Mofongo in Chowzter’s Tastiest Fast Feasts 2013 Awards

Last Saturday night, top bloggers from all over Latin America gathered together at La Mar Cebichería in Lima, Peru to celebrate Chowzter’s annual Latin American 50 Tastiest Fast Feasts. I had my first Pisco Sour in Lima that night (which was much stronger and sweeter than I had anticipated) and met international food personalities and bloggers from Venezuela, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, and London. The night was chilly and drizzly, but inside the restaurant was as warm as the pisco in my belly. Imagine being in the company of a room full of kindred spirits – everywhere I turned to, people spoke in the universal language of food. We washed down classic Peruvian dishes like ceviche, tiradito, and papa a la huancaína with pisco sours and white wine. I thought to myself, it can’t get any better than this, until my name was called to speak about a Dominican dish that was chosen as a runner up.

Beaming with pride (and missing my sash!), I walked up to the podium and talked about the mofongo from Adrian Tropical, a beloved local eatery located by the ocean in the Malecón of Santo Domingo. It’s a casual place where natives go get their dose of really good homey Dominican food or their regular fix of mofongo, a local dish made of mashed green plantains and pork cracklings. At Adrian, it’s scooped into a wooden mortar and moistened with a light garlic broth, a creole dish that’s honest, stick-to-your ribs Dominican comfort food. I like to sit outside while the sun sets and wash my mofongo down with an icy local Presidente beer, while I bask in warm salty ocean breezes.

The winner that night was Pastel de Choclo from Chile, a casserole made of shredded chicken, raisins, olives, and choclo. I can’t wait to try it, but mofongo‘s still my number one.