The event was originally scheduled for May but adverse weather conditions forced organizers to cancel; hopefully the weather this week will cooperate.

So if you are here in Puerto Rico this week, here are a few of the restaurants taking part in the Condado Food Festival 2011:

• Ambassador Bar & Grill – based at the Radisson Ambassador Hotel
• Bar Gitano – Spanish influenced tapas restaurant from Chef Roberto Trevino, who also runs Budatai and the newly opened Casa Lola
• B de Burro – Mexican cuisine
• Di Parma – Features Northen Italian cuisine and is located near Ventana del Mar
• Di Zucchero – Italian cuisine
• El Barril – Bar / restaurant from Chef Trevino
• East – Japanese
• Tijuana Bar & Grill – Mexican cuisine. The restaurant is located close to the San Juan Marriott Resort
• Waiters – Puerto Rican cuisine
• Yerba Buena – Puerto Rican / Cuban influenced cuisine

Along with all the great food and drinks on display, the Condado Food Festival will also feature live music at various locations along Ashford Avenue and surrounding areas.

What: Condado Food Festival July 2011
Where: Ashford Avenue, Condado, San Juan
When: Thursday July 14 – Sunday July 17 (Thurs-Fri starts 5pm)
Cost: Free to enjoy the atmosphere, food samples and drinks extra.

Related posts:

1. Condado Culinary Festival 2009
2. Puerto Rico Wine and Food Festival 2008

These are just some of the many food delights that await you here in Puerto Rico. If you have visited Puerto Rico then I am sure you have tried some if not all of the above. If you have not visited Puerto Rico yet, then when you do, make sure you sample plenty of the local dishes that can be found around the island.

Thanks to Chef Tamara I found this site that offers a half/full day workshop in Puerto Rican Cookery. Chef Luly Bustillo runs CAPACH, the Vocational Training Center of Culinary Arts and Hospitality.

CAPACH offers the ‘Culinary Tourism: Cocina Criolla workshop (in English and Spanish)’. This workshop is intended for visitors to Puerto Rico who are willing to experience a culinary adventure in Caribbean Creole cuisine. ‘The goal of this workshop, offered by request, is to use your visit to learn about the local ingredients, learn the basic techniques in the preparation of local delicacies and learn to cook these criollo recipes like a native’. (translated from the CAPACH website)

Sample Class (can be customized) would include:
Tragos (drinks): champola y pina colada
entremes (appetizer): sorullitos y bacalaitos
plato principal (main course): mofongo relleno de pollo
postre (dessert): tres leches de coquito

There is a minimum of 5 people and price varies depending on the menu / activities, and can be a half day or full day including a visit to a local market.

Contact Information for CAPACH:
Chef Luly Bustillo
CAPACH
Campo Rico Ave Corner C/24
Urb Castellana Gardens
# R-5, Carolina
Puerto Rico

Email: capach@me.com
Tel: 787 477-5967
Website: CAPACH

You can locate CAPACH here on our interactive map

Thanks again to Chef Tamara for providing the information on the workshop

If you have taken a cooking workshop with CAPACH or know of any other cooking classes here in Puerto Rico, please share in the comments section below.

Related posts:

1. Coquito – Puerto Rican Christmas Eggnog
2. Metropol for Authentic Cuban and Puerto Rican Cuisine
3. Restaurants in Puerto Rico

Learning some of these (if not all) will help you enjoy your trip here, even more.

The above list is just a sample of what you can eat and drink here in Puerto Rico. If you think that one of the translations may not be correct, please add to the comments section below. Also, if there is anything that I have missed off that you think should be there, again, please add to the comments below.

Photo resource: booleansplit, cocola88, nikonvscanon, bigberto, nataliemaynor, heydrienne, sophiea and rajuvaidyazuiq

Related posts:

1. Puerto Rico The Local Food
2. Skip the Fast Food Try the Street Food in Puerto Rico
3. Mofongo

Mofongo is a mixture of fried green plantains or fried yuca, mashed together with garlic, olive oil and usually pork cracklings. It can be served as a side dish or as a main dish, where it can be filled with chicken, beef, or seafood. It will either be served directly on the plate (as in the picture) or depending on the restaurant it may be served in it’s own wooden bowl.

Mofongo is just one of the many Puerto Rican foods that you need to try, the next time you are here. So if you see mofongo on the menu whether as an entrée or side dish, make sure to give it a try

photo resource: wiki

Related posts:

1. Puerto Rico The Local Food
2. Ropa Vieja Grill Review
3. They say fish is good for you

The piragua is Puerto Rico’s very own Snow Cone, made from shaved ice, covered with your choice of fruit flavored syrup.

Piragua’s are usually sold by roadside vendors from colorful carts and can be found throughout the island. If you wander around Old San Juan, then a piragua might just be the treat to try, to quench that thirst.

Typical flavors include:

Anis (Anise)
Cereza (Cherry)
China (Orange)
Coco (Coconut)
Fresa (Strawberry)
Limon (Lemon)
Melao (syrup from the Sugar Cane)
Melon (Watermelon)
Piña (Pineapple)
Uva (Grape)

And many others.

So next time you are here, stop by one of the piragua carts and give one a try.

Photo resource: daquellamanera wikipedia

Related posts:

1. Puerto Rico Food – The Basics
2. Cooking, Flying Knives and Volcanoes…

The area is inundated with lechoneras (roadside cafeterias) whose specialty is seasoned slow roasted whole pig. Traditionally the pig is roasted over an open flame mounted on on a wooden spit called a varita, but now must use a steel spit. The pig is usually roasted for about 6 – 8 hours which ensures that the pork is pact with flavor, moist and tender. The roast pig is not the only delicacy on the menu; as you will find roast chicken, turkey, morcella (blood sausage) and numerous side dishes, including: rice and beans, rice with pigeon peas, tostones, mofungo, sweet potato and many more. If you happen to be there during the Christmas period you will also see pasteles, arroz con dulce and Puerto Rico’s very own egg nog ‘coquito’.

The main road up and through Guavate is lined with lechoneras, so you will have plenty of choices. Look for one that is busy and lively and then try to find parking at the side of the road close by.

Note: The road which is known locally as ‘La Ruta del Lechon’ is fairly winding and can become busy on weekends, so drive carefully.

The lechoneras in the area are cafeteria style with indoor and outdoor seating, where you line up and select what you would like from the counters. Once you have chosen your food, find a table and dig in.

Weekends are the best time to go if you really want to savor the atmosphere of the area, but even during the week you will find some of the lechoneras open.

What: Lechon (roast pig)
Where: Lechoneras in Guavate
When: Weekends are best before 12pm (but some are open during the week)
Map It

Directions from San Juan:
Take Highway 52) south and take exit 32 (Guavate). Make a left and head up Rd 184. You will find lechonaras all along the route with some of the most popular around km. 27.

Enjoy!!!

Related posts:

1. Guavate: It’s a PORK Thing
2. 4 Alternative Puerto Rico Day Trips
3. Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern in Puerto Rico

Friday 15th August to Sunday 17th August at the Puerto Rico Convention Center.

Just like last years event, chefs from the Food Network as well as international and renowned local chefs will be taking part in demonstrations during the festival.

Headlining this years event are:

Guy Fieri
Winner of the 2006 ‘Next Food Network Star’ program on the Food Network, Guy is now a regular contributor with his ‘Diners Drive-ins and Dives’ and ‘Guys Big Bites’ programs. Guy is the owner of Johnny Garlic’s and Tex Wasabi located in Northern California.

Marcella Valladolid
Hosts the ‘Relatos Con Sabor’ (Stories with Flavor) program on the Discvery Channel en Espanol. She is a graduate of the Los Angeles Culinary Institute as well as the Ritz-Escoffier cooking school in Paris

Harold Dieterle
Winner of Bravo’s 2005 ‘Top Chef’ program, Harold has opened his own restaurant Perilla in the heart of Greenwich Village, New York

George Duran
Is the man behind ‘Ham on the Streets’ on the Food Network channel. Born in Venezuela he now lives in Brooklyn, New York. His culinary influences are French, Armenian and South American

Wilo Benet
Really needs no introduction for the local of Puerto Rico. In 1988 he was the Chef de Cuisine at the Governors Mansion and in 1990 he opened Pikayo restaurant, now currently located in the Museum de Arte, Puerto Rico in San Juan

Roberto Trevino
Has participated in the Food Networks ‘Iron Chef’ show has been chef at the El Conquistador resort and is now running his latest venture ‘Budutai’, a 5000 sq ft restaurant in Condado over looking the Ventana Del Mar.

If you would like to be part of the 2008 Puerto Rico Wine and Food Festival tickets are available at Ticket Center Puerto Rico priced at $85 per day.

Related posts:

1. Condado Food Festival 2011
2. Bottles – Not Just For Wine
3. Condado Culinary Festival 2009

From what I have been able to see on various sites and forums, Metropol always gets a thumbs up. The latest location in Guaynabo has become our neighborhood ‘go to’ restaurant. We have been to this location several times and we always come away having had an excellent meal, without having to break the bank.

The menu is fairly extensive with typical dishes from Cuba and Puerto Rico. On any given day, the menu will also include specials for that day. Here are just a few of the mouth watering dishes on offer:

Appetizers:
Croquetas
Empanadillas (one of our favorites)
Queso Frito (one of our favorites)
Sesos Rebozados (breaded brains)
Alcapurrias (plantain fritters)

Main Dishes:
Gallinita Relleno de Congri (stuffed Cornish hen) (another favorite)
Garbanzos Fritos con Jamon y Chorizo (fried chick pea with ham and Spanish sausage)
Chicharrones de Pollo (fried diced chicken)
Aporreada de Tasajo (cured shredded beef in creole sause (another favorite)
Filete de Dorado (mahi-mahi)
Filite de Chillo (red snapper)
Arroz con Mariscos (seafood paella)

Check out the menu online for more details.

From our experience, Metropol always serves good quality food at an affordable price. If you are in the San Juan area, the closest location will be Isla Verde.

Hope you enjoy as much as we do.

Metropol Locations:
Ave. Roosevelt, Hato Rey
Tel: 787-751-4022

Ave. Isla Verde, Anexo Club Gallistico
Tel: 787-791-5585

PTA. Del East Sur Food Court, Fajardo
Tel: 787-801-2877

Jardines Reales Shopping Center, Guaynabo
Tel: 787-272-7000

Related posts:

1. More good food
2. Mofongo
3. Bottles – Not Just For Wine

You can’t miss the restaurant as you drive along road 681, just look for the building with top section of a boat (sorry don’t know the technical term for this) over the entrance. The actual restaurant is located just feet from the Atlantic Ocean and offers both indoor (with air conditioning) or outdoor dining. The main dining room is large and decorated with a nautical theme, with an impressive panoramic window overlooking the patio area and the Atlantic Ocean. The patio area is covered and offers even better views of the Atlantic.

Located so close to the ocean, the main focus of the Salitre is of course local fresh produce and in particular; seafood. The menu is very extensive, with typical Puerto Rican appetizers and various seafood combinations. One of the specialties is the fried whole fish that comes in various sizes. If you are unsure about how big the fish will be, you can ask the staff and they will show you the various options. Don’t worry, if you are not a big seafood fan, as the menu also offers several meat and pasta dishes.

I personally tried the whole red snapper and have to say that it was one of the best seafood dishes that I have had in a long time. The seafood mofongo was also a big hit with our party.

The service was friendly and efficient, without feeling rushed.

If you are planning a daytrip to one the Arecibo area attractions; Arecibo Observatory, Lighthouse of Camuy Caves, the Salitre restaurant would be a great place to stop for lunch or dinner.

What: Salitre Restaurant
Where: Road 681, km. 3.8, Barrio Islote, Arecibo, PR
Website:Salitre

Related Information:
Mesons Gastronomico’s – Restaurants to Explore Beyond the Shore
Miro’s Restaurant
Ajili Mojili Restaurant

Related posts:

1. The Arecibo Observatory: The Truth Is Out There
2. Arecibo Lighthouse Park
3. Ajili Mójili Restaurant Review

The Mesón Gastronómico program is modeled after a similar program in Spain and only restaurants endorsed by the PRTC can use the designation Mesón Gastronómico.

The following restaurants (listed by geographic location) all currently hold the title Mesón Gastronómico and can be found throughout Puerto Rico. So the next time you are here, why not jump into a car and take a drive outside of San Juan and sample some fantastic local Puerto Rican cooking.

If you have been to any of these Mesón Gastronómico restaurants, why not drop a comment at the end of the page.

Click to jump to North, East, South, West, and Central

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Central

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Related Information:
Ajili Mojili Restaurant
Ropa Vieja Grill
Interactive Travel Map

Related posts:

1. Restaurants in Puerto Rico
2. Salitre Restaurant in Arecibo