Dining Out: Experience La Hacienda in Jackson Heights

By Suzanne Parker

As a dedicated seeker of new gastronomical experiences, I carry around a mental list of dishes that sound good on paper, but have thus far eluded me. I was able to tick off one such entry on this list, ajiaco, during my recent visit to La Hacienda, a traditional Colombian eatery in Jackson Heights.

La Hacienda caters primarily to an ethnic clientele, but the menu has comprehensible translations, and our server’s English was fluent. The restaurant is contrived to resemble hacienda architecture — that of a Colombian ranch. Its walls imitate stucco and brick with tiled roofs and arched windows. Ranch scenes and models of horses are set into the windows. To complete the illusion, over the bar there is a mini balcony with a table and chairs sized to accommodate hobbits. Of course, no Queens Latino restaurant is complete without the obligatory large screen projection TV, and here was no exception. Soccer was the feature of the evening.

La Hacienda serves a different soup on each day of the week. Serendipitously, I dined there on a Tuesday, the day ajiaco, my personal holy grail is served.

Ajiaco is a soup that combines the culinary art of the Spaniards and the Chibchas (the Indians who lived where Bogotá, Colombia is today), and is one version of Sancocho (stew.) It uses three different types of potatoes — criolle or yellow finn, white and new potatoes — as well as corn, peas and chicken in a rich, creamy chicken stock that is aromatically flavored with guascas, a Colombian herb that tastes like a blend of thyme, tarragon and basil.

So how was the ajiaco? I can honestly say it was the best I’ve ever eaten, for obvious reasons. It was billed on the menu as “Ajiaco Santafereño” (Santafereño style). The white broth was rich and creamy, thickened by the disintegration of some of the potatoes (different potatoes are added at different points during the cooking process). Large strips of chicken were plentiful, as were a variety of vegetables including slices of corn on the cob. The flavor was permeated with a pleasant herb, which must have been the guascas. This thick soup would make a very satisfying meal all by itself.

Next we tried the Chorizo con Arepa. The sausage tasted homemade, and very nicely flavored. Unfortunately, there were a few bits of gristle and such mixed in. The sausage, like practically everything on the menu, is accompanied by an arepa, the Colombian grilled corn cake. Colombians eat arepas with everything, and it is the starch of choice for soaking up sauces and gravies. In this case, it was actually an arepita — a hockey puck-sized version of the arepa.

If it is your first foray into Colombian food, a good introduction might be one of the “bandejas” (platters) that offer a combination of items to sample. The Bandeja de Hacienda includes pork loin, beef, a quarter chicken, salad rice, beans, corn cake, chicarron (pork skin) and fried sweet plantain. All of the meats are nicely marinated and tasty. A word of caution on the chicarron, an uncured inch-thick slab of bacon with slits cut along the non-rind side, allowing it to curl into a C-shape as it fries — it’s pretty much pure fat. Let your conscience be your guide on this one.

There are a number of worthy Colombian seafood dishes at La Hacienda. Happy to have a chance at the best of both worlds, I chose Churrasco Marinado, a combination of marinated grilled sirloin topped with seafood in a creamy sauce. The addition of a little of the hot sauce provided on the side gave it that little extra zip it needed. The seafood was plentiful and varied, and the sauce was creamy as advertised.

The well-marinated grilled sirloin was tasty and tender. To my Anglo palate, the combination was less than the sum of its parts. I would have preferred the beef separately. Even though the beef was excellent, I didn’t enjoy having the parts that I would normally cut away, like fat and cartilage, camouflaged by the seafood sauce. This entrée was served with rice and fries. Having starch with your starch is also a Colombian tradition. The fries were very good.

For dessert you can choose between two kinds of flan, or any combination of arequipe, (an intense caramel cream also called dulce de leche in some places) with conserved figs and or cheese. All are guaranteed to please your sweet tooth.

The Bottom Line

An authentic ethnic dining experience for those who seek a tasty, reasonably priced introduction to Colombian cuisine, or are already one of its aficionados.

La Hacienda Restaurant

86-20 37th Ave., Jackson Heights

718-651-3393 or 718-651-0200

Cuisine: Colombian

Setting: Cheerful mock Colombian ranch

Service: Efficient, English speaking.

Hours: Seven days, B, L & D

Reservations: Recommended on weekends

Parking: Street

Dress: Casual

Children: Family atmosphere

Takeout: Yes