Takeout Deal: El Tamarindo, Hallandale Beach

November 27, 2008

Address: 712 Atlantic Shores Blvd.

Phone: 954-456-4447

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily

Type of food: Italian and Salvadoran

Dining facilities: From the strip-mall exterior, you would never guess that the full-service dining room is exceptionally cozy.

Service: Friendly and helpful at the counter.

Delivery: Free to east Hallandale Beach and east Hollywood

Upon entering, we see a beautiful brick oven with a rack of fresh-baked bread beside it. That seduces us to order an entree that comes with bread instead of just a coal-fired pizza.

The palomilla steak ($7) is a thin piece of tender beef piled with sauteed sweet onions. The chimichurri sauce and chopped tomato salad that accompany it make wonderful toppings for the chewy fresh bread that comes with the meal.

The fried zucchini appetizer ($6) is accompanied by a container of house-made marinara. The large portion of shoestring zucchini is lightly breaded and fried crisp. To prevent it from getting soggy on the trip home, the waitress cuts a corner off the foam container so the steam can escape.

Another winning appetizer is the corn tamale ($4) that tastes something like a corn souffle. It is delightfully sweet.

A trip to El Tamarindo would not be complete without trying a coal-fired pizza ($8 for a 12-inch cheese pizza with additional toppings $1 each; $12 for a 16-inch cheese pie with additional toppings $2 each). The pizzas have delightfully thin and crispy crusts.

Tracey Broussard