©istockphoto Olha_Afanasieva
29
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO Before Hurricane Maria, San Juan was taking its rightful place as a Latin culinary capital. And despite the challenges in rebuilding, there’s no reason this shouldn’t continue. PB Ysla from Chef José Mendin works in Asian ingredients into Puerto Rican cuisine, such as ginger and shoyu broth, which he uses for an inspired take on mofongo, a traditional pork, garlic and plantain-based dish. Pork Kelly Kimchee Rice, bao sandwiches filled with lechón (roast pork) and gyoza (Japanese dumplings) made with short rib are other fusion favorites found here. Comedería Fonda
Urbana offers modern twists on the fonda (small restaurant) tradition in Puerto Rico while featuring culinary offerings that align with the new reality faced by the island’s gastronomy industry after Hurricane Maria. Lote 23 is an outdoor space that brings together 16+ kiosks offering a blend of cuisines. Dorotea’s features addictive thin-crust Neopolitanstyle pizzas that work in Thai chili jam, speck and other unexpected ingredients, while Panka serves up Peruvian anticuchos or kebabs and Pernilería Los Proceres is built for pork aficionados, with an array of delicious breakfast options, sandwiches and more. HILTON MOMENTS