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Long Island Dining | Westbury

A Family Affair With Latin Roots

CHEF'S CHOICE Shell steak is featured in several dishes at La Casa Latina.Credit...Kathy Kmonicek for The New York Times

LA CASA LATINA, which opened in Westbury at the end of July, has steadily grown in popularity with both Latino and non-Latino customers. On a recent Friday night, half the restaurant was taken up with a bar mitzvah celebration.

The owner and executive chef is Roberto Herrera, who is originally from El Salvador. For 18 years, Mr. Herrera has been the executive chef at Bryant & Cooper in Roslyn, one of Long Island’s best steakhouses. Now he divides his time between the restaurants. When he is not in the kitchen at La Casa Latina, other family members may be at the stove, including his brothers Wilfredo and Jaime and his mother, Raymunda, who taught him to cook.

A simple storefront in a strip mall, the restaurant is decorated with attractive tiles, mirrors, wrought-iron wall sconces and forgettable paintings of seaside locations. Tables have white tablecloths covered with butcher paper; napkins are cloth.

We were afraid service might suffer on the night the restaurant was crowded with that large party. The kitchen did remarkably well, however, and our meal was served with dispatch. The only misfire was that one entree was served without its rice and bean accompaniments. On a more normal night, there were no service hitches.

In a telephone conversation with Mr. Herrera after my visits, I asked if he had a favorite dish. I was not surprised when he singled out the grilled shell steak, a delicious, tender, juicy piece of meat.

I had tried that steak on the Honduran platter, where it was accompanied by a fried egg, vegetable-dotted rice, beans, plantain, a half avocado and a tangy sauce called crema, similar to sour cream. It was a lush complement to the steak. The shell steak was also a component of the Casa Latina platter, along with a juicy quarter chicken, avocado, rice and beans (more food than the diner who ordered it could finish).

Grilled skirt steak was a little chewier but also tasty, served on a sizzling black griddle with onions and peppers and featuring Argentine chimichurri sauce on the side.

Another winner was a chicken dish similar to an Italian scarpariello, with chicken pieces on the bone, chunks of sausage, onions and peppers. Fish lovers have a good choice in the pan-seared whole red snapper set on a bed of vegetables, including grape tomatoes, basil and izote flowers, tangy buds similar in taste to pale capers.

The diner who ordered the Peruvian seafood stew loved the firm shrimp and tasty broth, spiced to his specifications, but I found the large clams in the dish a tad chewy.

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The Honduran platter.Credit...Kathy Kmonicek for The New York Times

Most entrees come with a small but very fresh salad of crisp romaine, tomatoes and cucumbers in a light vinaigrette. Main courses are hearty, so additional openers are probably not needed, but I enjoyed the creamy, delicious lobster bisque. And I’d hate to have missed the shrimp salad, a winning mix with cucumber, green beans, roasted red peppers, red onion and bacon.

Another appetizer hit was the platter of assorted pupusas, corn patties with various fillings: cheese, beans and pork. The trio of patties arrived with a mild tomato-based dipping sauce and a small bowl of slaw.

Two desserts are made in house: the dense cream cheese flan, and the good but coarse-textured tres leches cake. Both were satisfying. Sweets from other sources also made the grade: tangy Key lime pie, rich chocolate mousse pie with chocolate cookie crust, and cheesecake. All were garnished with freshly whipped cream.

La Casa Latina serves food that is familiar enough to make diners feel comfortable and different enough to be exciting.

La Casa Latina

611 Old Country Road

Westbury

(516) 280-7795

lacasalatinany.com

WORTH IT

THE SPACE Small but attractive storefront. Restrooms are not wheelchair accessible.

THE CROWD Casual couples and groups, including families with children. The staff is friendly and accommodating.

THE BAR Service bar for cocktails, beer and wine. List of about 30 wines by the bottle ($15 to $50) and 12 by the glass ($7.50 to $12). Sangria is $18 a pitcher and $4.50 a glass.

THE BILL Lunch entrees, $6.50 to $16.50. Dinner entrees, $7.50 (hamburger) to $22.95 (a few seafood offerings). There are bargains to be found here. American Express, MasterCard, Visa and Discover are accepted.

WHAT WE LIKED Lobster bisque, shrimp salad, mixed pupusas platter, Honduran platter, Casa Latina platter, grilled skirt steak with peppers and onions, red snapper, chicken scarpariello, Peruvian seafood stew, house salad, all desserts.

IF YOU GO Open Sunday through Thursday from noon to 10 p.m., Friday from noon to 11 p.m., and Saturday from noon to midnight. Reservations are recommended.

RATINGS Don’t Miss, Worth It, O.K., Don’t Bother.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section LI, Page 11 of the New York edition with the headline: A Family Affair With Latin Roots. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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