Real Puerto Rican food has gotten scarce in New York. The best way to find it? Hop a plane to San Juan, the glamorous capital of Puerto Rico.
This verdant U.S. island has long supplied New Yorkers with beach fun and casino hijinks. But all of a sudden, San Juan’s dining scene constitutes another reason to visit.
The fact is, Puerto Rico has become prosperous and sophisticated. And with that comes a demand—by locals and tourists alike--for gourmet restaurants.
Just don’t expect old-school rice and beans and deep-fried mystery croquettes. Puerto Rico’s classic chow has been transformed by a new generation of chefs with island roots, culinary diplomas and international résumés.
“Our cuisine is evolving quickly,” says Carmen Gonzalez, a world-renowned homegrown chef who now lives in the Big Apple. “The Caribbean is a melting pot with the original fusion cuisine. Today’s Puerto Rican chefs add new ideas to our rich heritage, and diners are hungry for what we’re doing.”
For reviewer-praised, upscale San Juan dining, follow the foodies to Pikayo, a modern masterpiece in the Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza. Chef Wilo Benet invokes his Culinary Institute of America degree, his keep photographer’s eye and his inventor’s urge to mastermind dazzling, delectable dishes.
We’re talking empanadilla turnovers with truffle mojito sauce, risotto with chicharron (pork cracklings), and a saffron-dusted update of the beloved local dish, mofongo, more or less a Puerto Rican matzoh ball made from green plantains and pork. Benet tops his mofongo with a fat shrimp and lavishes it with saffron broth. (Varita, Benet’s other eatery in the hotel, serves more traditional Puerto Rican dishes.)
When "Top Chef" filmed an episode last season in San Juan and required a guest judge, who'd they call? Yep, that's how you know Wilo Benet. When you're talking celeb chefs in Puerto Rico, his name is Numero Uno.
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