March 1, 2024
Today we booked a walking food tour around old San Juan. For three hours we walked the city and dropped in on various restaurants and bars to sample the local cuisine. Our first stop was at Quatro Sombras (4 shadows) coffee bar where we were told about the special coffees grown here that are carefully harvested and beans left to dry in the sun. This gives the coffee and especially rich and smooth flavor. We were served ham and cheese croissants with a dollop of guava jelly. It made for a rather savory treat with a tropical twist.
We hiked to a Spanish restaurant that served typical Puerto Rican dishes of fried crispy cod in a breaded dough. Leslie, our tour guide regaled us with stories of her people and the songs and dances of the people of Puerto Rico. Then we walked to an overlook of the harbor where we were treated to a local popsicle made from Passion Fruit. Leslie said there are two kinds of people those who eat popsicles one with the wrapper still on and those without!
After a twenty minute walk in the middle of a rain downpour we arrived at El Patio for our main meal of Creole Chicken, rice, and plantains. We had to mash the plantains ourselves and flip them onto the plate. A special treat was the Frozen Pina Colada which we learned was invented on the island at that very restaurant.
Our last stop was Casa Luna which treated us to a special Tres Letche desert. When the next downpour outside stopped we made our way back to the hotel for a long nap!
