Sarita's Pupuseria Salvadorean Food (Grand Central Market) - Los Angeles (Downtown)

On my fourth turn at jury duty, I had to report to Los Angeles County Superior Court, which coincided with Day 2 of the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's doctor who was accused of prescribing the medication that caused his death. Apparently, getting assigned to the downtown courthouse gets some people excited because of the nearby eats. Personally, I prefer Alhambra Superior Court -- closer to home, easier parking, and better eats.

Nonetheless, I was excited for the opportunity to check out Grand Central Market during the lunch break, and in particular, Sarita's Pupuseria Salvadorean Food.



But before we get to lunch, let's backtrack a bit to that morning.

Jury duty parking was underneath the Walt Disney Concert Hall; amazing building, a pain to find the specific entrance needed for the assigned parking. Then I had to rush down Bunker Hill to make it inside the courthouse in time.

As I approached the courthouse, I saw a media circus with video cameras and protesters gathered in front. You'll have to excuse the blurry photo. My point and shoot camera had a smear on the lens and my attempts to wipe only made it even more blurry. The hazy effect seemed only too apropos for the surreal atmosphere.



A shot from inside, looking out. The protestors were both for and against Murray's innocence.



Alright, gotta hustle upstairs to make it to roll call!

Just think, if I had jury duty the week before, I might have been picked for the trial. No thanks!

Luckily, I wasn't called for anything and by the time we were let out for lunch, I was eager to explore. I wandered the aisles at Grand Central Market to see if anything else struck my fancy, but I was pretty set on grabbing a Pupusa (Salvadorean Stuffed Tortilla) at Sarita's.

Revuelta pupusa, $2.40, stuffed with pork, beans, and cheese.



Warm handmade corn dough stuffed with meat and cheese, what's not to like?



I also got a pork tamale, $1.60, steamed in banana leaves instead of corn husks like the Mexican version. There was also an olive inside with the seed, so be careful when eating! The banana leaves made this tamale so moist and tender, reminding me of Vietnamese banana leaf-wrapped dishes.

Polished it off with a medium pina colada, $1.75.



A quick walk around Grand Central Market before I had to get back to the courthouse.











The media circus was still out in full force, but this time, there was a Michael Jackson impersonator and a real live Jackson!



I couldn't figure out which Jackson this was though? Tito? Jermaine?



The Michael Jackson impersonator was circa 1980s with the one white glove.







By the time the day ended, the Jacksons, real and fake, were nowhere around. The cameras though were still there.



And now set up across the street. So the field reporters can be live for the evening newscasts. You know, so they can say they're live at the courthouse where Day 2 of the Dr. Conrad Murray trial has been underway and so far nothing much has happened...



News vans further up the road.



And finally, back to Disney Concert Hall.





Trailing the stream of jurors heading home for the day.





May 24, 2013 update:

In May, I was back again with a couple of my long-time students. I was playing portrait photographer and offered to take senior pictures as graduation presents. Plus, better camera means better pictures of the food.

The pupusas are now $2.55. I got a revuelta pupusa again and this time remembered to take pictures of the curtido (Salvadorean cabbage slaw). What a big difference in pictures, huh?



I doused everything with the spicy sauce, which really isn't all that spicy to me.



One of my students ordered the carne asada pupusa, $2.55.



I was taking them out for dinner later, so we didn't want to fill up in the late afternoon. Dessert was a sweet corn tamale, $1.80. It wasn't as moist as the pork tamale I had and was frankly rather bland. We doused spicy sauce all over this too, but I'd recommend sticking with the savory tamales.



You can also get pupusas from the stall at the Alhambra Farmers Market on Sundays.

After taking photos of my students posed in front of aisles of food (Great shots if I do say so myself.), we were off to The Last Bookstore - Los Angeles (Downtown) for more pictures.

Sarita's Pupuseria Salvadorean Food
Grand Central Market
317 S. Broadway, Ste. E-5
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213-626-6320
9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

*****
1 year ago today, Happy Bakery - San Gabriel.
2 years ago today, Four Corners Monument - Shiprock - New Mexico.
3 years ago today, CeFiore - Monterey Park (Closed).
4 years ago today, Tito's Market - El Monte.