Chew on this

My first time officially writing about food luckily coincided with one of the most food-filled weekends that I've had in a while.

Last Thursday, my mother made some mouth-watering, basil-stuffed scallops. Scallops are a relatively sweet and slightly salty white seafood whose aroma reminds me of a windy day at the beach.

Pasta usually goes with everything, and scallops are no exception. I think the reason that the basil tasted so particularly great was that it was picked straight from my dad's garden. Even my brother, who isn't a big fan of seafood, enjoyed these scallops that melted easily on the tongue.

That meal was pretty amazing, so fresh and delicious, especially considering my mom usually warms leftovers on Thursdays.

Then on Friday my friend came up to town, and to celebrate we went to La Luna, one of my favorite restaurants in the area.

La Luna is a quaint Guatemalan-Mexican diner in Berryville run by Miss Lilia, the hilariously sassy and very talented chef. It's pretty famous and for a good reason. Everything is made right there in front of you and is so authentic that you can almost imagine being in Central America.

My friend and I split a plate of nachos with the house-marinated beef, so flavorful and tender you just know it's a secret recipe. The nachos also came with a generous amount of yummy white queso, beans, cilantro, and a heaping spoonful of sour cream on top.

But that was just the beginning. We then each ordered one of Miss Lilia's signature burritos, which come with your choice of meat (in our cases, chicken), a plethora of beans and rice, copious amounts of sour cream, cilantro and an optional, but highly recommended, hot sauce.

Together, the seemingly simple ingredients transform into a wonderful symphony of taste.

Our final course consisted of four of the tiny soft tacos with handmade tortillas, the special beef, finely chopped crisp onions, cilantro, and lime juice. The tacos are so small and fresh tasting that you could easily order ten and still not be overly full.

To drink, my friend had a Mexican strawberry soda and I had tamarindo. Tamarindo is a tangy, refreshing sweet-sour drink made from steeped tamarind pods. Needless to say, I was totally full and very happy by the time I left. And I certainly consider that weekend to be a culinary success.

This week's guest columnist is Manon Gros, a junior at Eureka Springs High School and budding food writer. Manon is the daughter of Patrice and Karen Gros and will be sharing her culinary adventures with the Citizen in future.