NNTP-Posting-Date: 18 Feb 2000 04:44:48 GMT User-Agent: MT-NewsWatcher/3.0 (PPC) Xref: pale-rider.INS.CWRU.Edu rec.food.restaurants:49259 Lee S. wrote: >Will be on a cruise in March, which will be in San Juan for a full day, >until midnight. Wanted some suggestions for an excellent restaurant in San >Juan. We'll skip the ship's dining room that evening. Looking for Puerto >Rican local cuisine...not Italian, Chinese or other. Would you recommend >reservations for your suggestions? Thanks in advance for your help. And, >please email the responses. > Haven't been there in five years, so take this with a grain of salt. Here are my notes from then, Chayote, Avenida Miramar 603 in the Miramar section of San Juan. This is fancy and not traditional food. It's the kind of food (creative, nouvelle, haute, etc.) I don't associate with Puerto Rico. or at least didn't. The decor is rather upscale and sophisticated in an international manner as well, although it is informal and dress varies from tasteful sport shirts to jacket and tie (no shorts etc.). Prices ($5-10+ for appetizers and $15-20 for main courses) are reasonable for the food, decor and service. There were more than a few tourists dining there, but I couldn't find a listing or advertisement for the restaurant in any of the handouts aimed at tourists. The restaurant depends on local residents for its business and it appears to have its steady clientele. It's a decidedly fusion menu borrowing from everywhere, but there is a definite local flavor to most of the dishes. Garnishes are frequently local products and some dishes are take offs on traditional dishes. Brandade de morue was rather different from the traditional French dried codfish dish and was accompanied by a garnish traditionally served with dried cod. Rice and beans became a Risotto of pigeon peas with arborio rice. Many of the combinations were a little too creative for me, but although I'm not a fan of fusion cooking, I enjoyed my meals there. Wine prices seemed to be reasonable. Although rum is cheap in Puerto Rico, wine seemed to be expensive in supermarkets and liquor stores. La Casita Blanca. I wish I could remember where it was exactly. It's in a nondescript residential neighborhood in a very nondescript part of San Juan (not in Old San Juan). They have a menu with some interesting less common, but authentic, home type cooking. The prices are cheap. It's a real find, if you can find it. It's nowhere near the places tourists hang out or where the cruise ships dock.
Puerto Rico