Palmas: Good, Friendly, Nothing Special, Overpriced

Palmas: Good, Friendly, Nothing Special, Overpriced

Palmas de Boulevard

281 San Sebastian Street
at Tanaca Corner
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901

(787) 630-4725

We drove past Palmas looking for a parking place in Old San Juan and returned after seeing what looked like a fiesta going on in the street outside. It was a small place with a large crowd outside and music blaring off the beaten path on the north (uphill) side of town.

We ordered the Asopao de Pollo (chicken and rice stew - $13.99) and Queso Frito (fried cheese with mango sauce -$8.95). The cheese was good, probably $3 overpriced for the size even in Old San Juan, with a mango dipping sauce.

The chicken stew (Asopao de Pollo) was very good, but at $13.99 for a few chunks of gristly chicken, some red bell pepper, and a half a cup of rice in chicken broth was probably $6 more than it should have been while still allowing a fair profit for the proprietor.

I had two cervezas Medalla and at $3 a pop they were twice the price I had paid our entire 3 weeks on the island.

Javier, the owner, stopped by our table and lopped- off half of an avocado the size of a watermelon (Javier and CombatCritic pictured). I tossed it in my stew and added some butt-kicking hot sauce, but made the mistake of touching my eye  ... EYE CARAMBA!

Don't get me wrong, the food was good and the bill came to $42 including 20% tip, not horrific, but more than we should have paid for a couple local beers, an appetizer, and an cheap-to-make entree.

I hope Javier figures out that knocking a couple bucks off the prices will result in happy customers, glowing reviews, and much more customers and money in his pocket. He and his staff were very nice and we enjoyed our visit even if it was not the best TravelValue in Puerto Rico.

CombatCritic Gives Palmas de Boulevard 6 Bombs Out of 10 ... BOMBAS ARE BUENAS!

Key Words: Palmas, de Boulevard, restaurant, food, Caribbean, Puerto Rico, puerto, rico, old san juan, old, san, juan, chicken, stew, asopao, cheese, fried, frito, queso, CombatCritic, TravelValue

El Tapatio; Good, Cheap Mexican Food ... and Potent Margaritas ... Near Rincón, Puerto Rico

El Tapatio; Good, Cheap Mexican Food ... and Potent Margaritas ... Near Rincón, Puerto Rico

Margarita - $6.25

Unassuming from the outside, we decided to give El Tapatio a try after some so-so dining experiences in the Rincón area. It lies on the East side of PR-115 just a mile or two South of downtown Aguada in an area that is mostly residential with the odd kiosk Criollo here and there. The food was very good, the prices fair, and the margaritas very strong ... they sure don't skimp on the tequila!

We started with the carne y queso (meat and cheese) nachos  ($3.50), a 4 ounce guacamole ($2), and a large pico di gallo ($2). The nachos were not huge, but tasty, coming in a cardboard serving tray with homemade chips, generous portions of ground beef, and smothered in melted cheese. The guacamole not too bad and that is coming from the GUACAMOLE KING and the pico de gallo fresh and spicy. All three starters were a very good value.

Tacos Duros - $1.60 Each

For dinner we shared a cheese and beef quesadilla ($4.50), two tacos duros (hard tacos - $1.60 each), and a beef and cheese enchilada ($4.75). The tacos were good, especially with some guacamole and pico added. The quesadilla hot and decent, and the enchilada (which came with a small portion of refried beans) substantial and delicious.

Beef and Cheese Enchilada - $4.75

A surprisingly good dinner for $32, including two margaritas ($6.25), that were some of the most potent I have had in recent memory.

CombatCritic Gives El Tapatio 7 Out of 10 Bombs ... BOMBAS ARE BUENAS!

Key Words: El Tapatio, el, tapatio, Mexican, food, restaurant, eat, taco, enchilada, burrito, quesadilla, nacho, margarita, CombatCritic, Aguada, Puerto Rico, TravelValue

Nonna Cucina Rustica Serves Food My Grandmother (Nonna) Would Be Proud Of!

San Juan: Nonna Cucina Rustica Italiana is very nice, somewhat small, slightly upscale classic Italian restaurant near downtown and not far from Miramar where we were staying. We found her on Yelp* and the reviews were very positive. We had difficulty finding a restaurant open on Christmas Eve when we arrived in San Juan, so I figured that Christmas day would be even worse. To our surprise, Nonna was open (as were several restaurants we saw - everything else was closed as they should be) and had a table available ... "we'll be right there!"

Waze, our eMap, was a bit off, so we called the restaurant and the manager guided us in (a couple blocks ahead of where Waze took us), sticking her head out the door until she spotted us pulling up. They have Valet Service, but we decided to go through the next signal and found plenty of street parking in the next block.

It is nearly impossible to find a traditional Italian kitchen in the US and we were expecting as much in Puerto Rico ... WE WERE VERY PLEASANTLY SURPRISED!

Homemade Mozzarella Caprese ($9) and Vido di Alicante

Carmen, our server, was extremely pleasant even though, still being on "non-island time" and expecting things to move rapidly like they do on the continent, we were hungry and a little impatient to start. I ordered a Spanish Alicante red, a simple yet robust dark red wine ($27), to accompany our meal.

For antipasti, we had the veal polpette (meatballs) and homemade mozzarella, and both were excellent. The polpette (3 for $9 - polpettone, by the way, is Italian meatloaf) came atop a bed of mashed potatoes (polenta would have been a more traditional and excellent choice) and covered with a light tomato sauce. We had to ask for bread and it took a while to arrive, a very small basket of what looked like foccacia sliced into small pieces, and the only disappointment of the night. Local bread on the table is standard in all Italian restaurants, even in Italy, so when I did not see bread on a single table and had to ask for it, I was a bit surprised. It was decent, but too little to accompany the wonderful appetizers, both of which cried out for bread, good bread!

Polpette with Mashed Potatoes and Tomato Sauce - $9

The homemade mozzarella was also delicious. Atop the four rather small, thin slices ($9) of mozzarella were three large cherry tomatoes, a few pieces of arugula, and a hefty dose of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and chopped, toasted hazelnuts. A kind of insalata Caprese, you would never see balsamic vinegar on mozzarella in Italy, but it was very tasty if not filling.

The Casoncelli alla Bergamasca ($17), a light yet complex dish of pasta shells (the size of perogi) was stuffed with sausage and quickly sautéed in a mild butter and sage sauce. They were sublime, the only fault being that the obviously homemade pasta shells were a bit too "al dente" and could have been boiled another minute or two. Otherwise, we were quite pleased.

Casoncelli alla Bergamasca - $17

I ordered the lasagna ($18), which came in its own 7" x 7" baking dish with a crispy layer of cheese and béchamel sauce and it was exquisite! More than I needed to eat, it was layered with a hefty portion of minced lamb, lasagna noodles, spinach, and ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. The lamb tasted very much like lamb, so if you are not into lamb, DO NOT order this dish. I like lamb on occasion, not daily, and was very happy with my choice.

Lamb Lasagna - $18

For dessert, offered by the very sweet, young pastry chef with a huge smile, we had the tiramisu. Untraditional in every way, I had seen it on other tables throughout the night and thought it was an ice cream sunday, but it was not! All of the usual ingredients were there, cookies, mascarpone cheese, and cocoa (accompanied by a shot of espresso to pour over the top), but a scoop of ice cream was also included along with chocolate syrup. It did not taste like any tiramisu I have ever eaten (and at $12 it was the most expensive tiramisu I have eaten), but it was extravagant.

Not cheap by any stretch, Nonna was a delight and extremely good value ... BUONISSIMO!

CombatCritic Gives Nonna Cucina Italiana 9 Out of 10 Bombs ... BOMBS ARE GOOD!

Key Words: Nonna, cucina, rustica, Italiana, Italian, restaurant, food, San Juan, Puerto Rico, eat, dinner, delicious, pasta, wine, mozzarella, cheese, tiramisu, CombatCritic

El Patio de Sam ... More Like EL YUCKO de Sam!

El Patio de Sam

Calle San Sebastian 102
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936

(787) 723-1149

We came for the piña coladas... advertised prominently out front as "2 for 1" until 7pm weekdays ... and decided to try a burger ($10.95) with cheese and fries because the server told us "our burgers are the best, not only in Puerto Rico, but in ALL OF THE US!" We trusted her, first mistake!

Pina Colada - $9

Our burger FINALLY arrived after 30 minutes and was slightly bigger than a White Castle (Whitey One-Bite). There was no sauce, the patty (advertised to be 8 ounces) was small, maybe 5 ounces at best, and accompanied by a pickle spear, very small slice of tomato, and a little lettuce. The fries were shoestrings and not many of them at that. We finished the sandwich literally in less than 3 minutes and I am not a fast eater by any stretch.

Thankfully, the piña coladas ($9) were large and tasty, not strong, good, but thank God it was happy hour because they were way overpriced … $33 for two drinks and an itty-bitty burger ... Never again!

CombatCritic Gives Patio de Sam 3 Out of 10 Bombs ... BOMS ARE GOOD!

Key Words: Patio de Sam, patio, Sam, Old San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico, old, San, Juan, bar, saloon, restaurant, pina colada, rum

Nonna Cucina Rustica Serves Food My Grandmother (Nonna) Would Be Proud Of!

Nonna Cucina Rustica Serves Food My Grandmother (Nonna) Would Be Proud Of!

Nonna Cucina Rustica Italiana is very nice, somewhat small, slightly upscale classic Italian restaurant near downtown and not far from Miramar where we were staying. We found her on Yelp* and the reviews were very positive. We had difficulty finding a restaurant open on Christmas Eve when we arrived in San Juan, so I figured that Christmas day would be even worse. To our surprise, Nonna was open (as were several restaurants we saw - everything else was closed as they should be) and had a table available ... "we'll be right there!"

Waze, our eMap, was a bit off, so we called the restaurant and the manager guided us in (a couple blocks ahead of where Waze took us), sticking her head out the door until she spotted us pulling up. They have Valet Service, but we decided to go through the next signal and found plenty of street parking in the next block.

It is nearly impossible to find a traditional Italian kitchen in the US and we were expecting as much in Puerto Rico ... WE WERE VERY PLEASANTLY SURPRISED!

Homemade Mozzarella Caprese ($9) and Vido di Alicante

Carmen, our server, was extremely pleasant even though, still being on "non-island time" and expecting things to move rapidly like they do on the continent, we were hungry and a little impatient to start. I ordered a Spanish Alicante red, a simple yet robust dark red wine ($27), to accompany our meal.

For antipasti, we had the veal polpette (meatballs) and homemade mozzarella, and both were excellent. The polpette (3 for $9 - polpettone, by the way, is Italian meatloaf) came atop a bed of mashed potatoes (polenta would have been a more traditional and excellent choice) and covered with a light tomato sauce. We had to ask for bread and it took a while to arrive, a very small basket of what looked like foccacia sliced into small pieces, and the only disappointment of the night. Local bread on the table is standard in all Italian restaurants, even in Italy, so when I did not see bread on a single table and had to ask for it, I was a bit surprised. It was decent, but too little to accompany the wonderful appetizers, both of which cried out for bread, good bread!

Polpette with Mashed Potatoes and Tomato Sauce - $9

The homemade mozzarella was also delicious. Atop the four rather small, thin slices ($9) of mozzarella were three large cherry tomatoes, a few pieces of arugula, and a hefty dose of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and chopped, toasted hazelnuts. A kind of insalata Caprese, you would never see balsamic vinegar on mozzarella in Italy, but it was very tasty if not filling.

The Casoncelli alla Bergamasca ($17), a light yet complex dish of pasta shells (the size of perogi) was stuffed with sausage and quickly sautéed in a mild butter and sage sauce. They were sublime, the only fault being that the obviously homemade pasta shells were a bit too "al dente" and could have been boiled another minute or two. Otherwise, we were quite pleased.

Casoncelli alla Bergamasca - $17

I ordered the lasagna ($18), which came in its own 7" x 7" baking dish with a crispy layer of cheese and béchamel sauce and it was exquisite! More than I needed to eat, it was layered with a hefty portion of minced lamb, lasagna noodles, spinach, and ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. The lamb tasted very much like lamb, so if you are not into lamb, DO NOT order this dish. I like lamb on occasion, not daily, and was very happy with my choice.

Lamb Lasagna - $18

For dessert, offered by the very sweet, young pastry chef with a huge smile, we had the tiramisu. Untraditional in every way, I had seen it on other tables throughout the night and thought it was an ice cream sunday, but it was not! All of the usual ingredients were there, cookies, mascarpone cheese, and cocoa (accompanied by a shot of espresso to pour over the top), but a scoop of ice cream was also included along with chocolate syrup. It did not taste like any tiramisu I have ever eaten (and at $12 it was the most expensive tiramisu I have eaten), but it was extravagant.

Not cheap by any stretch, Nonna was a delight and extremely good value ... BUONISSIMO!

CombatCritic Gives Nonna Cucina Italiana 9 Out of 10 Bombs ... BOMBS ARE GOOD!

Key Words: Nonna, cucina, rustica, Italiana, Italian, restaurant, food, San Juan, Puerto Rico, eat, dinner, delicious, pasta, wine, mozzarella, cheese, tiramisu, CombatCritic