lbladholm@MiamiHerald.com

Colombia has no single cuisine, but many diverse regional specialties that are a blend of European and indigenous influences. A good place to try huge portions of authentic Colombian food is 6-month-old El Sitio (The Place) on Washington Avenue in the heart of South Beach.

Owners Antar Sosa and Victor Carreño are from neighboring Venezuela. They hired a Colombian cook and have turned the small spot with sidewalk seating into a hangout for homesick Colombian Americans.

Many fans come for the bandeja paisa ("country flag") platter, typical of the Paisa region in the Andean part of the country in the northwest. An oval platter holds a mound of rice topped with a fried egg and cup of tasty red beans with grilled skirt steak, fried sweet plantains, fried pork skin (chicharron), chorizo sausage, avocado wedge and small white corn arepa.

Unless you have a huge appetite, a single platter feeds two, especially if you've started with appetizers such as pincho (chicken or beef skewers), yellow corn arepas covered in melted cheese or choripapa criolla. The latter brings small yellow potatoes, roasted and deep-fried, then sprinkled in salt. The meltingly soft spuds are plated with fried slices of Colombian chorizo (less spicy than the Spanish type) and two mayo-based dips. Wash it down with sweet-tart lulo juice or a cold beer.

Daily soup specials, served with rice, salad and grilled chicken or beef, are worth a visit. Try ajiaco, the traditional chicken and potato soup from the Bogota region, seasoned with a local herb called guasca that tastes like mild oregano.

In the southern coastal region, green plantain soup is popular, and the version here is a thin broth thick with chunks of plantain and beef seasoned with cilantro. Mondongo is a potage of tripe, corn and root vegetables from Cartagena, the chef's hometown.

In the eastern hills of Colombia, vaquero (cowboy) culture is all about grilled meat, and El Sitio offers a full selection, from carne asada to the picada platter with a mix of meats, sausages and starches.

True to its South Beach location, El Sitio stays open until dawn on weekends. A perro -- a hot dog on a soft bun done up Colombian-style with cheese, onion, ketchup, Russian dressing, crushed potato chips and pineapple jam -- makes a sweet-savory mouthful after a night of clubbing.