Where to eat dinner?

[needabreakcanada]

We are staying at Best Western Plus Condado and would like to know a few suggestions for dinner. Due to medical issues we prefer to stick with non-spicy foods.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks

[rainforestgirl]

I can't make a specific suggestion, but just as an FYI- Puerto Rican food is not spicy. They use garlic, salt, onions, mild peppers, and a seasoning similar to cilantro called culantro.

They will usually offer a hot sauce on the table to spice things up a bit for people who like it hot.

[texancruzer]

http://www.numero1guesthouse.com/tropical-cuisine

 

Here ya go....... small intimate restaurant with AWESOME food ! Located in Isla Verde near Condado in the Numero Uno Guesthouse hotel.

 

One of THE best meals we have had in San Juan !

 

Not cheap but worth it :D

 

PS: forgot to add - you can sit inside with a view of the small courtyard and pool or outside on the beach (toes in sand and china on the table ! )

Edited January 13, 2014 by texancruzer

[Ron_L]

We had two great meals in the Condado area.

 

Our favorite was at the Ropa Vieja Grill. Their Mofongo was fantastic.

 

The next was at Casa Lola, also in the Condado area. My wife has a dish with braised brisket and I had paella. Both were very good. Also, their house sangria was very good.

 

Looking at Google Maps it looks like they are both 3-4 blocks from your hotel.

[needabreakcanada]

Not sure what any of those meals you mentioned are.

 

Can you explain what they are made of?

 

Any American food type restaurants? Unfortunately we have no Puerto Rican food around here so we have never tried it. As it is our only meal down there we don't want to get stuck with something we don't end up liking. So if you could give a rough estimate of what is in the meal we will have a better idea.

 

What is a Mofongo, braised brisket (beef?) and paella?

 

Thanks,

[needabreakcanada]

He is definitely on board with Puerto Rican food for a try, however, he thinks I might be iffy as to whether or not I will (cilantro).

 

So any restaurants that serve Puerto Rican AND offer some good American food?

 

Thanks,

[needabreakcanada]

I see there are some options that may work.

 

Next question - do they take American Express Gift cards?

 

Thanks

[Ron_L]

Not sure what any of those meals you mentioned are.

 

Can you explain what they are made of?

 

Any American food type restaurants? Unfortunately we have no Puerto Rican food around here so we have never tried it. As it is our only meal down there we don't want to get stuck with something we don't end up liking. So if you could give a rough estimate of what is in the meal we will have a better idea.

 

What is a Mofongo, braised brisket (beef?) and paella?

 

Thanks,

 

Mofongo is plantains that have been fries and then mashed, typically with butter and garlic. The dishes at Ropa Vieja Grill were a base of mofongo topped with shredded flank steak in a very flavorful sauce or shrimp and garlic, also very flavorful. Neither was spicy and no cilantro was involved :)

 

Brisket is the chest muscle of a cow. It it a tougher piece of meat so it is typically cooked for a long time to tenderize it. Braising is cooking meat for along time in a liquid.

 

Paella is a spanish dish that is a base of saffron infused rice with a variety of things on top, typically seafood or meat, sausages, etc.

 

Both places I mentioned have their menus on line. Take a look and see if there are options that you would like.

 

San Juan is like any other American city (Puerto Pico is part of the US) so you can find Chili's and almost any other chain restaurant if that's what you want. I can go to those places at home (and usually don't) so I look for local places when I travel. It's part of the experience.

[needabreakcanada]

Yes I find it funny that Puerto Rico is part of the USA but in most places is listed under the Caribbean.

 

I know when my daughter was travelling for sport she ran into an issue with her cell phone service provider. Her package stated free for United States. When she used her phone in Puerto Rico there was a hefty price tag that came in that month. She argued and won - but they stated PR was a "grey" area as part of the policy.

 

So silly.

[bridedoll1026]

There is a Fuddruckers on Ashford......

[sail7seas]

Brisket is a common American dish. It is often prepared in ways similar to pot roast. Corned beef is a cut of the same beef as brisket.

 

Paella is very Spanish. We loved it in several cities in Spain. It is usually prepared as a entree for two people as it's a fair amount of work and really needs lots of seafood to be good, IMO

 

[texancruzer]

There is a Fuddruckers on Ashford......

 

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: