them are pretty damning and I'm surprised hundreds haven't died from such life-threatening violations as "4-903.11C No wrapped drinking straws provided" and "6-501.11 Missing cover grill for the floor drain in the dishmachine area." "Vermin infestation" I'm probably not going to eat there. "Small bar refrigeration unit was laden with ice and was noted in need of defrosting" I might risk it.
In order to properly bake a salteña a heavy-duty oven is needed, and usually pizza ovens fit the bill. Baking salteñas at home never come out correctly. I heard the owners bought an old pizza joint because it came with the oven.
I would recommend Pan-American bakery right next door for better salteñas. It is not a sit-down restaurant, although they have 2 tables. It is more of a take-out joint, with pretty good soups to-go.