Food Tour of Old San Juan

We've decided that a food tour is an excellent way to start off time in a new city/country.  You get a bit of history, some orientation, and a list of foods/restaurants to hunt for later.

Tiffany and her new husband returned with high praise for the food tour they went on during their honeymoon in PR in October, so we booked ourselves a slot and found the guide, Kathy, in Old San Juan at 10:00 AM Sunday morning.

We began next to the old city wall, where Kathy gave us an overview of the city and our tour.

Then, a trip to a restaurant named La Princesa.  We began there with a quick history of rum in their rum hut.

Then had ham and cheese croquettes in a bechemel sauce and roasted eggplant and chicken dusted with sugar and cinnamon

Next, a trip to Senor Paleta in the pink building...

To get popsicles!  I had strawberry.

After a quick history of Puerto Rico while we ate our dripping popsicles against a lovely view, we headed to Cafe el Punta.

Art gallery in front, restaurant in back.  We tried alcapurrias (savory fritters) (I had veggie, others had beef)

and ceviche

On our way out, we noticed this sign and felt gypped for not getting to try all three items on the list.  We'll have to go back!

A few blocks over we came to a main square and were led to a small patio in the former town jail

and learned how to make our own mofongo!  You mash fried plantains, butter, and roasted garlic in the mortar (I had noteworthy pestle-mortar skills)

Then added chicken cooked in salsa

Ta daa!

Typically served with rice and Chilean-style beans

Exterior of the mofongo jail

Around the corner to a bar with a shady patio

for pina coladas!

Finally, the restaurant Vaca Brava

for cheese flan.  I'm normally not a flan fan, but this tasted like smooth cheesecake.  It was one of the tastiest dishes of the tour.