Aguaviva

I've been delaying writing about Aguaviva because it was such an amazing dining experience and because it was the last meal I had in Puerto Rico.  Aguaviva is an OOF! Restaurant and quite awesome.  Bestie and I were super excited to dine there.  We started with a tasting of ceviches.

The red snapper with avocado was simply divine! It tasted so good I wasn't sure what to do with myself, other than try the mahi mango limon ceviche.

Woweeee! It was by far the BEST ceviche I have EVER had.  No, seriously.  There was something over the top good about it.  In fact, as I write this all I can think about is how to get my hands on it again.  The tostones were obviously a perfect accompaniment.

After a short while our entrees arrived.  I wish I could adequately capture exactly how awesome everything looked.

Bestie ordered Jumbo Shrimp with yucca gnocchi.

shrimp with yucca gnocchi (aerial view)

Yucca gnocchi is brand new to my taste buds but I would definitely like to incorporate it again!  I ordered the chillo with lobster mofongo. Having had such incredible whole red snapper a few nights earlier, I decided to go with the fillet.

I'm pretty sure lobster mofongo should be outlawed because it is dangerously good.  It was incredibly rich and had big chunks of lobster.  It was likely mashed up with garlic butter because it had an additional richness that was not due to the lobster.  As I write this (weeks after the fact) my mouth is watering.  I may have to attempt to make mofongo one day...we'll see.  Bestie and I obviously stuffed ourselves silly, but made sure to leave enough room for dessert.

Definitely a shareable portion of creme brulee.  It was soooo good! Maybe it's the richness of the mofongo carrying over or the generally good time I had eating in PR or perhaps the fact that this was my last meal, but this creme brulee definitely put me over the top.  I was once again singing and dancing as I ate.

While I ate at a lot of incredible places while I was in PR, I think Aguaviva wins out as the best overall dining experience.  The waitress was subpar but the manager made up for it.  Every morsel of food was incredibly tasty and it is obvious that a lot of energy goes into every plate.  I know because we had a view of the open kitchen! If you're in Old San Juan either for a long trip to PR or just stopping in on your cruise, you must add Aguaviva to your list of places to eat.  You will not regret it!

Hungry yet?

Fattie's/Fatty's

The first time I went to Puerto Rico, I read about this restaurant and I must admit it was the name more than anything else that had me interested.  But then I went there and had AMAZING curry chicken.  I returned several times during that week and vowed to return whenever I made it back to Puerto Rico.

Unfortunately, I was not able to enjoy the curry chicken this time because there was no running water in Old San Juan.  Luckily, they still were able to make a couple of dishes for us.  I ordered the fried chicken breast and yellow rice with corn.

I know it doesn’t look spectacular and is really more like chicken fingers, but I assure you whatever she used to season and fry that chicken was very impressive.  Bestie ordered the pork chop with white rice and beans.

She enjoyed her meal as well.  I was disappointed that there was no curry chicken so I went back later in the week with my buddy Mr. A and his lovely wife.  Alas there was no curry chicken that day either but we decided to eat there anyway.  This time I ordered fried chicken pieces and yellow rice with corn.

The fried chicken was even better than the chicken breasts.  WOW it was fantastic.  Packed with flavor and juicy!  Mr. A also ordered the chicken, but his wife went with the pork chops, at least initially.  

There was some plate swapping that eventually happened.  Between the two of them though they cleaned up both plates.  Fattie’s is a hole in the wall if I’ve ever been to one, but I tell you it is the best hole in the wall I’ve ever been to! The owner is kind and definitely chats it up with you if you’re open to it.  When I was there with Mr. A and his wife, she brought us some cassava fritters which were awesome.  The lunch special is $6 and totally worth it. I will return to Fattie’s every time I go to Puerto Rico – even if it’s a hunt for curry chicken that doesn’t show up on the menu often enough.

Hungry yet?

Lima Peruvian Restaurant

The highlight of my trip (food wise of course) was the incredible dish I ate at Lima.  It pretty much set the bar, although I must say my final dinner was also extremely impressive, but you’ll have to wait to read about that.  Lima is tucked away in Miramar on a fairly major street but with little fanfare.

I walked in to the industrial looking space and loved the communal tables in the middle as well as the simple décor.  The menu was entirely in Spanish.  I was pretty impressed with my understanding – food is a universal language :-) I was craving red snapper so when I saw chillo entero on the menu, I knew exactly what I was planning to order.  It looked so good I must show you a couple of pictures to try to capture the awesomeness.

That is Chillo Entero (whole red snapper).  This two pound beauty was the best looking thing I ate the entire week.

I mean seriously, it’s a beaut.  It was served with montado en vegetales mixtos y yuquitas.  My rough translation is mixed vegetables and yucca.  The veggies were a nice crunch.  The yucca was also really delicious.  The server brought out a side of the house made spicy sauce.  As for the fish, every last morsel was incredible.  I quickly dropped the fork and knife and went for it with my hands.

Yup – that’s right went to town.  If only I could eat this again.  I can’t wait to go back to Lima and had to stop myself from going back during the week.  Bestie’s ceviche de pescado was also awesome.

The ceviche had a slightly tart flavor and the corn was crispy which added a great contrast.  It was served with a side of tostones and I was quite happy to get in there and help her out with them.

Even though we cleaned up our dinner, there was no way we weren’t having dessert.

That is suspiro de limeña.  Caramelized milk and meringue aromatized with port wine.  Simply divine! I was singing and dancing while enjoying that crazy good treat.  Dining at Lima was an INCREDIBLE experience.  The chillo entero is a must have, but you should also find a way to have some ceviche. 

Hungry yet?

Inca Chicken Peruvian Rotisserie Chicken

It wasn’t long after we finished at Delicious that I started having dreams of lunch.  I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted so when Bestie suggested a place with a decent lunch special, I was all about it. 

Inca Chicken is by no means a fancy spot, but they definitely get a decent lunch crowd.  Bestie sat this one out since the French Toast was just that good.  I ordered the ¼ chicken special substituted cilantro rice and of course ordered a side of plantains.

The rice was to die for! I must find a cilantro rice recipe immediately – oh and the seasoned red onions made it that much better.  

The chicken was pretty good though the skin was a bit salty.  Otherwise, this was an incredible flavorful meal easily consumed in one sitting.

Hungry yet?

DELIcious Neighborfood + Bar

After quite the crazy night, Bestie and I knew we had to start the day off right with the best breakfast we could find.  We drove over to Delicious Neighborfood in Condado.  Bestie loves this spot and she always gets a particular type of omelette but this time she went with the French Toast.

Woweee! This was the most remarkable French toast I have EVER eaten.  It was filled with cinnamon goodness and topped with a mixture of agave and syrup. Bestie finished every last bite, except for the ones I ate of course.  I ordered the omelette she typically gets. 

Sweet plantain, onion and cheese.  It typically comes with chorizo but I substitute spinach.  Simply divine.  My goal was to eat at least one plate of plantain every day that I was there so good thing I was able to start in the morning.

Delicious was definitely something special and worth the short drive to Condado. 

Hungry yet?

El Buen Cafe

On the drive back from Isabela, Bestie and I stopped at El Buen Café.  This is apparently a popular rest stop for those travelling from San Juan to Mayagüez.  When we pulled into the parking lot, I heard a phone ringing and turns out someone had dropped their phone in the parking lot and thought it was lost.  Considering I found the phone, I figured my luck was set for the week – I mean one good deed, right?

We entered El Buen Café and I was excited to see all the delicious treats in the display case, although I do wish we arrived in the morning when they were first put in there.  Nonetheless I knew I had to be an adult and order real food not just sweets.  I settled on the traditional Puerto Rican dish Mofongo.

Mashed green plantains. Mine was topped with a chicken stew that was very meaty, extremely flavorful and quite delicious.  Score. I felt like a winner already.  Bestie ordered soup, cuz that’s how she rolls.

Sopa de pollo.  Hers was also filled with chicken.  A little too much chicken if you ask me, but hey better more than less, I guess.  They also brought us some bread which was spectacularly awesome.  Something about flat bread really puts me in another place.

One of my favorite parts of eating in PR is that everywhere you turn someone is saying buen provecho.  Which roughly translates to bon appétit.  How awesome is that?!  Very considerate and polite.  At least 3 passersby said that to us while we were eating.  Apparently Bestie hears that even while having a snack at the bus stop – yup Puerto Ricans def respect the importance of enjoying EVERY dining experience.  Weird that there’s no English equivalent, huh? Tsk tsk

Hungry yet?

Rip Curl 2010 Pro Search, Isabela PR

By now my secret’s out. I spent the last week on vacation visiting Bestie in Puerto Rico.  It was a fantabulous trip complete with delicious eats, sunning and all around ridiculousness.  I got to spend time with an old friend, make new friends and get a few bug bites.  I’m not thrilled to be back in New York, especially with the 20-30 degree temperature differential, but I do love NY and have many restaurants I need to try the next few weeks.

A very special thank you to my guest blogger who rocked it showcasing a recipe and a restaurant.  Thanks Hashinator, you the best.

I arrived in PR on Sunday and was thrilled at the prospect of attending the Rip Curl 2010 Pro Search.  In truth, our drive to Isabela was really for the concerts not the surfing.  The drive took a while but it was great catching up with Bestie and also seeing all the lush green land that PR has to offer.  We arrived in Isabela just as the storms subsided but it was still cloudy.  I absentmindedly forgot to take pictures of the AMAZING views in Isabela.  I actually can’t describe it because words would do it no justice.  Sincerest apologies.

The festival was apparently not as full as it usually is, but it was definitely poppin.  Bestie and I had some festival food that wasn’t stellar, but I guess did what it had to do.

That is Pollo Pincho.  It was cooked on a BBQ and slathered with amazing sauce.  I had 2 of those.  The display had many other fried goodies to look forward to but I had to pass. 

Just couldn’t bring myself to do it.  I did manage to try the pizza though.

Nay the best.  The dough was appalling but satisfied my need for carbs to get through the night.  Eventually the rain got heavier.  Didn’t matter though because peeps were jamming.  Especially to this little number.

 

Catchy right? Still can’t get it out of my head!! Overall the food at the festival was underwhelming which is why I was grateful that we stopped somewhere on our way home.  More on that later…

Hungry yet?