Coquitni cocktail 
traditional mojito
Alcapurrias 
codfish fritters
Churrasco with chimichurri sauce and arroz con gandules
Traditional green plantains
Mofongo Tradicional de Plattano
Arroz con gandules
guava paste with white cheese
This was my 1st foray into authentic Puerto Rican food, and my friend Yari said this was THE place in Boston to go for authentic Puerto Rican cuisine. Located in Boston's fabulous South End ( NOT to be confused with South Boston) this would be part of the Back Bay. A trendy neighborhood with some great restaurants and pubs.
Vejigantes is a colorful local with a friendly staff and a great menu that has the traditional names of the food but also a nice breakdown of what makes up each dish. Be prepared to want to order a lot of food, because there are some great sounding items on the menu. I was very lucky to go with someone who knows her Puerto Rican cuisine and was able to break down how each dish is made and made some terrific recommendations.
We started off with a couple of delicious cocktails, i had the signature cocktail Coquitni with was made with Don Q coco, coconut cream and milk, insanely good and creamy. Yari had the classic mojito and enjoyed hers very much. They make their drinks strong but not so much you aren't able to appreciate all the ingredients in the mix.
We then had two yummy appetizers that were both fabulous and unique. The codfish fritters, so unique in texture and taste. I expected a deep fried ball of of dough with fish inside, but the codfish is throughout the batter and you get a bit of salty flavorful fish in each glorious bite. We also had the alcapurrias( green bananas and plantains made into a masa with seasonings and filled with ground beef) absolutely delicious. So perfectly seasoned , that each bite felt like you were tasting something new.
Yari had the churrasco with a chimichurri sauce with arroz con gandules, that she enjoyed very much. The steak was cooked perfectly and beautifully seasoned. We both got the same Arroz con Gandules, rice with pigeon peas, i am a huge fan of this rice, so flavorful & cooked perfectly. The peas are a lovely accompaniment to the rice, they bring out the flavor so nicely in each other.
I had a very traditional Puerto Rican dish called….Mofongo (with garlic sauce). I am just going to let that marinate with you for a moment…mofongo. It was delicious !! This is dish is mashed plantains made in a mortar and filled with pork, served with an amazing garlic sauce. The dish is served as pictured above and then you break the mofongo dome apart and pour the garlic sauce all over. The combination is a real unexpected delight, and fun to order.
I am a big fan of the old Food Network show "The Best Thing I ever Ate" and on their fried food episode , Guy Fieri listed a Puerto Rican restaurant in Florida that specialized in Mofongo and he raved about the amazing site it was to watch the dish being made, and then about the glorious flavor after he tried it. Its worth checking out on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMTrzCEQi7M
If Mofongo wasn't enough, we needed a lil something sweet to cleanse our palate. So the guava paste with white cheese seemed light and unique. The guava pasta is amazing, we are both big fans of guava and this was very tasty. The blend of white cheese with the sweetness of the guava worked well together , but the guava paste is the star of this show.
Overall this was a wonderful dining experience and i can count Puerto Rican food as one of my new favorite cuisines. I would highly recommend taking a trip to the South End and checking out Vejigantes for dinner some time soon.
Have a great night and an even better meal.
Kevin B.
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