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| - Love Puertorican food? Maybe you've never tried it before and you are sooooo curious about this savory island fare? Either way, you should give Fringo's a try, you'll be happy you did!
Up front..I am Puertorican, born on the island and have been eating this cuisine my whole life...all 3+ getting closer to 4 decades haha! I am a harsh critic, these flavors are the ones that molded my palate. I am writing this based on those flavors in puertorican cuisine, not how trendy or creative the menu or location is etc.
The ambiance is non existent. Its a small hole-in-the-wall type place with a few tables and chairs. It was kinda warm inside and the food is served in styrofoam containers. You come here for the amazing flavor of the food and I didn't mind as the prices were in line with that feel and the quality of the food was excellent.
I had the alcapuria, an ice cold Coco Rico, arroz con gandules, pernil and even tried thier habichuelas guisadas and pique (a spicy and flavorful vinegar), since it came with my dish. The alcapuria is an appetizer or snack. On the island you can find these sold near the beach. They are made of green plantain, which is starchy, yet packs much more flavor than a potato, it is seasoned and filled with a picadillo of ground beef that was cooked with sofrito (its a combo of veggies, ususally culantro, cilantro, green bell pepper, onion, garlic, aji dulce (as sweet small pepper that looks like a scotch bonnet but is not spicy), stuffed green olives, annatto seed (for color and flavor) and depending on the cook some tomato sauce. The alcapuria was seasoned very well, it was a deep fried crispy on the outside and so soft throughout until you got to the ground beef mixture. The flavors in the meat really complemented the plantain and the juxaposed textures were basically a party in my mouth. Well done Frigos! Making this in my kitchen is a pain in the you know what, so its GREAT to know I can come here if I only want a few for myself or my immediate family. The arroz con gandules is a MUST try, really, do it, forego the white rice and take a chance, you'll LOVE it. Its a yellow rice (it gets its color from tomato and annato seed) with pigeon peas (gandules) which taste the the love child of a lentil and pea. There were pieces of stuffed olive and ham in my rice and it was just the right texture--again, OMG well done Fringos! The habichules guisadas were tasty as well. Very true to traditional, but not typically something eaten with arroz con gandules. Usually this is eaten with white rice, however it came with my meal, tasted good, so I ate it! =) Last but not least was the pernil. I have to be PERFECTLY honest; typically this is a roasted port dish and the hog can be roasted whole or it can be just a cut, which is most usually the pork butt. This tasted like it was braised or more like chuncks cooked in the oven. With that being said, it was DELISH. I could taste the mojito seasoning in it as its usually prepared with garlic, vinegar (which tenderizes the meat), salt, pepper, olive oil and again annatto. SO. DARN. GOOD. I may have scared the staff, I ate EVERYTHING, even the pique, which is suggest as the acidity in it complements the tastes of the pork and savory flavors really well.
The lady up front was very nice and brought me all my food. The food was also FRESH. I got there 5 mins after opening and they were still cooking up some of the items, plus my alcapuria was fried fresh. It was brought to me literally steaming hot.
Definitely give this place a try, it is well worth it whether you can make it yourself or have never had it before. Don't be afraid to ask questions, they were really nice!
Enjoy!
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