Is there a connection between this casado and a casamiento? The latter, which describes a "marriage" of rice and beans that have been fried together, is found in many countries in Central America but is especially associated with El Salvador. A good rendition appears on the all-day breakfast platter at the tiny Salvadoran restaurant Viña del Mar.
Casado, "married man," denotes several platters at La Posada. This basic version, which includes grilled beef, ripe plantain, and a fried egg as well as white rice and black beans, is the casado Costarricense ($12) — in the style typical of Costa Rica. (It's a legacy menu item at La Posada, whose current owners are Colombian.) Perhaps the name was inspired by the inevitable marriage, at the table, of two key ingredients, or perhaps by a style of cooking that a man might miss when away from home: When spooned over the rice, those beans revealed red bell pepper and bits of translucent onion, too. The beans, would you believe, were the best part of my casado.
La Posada Restaurante
1055 Main Ave. (Clinton-Hadley Aves.), Clifton, New Jersey
973-779-4947
