January 31st, 2014
Playa Los Machos, Ceiba
My last post showed a cold winter day in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware…..Leaving the Delaware Beaches to a warmer climate in the Island of Puerto Rico,where the temperatures are in the 80”s with low humidity, found me tasting the Comida Criolla; the best!
The Ruta del Comelon….that’s us, following the path of those that love food. If you like Puertorican food, then, this post is for you.
Meeting with family and friends….first stop is always a must at the Metropol Restaurant right after getting off the plane.
This restaurant is one of those iconic Puerto Rican eateries where you can get a good taste of the local flavor at the best price.
A little spread was placed on the table.
Loved the octopus salad or ensalada de pulpo the best. It melted in your mouth. Yum!
Breakfast on Friday morning was not the usual bacon and eggs. I am once again staying at Hacienda Pellerano…a private enclave.
Frying some granitos indigenous from the town of La Ciudad Gris or Humacao hit the spot, along with bite size morsels of papaya.
Accompanying the above was one of my favorites….morcillas or blood sausages….I know, I know, they don’t look so appetizing but believe me when I tell you that they are amazingly good.
La Ruta del Comelon took us to the town of Naguabo on the eastern side of the island.
The restaurant of choice was El Makito. We started with the pastelillos de chapin. Chapin is a fish and these turnovers are sought after by anyone visiting the east side of Puerto Rico.
The beer was so cold and was the perfect side dish for our next dishes.
The Mofongo is made out of plantains. Stuffing it is the new craze. So, 3 of them were ordered, stuffed with Salmorejo de Jueves (local crab criollo), Chapin (the little fish), and Conch….shrimp were ordered, as well.
The Caribbean lobster or langosta was served to our fellow diners…I don’t want to be thought of as a food stalker but I guess I was….they let me take the photo. You can see that the side dish of mofongo traditionally prepared is on the right, but then the stuffed one was also served.
And how big were the lobsters at El Makito? You be the judge.
Dessert!! We were looking for casquitos de guayaba, which is a fruit that you do not find it as easily in the island as before, served with cheese. And the other is a dulce de lechoza, which is papaya. Homemade and awesome!!
Hours later, at Hacienda Pellerano, a little “picadera” or “tasting” of pasteles, also made with plantains just like the mofongo. Filled with chickpeas, raisins…it reminded me that we need to really walk on Saturday if we are to continue on La Ruta del Comelon when we will take off for Guavate or La Ruta del Lechon (Pig).
Buen Provecho!!
September 30th, 2009
Yes, after all these years, we got together again. It just started with Facebook, really. We figured that the next time we were in Florida we would try to connect. I went from Delray to Miami to visit Mary; Rosarito was coming from Puerto Rico. It really was no problem catching up. It was like time had stood still. We all had had families and gone in different directions. Some of us moved from the Island and made our homes in the States.
I have lived in Delaware longer than I ever lived in Puerto Rico and Mary has lived in Florida longer than she ever lived in Puerto Rico and Cuba. Rosarito and her husband have the travelling bug, so they are all over the place.
I grew up with these women in Puerto Rico; our neighborhood was so close to the center of the town; we walked everywhere. In younger days, we would ride bikes, rollerblade, read comic books and go to dances at San Antonio Abad. San Antonio was the boys’ school at the time. Those are the memories that are never forgotten.
So after I got to Mary’s house we started with the traditional Cuban coffee. We chatted and after some time we decided to take our conversation to a Cuban restaurant called Molina’s. This restaurant is located on 11995 S.W. 26th St. in Coral Way. Telephone is 305-207-8600. We got a nice quiet corner table and ordered some mariquitas. These are made out of plantains, shaved lengthwise and then deep fried. A dip of oilive oil, garlic and spices was served, as well.
For lunch we had the traditional Cuban Sandwich and the Media Noches (Midnights). Molina’s has great shakes made out of fresh fruit like papaya. We really had a nice lunch, finishing it with more Cuban coffee. That was a good idea because I was about to get on the turnpike at 4:00 p.m. and if you have ever been in South Florida at rush hour, you know that you better have a good dose of patience.
My husband wanted pasteles. These are a traditional Puertorican dish made with mashed plantain and other root vegetables with a filling of pork, ham, chickpeas, raisins, and olives. The mashed vegetables are spread on a banana leaf and then the filling is placed on top. It is wrapped and tied with a string. It looks like a “package”. It is boiled and then unwrapped on a plate. Very good. Just like in the picture. 
Sooo, off we go in search of the pasteles to Benny’s. This Puertorican restaurant is located on 2500 S.W. 107., #1, Miami, FL. Tel. 305-227-1232. Website is www.bennyseafood.com and the e-mail is bennyseafood@gmail.com. It is as the Time Center just a few minutes from Florida International University.
I got a dozen of the pasteles and we took off. What I did not know was that this restaurant can ship FedEx all over the United States and besides the pasteles they have Sorullos de Maiz that are a pseudo hush puppy, and morcillas among other Puertorican dishes. Morcillas are blood sausages. Please don’t gag, they are very good. What can I say? It’s the truth!!
One of their specialties is the Mofongo which is fried plantain, mashed with garlic, pork rinds, salt and olive oil. Some times bacon is added as well. It is served in a small mortar and depending on the restaurant, it will be served as a side dish or filled with seafood, meat, “salmorejo de jueyes” (land crab made with a creole type sauce).
This restaurant is well known. It was featured in the Food Network’s Diners, Drive ins and Dives with Guy Fieri. He is the one with the spiky blond hair that goes into all kinds of restaurants trying everything he can.
What a nice day!!! Soon I will be meeting Cuca, up north.
Note: We had 6 of the pasteles and I can tell you that everyone was very pleased.
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