James L.
Yelp
I remember very clearly the first time I tried mofongo. I was in the sixth grade, and we had an international food day celebration. My mom made a bunch of pork and chive dumplings, since those were easy to transport. This being Brooklyn, many of my classmates were Puerto Rican, and one of my good friends (shout out to my man Juan Ramos) brought in some homemade mofongo. I didn't quite know what to make of this mushy dish that he said was derived from plantains (which I had not heard of previously). All I know is, when I had my first bite it was such an interesting texture and was mixed with garlic, his grandma's special "vinagre", and stewed pork; it was heavenly.
Of course, when I got home to ask my mom if she could replicate it, her response very typically Asian. "Hi-ya! We already have some version of that made from taro root. No mofongo for you; Eat your mom's fried Wu Tao gou (https://thewoksoflife.com/taro-cake-wu-tao-gou). Who even cooks bananas anyway?"
Ever since the sixth grade, whenever I get the chance, I ALWAYS seek out a good mofongo. So when I was recently in Orlando for work, I met up with some local colleagues to check out El Cillantrillo. Fun fact: After the NY/Long Island/New Jersey area, the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford neighborhoods of Florida have the second largest Puerto Rican population in the US.
El Cillantrillo has a few locations, but we opted for the outpost at Florida Mall since it's close to the office I was working at. There is a sign warning folks of long wait times...and they ain't kidding about this. We arrived around 6:00pm, and the place was already packed on a Wednesday!
We started off with the fried calamari appetizer...and honestly it was a bit underwhelming. The breading did not stick well to the meat, and while the menu described it as being "quick fried," it actually tasted soggy like it was not fried long enough. The lime aioli dipping sauce was good though.
My friend already warned me that at most Puerto Rican restaurants, the portion sizes are HUGE. Confident in my ability to polish off the dish, since I skipped lunch, I ordered the perchuga a al plancha (grilled chicken breast). When it arrived, it was indeed enough for 2-3 people! 12 hour marinated chicken breast in house herbs and spices was seared on a sizzling plancha style grill and served with a side salad and I added the mofongo for an upcharge. And true to my buddy's word, there was a large enough portion size for lunch the next day.
The chicken was super juicy and the high heat seared gave it an excellent smoky flavor. But the best part of my dish, was the mofongo. The plantains were deep fried, mixed in with onions and spices, and then pounded in a traditional pilon (wooden mortar and pestle). I really wish there were a few more good Puerto Rican joints in the DC area, cuz I so miss this side dish!
We also enjoyed a few of the passion fruit mojitos. Mint leaves were muddled with house rum, passion fruit juice, and topped with a candied lime. It was a taste of the tropics. Careful not to have more than two of these, since the bartender was generous with the rum pour.
By the time we left, the place was still packed and I understand why. The vibe is laid back and fun. There were large groups celebrating birthdays and not only locals were eating here, but a good number of tourists also.
If you're visiting Orlando and staying close to the airport, I wholeheartedly recommend checking out El Cillantrillo.