Visit Medell\u00edn, and everyone will tell you to try one dish: bandeja paisa.<\/p>\n
Translated as a \u201ccountryside tray,\u201d you\u2019ll find the loaded meat platter at any restaurant in Colombia\u2019s second-largest city. The spread is loaded with savory red beans; white rice; ground beef or grilled steak; a long, curved strip of crispy chicharr\u00f3n; chorizo; morcilla (blood sausage); a fried egg; golden lobes of sweet plantain; a mini arepa<\/a>; and a slice of avocado.<\/p>\n Though its origins lie in the mountainous, coffee-growing region of Antioquia, known as the home of the paisas (derived from the Spanish word for countryman), the dish is widely celebrated and eaten across the country. It\u2019s a hearty lunch meal meant for one person, a combination of flavors and textures that transport you straight to Medell\u00edn, known for its rich coffee landscape, blooming flowers and eternal spring weather.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bandeja paisa is the seal of the Colombians,\u201d said Gloria Hernandez, owner of Nene\u2019s Colombian Food in Lawndale.<\/p>\n The dish is believed to have started as a filling, nourishing meal for campesinos (field workers), providing strength to get through a day working in the fields. \u201cThere\u2019s a gathering of various dishes to make a bandeja paisa,\u201d said Cesar Gutierrez, owner of Arepa\u2019s Colombianas in Redondo Beach.<\/p>\n Over 40,000 Colombians live in L.A., according to the Los Angeles Almanac<\/a>. Three-thousand miles from home, the city is host to several Colombian restaurants, food trucks and even a rooftop night market<\/a> in downtown L.A.<\/p>\n From a longstanding restaurant in Larchmont to a favorite for modern Colombian cuisine in Long Beach, here are seven places where you can devour a bandeja paisa. <\/p>\n