Puerto Rico

My husband's mother is from Puerto Rico, and we were very luck to have the opportunity to travel there with her last month. We landed in San Juan, and drove to Boqueron for the first part of our stay, which is in the southwest corner of the island. My husband still has family on the island, and his cousin swept us into the car and drove us to a road-side cafeteria about 15 minutes away from the San Juan airport called Mojitoes. Mojitoes is the kind of place where you are unlikely to see any Americans, and you better be pretty fluent with your Spanish. The pork roasts on a spit visible from the counter, and you can select a variety of local mains and sides. While I couldn't quite bring myself to eat an entire one, I did sample a bite of the blood sausage. It was black and spicy, and stuffed with rice -- delicious. I also ordered some crispy rice (known as pegao), and chickpeas, sautéed in a tomato based sauce with Caribbean spices. The roast pork was unlike pork I have ever had before, complete with a thick layer of skin (if you look closely, you can even see some pig hair -- does it get more authentic that that?). Don't forget to grab an ice cold Medalla to drink (note: please do not pronounce this "Ma-dalla". Try "Mei-dai-a" instead. You'll get a lot more respect, trust me).

Boqueron is a quiet seaside town, and a popular vacation spot for Puerto Ricans in the summer. Things can be quite slow during the week (read: many shops and restaurants are closed, particularly on Tuesdays), so plan accordingly. We stayed at the Cofresi Beach Hotel, which is certainly no frills, but very neat and clean. The rooms are actually small apartments, so you can buy some groceries and take care of yourself on Tuesday. There is also a lovely roof-deck which is a perfect place to enjoy your dinner, even during a rain storm, as there is a small covered area. 

When you need a break from the surf and sun, go to Pescaderia Villa Palmeras, right on the beach, for homemade empandaillas and more cold Medalla. The shrimp (camaron), fish (pescado), and beef (carne) were especially scrumptious and fresh.

For breakfast, you must visit Simple, a food truck run by Samara Fernandez (this is conveniently located right across the street from the Cofresi). Samara is lovely person, and she makes a mean breakfast. The scrambled eggs are not to be missed, and are served aside buttered toast on local bread. Ask Samara about the crepes, which are not on the menu. She offers a fruit crepe and tripleta (as in three kinds of meat), both of which you can top with tropical jam, dulce de leche, or even Nutella. She will also squeeze you some fresh orange juice, and make you a wonderful cup of coffee to your liking (light, medium, or dark). There is a patio with tables with umbrellas, and its a great place to meet all kinds of people.

We took a road-trip to Jobos Beach for a little variety during our stay in Boqueron. Jobos Beach is home to a world-wide surfing championship, and the waves live up to the hype. On the way back, we stopped at the Pool Bar in nearby Rincon. To find the Pool Bar, you have to drive through lovely, hilly streets lined by quaint homes and lush flora. You can catch glances of the ocean at some of the turns. The owners of the Pool Bar are surfer American types, and they have a resident cat named Sprinkles. The sushi is fresh, and there are some Puerto Rican inspired rolls with mango and coconut. The tempura friend bananas and ice cream hit the spot for dessert.

We eventually moseyed over to San Juan and experienced the joy of Rosa de Triana, a tapas restaurant in Old San Juan. If you can swing it, try to get there on a Friday or Saturday to see live Flamenco and traditional Spanish singing by the servers. The restaurant is located within the old Spanish fort, and we sat in the old ammunition storage area. The seafood dishes were amazing, and this is the place to try mofungo, a traditional Puerto Rican dish. It is served as little bites (and as such, takes away the bloated feeling that is guaranteed if you try to eat it as a main dish), spiked with garlic. The honeyed eggplant is also a treat not to be missed, as are the manchego cheese and ham plates. 

While in San Juan, you might also try the Mallorca Cafe for breakfast or a pastry. The Kasalta Bakery is also quite famous, particularly after President Obama paid them a visit in 2011 (if you can avoid driving there, do! It takes some kind of genius to negotiate the parking lot and traffic.). I had a mallorca sandwich made with manchego from Kasalta and it was in fact, a breakfast of champions -- ham and cheese served between two slices of sweet bread, topped with mounds of powdered sugar. A perfect marriage. 

In general, I found the food in Puerto Rico to be really amazing. However, I struggled to find a green vegetable anywhere, and eventually felt a bit bloated by the end of the week from all the fried food and carbs. If you can, break away from the empanadillas get yourself a piece of grilled or baked fish -- red snapper and dorado are usually local. If someone offers you Puerto Rican sauce, it is a sweet and sour tomato sauce, with lots of onions and green olives, and quite nice over grilled fish.