Tierra Colombiana

[KatieLoeb]

After searching fruitlessly for a prior topic on this I was stunned to find that Tierra Colombiana didn't have it's own thread. Hard to believe because it's been referenced in a lot of other threads (many times by ME!), but apparently no reviews of its own. Time to fix that!

A bunch of intrepid PhilleGullets braved the pouring rain for a Cuban and Colombian feast this evening. Tierra Colombiana does food from both countries equally well. I think the story goes something about a Colombian owner and a Cuban chef duking it out and deciding to keep both cuisines on the menu. Tierra serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is the gold standard IMO for great Latino food in Philly.

We tried lots of different appetizers to share. The aranitas, or little spiders, are shredded plantain fritters that are served with a lemony garlic aioli sauce that's positively addictive. Both the chicken and beef empanadas were delicious, but I think the flakier pastry on the chicken made them the favorite. Ham croquettes and arepas con chicharrones were also delicious. The house hot sauce was quite spicy but went really well with the crispy pork skin and the arepas.

Entrees included a couple of orders of Arroz con Pollo Estilo Cubano (the best comfort food on a rainy night, ever!), Ropa Vieja, a Bandeja Tipica of Colombian specialties that included round steak and two fried eggs, and two different varieties of roast pork - Masa de Cerdo in chunks and Montuno, served sliced. All entrees come with your choice of rice, beans and plantains or avocado on the side. Yes. Your choice of all THREE! Needless to say, we all came home with leftovers. It's an obscene amount of food, but it's all very good. The bar at Tierra also makes a pretty mean mojito and there's a very reasonably priced wine list and a small bottled beer selection. We were too full to even think about dessert, but they make several classics, including flan, tres leches cake and tocino del cielo.

I'm hoping Philadining has time to upload his pictures soon so you can all see just how delicious everything looks. Service at the tables is friendly and efficient. The total damage for all this food and a few drinks for seven people was $22/person. It's crazy. If it were closer to home I'd have an account there.

Tierra Colombiana

4535-37 North 5th Street

215.324.6086

[philadining]

Aranitas

Chicken Empanadas

Beef Empanadas

Ham croquettes

Arroz con Pollo Estilo Cubano

Tostones

These, or Maduros, came with the Arroz con Pollo, in case that big bowl of rice was not carbolicious enough!

Ropa Vieja

Bandeja Tipica Colombiana

(note, this had a plate of fried ribs and an Arepa on a separate plate, which somehow didn't get photographed...)

Masa de Cerdo

Montuno

I managed to taste just about everything, and I thought it was all delicious. I could eat those aranitas all night at a bar, and I think I could could eat my shoe if it were dosed with a bit of the magic garlic sauce the aranitas are served with. The Chicken Empanadas were especially good. And I stole a rather undignified amount of Katie's Arroz con Pollo - both the chicken and rice were delicious, but the chorizo in there made it just irresistible. Good stuff all around.

Edited October 12, 2006 by philadining (log)

[mrbigjas]

their ropa vieja is the standard by which all other local versions should be judged IMO.

[KatieLoeb]

(note, this had a plate of fried ribs and an Arepa on a separate plate, which somehow didn't get photographed...)

I think the thing we're calling "riblets" was actually the arepas with chicharrones. So it's little bits of pork and skin stuck to the bone and deep fried. Oh yeah! My arteries are still recovering and I'm about to go have some of my leftover arroz con pollo for lunch. That isn't as bad for me I suspect.

Great pics as usual Uncle Phil...

[Holly Moore]

More often than not I end up ordering the Bandeja Tipica Colombiana - which as I recall is a traditional worker's lunch, everything piled together.

For trivia buffs, the reason Tierra Colombiana has both a Cuban and a Colombian menu is that the place used to be a Cuban restaurant. Then they were closed - some law irregularities I believe. The person who bought it already owned a Colombian restaurant. A deal was cut with the excellent Cuban chef. The new owner could bring in Colombian cuisine as long as the chef still got to cook Cuban too.

[KatieLoeb]

OK - that's the story. I knew it was something like that. Makes sense.

[mrbigjas]

man this thread is making me hungry. i mean, good god.

[philadining]

man this thread is making me hungry.  i mean, good god.

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Katie's got a container of rice the size of a bathtub that she took home as leftovers. And we needed a hand truck to get 2 take out containers to the Fentons' car....

If I were you I'd find an excuse to drop by one of their places, think of some way to distract them, then make a run for the fridge.

Me, no, I don't have any left... nope... at least I'm not answering my door!

Edited October 12, 2006 by philadining (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Katie's got a container of rice the size of a bathtub that she took home as leftovers.

Which I had for lunch today in two stages, there was so much of it. But dang, it was good. All gone now and I wasn't hungry for hours...

[MarketStEl]

Tierra Colombiana

4535-37 North 5th Street

215.324.6086

←

Pardon my graffiti:

Nearest SEPTA service: Bus Route 47 to 5th and Annsbury streets. Bus Route 75, eastbound from Wyoming station, Broad Street Line, or westbound from Margaret-Orthodox station, Market-Frankford Line, stops at 5th Street and Wyoming Avenue, about two-and-a-half blocks north.

[philadining]

It had been WAY too long since we'd dropped in at Tierra Columbiana.

Because we couldn't decide, we got an appetizer combo:

It had Chorizo, beef, an empanada or two, arepas, maduros, tostones, potatoes, probably a few more things that have faded into a deep-fried haze.

But, we were concerned that we might not get enough crispy things, so we added Aranitas

and Croquettas de Jamon

This, of course, required a delicious Caipirinha, as pictured above. Or maybe Mojitos.

Which was all warm-up for the Pernil

and the Picadillo

(with black beans and rice, of course.)

Finish up with a Mamey Shake, and that makes for a pretty awesome meal.

Everything was quite delicious, our server was quite nice, and the price was not bad at all. Definitely worth a trek out to the Northeast.

Edited May 30, 2008 by philadining (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Excellent. I was wondering when you'd have time to finally post the pics. A small correction, though. The ground beef with olives etc. is Picadillo. All else is as reported and was as delicious as previously described. Good stuff. Can't beat the prices, the quantities of food or the delicious cocktails. Caipirinha was muy delicioso! I'm glad I remembered we were so close by after we got denied on the soul food excursion.

[philadining]

Whoops, thanks Katie, I fixed the label for the picadillo... I knew something didn't sound right when I typed it!

Edited May 30, 2008 by philadining (log)

[davidbdesilva]

I need to get back here ASAP. After a very disappointing meal at Cuba in Chestnut Hill I'm jonesing for some REAL and authentic Cuban food (as is my lovely little half-Cuban wife). Time to trek to North Fifth street and soon!

[Jeff L]

I'm thinking of trying this place next week, anyone been lately and care to comment? Is it still the same quality as previous posts indicate??

[Holly Moore]

Haven't been there for a while, but I sense Tierra Colombiana qualifies as a "things never change" sort of restaurant.

[KatieLoeb]

You'll love this place if you aren't expecting anything fancy. Food is always good and plentiful, atmosphere is a loud family style restaurant filled with families. There may be kids running around. It's pretty casual. Service is friendly but occasionally "relaxed" by American standards. Large menu, large portions, everything authentic and delicious. The dishes we've photographed are all excellent and representative, but I suspect plenty of the stuff we haven't had is equally good. The only thing I ever ordered there that was a disappointment was the paella. Not enough protein on it for the price. But it was HUGE...

Get the aranitas, no matter what. That garlic sauce is the best...

[lfabio2007]

UUuh, their website - with the correct address - now is http://www.tierranightclub.net/#/home/4531389360 ?

Aha, there also is http://www.tierrarestaurante.com/ .

[Jeff L]

My buddy and I ate here last night. The good news first: The place is really an oasis in an otherwise bleak neighborhood. The service, as Katie said, was indeed "relaxed" but effecient and not at all lacking.

First we ordered some drinks which were really quite good. I had the mojito and my friend had some type of martini he enjoyed a lot. Both were sweet but in a balanced sort of way. We thought we'd split some of the appetizers as they sounded really good. We ordered the aranitas and they were one the high points of the meal. That garlic sauce was really something to behold. Then came something deep fried with ground beef inside (forget what it's called) that was also really good.

It goes way downhill from here, the Chicken Empanadas looked and tasted as they had been sitting around for a week. They were very dry to the point of being chalky and not good. A few more unremarkable appetizers were brought and picked at but not at all enjoyed. They suffered from too long in the deep fryer or otherwise overcooked to the point where I was beginning to wonder if I was in the same place as described above.

I had recently made Pernil at home that I thought tasted really good so I was looking forward to an authentic version here even though this is considered the national dish of Peurto Rico. The good news here is the plantain side dish were absolutely transcendant. Amazing silky texture with the most wonderful flavors, second high point of the meal. The rice and beans were passable and the other sides were ok as well. The bad news is the pernil itself was dry to the point of almost being without flavor. I know it spends a minimum of 9 hours in a low (250) oven with dry and wet ingredients so it's inconceivable to me that this could be so dry.

I really think we hit it on an off night and perhaps didn't order some of the things other posters did. In any event, given the successes and the vibe and feel of the place, I'll go back.