Nuwan P.
Yelp
Our friends from Homestead drove up to visit us back on May 27th.
With their 3 hungry kids in tow, Santos and Melissa passionately suggested we should try authentic Dominican food for dinner. That we (mom and myself) will love it! Within a few minutes he blurted out "have you tried Mofongo", to which I replied jokingly, "what did you just call me". And after a worthy drive under 20 mins (from Haverhill area with traffic), we ended up at this small restaurant in a small shopping plaza, on South Dixie Hwy in South West Palm Beach.
Once again, reservations are not necessary. I do not think Casa Del Mofongo has a slow time, and is open all seven days. The restaurant has a general, uninformative website, found on google lookup for the restaurant. On Google a 4.8 rating with an astounding, 2700 reviews. However on Yelp, 4.5 rating, a mere 193 reviews. With this being, when visiting, please expect to wait in the narrow and tight entrance space at least 15 minutes or more. While waiting and maneuvering (as other patrons walk in), we noticed and admired the pleasing, rustic decor and the plaque on the wall, highlighting the restaurant being voted as Best Dominican Restaurant for 2022, Palm Beach County. The restaurant's popularity is way bigger than the physical limits of the dinning and waiting area.
From what I have read Mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish with fried mashed green plantains, garlic, olive oil, with bacon or pork cracklings. Served in an oval shape, with meat, seafood and broth. And somewhere along the way, became extremely popular that now it is a Dominican standard. Yes, the significant wait allowed us to admiringly peruse the menu and Santos advised us on what to order. Thankfully with Santos being there, he was able to communicate in Spanish with the 4 female wait staff. I believe only one of them conversed in English. Despite the continuous dinner crowd, the female staff remained upbeat, attentive, friendly, and polite. After a few peeks to the back of the restaurant, I noticed a compact yet bustling kitchen, where this desirable, delicious, traditional food is rustled up.
What is impressive to me about the food is manner in which each dish is plated. Santos's choice, the Mofongo con Camarones (Mofongo with Shrimp) was plated to us on slender, small, boat shaped, dull metal dish, atop a wooden, rectangular board. Look at the photo below and agree with me that looks beautifully delicious. As it was not my plate, I had a bite and absolutely no words to express how fabulous the taste was. My Mofongo con Pollo was neatly and plainly plated on a rectangular dull metal dish, equally packing a devastating, delicious punch. My mom ordered the Salmon a la Plancha. The fish is cooked on a hot, flat metal plate, or plancha, which combines high-heat searing with a bit of smoking. The fish is seasoned with herbs and citrus and rubbed with olive oil. Once again, a sizeable portion, some of which we had to take home. Melissa had the Pargo Frito, pictured below. This is Spanish for whole deep fried Snapper, cleaned, seasoned (with herbs) and served in a similar tray adorned by a leaf and lime. And as excellent as the above dishes were, this spot serves a cool, refreshing Limonada and Sangria that pairs well.
At the end, to leave Casa del Mofongo is an endeavor. The food is fantastic that you definitely desire to order more as takeout. Yet the food is filling to point that you do not wish to eat anything else for the day or the next day. The appetizer and entree value is worth the portion. The entrees range from $18 to $26. When you visit, come here starving and make sure you all can wait standing up for over 15 minutes. Enjoy the visit, its one place to remember and worth returning. This is one review I have the absolute pleasure of writing as it was an experience I was not expecting to have.