Fajardo Dinnertime Eats

 
May I recommend the red snapper at Sal + Pimienta By The Sea. We ate here on our first night in Fajardo and were replete with delicious seafood meals after a fun but long road trip from the west coast. 

Since we were staying at the well known El Conquistador Resort via airbnb we were not allowed to access their restaurants. It felt like a bummer but in the end it made us get out and explore! 

Fajardo truly is a sleepy town at night. We felt a little off at times; there just isn't a ton going on! Everything closes pretty early and there is not a main section of town. Sal + Pimienta and La Estacion are on the main road but there's no foot traffic, no sidewalks, no street lights, nothing is a destination except the restaurants themselves I suppose.

La Estacion is apparently sort of famous! Housed in an abandoned Esso gas station serving Nuyorican BBQ; Fodor's and Conde Nast have it on best-of-lists for not only Puerto Rico but the Caribbean as a whole. Bob found it on a whim, it sits just down the road from La Conquistadors pearly, exclusive gates. I sipped a juicy Guanabana mojito, we shared tangy Caribbean chicken wings and a terrific BBQ tray. 

They are open Friday through Sunday only. 

Mon/Fri @ 4 pm and Sat/Sun @ 2 pm.

On our last night in town we decided to give Las Croabas neighborhood another go. This is what you might consider the "main area" in and around Seven Seas Beach. 

We explored Las Croabas on a couple different occasions for lunch and it was very quiet; the only restaurant open was Costa Mia right at Seven Seas. (We ate lunch here - it was fine - I did not take photos!) A lot of restaurants have odd hours (La Estacion as noted above), close for 2 days in a row, or simply did not exist! We could not trust google for anything factual. 

Is this Fajardo still emerging from a pandemic?

 A quiet time of year? 

Business as usual?

On our last night we discovered El Pescador, a charming seafood enclave on the small circular strip surrounding Parque Pasvio. Camden slept in the stroller. Ryder was well rested and could hang. They serve martinis in frosted sea blue glasses and bright, fresh fish dishes with rice + salads.

We were delighted.

Our 6 month old! Kind as could be with long brown curls, shiny blue eyes, taking everything in and enjoying the world around him!

Pineapple Flan was a sweet ending to an enlightened stay in a unique part of Puerto Rico!

If you visit:

Sal + Pimienta by the Sea

 Road 987 Km 2.7, 

Fajardo, 00738

La Estacion

Carr. 987 Km 4.20 

Las Croabas, Fajardo, 00738

El Pescadore

Carr. 987 Km 7.2 

Parque Pasivo, Fajardo, 00738

Brighton Bodega

Here today with a compilation of dishes I've had at one of my favorite spots: Brighton Bodega. 

A wealth of variety is offered through globally inspired small plates which are filling and big on flavor. The beverage program is impeccable with 20 draft lines host to some of the best New England craft beers, a seasonally focused cocktail menu with house made sodas and syrups, and eclectic, boutique driven wines. 

in order (mostly!)

The Bohdi Tree - plymouth gin, matcha tea syrup, cucumber, lime + eucalyptus bitters, mint

goat cheese stuffed dates with almond za'atar and apricot honey 

smoked salmon carbonara

fresh, briny, perfectly shucked oysters

black truffle gnocchi mac n cheese (S U B L I M E)

fried burrata in San Marzano Marinara (H E A V E N)

warm fluffy bao stuffed to the brim with fried chicken, lettuce and pickles

Korean BBQ Kalbi short ribs 

more warm fluffy bao this time with crispy duck confit bathed in hoi-sin

spicy chicken drumettes

Located in Brighton Center, this spot has felt like a neighborhood godsend since it opened. 

Brighton Bodega

328 Washington St

Brighton, MA 02135

The Greenhouse Tavern | CLE

"For us, Cleveland is at the beginning of its glory and we love a good Renaissance."

Chef / owner Jonathan Sawyer, a passionate Clevelander who moved back to his beloved hometown from NYC in 2007. In 2009 he opened The Greenhouse Tavern in what is now the hip and bustling East 4th Street dining district. 

".....at a time when everyone thought we were nuts. Cleveland was getting killed by the economy and our friends in the bigger cities thought we were secretly drunk. We knew something they didn't. We knew that the spirit of Cleveland was back and bigger than ever. We took the risk on Cleveland." 

This year, Sawyer took home The James Beard Award for BEST CHEF: GREAT LAKES!

This was our last night in the CLE and we went out with a bang. As we made our way through a majority of this innovative menu, there were some hits and some misses. 

The crispy chicken wings confit with roasted jalapeno, lemon juice, scallion and garlic were a hit all around. Later on though, the chef sends out a bucket of Tabasco chicken and it's game on. This is the chicken you want to be eating for sure. It's crispy, juicy and fall off the bone ridiculously good fried chicken. 

The animal style frites with bacon, fried eggs, whole grain mustard, mozz curd and brown gravy and the fried brussels sprouts with maple aioli, lemon, fresh mint and raw onion were my favorites. The crispy sprouts have outstanding flavor and the frites are basically a glorified poutine. These are the dishes I simply can not stop eating.

Those of us who drank cocktails found them lackluster. They don't have a bar menu online, and I can't recall all the ingredients - there was one featuring Aperol that barely has any trace, and mine (pictured) had me searching for the bourbon. Local brews seem to be the best bet, a can of New Cleveland Palesner - a part pale ale, part pilsner gets the job done. 

As far as entrees go, the pig head comes coated in bbq sauce with a raw vegetable salad, brioche buns, lime and lettuce. I struggled with this one! It was prepared well but the meat being particularly fatty, I wasn't crazy about it. Others however, devoured it. I had really high hopes for my house made black pepper bucatini with Ohio beef jerky, pecorino and grated farm egg bottarga. The hollow pasta noodles were cooked to a satisfying al dente but they got lost in the heavy beef jerky sauce. The dish was lacking balance, the sauce was simply too smoky. The Smoked Pork Tonkotsu Syle Ramen with white cabbage, scallion and crispy pork chashu didn't actually look like a ramen noodle soup. One dining companion cleans her plate while another barely touches it, remarking, "it's not ramen." Overall, the appetizers nail it while the entrees leave us wanting. 

The buttered popcorn pot de crème with caramel and sea salt is smooth and creamy with bold flavors, ending our meal on a high note!

The Greenhouse Tavern
Gateway District / E 4th St
2038 East Fourth Street 
Cleveland, OH 44115 

Great Lakes Brewing Co. | CLE

The Cleveland crew and I kicked off a night of brewery hopping through the Ohio City neighborhood's Market District with award winning craft beer and hearty local fare at Great Lakes Brewing Company.  The evening begins with a pitcher of Dortmunder Gold, a smooth lager that strikes a balance between sweet malts and dry hops. What follows are terrific appetizers including Smoked Chicken Wings, Brewers Barley Pretzels and a Sausage Sampler Plate. The beer sampling continues, I was a fan of both the Burning River Pale Ale with assertive citrusy cascade hops and the Holy Moses White Ale, a limited release Belgian wit spiced with coriander, orange peel and chamomile. 

The Stilton Cheddar Ale Soup made with Dortmunder Gold is thick, smooth and ultra cheesy. It makes for a solid entrée alongside a lighter Roasted Red and Golden Beet Salad with bib lettuce, feta, fresh basil, olive oil and red wine vinegar. The Pretzel Chicken proves an inventive entrée with classic sides of mashed potatoes, green beans, relish and a Burning River Pale Ale Mustard Sauce. For dessert, the warm Raisin Bread Pudding and made-down-the-street small batch ice cream is a sweet ending paired with the Alberta Clipper Porter featuring notes of bittersweet chocolate and fresh raspberry.

We spent the rest the evening just up the street at Market Garden Brewery and later Nano Brew. Local owner and brew-master Sam McNutly leads our behind the scenes crawl, we sample a ton of his excellent beers and it makes for a really fun night out in Cleveland.

Great Lakes Brewing Company

2516 Market Ave

Cleveland, Ohio 44113