Glenn: Maria Hoyos has a loyal following of local breakfast lovers who have followed her through three different restaurants. Her latest venture is Maria's Cafe, a very popular breakfast spot in the newly rehabbed East Franklin area of South Minneapolis.

Raúl: People just love her pancakes.

Jorge: We've been told that you can hardly get a table here at breakfast time.

Jorge: Maria's Cafe does make a Colombian egg dish, huevos pericos, which are scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes served with a couple of warm (Mexican) tortillas and a tomato salsa. And the cachapas, Venezuelan style corn pancakes, are also popular at breakfast. Maria is famous for her corn pancakes!

Raúl: But we came here for Latin American food, and you can only get that at dinner time, and only on Thursday through Sunday evenings, when Maria serves Colombian and Venezuelan food.

Jorge: Miami Cubans are very familiar with Colombian food. There are many Colombian people in Miami and many of our friends are from Colombia.

Glenn: On a recent Friday evening, this open and airy restaurant was sparsely populated with diners.

Jorge: OK, Colombian food is not Cuban food. However, if you like one cuisine, chances are you'll like the other.

Raúl: Their food is similar, but not exactly the same.

Jorge: Colombian's have their own version of tostones -- at Maria's Cafe they use Hawaiian plantains flattened out to the size of a small saucer and sprinkled with a generous serving of cotija cheese (queso anejado), a hard grated cheese similar in texture and taste to a premium parmesan with a bit more of a bite like feta and slightly salty. The tostones, or patacones as they are called here, taste great with the cheese and a thin slice of tomato on top.

Raúl: Just a suggestion, Maria!

Raúl: A plate of four, two chicken and two beef made for a delicious appetizer.

Glenn: Other appetizers familiar to the Cuban food fan are the tajadas de maduro (fried sweet plantain), yuca frita con mojo, and empanadas, here made with a corn meal dough and stuffed with potatoes and meat.

Glenn: Let's start with the combo plates. If you like Cuban arroz con pollo, you are bound to like Maria's Colombian version. A quarter chicken is served with seasoned rice in a bed of salad.

Jorge: Like Cuban ropa vieja? Then you will like Maria's Cafe Friday special, pabellón Venezolano. The meat is tender and nicely seasoned and it's presented in the Miami style with the requisite black beans, rice, and maduros.

Raúl: You also get a cachapa.

Jorge: The frijoles negros, although again not Cuban, have a very rich, creamy flavor. The maduros were nicely sweet, although a bit dry. A little extra time in some hot oil would caramelize more of the sugar and give them a richer flavor.

Glenn: A variation on Cuban vaca frita appears on a dish for the exceptionally hungry, the bandeja paisa Colombiana. This dish comes from the "paisas," people who inhabit the Antioquia area surrounding Medellín. It is one of the most famous dishes of Colombian cuisine. Normally served on a large tray (bandeja), it is shredded beef and spices served with red beans, white rice, a fried egg, sweet plantains, avocado, arepas, and chicharrones. Maria adds a delicious oil and vinegar based green salad to go with the avocado. When we order this dish in Miami, we usually find a chunk or two of chorizo and a slice of morcilla (blood sausage). However, Maria's bandeja paisa Colombiana is still a very filling dish.

Jorge: The chuleta de cerdo is two juicy pork chops, mildly seasoned and perfectly cooked by someone who has the care and attention necessary to cook pork. The thin layer of fat on the chops is crispy and the meat is very tender. Those on the Atkins diet and anyone who isn't afraid of a little fat will savor every bit of these delicious chops. The pork chops are served with red beans and white rice. Mix the two together and you have a very good approximation of Oriente-style congri.

Raúl: They have a large selection of wines here including several good Chilean wines. Their sangria is excellent, sweet like it is supposed to be and spiced with cloves -- very refreshing.

Jorge: For dessert, Maria offers an excellent flan and bocadillo con queso, whole guavas with Colombian cheese.

Glenn: The flan was perfect with a beautiful presentation. A great way to end your meal!

Raúl: Our only complaint about Maria's?

Jorge: We want more. We would to see even more Colombian/Venezuelan foods added to the menu. A couple of seafood dishes would be great, such as a cazuela de mariscos, or Colombian arroz marino, a great seafood and rice dish.

Glenn: The Colombians also do great things with skirt steak. I know it's very hard to find skirt steak in the Twin Cities -- some Mexican markets carry it, but it is sliced too thin for churrasco-style steaks -- but a good Sobrebarriga a la criolla (skirt steak in Creole-style tomato-based sauce) or churrasco Argentino would be excellent additions to Maria's menu.

Raúl: And if she wants to add a Cuban dish or two -- well, so much the better!

Glenn: OK, so here's the deal. We promise to come here for breakfast sometime -- IF you'll come here for dinner.

Raúl: That way a guy can come here to eat a couple of times a week and not run through the entire menu.

Glenn: Keep diversity alive in the Twin Cities dining scene by patronizing this wonderful restaurant. Heaven knows Minneapolis doesn't need another Applebee's or TGI Fridays!

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