mangomami's Profile
San Juan recommendations?
Just as a note, the taxi drivers are also paid to reccomend places (although this happens more outside of San Juan). I've been forced to be very assertive with drivers who insist on taking me to a "better" place. Beware. Desk Clerks, bartenders, casino dealers even servers at restaurants you enjoy are a good resource. there is nothing wrong with asking if there is another place they would reccomend for the following night.
Caribbean Street Food?
Puerto Rico- typical street foods. Pinchos (kebobs of skewered pork or chicken) Then there's the whole fried variety. pastelillos Fried flour pastries stuffed with meats or fish, which I believe exist in other variations elsewhere-like the beef pattie in jamaica. With pastelillos the typical is made with ground beef. Actually ground beef is pretty much a staple in this "fritura"(fried food) category. There's the rellenos, fried potatoball stuffed with meat. the alcapuria, sort of a ground plaintain croquette filled with meat. There are also arepas in PR but these are fried as well...then stuffed with seafood salad if one likes. And I can't leave out the bacalaito which is best described as a fried dough that has salt cod fish in it. people definitely eat all of these on the street, on the run, each little tasty treat wrapped in a napkin in one hand with a cold can of medalla (local beer) in the other. These foods can be found on the side of just about any busy street, but also typically in kiosks, often near the beach. In Pinones (a place known for these) they still fry these in huge pots over firewood. I'm not sure, but I think these foods may be the influence from our African Heritage. But don't know. All of them are good, if they haven't been sitting under heat lamps for too long. The bacalaito especially have only when made to order or it gets a rubbery concistancy.
Puerto Rico/Fajardo
Mark,
So I finally got a chance to go to Pasion por el Fogon and I am disappointed to say that once again the best thing about the meal were the complimentary arepas. I had a friend in from out of town and I was eager to take her to one of the restaurants everyone raves about and that have gotten so many awards. My god, what an embarrassment.
The meal started w/ my boyfriend asking the waiter if they had tomato juice and then ordering a bloody mary when he was told they did. When he got the drink he had me taste it because it tasted "sweet-funny"... the waiter without batting an eye confirmed that the bloody mary was made with V8. It took 15 minutes and two servers to get his cuba libre that he ordered instead...and it came without a lime. OK so that's not so bad but that's not the end. we ordered stuffed portebello mushrooms... there was one small mushroom face down on the bottom of the plate and the "stufffing" was splattered around the plate. The entrees came out before we were done with our ap and the waiter started clearing our plates. When we said we weren't finished, he said "but your entrees are here" and continued to clear. The three dishes we ordered..Carribean chicken (was ok but the sauce tasted a lot like jarred mango chutney), Mofongo stuffed with Currasco (which was ok...just ok) and Pork Lolipops which were inedible, the meat was dark and had a mysterious texture. So this is where the experience goes from bad to awful. The waiter asked how our meal was and we told him we were not pleased with the pork as he could probably tell from the almost untouched plate. He turned to another waiter who said in Spanish "Oh Well, talk to the chef" No apologies from the first waiter or the second. Nobody talked to the chef and we were charged for the $24 dish that we could not eat. In fact the initial waiter did not come back to us and someone else cleared our plates and had the gall to ask me if I wanted to take it home. My response...I didn't like it here, I'm not going to like it at home.
To sum things up I'm sure they thought we were tourists and did not care what kind of experience we had. Go there if you want to feel taken advantage of..some people like that.
Puerto Rico/Fajardo
Mark,
I've been to Pasion por el Fogon once and Otello's a few times.
My experiences at Otello's have always been entertaining. It is ridiculous and over the top in so many ways. Good wine list and formal...too formal (impersonal) if you ask me. The waiters try their best to amuse but it comes across forced. The food is just ok and its expensive. Don't know where you're from, but coming from Brooklyn it doesn't even come close to Bamontes, Manducatti or the more authentic Aurora. It's italian food in Puerto Rico.
The only thing I remember liking at Pasion por el Fogon were the arepas (they're a fried bread that the East is known for). The meal itself was not impressive. I only went once and it was a couple years ago. I do0 hear mixed reviews from friends and have been meaning to go again.
Gotto agree with Matt on La Estacion. It's one of my favorite places.. super cool, tropical. Went there for a wedding last year and was blown away. The place is just understated you know rustic elegance.. i like that. I do know they only open 5 days a week and for dinner only.
Recs for Humacao (Southeast Puerto Rico) area?
First of all I'd like to thank you for insulting my palate and those others that have praised La Estacion. I can't help but say that it sounds like we went to two different restaurants because anyone with a "sensible palate" would be able to appreciate the freshness of the ingredients, the usage of local products (i.e. starfruit, pineapple, mangos, avocados etc.) and frankly the taste of well seasoned meats and fish that are simply grilled over charcoal and not with gas. On top of all that, the place is just pretty cool. The vibe is really tropical, reminds me of that place in pinones- bamboo bei or something its called. Anyhow I've been there several times and I have never been disappointed. But if you have more recommendations for places in the east, please let us know. I work in Rio Grande and am in this area a lot and that's why i'm being specific and not talking about all of Puerto Rico (FYI). I didn't mean to sound as if i was talking down kioskos either. Frankly if you read my response closely you will notice that I said I actually like kiosko food. I am well aware that the best food everywhere often comes in the most unpretentious ways...most specifically in the form of street food (just look at restaurant trends in NYC lately). Nevertheless, my experience with kioskos is that they mostly have fritura, some will have pinchos and seafood salads but that's about it. Furthermore, my response was more directed at the general suggestions to try the street foods as they are not all the same and they do not follow some sort of code of standards...knowing specifically where to go and what to eat is key. So LRS, I am thrilled that the kiosko #5 in Naguabo has grilled red snapper and I am not surprised that it is super fresh as Naguabo is known for its fish market and seafood. But where exactly is it? So you see, even though I wasn't specifically talking to you LRS, suggesting the kioskos in Naguabo w/out specifying which ones is kind of like saying go to 32 street for good korean, yeah it's koreatown and as authentic as it gets outside of korea but where exactly should they go. (general vs. specific let's make some sense here)
On that note does anyone have any more recommendations for the east? I used to like La Parilla but in the last year it has really gone downhill...after a couple of bad meals you come to the conclusion that it's not just an off night.
Recs for Humacao (Southeast Puerto Rico) area?
In response to the whole thread on Humacao:
I moved to PR from New York about two years ago but my family's from here and I've been visiting all my life (sometimes for whole summers at a time). After two years of living and a lifetime of frequenting, I consider myself pretty local. Although I love the kioskos and am a firm believer that anything fried has to taste good, anyone can grow tired of the pastelillos/alcapurias/arepas etc. Considering it's bikini season all year long here, it's amazing we can sustain ourselves on this stuff and still be as beautiful as we are. Telling tourists to eat FRITURA in Puerto Rico is like someone saying: try the coffee in Seattle. POR FAVOR!!! Moving here to PR has definitely been a culture shock when it comes to options in food. And then I happened on La Estacion in Fajardo right next to El Conquistador. (As NWlambear said above, keep going past the hotel-hotel restaurants in Puerto Rico leave you with empty pockets and unsatisfied palates.) At La Estacion they grill everything over charcoal. Don't get me wrong, you can still have awesome hand cut fries and real (not frozen) tostones there, but it is most definitely a godsend to be able to have fish that is grilled and not fried. It is amazing how much flavor gets lost in the frying. Not to mention the juicy steaks... La Estacion (as corny as it sounds) has become my beacon in this fried food/fast food ridden ISLA DEL ENCANTO. After finding out more about the owners it makes sense how they can take ingredients and dishes that are native to Puerto Rico and make everything so contemporary AND good. Recommending kioskos in Puerto Rico is kind of like somebody telling you "If you go to New York, you have to eat a dirty water dog on the streets of Manhattan." Yeah it's great and real "puerto rican" but there is so much more out there. Go out of your way to go to La Estacion, I'm so glad I did.
