dragonfly

san juan, pr

website

derek and i were intrigued by this place (owned by the same company that owns aguaviva and the parrot club) because it advertised "latinasian" cuisine. obviously fans of latin and asian cuisines, we decided to try it out. this place is located in a very touristy area of san juan, near where the cruise ships dock. i'm not sure why it tries to be so fancy, but they frown on people wearing shorts so they made derek wear a sarong! i was very confused, yet amused. and no, i'm not posting a picture of derek in the sarong, this is a food blog!

the food was hit or miss. the hits - stir-fried noodles with fried chicken and deep fried lobster dumplings with truffle sauce. i can't believe that no one thought to add fried chicken to chow mein before - it was brilliant. and lobsters with truffle is such a luxurious combination that its hard to go wrong. the miss - duck nachos were drenched in hoisin sauce, but it was a clever idea. the place was trendy and expensive - if that's what you're looking for, i would recommend - but for me, the food wasn't worth the price. derek in a sarong, though, was priceless.

la bombonera

san juan, pr

link to yelp

when we first walked by la bombonera, we were hungry for real food not sweets. but after one look at the shelves of baked goods in the window, i made a mental note to stop by later. once we had lunch, i managed to lead derek back to la bombonera. it was a little confusing when we walked in because the baked goods are in the window, the register is in front, and then there's a full diner in the back. we weren't sure if we were allowed to sit in the back and order the baked goods. the woman at the register, however, waved us in so we sat down.

the menus were very long and didn't mention anything about the pastries. then i noticed that a woman was taking pastries out of the window so i boldy walked over and asked her if we could order some. she said of course! i asked for her recommendation and she suggested the guava filled pastry (on the left). and then i asked for a doughnut too, of course. the pastry was perfectly flaky and buttery. the guava jelly was a bit too strong for derek, so i took some and spread it on my doughnut - delicious! my cafe con leche was also very good. apparently this place was recommended by rachel ray - her face and name were everywhere - well, now i'm recommending it too.

la fonda el jibarito

san juan, pr

website

our favorite meal in puerto rico! and cheapest (not counting mcdonald's although the chicken mcnuggets in PR are a million times better than those in the states - probably the dark meat, yum). about $9 for each entree. for each delicious, yummy, fantastic entree. service was awesome too, clearly catering toward tourists. "yes, order the rice too, that's how puerto ricans eat it - it's very good!" and it was.

i ordered the pasteles de masa - which are tamales made out of plaintains. mine was filled with pork and served with yellow rice. it looked like a pile of mush but tasted great. derek had the beef stew (pictured). tender, juicy pieces of meat in a rich and flavorful sauce. derek and i are now big fans of puerto rican cuisine and are trying to find a good place in new york.

the parrot club

san juan, pr

website

after attending a beautiful beach wedding the day before, y+a+n, derek and myself headed to old san juan to see the sights. the interior of old san juan is full of gorgeous colorful buildings and the exterior is surrounded by a castle-like wall. all that walking, of course, made us very hungry. we walked by aguaviva, which is a really popular and expensive ceviche bar. across the street was a colorful restaurant called "the parrot club," with the same owner but better prices and a more inviting atmosphere.

the waitress seated us immediately and pulled up a high chair for the baby in our party. the adults ordered cocktails - very good (with rum of course!) the cuisine is called nuevo latino - apparently a modern take on traditional puerto rican food. i ordered shrimp (again) with chorizo rice - it was excellent. derek had a chicken skewers with mofongo (a traditional puerto rican dish made with plaintains). great food, great drinks, a fun atmosphere. i highly recommend.