Jorge Castillo: We started out with the picada, a mountain of delicious tidbits from the Colombian side of the menu, but with plenty of goodies to tempt a Cuban or two.

Glenn Lindgren: We're talking about delicious pieces of beef and roasted lechón asado, sweet, long-cut maduros that rivaled some of the best we've ever had.

Jorge Castillo: Best of all, tostonesand yuca frita fresh from the fryer that were hot and crisp and served with a spicy tomato-based sauce.

Raúl Musibay: We ate everything except the parsley!

Jorge Castillo: One salad caught our eye, a very un-Cuban spinach salad with goat cheese, grapes, almond, sun-dried tomato, and bacon.

Glenn Lindgren: The lechón asado was a good, if not stellar, selection. The flavor was great, but we're used to falls-apart-with-a-fork tenderness and this dish was sliced thin from a pork roast. The included tamal was very tasty and moist, not dry as many at restaurants that victimize this essential Cuban staple -- even in Miami.

Glenn Lindgren: However, Rita Giordano, a features writer at the Philadelphia Inquirer, sent us to one of her favorite Latin restaurants -- Tierra Colombiana.

Raúl Musibay: The neighborhood is not that bad, just a little jog off busy Roosevelt Boulevard and for lunch and probably dinner, you will be reasonably safe here.

Jorge Castillo: Although parking can be a problem! You need to be resourceful to find something on the street.

Glenn Lindgren: We never expected to find a restaurant like this in this part of Philly! The interior reminded us a lot of the Columbia Restaurant in Tampa. Although not quite that big, Tierra Colombiana features plenty of seating in two large, tastefully appointed dining rooms and a full nightclub upstairs.

Glenn Lindgren: No, it's not a fusion restaurant. In the true spirit of détente, the two cuisines coexist side by side on the same menu. We recommend that you ignore the segregation and order from both sides of the menu freely, and here's why: you're going to love both!

Jorge Castillo: The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but on this quiet Sunday we enjoyed a late afternoon dinner.

Raúl Musibay: Let me tell you that this restaurant is the type that we are used to in Miami with large portions and classic preparations of traditional Cuban and Colombian food.

Jorge Castillo: Even the Three Guys From Miami need to take a box or two of leftovers home from this place.

Jorge Castillo: It did toast nicely with the proper cracker crust Cuban sandwich fanatics know and love.

Glenn Lindgren: The dessert list here is a minefield that is guaranteed to derail your most sincere dieting plans. They have everything from arroz con leche(rice pudding), to brevas con queso (figs with cheese), to papaya or guava pieces with cheese, to flan, pudin de pan, tres leches cake, tocinillo del cielo...

Raúl Musibay: ...And several more treats that shot our diets all to heck and sent us staggering to the exit.

Raúl Musibay: If you want the most authentic Cuban -- and Colombian -- food in Philadelphia, Tierra Colombiana is the place to go.

We Show You How in Two Great Miami Cuban cookbooks:

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