MI CASA BY JOSE ANDRES

In order to move on, I need to close our Dorado chapter and start our Singapore life so what better way to end than with my final Puerto Rico post on the dinners we had Mi Casa by Jose Andres.   The menu is divided into four parts - Tapas and Antojitos (starters of mostly tapas), To Follow (salads and soups) and Platos Fuertes (main courses) and Simply Prepared (mostly grilled fish or meat).  There is also an option to do Jose's Tapas Experience Menu, an 11-course small plates tasting menu which lets you experience the full flavors of his take on modern Caribbean cuisine.  Some of my favorite Puerto-rican style tapas (moms of which are shown above) were the Bocadillo de lechon (roasted pork belly with chayote mojo and crispy crackling on a soft bun),  ceviche de atun con coco y aguacate (tuna ceviche tossed in coconut milk and topped with fresh avocado and topped with crispy quinoa), cono de queso con lechoza (Canarejal cheese and papaya marmalade stuffed in a crispy mini cone) and the modern take on the Puerto Rican classic - the mallorca, a sweet brioche style powdered sugar coated bread filled usually with ham and cheese and grilled. This version is stuffed with foie gras and mango jam and is a must!  Jose's classic tapas like the croquets de pollo, served in an acrylic shoe as usual, are also present along with the not-to-be-missed jamon Iberico y pan con tomate.  From the main courses, I loved the Rossejat Negra - a Catalan squid ink noodle dish sort of like paella served with Spanish langoustines and the gnocchi de yuca (Yuca gnocchi with hearts of palm and a Puerto Rican style pesto).

Desserts were also a treat from the Tres Leches - a Puerto Rican classic rum and pineapple cake to the arroz con coco - a light Caribbean version of rice pudding flavored with coconut milk and served alongside a tart guava sorbet and finally the tierritas de Puerto Rico - grated chocolate with the texture of soil (tierra is the Spanish word for it) topping homemade cocoa and vanilla ice creams.

In case you though that Mi Casa was a formal fine dining restaurant, they also have a children''s menu filled with kid-friendly dishes (just don't expect nuggets) - there's a peanut butter and guava jelly sandwich on toasted mini-brioche buns,  chicken and béchamel croquettes, mini rib-eye hamburgers with french fries or a simple grilled fish served with yuca puree.  

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Mi Casa by Jose Andres
at the Dorado Beach, a Ritz Carlton Reserve
100 Dorado Beach Drive
Dorado PR 00646
Telephone: +1 787 278 7217
*Open daily for breakfast and dinner.

BREAKFAST AT MI CASA

It's been ages I know and although we moved to Singapore and left Dorado in mid-September, I still need to post about the wonderful breakfast at Mi Casa by Jose Andres at the Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve.  Breakfast is one of my favorite ways to enjoy what a restaurant has to offer.  I figure that if they can't get breakfast right, then why would I even go for dinner.  One of the best ways to enjoy the mooring in Dorado is to sit outside on the terrace of Mi Casa, watch the waves crash to shore and have the first meal of the day al fresco.

 

As the restaurant specializes in Spanish influenced Caribbean cuisine, there are modern touches on Caribbean classics like homemade guava jelly, a banana and rum muffin, passion fruit or pineapple flavored yoghurt and even Jose Andres' arroz a la Cubana - fried rice served with crispy pork belly, plantains and a crispy battered poached egg.  You can also have classic croissants and pains au chocolat, the Spanish breakfast classic pan con tomato y jam on Iberico, waffles, pancakes and a frothy concoction that is the specialty Eggs Benedict.  Whatever you do, don't expect something new and done with a twist because that's what breakfast a la Jose Andres is going to be like and as you sip that Puerto Rican coffee and listen to the waves, remember that you are in Puerto Rico.

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Mi Casa by Jose Andres
at the Dorado Beach, a Ritz Carlton Reserve
100 Dorado Beach Drive
Dorado PR 00646
Telephone: +1 787 278 7217
*Open daily for breakfast and dinner. Reservations recommended.

ENCANTO BEACH CLUB, BAR AND GRILL

Encanto is the beach club and restaurant of the Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve.  Located away from the arrival pavilion and main pool and Positivo Sandbar, the open-air beach complex has a large pool, sun loungers, cabanas and a main restaurant serving both lunch and dinner.

At midday, there is menu of lunch classics - sandwiches, wraps, tacos, salads and pizzas and for dinner, the menu changes to Asian-inspired hot and cold appetizers along with several grilled items and sides.

For lunch, I've eaten almost everything on the menu - the blackened fish tacos are my favorite along with their freshly made tortilla chips with guacamole and salsa.  There's a good ceasar salad which can be ordered with churrasco (skirt steak), shrimp or chicken or the large kobe beef burger with Parmesan fries.

For dinner, we often order several appetizers to share and make a meal of that.  From the cold selection, don't miss the green papaya salad and the snapper ceviche while from the hot selection, my favorites are crispy yellow tail snapper with ginger sauce and the soy honey glazed Berkshire pork belly.  I've also had a simply grilled Atlantic salmon with green asparagus and the irresistible garlic fries.  Since the menus at lunch and dinner are so different, it's like eating in a different restaurant every time.  I prefer the dinner menu which is more creative and modern but that's just me.

Desserts are also different at lunch and dinner.  Don't miss the giant ice cream sundae for lunch and for dinner, try one of the Asian-inspired desserts like the banana spring rolls with a caramel dip or the coconut-flavored rice pudding.
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Encanto Beach Club Bar and Grill
at the Dorado Beach, a Ritz Carlton Reserve
100 Dorado Beach Drive
Dorado PR 00646
Telephone: +1 787278 7232
*Open daily for lunch and dinner.

POSITIVO SANDBAR

The Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve has been open almost half a year now so it's time for me to finally write about the restaurants on the property.  In the first of a series of four posts, I'll be featuring the food and beverage options at the hotel.

First up is Positivo Sandbar which is a beautiful open-air deck located right on the beach with lounge chairs and tables set in the sand and a large bar serving creative cocktails. They serve a small menu at lunch of salads and appetizers and a slightly different dinner menu with the same appetizers without the salads and the addition of pork belly sliders and kobe beef sliders.

Lunch is open only to hotel guests who can enjoy their meal either at the bar or poolside then at sunset, the bar is open to everyone.  On several occasions, I've had both lunch and dinner.  For lunch, the alcohol-free Cucumber mint drink is refreshing accompanied by either a Carribbean Cobb salad with lobster or my favorite tomato avocado tostada salad.  The empanadillas (mini empanadas or fried turnovers), spinach and corn or beef, are delicious and so is the crispy calamari.  In the evening, try one of their signature cocktails then continue with the shrimp ceviche or the shredded pork belly sliders while enjoying the spectacular sunset.
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Positivo Sandbar
at the Dorado Beach, a Ritz Carlton Reserve
100 Dorado Beach Drive
Dorado PR 00646
Telephone: +1 787 278 7223
*Open all-day for lunch (hotel guests only), drinks and dinner (for everyone).
*DJ on Fridays at sunset.  Sushi on Tuesday nights.

THE BEST OF 2012

It's taken a few weeks to get this blog post together but it's finally here - my annual best of 2012.  The first two were unique and fantastic in every way.  The next three are the best of Puerto Rico followed by the three best in Las Vegas and finally, the two best casual eats, one from a food truck here in Dorado and another from a beach shack in Anguilla.  All in all, 10 of my most memorable meals of the year.  Enjoy and I look forward to more new restaurant discoveries in 2013!

BEST OF THE BEST

Pubbelly (Miami)

A mid-year find on a long weekend mini-break to Miami.  Pubbelly is a gastronomic casual restaurant created by three partners - two Puerto Ricans and one Spanish, which has taken Miami by storm.  After this first foray, they have created four other successful casual eateries - Pubbelly Sushi for modern sushi, Barceloneta for Spanish tapas, Macchialina, an Italian salumeria and trattoria and about a week ago, PB Steak.  These boys have got their concepts down and manage to create a casual atmosphere loved by locals and still serve amazing food.  The menu at Pubbelly is mostly Asian-inspired but there were a few Spanish-influenced tapas as well.  Here's what we had in July.

ABC Kitchen (New York)

Another memorable summer meal was at ABC Kitchen located in the fantastic ABC Carpet & Home. Just over a year old and promoting local and organic ingredients, this was pared down comfort food that was all about the ingredients - assorted lukewarm roasted beets tossed in yoghurt, slices of heirloom tomato with just a sprinkling of salt on crusty bread, just-picked tiny radishes with cold sweet butter and bread - everything was delicious!  The service was friendly, the place casual and the menu so enticing that I can't wait to go back. 

BEST IN PUERTO RICO

Santaella

This was our first dinner out in San Juan, right after we moved to Puerto Rico in March and has remained a favorite since.  Santaella manages to serve a modern take on Puerto Rican cuisine in an unfussy location near the Plaza del Mercado.  Food is good, service is friendly and the place is always packed with locals - what more can one ask for?

Blonda

A recent addition to the Condado scene, Blonda is another casual restaurant that knows what it's doing - simple food in great location with probably, the best brunch in San Juan.  There's valet parking, bookings taken on Open Table and good food in a light-filled space.

Compostela

For classic Spanish fare, there is no place better than Compostela - the interiors are modern but nothing special, come here for the food and the excellent selection of wines.  Every meal we've had here has been exceptional - the menu authentic, the ingredients fresh, the presentation simple, the service efficient and the experience always delicious.   

BEST IN LAS VEGAS

Sambalatte

The best coffee in Las Vegas.  Ever since they opened in 2011, they have been the only place in Las Vegas for proper coffee in all forms and shapes, from espresso to flat white, from cappuccino to mocha, from pour over brewed coffee to Aero Pres,  from granita to affogato - they have proper coffee making and presentation figured out.  I never skip my Sambalatte morning cappuccino when I'm in Vegas and always stop by to say hello to the friendly owner, Luis.

Kabuto

Located in the same nondescript mall as other cult Japanese restaurants, Raku and Monta, Kabuto is a tiny restaurant with just three tables and an adequate sushi counter where the edomae sushi (Tokyo style super fresh sushi) is presented nightly using only the freshest fish and seafood and served slowly, one by one to be enjoyed.  This is the way sushi and sashimi should always be - no tricks, no mayonnaise, no fancy rolls - just fresh fish, perfectly seasoned vinegar rice, crisp seaweed, a tiny dot of wasabi and a dash of premium soy sauce.

Honey Salt

In the same area as Sambalatte, Honey Salt is so new that I haven't even blogged about my lunch there yet (post coming soon) but, believe me, this is the restaurant future for Las Vegas - trained chefs and experienced food and beverage operators band together to create their own restaurant concept.  Honey Salt is homey and the farm to table food is very good, but best of all, the minute one walks in, one can sense that the people behind the scenes know what they're doing from the logos, table settings, decor, menus and seamless service that there really is no longer a need to dine well just in a fancy Vegas hotel. Here's to a burgeoning trendy off-strip restaurant scene in Las Vegas!

BEST STREET/BEACH FOOD

Blanchards Beach Shack
If ever I open another restaurant, this is what I want it to be - simple food, a great outdoor setting and casual atmosphere.  Blanchards on the beautiful Mead's Bay beach in Anguilla is probably the best beach shack restaurant concept I've ever eaten in and for someone who's lived on several islands, that's the highest compliment ever.  Food is simple, containers are recycled, service is quick, prices and reasonable.  Blanchards Beach Shack gives fast food a great reputation.

NanoBox
Last but not least, is this Dorado food truck run by two brothers passionate about food and serving their modern version of Puerto Rican street food.  It's a great way to taste what the island has to offer and although their menu is limited, what they serve is pretty good so it's worth it to stop by for a snack on the weekend when this shiny white brand new food truck is parked just behind the Walgreen's in Dorado.
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Listed by location, in alphabetical order:

Anguilla - Blanchards Beach Shack

Las Vegas -
Honey Salt
Kabuto
Sambalatte

Miami - Pubbelly

New York - ABC Kitchen

Puerto Rico -
Blonda
Compostela
NanoBox
Santaella

BARLOVENTO

Dorado Beach Club has closed West Beach and opened their new beach restaurant - Barlovento.  Housed in the Ambassadors of the Environment building (which is run by the the Ritz-Carlton Reserve), Barlovento also has a non-motorized water sports facility offering lessons in kayaking, paddle boarding, wind surfing, kite surfing and sailing.  The restaurant is bright and airy just like West Beach but with more modern tables and chairs and a short menu of starters, salads and sandwiches with a full bar list. 

We have already been twice for lunch and enjoyed some of the new menu items - calamari and the beer-battered fish fillet sandwich.  It's the perfect place for a quick al fresco lunch or  sunset cocktail.  Open to members of Dorado Beach Club and to guests of the Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Barlovento will serve an all-day menu from noon till early evening.

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Barlovento

Ambassador's House

Dorado Beach

Phone: +1 787 626 1054

*Open Wednesdays to Sundays from 11 a.m. till 7 p.m.

DORADO BEACH, A RITZ CARLTON RESERVE OPENS TODAY

On 12.12.12, Dorado Beach, a Ritz Carlton Reserve finally opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by cocktails at Positivo Sand Bar and a sit-down four-course lunch at the Surf Room.  Here are a few photos from the event to give you an idea of the event.  Soon, I'll be posting on the restaurants and beach club at the hotel.  For now, I leave you with this.

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Dorado Beach, a Ritz Carlton Reserve
100 Dorado Beach Drive
Dorado PR 00646
Puerto Rico
Telephone: +1 787 626 1100

DORADO BEACH, A RITZ-CARLTON RESERVE

In three days, the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve in the Americas - Dorado Beach will open.  Here's a preview of what the main pool, Positivo bar and Mi Casa by Jose Andres looks like from the beach.  It's finally happening!

NANO BOX

Dorado just got a food truck a few months ago.  Nanobox Gourmet Bites and Catering is usually parked behind La Hacienda and Walgreens on weekends and is run by Culinary Institute of America-educated chef Nano and his brother.  The menu changes often and has modern Puerto Rican bites served in takeaway boxes.  They have a few appetizers (pa'picar), mains (pa'comer), desserts (pa' endulzar) and sides (por el lao).   I've been there several times and have had the bacalaitos (shrimp fritters), the Asian-inspired carne frita (crispy pork in sweet spicy soy), mampo tacos filled with carne frita and the box burger.  Service is quick and friendly, the food is good and it's fun. 

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Nanobox

Parked behind Walgreens and La Hacienda

Dorado, Puerto Rico

Phone: +1 787 615 9991

* Usually on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from around 2:00 p.m. till late

METROPOL

Here's another neighborhood restaurant that we've been to a few times which we've enjoyed.  It's the newest addition, the sixth, to this chain of Cuban restaurants - Metropol.  It's cheap and cheerful and always packed which is always a good sign.   Metropol's menu is made up of home-style food which they dub as Cuban but is a melange of Cuban cuisine with some Puerto Rican and Spanish dishes thrown in.  There are tortillas (Spanish-style omelets), meat and chicken cooked simply, rice dishes like paella and asopao, grilled fish and seafood and a selection of sides that include several ways with rice: plain or with beans, black or red beans, fried green or ripe plantains, cassava or for the unadventurous, green salad or mixed vegetables.  It's good for lunch on a weekday when it's not too crowded.

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Metropol

Plaza Dorado shopping center

Dorado 00646 Puerto Rico

*Open daily for lunch and dinner

CHOPHOUSE

In every country we've lived, we always look out for a neighborhood restaurant which becomes our weekly takeaway place.  In Santiago, it was roast chicken; in Montreal, it was bagels: in Marbella, it was Thai and in Bali, it was Japanese.  Well, we just found our new to-go restaurant in Dorado and it's Chinese from the Chophouse.

We met Sam and his wife Jess several weeks ago when we went to our first Puerto Rican dinner at Scott & Ann's where we found out that they also owned and ran the Chophouse restaurant in the nearby mall.  We have been to dinner there and had takeaway a few times already and the food has been consistently good and the service, friendly.  We have the crispy orange beef, the vegetable Lo-Mein, grilled five-spice squid, pan-fried dumplings, shredded chicken in lettuce cups, sauteed duck with eggplant and stir-fried tofu with vegetables.  The restaurant also has Teppanyaki and sushi which we haven't tried yet but will do as we've heard that it's also good.  Slowly but surely, we'll go through their menu till we've tried all their specialties.

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Chophouse

Paseo de Plata Shopping Village

Avenida Jose Efron Dorado

Dorado 00646 Puerto Rico

Telephone:  +1 787 796 8787

*Open Tuesdays to Fridays for dinner from 5:30 to 11:00 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 11:00 p.m., Closed Mondays

*Valet parking available

GRAPPA

We were searching for a nearby restaurant and Grappa came up as number one in the tripadvisor Dorado list and also as several local residents favorite restaurant so we decided to give it a try.  We booked a table for three (J, A and I) on a rainy Saturday evening and arrived in the center of town where we found Grappa's unobtrusive entry.  We walked in and were surprised at how dark and tiny the place actually was with just a few tables and a pretty antique-tiled floor.  There are no windows that look out onto the street so the place does feel smaller than it is. That evening, there was already a large family having dinner, about 10, and ourselves.  Soon after, two other tables of 6 walked in and the place was packed in an instant.

We were seated in a table right by the bar and struggled to read the menu so we were relieved when they turned the lights up a bit.  The menu has a several starters, a few pastas and risottos and several more main dishes.  There are also some daily specials listed on the board.  We decided on two starters to share and a main course each with a glass of Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon.

After we ordered, we were given some warm bread and olive oil which we ate rather quickly as we were hungry.  The two appetizers were served: fried calamari with the typical marinara sauce which were crispy and quite good despite being frozen uniform-sized squid rings and the arancini - three extra large deep-fried risotto balls covered in breadcrumbs, topped with the same marinara sauce and drizzled with a basil oil and balsamic vinegar glaze.  These were better than the calamari but were too big to be bite-size and although we were hungry, we only managed to polish off two of them.

At this point, the restaurant was packed and the cozy intimate ambiance we experienced at the beginning of our meal became like a market at peak time with the noise level so high we couldn't even converse unless we shouted above the din.  Thankfully, the main courses were served - spaghettini with meatballs for J which came with five meatballs covered in the same ubiquitous marinara sauce, a bland asparagus and lemon risotto for A and the pretty good roast pork with roasted potato wedges, the whole plate again drizzled in basil oil and balsamic vinegar glaze.  We ate our dinners quickly as the noise was becoming unbearable, I could only finish half the portion of pork and A barely touched his risotto while J thoroughly enjoyed his spaghetti and meatballs and ate almost all of it.  We would have lingered over several desserts and espresso but just shared one dessert - a poached pear in a cinnamon orange sauce then paid the bill while we were still finishing the dessert.  We stepped outside, walked to the car and appreciated the quiet of the evening with just the rain drops on the pavement and an occasional car driving by.  The food was good but not extraordinary, the service was fine and it is probably the best restaurant in Dorado but I'm not sure I'd go back there unless they sort out their acoustic problem.

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Grappa

Mendez Vigo St # 247

Dorado, Puerto Rico 00646

Telephone: +1 787 796 2674

*Open for dinner