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