Slightly less dramatic-looking but perhaps more emblematic of traditional Puerto Rican cooking is the mofongo tradicional de plátano ($8), a flat-topped cone of mashed and fried green plantains stuffed with meat and served with chicken broth. This hearty dish, with its mild, lightly crisped exterior, is like a present you tear open to reveal a steaming, garlic-fragrant heap of chicken or chicharrón: fried pork cracklings. A forkful of plantains and crisp/chewy, garlicky pork, dipped in broth, might make your Puerto Rican friends misty-eyed with nostalgia. But even Anglos will get the homey appeal of this terrific dish, which might stand more broadly for what Vejigantes has achieved here: an unprepossessing exterior with a lovely, delicious surprise inside.
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Topics:
Restaurant Reviews
, South End, MC slim JB, eats, More
, South End, MC slim JB, eats, food features, Less
