Puerto Rico might just be the culinary Mecca of the Caribbean. If you visit Old San Juan's Fortaleza Street, or Condado you will encounter too many restaurants to count. I just returned from PR on Monday (Birthday Trip) and will share with you some of my favorite (and least favorite) eats on the island. 
Plantain with meat and Cheese
The Bar at Angel Restaurante in Condado
Rice and Pork at Restaurante Angel
On my first day there, I decided to explore Condado. Condado is pretty close to Old San Juan and has some wonderful beaches and great casinos the El San Juan hotel has the best casino with an amazing nightlife...but anyway, I strayed. I walked down the street to Restaurante Angel, specializing in Puerto Rican Cuisine. My first meal at Restaurante Angel in Condado was quite good. I tried a dish that was a whole plantain, fried, and stuffed with meat and cheese. This "appetizer" was delicious and filled me up so I could only make room for my Pina Colada. The restaurant was a great value as well, perhaps the only good value as San Juan tends to be as expensive as NYC when it comes to dining. I will definitely head to this place again on my next trip.
Lobster Ravioli in Cream Sauce - Waikiki Restaurant
Chicken Pita - Waikiki Restaurant
The next day I headed over to the Waikiki restaurant for brunch, also in Condado. I have to say I was not in love with my meal, although the rest of my party was. I had lobster ravioli. It was covered in a heavy cream sauce so thick that I could not even taste the seafood (thumbs down). My boyfriend had a Chicken Pita which he absolutely loved. However, the service was good so I might give them another try.
Entrance to Barrachina in Old San Juan
Pina Colada Plaque
Pina Colada - YUUUUUM
The same day we took a trip to Old San Juan and stumbled upon the birthplace of the Pina Colada, Barrachina and although I did not eat there, I had to stop and try one. It was delicious, it definitely makes a huge difference wheyou are using fresh coconut water and pineapple as opposed to the syrupy high fructose corn crap you get in the states. DEEELIIIISH...and got me a bit tipsy too. However, there seems to be a bit of controversy on the island about the real origins of the Pina Colada...so beware...
Oh, one other thing, Puerto Rican restaurants have great wine lists, every restaurant I visited had Sebastiani Pinot Noir, one of my faves...They had great lists with rieslings, sauv blancs, tempranillos, nothing could have made me happier.
Sign for the Parrot Club
Rice and Beans - Parrot Club
Open Face Arepa with Ropa Vieja - The Parrot Club (Delicious)
For an early lunch snack, we headed over to the Parrot Club (our second time there). I have to say, not dissappointed at all. We did a meal between the both of us, the arepa with ropa vieja. I am Colombian, so I LOOOOOOOVVVVVEEE arepas, they are this corn cake that you can have pretty much any time of day. They fused it with Ropa Vieja, a typical Cuban dish, it was pretty much perfection on a plate. It also came with rice and beans that were really good. I guess there is a reason I have been to the parrot club on two occasions out of three.
Barlovent - Outside bar and Dining
Meat and Cheese Plate - Bar Lovent
All Gone - Bar Lovent
We ended the night by meeting our friend at Barlovent. We had gone there for drinks before and were not at all ready to eat until we saw a meat and cheese plate come out. It looked so scrumptious and smelled so good we had to order. It was AMAZING. Many places do a meat and cheese plate ( normally an over rated and over priced app), but at Barlovent I was not dissapointed. The chorizo was delightful and the mozzarella they used - wow. This is definitely a place I will visit again.
I will continue my Puerto Rico Dining story on the next blog, hope I made you hungry.
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