Los Paisas

Even the accompaniments are enticing.

Pozole (po-So-lay) is a sturdy Mexican soup that's thickly populated by hominy — dried corn kernels that have been soaked to remove their hulls. Los Paisas, where pozole is served Thursday through Sunday, prepares it with pork and with chicken, in "white" and in "green" (as in green chile pepper) versions; shown below is the pozole verde, piled with pork ($9.50).

In addition to an ad hoc shaker of "chile en polvo," my plate of fixings included a shard of chicharrón (fried pork skin) atop a thin corn tostada, as well as avocado, lime, and chopped raw onion and hot pepper. The accompaniments are stirred into the soup, though you might reserve some to top your tostada, which typically remains high and dry until you dunk it. I took the opposite tack, crumbling the tostada into my pozole like a giant soup cracker.

A small deli-grocery adjoins the dining area, but you'll do better shopping for tunes: Above head level, the walls of both rooms are hung with hundreds of Mexican CDs.

Los Paisas
898 Amsterdam Ave. (103rd-104th Sts.)
212-961-1263