I didn’t think there were many things I liked more than black beans and rice (blame my Cuban heritage), but this Pico Blvd. treasure gave me a new contender.
My favorite part about Bossa Nova was its yucca flour: a grainy, corn-meal type flour, richly flavored with the flavor of roasted garlic. The flour is served on the side for you to mix in with the rice and black beans to give it a subtle garlic flavor, though the beans and rice themselves are deliciously far from needing more flavor added to them.
My dish, the fresh boneless chicken breast “on fire” (just with added spices to give it a kick, but not spicy enough to make you think twice), included two thinly-pound chicken breasts with generous portions of white rice, black beans, fresh tomato salsa, and the yucca flour, as well as some fried plantains, for $10.49.
My friend ordered the Pesto Verde pizza, made with homemade pesto sauce, smothered in mozzarella cheese, then topped with sundried tomatoes, leeks, grilled red onions, and sauteed shrimp ($10.79; plenty for leftovers). Those who are anti-seafood can be reassured: my friend (more Bossa Nova savvy than I) also recommended the lasagna, which comes in the vegetable, chicken, or traditional (made with ground beef) varieties.
If your dish doesn’t include them, I would highly recommend ordering a side of the fried plantains ($3.49), which are gently sweet and not greasily crunchy, because they truly are an essential part of South American food culture.
At lunchtime when we went, the service was attentive and friendly, filling up our drinks often and answering my inquisitive questions. There is inside and patio seating both in the front and back of the restaurant and the restaurant’s free parking lot is across the street (walk with a buddy – it’s a little bit dark and creepy).
Bossa Nova is an affordable, classy-yet-laid-back restaurant, perfect for lots of family members or a romantic date (to prove it, on our visit, we were flanked on either side by both types of parties).
Photos: on the left, Bossa Nova’s Pesto Verde Pizza; on the right, its chicken breast on fire. Credit: Kelsey Ramos.
