Jose Enrique Puerto Rico: Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine
Jose Enrique Puerto Rico is a gem of Puerto Rican cuisine. Named after its highly acclaimed chef, Jose Enrique is a favorite among both locals and tourists. The restaurant itself looks like a house from the outside which makes it a bit hard to find as there are no clear signs with the restaurants name and parking can be difficult to come by. The menu changes constantly so it is written daily on white eraser boards. Though there are changes, there are numerous staples in the menu that have gained a favorable reputation for this renowned Puerto Rican restaurant.
The restaurant offers fresh local seafood and the best of authentic Puerto Rican cuisine. Puerto Rican born Chef Jose Enrique graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York and worked in a number of restaurants throughout the United States before returning home to Puerto Rico to open up Jose Enrique Puerto Rico. The chef prioritizes fresh Puerto Rican produce which influences the ever changing menu of the restaurant. Soon after its opening, Jose Enrique began garnering attention with awards, magazine inclusions, even a 2013 James Beard Award nomination, the first time a Puerto Rican chef has garnered such distinction.
We started off with Minutas, Deboned Fried Red Snapper served with a side of Aioli. The red snapper is a soft, flaky white fish that’s dipped in a batter and fried. With a squeeze of fresh lime and a dip in the aioli sauce, this starter is easy and simple yet fresh and delicious comfort food.
Another awesome starter at Jose Enrique is the Crab Appetizer. Fried Plantain Cups come stuffed with a Shredded Crab mixture that includes thinly slices onions and red peppers, then topped with fresh cilantro. The plantains which are so commonly consumed in Puerto Rican cuisine are hearty and savory. The crab filling contrasts that savory element of the plantains with the freshness of the cilantro and thinly slices raw vegetables. A dab of aioli sauce sits at the base of the plantain.
The Pork Sausage is made in house and served with a couple of huge tostones and a lime wedge. The pork is rich and savory, seasoned with Puerto Rican flavors.
The Poppers at Jose Enrique were off the chain! They may not look like much at first site, but they were one of my favorites of the night! Swordfish is cute into bite sized cubes, battered in a soft doughy batter, then deep fried. The poppers are filled with layers of flavor and the broth that drenches the poppers was exquisite. The divine broth is composed of butter, fresh lime juice, and cilantro.
The main event at Jose Enrique is the highly praised Deboned Snapper which comes with yams, papaya, and avocado mojo. As simple as the ingredients may sound and the techniques used are, the dish delivered so many layers of flavor. The Snapper is the prized possession at Jose Enrique for a very, very good reason. As the dish comes out, seeing the entire fried fish on display is a sexy way to get your appetite going for the main course. The Snapper is deboned for ease of eating then deep fried. The fish lays on a portion of earthy deep flavored yam mash and everything is topped with a classic Caribbean combination of papaya and avocado. The dish is truly a masterpiece; every ingredient on the dish complemented one another, which culminated in a magnificent combination of flavors. My recommendation is to combine the flesh of the fried fish with the mash, and the papaya and avocado salsa and devour your plate!
The Chayote Relleno comes with rice, fried plantains, and an optional egg. Chayote, a type of squash, is stuffed with Jose Enrique’s picadillo. Chayote Relleno is a very traditional Puerto Rican dish. The chayote squash is boiled before the flesh is removed from the center so that it can be stuffed with picadillo. Cheese covers the picadillo, warmed in the oven so that the cheese melts, then served.
The Crumbed Filet is another very popular dish on Jose Enrique’s menu. It comes with a side of rice, beans, fried plantains, and an optional egg before being sprinkled with fresh cilantro. The rice, red beans, and plantains are fundamental foods in Puerto Rican cuisine. The red beans had chunks of sausage and seasoned very well with Latin flavors. The star of the dish of course is the Filet which is pounded down very thin, breaded, then fried. The steak is soft and I loved the addition of kosher salt over the steak. This Crumbed Filet has much Foodie appeal as you don’t see pounded out filet mignon on too many menus.
For dessert we started with the Batido De Flan, which was a very unique Puerto Rican inspired dessert item. It is essentially a shake with flan and condensed milk. Orange flan is a custard that made use of both orange zest and an orange juice reduction, vanilla bean, caramel, and a condensed milk ice cream. I used for the shake so you can taste a subtle orange flavor that is sweet but not overpowering.
The Ice Cream Flight was surprisingly delicious. The Banana Ice Cream was delicious, rich and creamy, with authentic banana flavors. The Mamey Ice Cream as well was rich and sweet with a chalky mouth feel. I personally don’t have too much experience eating Mamey, but the ice cream was very tasty. The Peanut and Cashew Ice Cream had pieces of nuts which added texture to the ice cream and delivered the nutty flavors.