FINALLY
Caribbean food that reminds me of my mother's cooking. Authentic Dominican food which takes 20-30minutes to prepare (trust me when I say it's worth the wait).
Last night, my boyfriend friend and I got hungry during the Agalloch show so we ventured into the cool fall breeze to seek out this place. It appears to be a bar at first, with a few tables in the back, but the bartender told us to sit wherever we wanted if we came to eat.
DO NOT COME HERE FOR AMBIANCE: It's a divy-bar styled place. Sandals decorate the walls.
The atmosphere is nice though. In spite of it's looks, families come here, and the service is friendly. The sounds of bachata and salsa fill the air, as does the smell of the delicious food I'm about to describe:
Tostones are the biggest I've ever seen. I know if your eyes scanned that, it looks like a perverted joke, but it's not. Tostones are fried green (not ripened) plantains.
I ordered beef stew (Carne de rés guisada) with a side of yellow rice. The rice comes with a helping of beans flavored with onions and possibly cilantro. I was able to symmetrically part the meal in two and have enough for a second dinner. I hope that gives you an idea of the portion size. Like I said, this is the real deal as far as caribbean dishes go. DELICIOUS, and highly recommended.
I first heard about "Mofongo" on an episode of "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives". It looked and sounded interesting. Well, they have it at Mambo (See pics) and as much as it pains me to say this, I have to- I wasn't impressed. It wasn't bad but it really seems like a whole lot of work and ingredients for something that didn't have all that much flavor. I mean, I've never had it before so I have no idea if it was the preparation or the idea. Luckily the garlic shrimp that accompanied it was delicious! Also, the fried sweet plantains were amazing as well. Oh, and the waitress was a sweetheart...and the gentleman who greeted me when I walked in was very helpful so...damn the mofongo, 4 stars!
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