Cocina Abierta Puerto Rico – A San Juan Hot Spot
Cocina Abierta Puerto Rico describes their restaurant as an interactive culinary experience, and I agree! All of the plates came out with beautiful presentation and the menu was filled with influences from different cultures and a variety of modern techniques. Cocina Abierta’s menu is divided into four acts of tapas sized dishes that are great for sharing among friends. With a fun vibe and lively atmosphere Cocina Abierta Puerto Rico is the “In” spot in San Juan.
We started off with a special of the night for starters, Short Rib Croquetas. The croquetas were simple Latin comfort food. Crunchy exterior and rich short rib flavors on the inside.
From the 1st Act of the menu, we ordered the Ripe Plantain Carpaccio Brulee with Tuna Tatake comes with shiitake mushrooms, scallions, and avocado. This is one of Cocina Abierta’s most popular and raved about dishes on the menu. The first thing that stands out is the presentation of the plate. It looks like art being presented on a plate. The dish is delicate to consume. I suggest carefully slicing the carpaccio into segments, each with a slice of tuna tatake and avocado. This can be consumed in one shot or cut in half. The tuna is lightly seared on the outside and raw on the inside. It is a light, yet very flavorful way to start dinner. I enjoyed the aji Amarillo sauce that was served on the plate as it delivered a hint of spiciness to the tatake. Seeing as how Puerto Ricans consume so many plantains, I enjoyed seeing it included as part of a carpaccio. It was a very clever way to include a humble comfort food into a refined appetizer dish.
Another 1st Act menu item is the Purple Potato and Octopus Peruvian Causa comes with a black olive sauce and aji Amarillo. Again, the first impression as the dish comes out is delivered by the beautiful presentation. Art on a plate! You get an excellent combination of savory and fresh flavors all in one. This dish is clearly Peruvian by nature and an example of the international influence in Cocina Abierta’s menu. Purple potatoes sandwich pieces of octopus and topped with a black olive sauce and pickled red onions. The octopus comes in a mixture with chopped onions and red peppers which deliver freshness to the dish. Purple is the theme here with octopus, purple potatoes, and olives used in one plate, which I found interesting. I loved the non traditional use of octopus in the causa. There is an excellent balance of flavors from the briny black olive sauce that is subtle and not overpowering. This is definitely a heartier way to start a dinner as the potatoes can be a bit filling. If you’ve never tried causa, I recommend you order this.
From the 2nd Act we went with the Spanish Octopus Grilled Terrine comes with hummus, piquillo paper, and potato crystals. The presentation is alluring and the actual octopus terrine was delicious! I loved having a plate of meaty chunks of octopus to bite into and the seasoning on the terrine was spot on.
While in Puerto Rico, you have to order mofongo at least once! Cocina Abierta’s Duck Confit Stuffed Mofongo comes with a shiitake-duck consume and pickled red onions. This dish is an excellent representation of local Puerto Rican cuisine refined with international flair. The shiitake duck consume is the star of the dish while the pickled red onions give a fresh taste to every bite. This was our choice from the 3rd Act section of the menu.
From the 4th Act section of the menu, we started off with the Angus Short Rib Braised in Malbec which included leeks, olives, and orange zest. The classic braised short rib and red wine combo is in full effect. The short rib lays on a corn humita that contains parmesan cheese. While the short rib and red wine combination is a classic one, I found the pairing of the short ribs with the corn humita rather odd. The corn humita is sweet from the natural sugars in the corn. This is a heartier plate to order as short ribs are a fattier cut of beef.
The Petit Beef Wellington is a very popular 4th Act dish. It is visually appealing and a sexy menu item. The steak is classically combined with a mushroom duxelle and a Foie Gras sauce is painted on the plate. Duxelles are a mixture of finely chopped mushrooms that are reduced down to a paste. This was my first time having beef wellington so I was excited for this one after seeing the recent popularity it garnered on social media in the past months. What’s not to love? The steak and mushroom duxelle is a classic combination for beef wellington. The addition of the puff pastry adds a feel good element as you bite into the flaky pastry dough, it’s heart warming food. The one ingredient that was added for refinement was the foie gras sauce. Make sure you soak each bite of steak and puff pastry into the sauce, it adds that very subtle but iconic foie gras flavor which I enjoyed.
The Ricotta Gnocchi is a signature side dish, my favorite of the night! The gnocchi come with ricotta, gorgonzola cheese, arugula, and prosciutto. The flavors are rich, deep, and addicting! There are strong flavors from the gorgonzola cheese and a prominent salty, savory prosciutto flavor. I highly recommend the Ricotta Gnocchi as your side dish of choice.
For dessert we opted for the “Nuts” and “Cheese”. Thee desserts themselves are small and once again, artful plating is implemented for dessert. The Nuts dessert is Pecan Pie, topped with a smoked almond mousse, a bite of pistachio sponge cake, and a candied almond. The pecan pie is paired with a sea salt caramel ice cream. This dessert is nuts galore, with plenty of texture.The Cheese dessert is a Goat Cheesecake that lays on Beet Cremeux that is brushed on the bottom of the plate and topped with Beet Paper and a couple of Orange-Port Wine Reduction Jelly cubes. The cheesecake is paired with a Pistachio Macaron. You get a mild tangy flavor from the goat cheese that pairs well with the subtle sweet flavors of the beet cremeux and jelly cubes. The macaron was a nice addition here as you rarely see them in menus other than French bakeries. It had an excellent pistachio flavor.
