What's in Mofongo?

Ashley and I went up to Spanish Harlem and asked around to find good Puerto Rican food. Here's where the neighbors sent us. A few guys outside said that the restaurant had been here at least 30 years, and that people come from all over to eat here. A vendor said that if you're visiting NYC from Puerto Rico, its a sure stop. Inside, we talked to a man who said he lived in Long Island and eats here whenever he's in the area.

Inside, people sat on stools at the main counter or at one along the wall behind. There was a steady crowd coming and going (mostly ordering takeout) the whole time we were there, and we were assured that on weekends there's a huge line that snakes out the door. We had to have a couple order for us because we had no idea what to get or what anything was, and the men behind the counter spoke very little English. Plus, when I asked what something that looked particularly good (or safe) was, it turned out to be Bacalao. I know enough from Italian-style Christmas traditions that Bacalao is codfish, so there you go.

Next to us, two Puerto Rican girls ordered takeout. One of them was eating Taco Bell, though they both said that "The food here is so good, you'll love it." She told me she just was addicted to Taco Bell. So our food arrives: an order of Mofongo (the tall mounded dish in the bottom picture) and sweet fried plantains. "What's in Mofongo?" we ask: "Mofongo!" the guy behind the counter tells us. Pressed a little further, he said it's plantains with pork skin all fried together. Up and down the counter, everybody was eating it. It was pretty good. There were two pieces of very hard pork on the side, and Ashley and I wondered if we were given overcooked meat because they didn't want us there. We also weren't sure if the wait staff was being rude. Afterwards, we agreed that it was just that our expectations of the food and service were different. And everyone's pork looked 'overcooked'.

While it wasn't a home-cooked Puerto Rican meal (that's for Wednesday night), this was a definitively New York-Puerto Rican experience. The fact that this restaurant is a neighborhood landmark, but not necessarily a social gathering space, attests to the unique meshing of culture here.