Puerto Rico: Pt. II

After several days in Luquillo, we headed off to San Juan for our last night in Puerto Rico. We'd been to San Juan before, so weren't in a huge hurry. And we had heard that there was a highway in central Puerto Rico where you could get delicious pork, so we decided to take the scenic route, around the south-eastern end of the island, and then up the middle. After a few hair-raising turns, we found La Ruta de Lechon.

There are about a dozen lechonera in the main strip, with maybe five or six more scattered around. Since it was a Tuesday afternoon, there were very few if any people at any of them; however, in validation of our choice, Lechonera Los Pinos had a few customers. We both got a plate and dug into some of the best pork we've ever had. It was every bit as rich as the pig's head we had at Standard, but not nearly as greasy. The skin was beautiful, nice and crispy (though my wife disagreed, finding it a bit too hard). We ate every bite until we were stuffed.

That night, we went to Carli's, a jazz club in Old San Juan, and had a really good time. I had a half-rack of lamb, which was great. But what really made Carli's stand out was the ambiance. The jazz was great, and the waiter and bartender were as friendly as could be. Very great trip to Puerto Rico.

Small Plates: 09.28.12

Tenleytown finally gets its own food truck: Fork & Spade, serving American food. [Young & Hungry]

The old space where Tom Tom used to be will become Carriage House. More upscale? [PoP]

Buffalo and Bergen, from Gina Chersevani, is going to try and bring back the soda fountain. [Washingtonian]

Local bar The Pinch is doing live entertainment and NFL games on the weekend. [New Columbia Heights]

Puerto Rico: Pt. I

You may have notice that I haven't updated this blog much over the past week. That's because I've been in Puerto Rico! There won't be detailed reviews of the places we went, since that's beyond the scope of this blog, but I figured you might be interested in a quick sketch of where all we went.

The first few days we spent in the small sea-side town of Luquillo, a surfing destination. We went to El Rincon Del Sabor on the recommendation of the hotel we stayed at. I ordered the red snapper filet, and my wife ordered the lobster mofongo, but also got the red snapper filet. The filet was doused in a heavy criollo sauce, but wasn't terrible, and my wife's mofongo side was the best mofongo we had on the trip. The shot of moonshine rum at the end was a nice touch, but in general, the service was overbearing.

The next night, we went to Sandy's Seafood, right up the street. This time, my wife actually received her lobster mofongo, and I got the whole red snapper in garlic sauce. The red snapper was great, and not at all overwhelmed by the sauce, and the lobster mofongo was very good. We loved the quiet ambience. The wine we got was quite good, though the sangria was a bit sweet for our tastes. Definitely better than El Rincon.

And if you're in Luquillo, you should stop by Boardriders, right on the beach. It's a great spot for a late afternoon beer; make sure you try Medalla, a Puerto Rican beer, and easily the best Caribbean lager I've ever had. The food is probably a bit more expensive than it needs to be, but the guava wings we had were delicious. After the wings, we didn't need much more food, so we went to a small cafe on the square for some delicious crepes. More on the Ruta de Lechon and San Juan tomorrow, once I have the pictures.

Top Food Truck

Tops is a food truck specializing in small batch sausages. They had some technical issues over the summer, but it appears that they're back. The picture is an older one; they've dropped some of the variety to focus on sausage, which is probably a good thing. Along with the sausages, they serve chili, and have the usual potato chips/soda options for a side.

The bratwurst is good, with the right blend of flavors. It's topped with chopped tomatoes, raw onions, and 'jojo sauce', a slightly sweet, slightly spicy yogurt based sauce. The topping are good and blend well with the sausage. The texture is a bit mushy however, with a limp casing, and a too-soft bun only compounding the problems here.

As far as the chili goes, it tastes pretty good. It's well balanced, with not to much tomato, not too much beef. The beef chunks might be a little bit larger than ideal though. It's very sweet, and not very spicy even after adding Frank's hot sauce. Not the sort of chili I'm really looking for, if I'm just wanting chili, but I can see how it might go well on a hot dog.

Small Plates: 09.27.12

Posto, on 14th St near Logan Circle, has started offering a happy hour. [Young & Hungry]

Toki Underground is reducing its late-night hours and closing on Sunday. [Washingtonian]

Check out these photos of the Coupe, coming to 11th and Monroe. [PoP]

Modern bistro Thally is coming to 1316 9th St, near the convention center. [PoP]

Finally back from vacation; I'll have a quick post on eating in Puerto Rico later today.

Small Plates: 09.21.12

Po' Boy restaurant named Po' Boy Jim coming to Atlas District "soon". [PoP]

Sushipao, from the guy who brought you Mojo, will serve deep-fried rolls. [Young & Hungry]

Hudson Restaurant, on M St, is slated to slant more lounge-y than restaurantish. [Washingtonian]

Green Hat Gin, from New Columbia Distillers, is almost ready to be DC's first homemade gin. [Young & Hungry]

Small Plates: 09.20.12

Boutique oysters are the new hip thing. Here's an in-depth look. [Young & Hungry]

Parc Deux, at 14th and Q, hopes to be opening in January. [PoP]

Need more noodle? Absolute Noodle is planned in Chinatown. [The42]

Catch 15 Oyster Bar and Tapas is opening 'late fall' at 15th and K St. [PoP]