Azafran perfect mix of creativity and comfort

Delicious and exciting eclectic food can sometimes be difficult to find, but at Azafran both come standard.

The small South American restaurant, located on S. 3rd Street between Bainbridge and South streets, blends tastes from Venezuela, Cuba and Columbia to create a unique variety of dishes. Smells emanate from the relatively open (although not visible) kitchen, and fill the air with hints of what is to come.

Azafran's inviting atmosphere begins outside the eatery itself. The entranceway is draped by off-white curtains which are illuminated from the back. Meanwhile, the homely theme continues inside the restaurant with cracked orange floor tiles and a variety of paintings depicting many of the diverse vegetables and roots, such as yuca and plantains, which are on the menu.

The intimate but welcoming setting is exactly the type of mood to complement the cuisine.

"It's basically Latin food that is yummy comfort food," said owner Susanna Goihman, who also acts as the chef.

Goihman has taken a long journey to get to where she is today. She was born in Caracas, Venezuela before moving with her family to Miami, where she grew up.

Azafran's Cuban influence can be attributed to Goihman's days in Miami, while its Columbian attributes can be traced back to her mother's roots.

Goihman first came to Philadelphia to study fashion design at Philadelphia University. After that she spent time in New York, Miami and Israel. Eventually she opened a floral design shop, Civilized Insanity, in Miami. However, cooking did not stay out of the business long.

After tasting Goihman's food, friends convinced her to add a catering service to the floral shop. When she returned to Philly, opening a restaurant was a logical progression.

Since Azafran opened in the summer of 1997 right before Philadelphia's renaissance, it has been a staple of Latino cuisine in Center City. But the menu has changed with the times, as Goihman makes frequent trips to South America to get inspiration for her kitchen.

Goihman still remembers her years in college and the terrible dining choices she often had to pick from. But she built her own restaurant in hopes of creating a college-friendly atmosphere.

Students "come in groups, they save on wine [since it's bring your own], they have an intimate setting and that's what I had in mind," she said.

Although the ceviche del dia, an assortment of seafood delicacies in citrus juice which changes daily, is the recommended opening course, I tried the empanadas ($6 for 2, $10 for 4). The shells were crisp and the ground sirloin spiced just right, but the best part of the dish may have been the cilantro and sour cream sauce. It was a perfect compliment to tone down the appetizer, or platito (little plate), as the the menu refers to it.

The grilled calamari salad ($12) was also impressive, with a generous portion of calamari on top. The plantain chips gave the dish just the right texture and the light honey and key lime dressing allowed the flavors in the dish to fully come out without covering them up.

The atun con "Fu-Fu" ($18) -- cuban citrus-marinated tuna steak, pan seared over smashed ripe plantains -- provided a good mix of flavors with the fish and sweet plantains.

The daily specials are always recommended by the staff, so I tried a combination of beef and chicken with asparagus, portabella mushrooms, onions and white queso drizzled with white achoto puree and mint sauce ($22). The combination was a little far out, but still worked the flavors together in an appetizing manner.

Although the entrees were tasty, the best part of the evening was by far the appetizers. Still, every dish had a way of introducing new foods and combinations without being frightening, even to a picky eater.

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