Yesterday marked the end of the 4-day SoFo Culinary Fest in Old San Juan. moncheoPR made its way through the streets and this is what we experienced.
It was a weekend of food, drinks, music, local vendors and performances throughout the southern streets of the old city. The streets were packed with everything from kids, to abuelas to street artists. Tables and chairs made their way onto the cobblestone streets of Fortaleza and Recinto Sur, providing extra seating for the mostly-packed restaurants.
Exiting the parking lot next to Doña Fela (have yet to figure out its name) we proceeded to make our way up Calle Tetuan to go to the belly of the beast: Calle Fortaleza & Plaza Colón. We passed the first sign of good things to come: a sign advertising "Heineken 2 x $5." Seriously, that in itself would've made a fun and fulfilling night.
Next to us on Plaza Arturo Somohano you saw musicians and vendors with their artwork, jewelry, and all kinds of products. We love how these events allow local artisans of all kinds to peddle their goods. Makes you feel good about your purchases.
Lady luck was with us 'cause we found a Pique (hot sauce) we had been searching around the island for: "Mi Madre Pique!" It had been requested by friends of ours from Mexico saying it's one of the best piques they've ever had. So kudos to the people at "Mi Madre," they sure know what they're doing. After tasting it - literally a DROP of it on a tiny cracker - moncheoPR must agree. It packs an amazing punch as well as good flavors.
Up on Plaza Colón we had a chance to watch a gentleman rolling cigars for everyone to see. Some hard core cigar aficionados were enjoying the demo as they smoked away on their tobacco purchase.
It was around this area where moncheoPR did its first moncheo: Croquetas de Bacalao from El Toro Salao. What a way to start the moncheo! The croquetas were golden and crisp on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside. All this with excellent bacalao flavor. They came with a Lemon Aioli, which wasn't needed, but it was still good: lemony and tart.
Time for a libation. There was no lack of "bars" stationed throughout all the streets where one could purchase beer or mixed drinks. We went for a classic Cuba Libre.
Sorry the picture sucks. But it was good! But then again, when isn't a Cuba Libre good? Then we saw this Mojito action and regretted not getting one.
But we had to pace ourselves given the night was still young.
Walking through Fortaleza we observed some really nice furniture on the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan. No rickety wooden or metal folding chairs. Hard-core, contemporary furniture was all over the place. Including an entire banquette! You know you're dining in style when there's a banquette on the street. This one was in front of Marmalade & Basíliko.
We were kind of disappointed that not more restaurants were offering FOOD on the streets. Most, if not all, DID have outdoor seating. Many also had a table selling LIQUOR. But we expected more food. What better way to entice and attract customers than by having small offerings of your cuisine? It worked with El Toro Salao. Their croquette convinced us we needed to hit them up based solely on how good they executed their croquette.
We KNOW firsthand how much work and effort goes into creating these kind of events from the point of view of a restaurant/chef. Yes, making thousands of portions of WHATEVER can be a pain in the nalgases at times. Been there, done that on more times than we'd care to remember. But it's part of the job and offering more food should be embraced by everyone participating in an event like this one. Keep it simple, but sell something, ANYTHING, besides just liquor.
We have to recognize the OOF Restaurants and Chef Dustin Atoigue for being the most visible in this area. Each of their restaurants were offering a sample of some sort. Also offering food for quick purchase was Siglo XX . Looks like they were selling Paella. We weren't able to sample any of it given both times we tried to get some they were out, but some people sampling the dish said it was yummy.
We did sample some offerings from the OOF group. We purchased the ceviche, the wings, the buñuelos de bacalao, and the spring rolls. They were also selling oysters, tostones, lo mein, and pinchos.
We started with the Snapper Ceviche. This was really good! Cool, refreshing, tart, crisp and fresh. The fish was yummy and left us wanting more. We followed with the Buñuelos de Bacalao. These were not at all good. Tough, doughy, frigid and lacking any bacalao flavor. The accompanying sauce was overpowered by the garlic. And we love garlic! The Cuban Spring Rolls brought us back to the good food experience. The pork flavor inside these was really good. Great seasoning. If these had been warm or hot they would've been even better. They were served with some Honey Mustard sauce. Finally, we hit the Asian wings. Can't recall the exact name for them. But they were good. Coyingly sweet to some, we still enjoyed them. They had good flavor. Hoisin? Soy? Not sure what exactly. Definitely some garlic present.
Walking the streets we found some funny mimes doing their thing, all with a culinary theme. Great performance by the entire bunch.
People were not only eating and drinking, but they were dancing as well with the variety of music provided throughout the entire area.
All in all it was a fun event. Wish there had been more food offerings. Sure, the crowds help fill up the restaurants and the outside tables. But if it's a culinary fest promoting walking around instead of staying put in one place, more food spread throughout the area would have helped this happen. In addition, it would give more people the opportunity to savor some of Old San Juan's popular food without necessarily breaking the bank. Especially during the current economic times. All the food and drinks we bought came to around $25. Not bad for a night of music, food, and fun.
Comments