Old San Juan

My favorite place to visit on the island so far is Old San Juan.  As a history major and history buff I just love how the story of this island unfolds in this city.  The government has done much to make this old historic city keep its charm.  The Spanish houses are just stunning to see. They are now working on the roads, so watch out for some closed streets.  Parking is really cheap at the main parking lot located a block from the port.  There are many restaurants to choose from and lots, and lots of shopping.  What I love about the shops is that they will tell you what was made locally and what came from China, so that way you can get authentic souvenirs.  One day is not enough.  Visit El Morro and marvel at the immensity of it.  Fly a kite on the lawn of El Morro.  Get some piraguas from el piraguero.  Take a walk down Paseo de la Princesa. You will come to a huge fountain called "Raices",  roots. If you wait long enough, the fountains water spray shoots high and if the breezes are right, you can cool off in the spray! Keep going and you will find the only City Gate remaining.  Go through the gate and visit the Cathedral.  It is just beautiful!If your hungry, stop at Raices:

Recinto Sur St #315
Viejo San Juan PR 00933

(787) 289-2121

www.restauranteraices.com/Englis...

 

You must return!

Cremaldi Ice Cream, Fajardo

Well we had heard great things about this place.  A must had to be the fried ice cream.  Now, I have had friec ice cream before at Mexican restaurants and I guess I had some idea of what I was expecting.  The one at Cremaldi was disappointing.  They start out by taking vanilla ice cream and rolling it in corn flakes. Then they deep fry it , serve it with your choice of syrups, whipped cream and toppings.  The only problem was that the flakes were not flavored at all, so it kind of sapped the flavor out of anything else that was on it.  I would have sprinkled the fried dessert with some cinnamon sugar after frying, or even some powdered sugar. But just by themselves you start trying to figure out if this crust is corn flakes or oatmeal.  Not good.  Price $4.15 plus tax. Glad we only bought one to share.  We will try this place again, but not for the fried ice cream.  The shop is charming.  Located on Calle Union, right down the street from the Inter-American University.  Instead of chairs and tables, it has porch swings and tables inside which was really neat and the kids would just love! It does have a couple of chairs for those not wanting to sit in swings.

Lunch at Martin's BBQ

This is another one of our favorites.  Martin's BBQ has the best tasting chicken anywhere.  It is rotiserie chicken, that falls off the bone and taste amazing.  They have lots of sides like french fries, rice, beans, yellow rice, sweet plantains and cassava.  They do run some specials, so check them out.  We bought a whole chicken with a giant plate of fries, fried pork cubes, and sweet plantain for $18.  There was enough for the 4 of us and some left over.  Martin's BBQ is a franchise so you will find them all over the island.  Since we're in Fajardo, we go to the one on Rt.3, in a small shopping center. 

La Bombonera, Old San Juan

We first visited this place last Summer on a recommendation from Andrew Zimmer's show.  Now it's a must! Originally established in 1902, on San Franciso Street by Don Antonio Rijo,  he later sold the restaurant to his nephew, Don Gabriel Abraham in 1907.  With his business partner, Don Cristobal Puig, Don Gabriel expanded the restaurant to what it is today.  When Don Gabriel died he left 74% of the company to his employees.  Today La Bombonera still stands in the same place it did in 1902.  What they are best known for are their mallorcas and their fresh squeezed orange juice  When you come, sit at the counter, it's more fun. And if you have kids, they will love to watch the juicing machine make the OJ.  Mallorcas are a sweet pastry covered with powdered sugar.  You can get those here, but the best ones are the filled ones.  You canorder them with ham and cheese, or bacon and cheese, or addan egg, or just with butter.  They grill them for you and then sprinkle them with  powdered sugar.  The combination of salty foods with the sweetness of the bread and sugar is just amazing! Order the OJ, but drink it before you eat the mallorca, or the sugar will make the OJ taste funny.  Definitely, get some coffee with this.  On your way out, take a couple of mallorcas with you along with some polvorones, some merengue, some guava pastries, and some cheese pastries. Amazing place! 3 of us ate mallorcas, with 2 OJ's for $21. 

An important Note on Traffic on the Island

OK so here's the deal with the drivers here.  They only know one speed, 40mph, regardless of the posted speed limit. You can be on a major highway, of which there aren't many, or on a minor road, but regardless of the road, they don't move.  OMG! It is nightmarish for someone who is used to driving on Jersey roads.  You need a LOT of patience.  And, just about everyone is talking on a phone as you pass them by.  Good Lord!  This island definitely needs a hands free law.  Oh, and by the way, the police drive with their lights flashing!? What is that about?

Hato Rey, Traffic and Don Pepe's in Rio Grande

We spent way too much time in Hato Rey for some business we had to take care of, missing breakfast and lunch. We stopped at the Kioskos in Luquillo to grab a snack. Now this is the place for true local "antojitos" or cravings.  Unfortunately just about everything here is fried, and forunatelt just about everything here is fried.  We got 2 alcapurrias and 2 bacalaitos for a total of $5.  Alcapurrias are made from plantains stuffed with either chicken. meat or crabmeat, shaped kind of like a really big cigar,  Bacalaitos are cod fish fritters, only these were the size of a sheet of paper!  For dinner we headed to Don Pepe's in Rio Grande, right on Rt. 3, by the entrance to El Yunque Rain Forrest. We had heard great things about this place.  I ordered Churrasco with mofongo, Mike ordered the pork chops with mixed yellow rice with beans, our girls ordered the beef quesadillas and the breaded chicken with white rice and beans.  Mine was fantastic. The skirt steak was melt in your mouth good with a nice chimichurri sauce, while my mofongo was pretty good.  Amanda loved her chicken. It was flavorful and the rice and beans was very good.  Megan was not crazy about her quesadilla, a bit salty and Mike was not happy with the very dry chops, but liked the rice.  WIth bottled drinks for everyone and dinner we spent $86 with tip.  Still not bad for a family of  4.  I would recommend it.

Our usual 1st Stop- Extra China Restaurant, Fajardo

So why would our first stop be a Chinese restaurant?  Because it's local, the food is really good and after coming in on  a really early flight from Newark, it's great for lunch.  The restaurant is Extra China, Carretera Este 3, KM 49.9, Lote G, Barrio Quebrada Vueltas, Fajardo. Now if that address seems confusing it's because in Spanish we name the street before the house/building number. So with that said, this place is on Rt. 3, near Kilometer 49.9. What we love about this place is the twist to the usual chinese food we get back home.  They add to their menu typical Puerto Rican food.  We love the tostones con ajo ( garlic plantains), really good. One order is enough for 4 and priced at $3.55 it's a pretty good deal.  There's also Ribs in sauce , $4.75 with fried rice and french fries and their chicken in any form is pretty good.  Oh, and the Chinese food is pretty good too.  Money wise, a family of four can have 3 combo plates to share with an order of tostones for about $27.  Buen Apetito!

Where to go, what to eat in Puerto Rico

Puerto Ricans know one thing, no matter where we are, we are Puerto Ricans, Boricuas.  Despite the fact that I have lived in New Jersey for 39 years, my roots run deep in this island. I married a man who is as much in love with this island a I am, and he is not Boricua, he's a gringo!  Long story short, we bought a place in Fajardo and it has become our second home.  Someday, I say, when we retire, we will spend the winter months here.  Here's hoping!  In the meantime, we come down twice a year. We like to eat and local island food has become a quest for us.  This is our way of keeping track of the places we like and hopefully help others in their quest for good, inexpensive food on the island. Buen Apetito!