Leesburg is a brunch town. From Buford’s Biscuits to Sidebar, diners in the market for a hearty meal in the early afternoon are almost overwhelmed with appealing options. But for a more relaxed experience, I prefer to stay out of the quaint downtown.
Not that a weekend mealtime at La Estacíon Restaurante on East Market Street isn’t busy. Around noon, I had to wait for a booth at the modestly sized eatery in the same shopping center as similarly popular Melt Gourmet Cheeseburgers. But the cuisine is worlds away from the burger joint.
My party was the only one not speaking Spanish when I visited La Estacíon. But we were not the sole group partaking of Salvadoran-style breakfast. All of the six hearty egg-based plates are less than $10.
I am nothing if not helplessly compelled by chicharrones. That meant that I had no choice but to order the Desayuno Campesino, or farmer’s breakfast. Two ample cubes of adipose pork wait to be dismantled and placed on puffy Salvadoran-style homemade tortillas. But the meat isn’t the main attraction. That distinction belongs to a creamy, saline pool of refried black beans. But every ingredient of the breakfast works in fluid unison.
Over-easy eggs burst their yolks and mix with the crema Salvadoreña, a billowy blob of acidic sour cream. A rectangle of funky queso duro is ready to be crumbled into the tortilla. For a shot of sugar, a fried sweet corn tamal is like the cornbread at a fine soul food restaurant.
I was too full to try one of the enticing tres leches cakes or cookies that line the cases along one side of the restaurant. But brunch at La Estacíon is a new habit. There will be plenty of chances. // 525 E. Market St., Leesburg, 703-669-2896
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