La Isla Restaurant Review

La Isla is tucked away in the many shops that sprawl Market St. in Ballard but it is not to be overlooked! As you enter, the wooden tables tucked clos together and the open kitchen gives a diner like feel, but the smells of empanadas and classic Puerto Rican Sofrito rice and beans surround the tables, taking us a world away from any local diner.

We begin with some Bascalaitos, a delicious fried fish, made with the perfect mix of dough and cod, and served with a tasty sauce. After licking our fingers and anxious to try the list of simple, yet uniquely prepared entrees, we decide on the Bistec Encebollado. Marinated in olive oil and garlic andtopped with grilled onions, it was cooked well with a Puerto Rican twist, making it very easy to enjoy. The veggie Pastelon, a lasagna made with sweet plantains rather than traditional pasta, mozzarella and a tofu veggie mix, is definitely a dish made to please vegetarian taste buds.  If all of this isn't enough, a classic flan with heavy vanilla and a dash of carmel makes our stomachs hit the breaks and begin a long period of sublime digestion.

The food is hot, fresh, and carnivores and herbivores can graciously eat at the same table. There is an extensive list of classic and imported rums adding the right of amount of Bomba to the taste buds. La Isla is the perfect place to go if you want to be transported to vivacious, sunny Puerto Rico for a dining journey miles away for a rainy day. Buen Provecho!