La Marginal

We were visiting Texas and went with one of my mom’s friends out to some Puerto Rican restaurant whose name the friend didn’t remember. We ended up at a mom and pop shop hidden away in a small plaza by the highway. The waiter quickly seated us and we were on our way to experimentation of Puerto Rican food.

Criolla Combination ($7.39)

Small beef and guave turnovers, small stuffed plantain fritters, small stuffed potatoes, and corn sticks served with mayo-ketchup sauce (three pieces each). I didn’t really care for the appetizers much. The one that tasted best out of the platter was the round potatoes next to the powdered sugar empanadas. Everything else was mediocre and perhaps a little strange to the tastebuds.

Cuban Sandwich ($4.99)

Slices of roast pork, swiss cheese, mayonaise, mustard and pickles. I didn’t have this but after seeing it, I wish I had enough room to eat this as well as my meal. Dwight said that the bread here was particularly good and that the sandwich was excellent.

#3 Mofongo Al Pilon (Mofongo served in a mortar $9.99)

Chunks of fried pork, salad, mashed green plantain with pork rinds. The fried pork in the dish was really good. Everyone tried a sample chunk and it became an instant favorite. Dennis thought it was good too but a tab bit over seasoned.

#8 Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef $9.49)

Shredded beef in a special Puerto Rican sauce. I tasted the pulled pork but it didn’t really taste that fantastic to me. I liked my dish a lot more. Furthermore, the presentation did not look all that appetizing…

#4 Chuleta A La Borinquen (Pork A La Borinquen $9.49)

There were options of white rice or yellow, fried plantains or regular so we wanted to get different tastes out of the menu. Dennis got the deep-fried plantains, which weren’t as good as the typical, softer ones. He was also trying the white rice, which wasn’t as good as the yellow rice. His pork chop wasn’t memorable but it was decent.

#7 El Jibarito (The Hill Billy $11.49)

Roast pork with Puerto Rican meat pie, mashed plantain in a special blend of vegetables and spices stuffed with pork meat. My meal was actually pretty decent. The meat was flavorful and a little bit crispier on the edges but mixed with rice, it became fantastic. In fact, my favorite part WAS the rice, which I thought had a bit of spice to it. The fried plantains were delicious too. The salad here did not have any dressing or additional ingredients so it was plain and very boring. The rectangular food in the upper left corner had some shrimp and reminded me of the vietnamese sweet rice wrapped in banana leaves, but I didn’t like it too much.

The environment was nice though because there was a very good Puerto Rican band playing. The music was nicer than Mi Tierra, not to mention that it didn’t cost anything to listen here. The semi-dim lighting was the perfect setting for eating out with family or a loved one while opening your ears to the mellow music. Be sure to check out the restaurant’s website to print the 10% coupon for orders over $25.00! We missed out on this discount because we were going with a family friend who didn’t remember the name of the place.