Celeste - Review - Old San Juan - San Juan - The Infatuation

"Celeste defines itself as a seafood and wine bar, only open from Friday to Monday, but that’s just the dry resume of this place. The restaurant is the perfect median between a laid-back night out with a glass of velvety merlot and an indulgent multicourse dinner tailored for the self-proclaimed epicurean. A Saturday night getting wine drunk over some artistically plated mackerel is easy at Celeste—a spot that happens to be the most memorable dinner you’ll have in San Juan. photo credit: Ivana Rizik This spot serves seasonal sharing plates that are Puerto Rican at their core, with South American, East Asian, and Caribbean influences. You might have curly tentacles swimming in a spicy chorizo sauce, outstanding crudo, and glistening skewers of beef brisket you can gobble down without feeling self-conscious about your fork-and-knife etiquette. The white tablecloths suggest a serious evening—until you notice the table nearby tossing back pitorro shots from a bottle of Don Q, or a server in a camo hat and the Nike low-dunks you’ve been eyeing, who won’t try to push the $196 bottle of Gravner off the “extra special reserve” menu. Admit you spent too much at Plaza Las Américas, and they’ll assure you that the $65 bottle of white wine is just as good. With tastefully cluttered walls of double-headed lizards and other abstract paintings, Celeste will make you want to linger past dessert. If you’re still feeling the buzz from the wine and the incredible meal you just had, pop into the bar La Parroquia next door and continue the happy streak with a karaoke night cap—you’ll likely find the crew who was sitting next to you at Celeste doing the same. Food Rundown The menu at Celeste changes frequently, but here are a few examples of the types of dishes you might find. Filipino Crudo With Hontaka Chili, Cucumber Sawsawan, And Garlic Chicharrones The chicharron crumble on top is what sets this crudo apart from every crudo you’ve encountered in your life. It eats like pork granola and adds a wonderful crunch to the gelatinous slivers of fish. Crispy Coconut Shrimp With Polynesian Pearl Sauce It’s the familial sweet taste of coconut shrimp, but lathered in sauce that gives it a lovely tang. The sauce entirely coats each shrimp, which still maintains a crunch. Reef Octopus “Arrachera” With Chorizo Chili Crisp And Roasted Ají De Papaya Inspired by the smoky flavors of skirt steak, this octopus has a crisp char at the tips of the tentacles. The deep red chorizo chili crisp is as spicy and rich as it looks, and we’d like to have several jars of it on hand to plop on all our meals moving forward. Beef Brisket Niku Dango With Roasted Peanuts, Miso Caramel And Dulce De Chayote They really nail the sweet and savory combination at Celeste. A nutty example of this is in these tender beef skewers that are doused in a miso caramel sauce. The real kicker here are the candied bits of chayote we didn’t know could taste this incredible with meat." - Mariana Trabanino