Review: Old San Juan a New Favorite
The State (Weekend Section) Feb. 1, 2008
Rating: 4-stars

One of my co-workers was raving recently about his new favorite dinner spot, Old San Juan Restaurant in Northeast Richland. Always in the hunt for something new and delicious, we decided to head over to Two Notch Road, just in front of the Spring Valley subdivision, to check it out.

The Otero family is committed to serving authentic Puerto Rican cuisine and seems to have a loyal customer base. Any questions we had (well, I had) about the food were explained graciously and helped me make some delicious choices.

We started out with tostones ($3), green plantains (not the sweet ones) that have been fried lightly then mashed, seasoned, shaped into disks and fried again, topped with a smidge of garlic and cilantro (mojo de ajo) sauce. The combination of the crunchy exterior and the softer interior was a great beginning to our meal. Of note, the tostones can be ordered stuffed with shrimp for $5.95.
Moving on to the platos principales (entrees)... I tried the El Convento (pulled roasted pork served with rice and pigeon peas), $7.50. The pork was tender and seasoned lightly and, when mixed with the rice and peas, quite filling. Puerto Rican cuisine is not traditionally spicy, heat-wise, but you can ask for a hot sauce — just don’t use too much.

We also ordered the San Sebastian ($6.75), cube steak with onions over yellow rice; El Adoquin ($5.95), chicken fricassee over white rice and a side bowl of perfectly seasoned red beans; and a mofongo topped with sauteed shrimp ($13.95).