Mi Colombia
By Scott Millsop
Mi Colombia​
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A look at the food photos or a close read of the menu with all the names of dishes in Spanish might suggest that we’re talking about spicy food. If you think South American food is the same as Mexican food, you have a delicious lesson to learn.
Colombia is the entry point to South America from the many cultural lands of Central America. There are two very different coastal areas on the topside. The Caribbean Coast offers warm, tropical beaches and city life. The Pacific Coast is one of the wettest, most rugged, and heavily forested environments there is. But they are only around 70 miles apart running along the border of Panama.
Photos by Bobby Tewksbury
And just a little inland, Colombia has the Andes Mountain range. So, we have tropical forests, snow-capped mountains, sandy beaches, ocean shores. Capital city life is in Bogata in the mountains. If all this sounds a lot like paradise, let’s add the fact that they (arguably) grow the best coffee in the world. And they’ve brought a taste of all of it to Dayton.
Jorge, the owner of Mi Colombia, is from Bogata, a modern culture, but one that is not quite as hectic as we are accustomed to. And the relaxed sense they bring to their restaurant is very welcome. Over the past decade Jorge has been in Texas and Florida, but he met his wife Juliana here and she does the cooking. They’ve been open less than a year but they’re doing well and they’re growing. It’s clear that Mi Columbia is a family-oriented restaurant. If you ask them about the importance of food in their culture, they all nod with enthusiasm.
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We’ll all be having Bandeja Paisa this Ethnosh. It is the national dish of Colombia, carried forth from the old times when a daily feast was needed to provide the energy for farming. Think of it a little like an English Breakfast in that there is variety and lots of it. It’s a big platter with sausage, egg, plantains, beans, rice, corn, chicharron (pork belly), and carne asada. Platters are our usual motif at Ethnosh, but this one is on the menu and you can have it any day.
And this is a good time to revisit the topic of spices. Spices are often the best thing about a dish and they so often define a whole school of cooking. Think Mediterranean. It’s all about spices. Italian Food, we know the whole garlic, oregano, basil flavor profile very well. But what is a spice for? Well, it is to complement the flavor of the main dish ingredient. But in this Bandeja Paisa we’re talking about the many ingredients having the effect of complementing one another in several variations. This is food that aims to satisfy.
They even have a pair of Boli Rana machines. Sort of like Colombian pinball. At least two of our four person tasting team drove right past Mi Colombia and wound up two doors down at Paisa Station, a Colombian grocery store that sells coffee brands local to Bogata. But you’re looking for 3808 Wilmington Pike. You don’t want to miss it!