La Chiva Colombian restaurant opens in Lake Ronkonkoma with epic 3-level meat tower

If you didn't know that Suffolk County has one of the largest Colombian populations outside of Latin America, you might be surprised when you see La Chiva. The colorful spot is tucked into a strip mall in Lake Ronkonkoma that's surrounded by tall trees and a lush patch of green grass.

It used to be the Lake Ronkonkoma Diner and then a Greek falafel spot, but sat empty for about a year until it was claimed by Juan Urquilla and Harry Caldera. The two own Elegance Lighting, where they've designed fixtures for restaurants and hotels. They were inspired to open their own restaurant by Urquilla's wife, Esperanza Carmona, who hails from the city of Armenia in Western Colombia (known for its Armenian immigrant population but also a major center in Colombia's coffee growing industry). 

The partners did the renovations themselves, plunging diners into a bright yellow scene packed with Colombian flags and a decorative faux balcony that's a hallmark of Colombian restaurants, as it resembles the Spanish colonial streets of Cartagena. 

Colombian restaurants tend to have expansive menus, but this one is simpler. There are a few grilled and rotisserie chicken dishes as well as the iconic beef and seafood options like bistec encebollado or grilled steak with onions ($24.95) and mojarra frita, a whole fried porgy fish with cassava, rice and beans ($29.95). A meal starts off with a complimentary platter of mini arepa cakes paired with a stewed tomato and onion sauce called hogao. Beef empanadas arrive with an uncooked tomato aji sauce, which is still pretty mild. 

The punch comes from the iconic Colombian dish bandeja paisa ($29.95). The countryman's platter usually features a gut-busting selection of meats loaded on a plate with beans, rice and a griddled corn cake arepa. It's like the South American equivalent of a Denny's Grand Slam breakfast. But La Chiva is the rare spot that serves its version in a multitiered stand that gestures toward the heavens. 

It's a newer phenomenon that speaks to bandeja's popularity with younger generations. The platter is arranged like others seen on Instagram. The bottom cast iron tier is the most substantial, with a grilled flap steak, sweet plantain, arepa and half an avocado splayed out over a bed of white rice. In the middle, you'll find a crock of red beans glitzed with fatty pork that's so saucy it's a challenge to get it from spoon to mouth. The top level (above-your-head tall) has a sprawled out chicharron pork rind and a hefty log of Spanish chorizo. Bandeja is always a gentleman's feast, but this treatment makes it a spectacle. 

The partners designed their own stand for the bandeja paisa using materials imported from Colombia. 

"You need three floors to fit all of the food in there," Urquilla said. "It's a very explosive dish, it blows people's minds."

La Chiva, 966-B Portion Rd., Lake Ronkonkoma, 631-846-6749, instagram.com/lachivany/?hl=en. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

By Andi Berlin

andi.berlin@newsday.comAndiBerlin

Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.