Dining in Old San Juan

Although I've been to San Juan, Puerto Rico many times and seen most of the ancient fortresses, I'd never taken the time to relax and savor traditional Puerto Rican cuisine. So my colleague and I, Renee Fye, decided to plop ourselves down at a table at Caficultura on Calle San Francisco in Old San Juan, enjoy the evening and get to know each other better. A coffee bar by day, Caficultura turns into quite a happening tapas bar during the evening and was an ideal place for conversation and camaraderie as we could talk to each other without shouting.

Before we actually sat down, we told the hostess that we were looking to be adventurous in the food department that night and wanted to try authentic Puerto Rican appetizers or "cucina criolla." She told us we were in the right place and recommended a tapas assortment (the Tapa Cafi sampler)that included fried catfish, plantains, creole chicken and empanadillas. They were so tasty that Renee and I decided to order more. The tapas went especially well with the local brews, one Kofresi (dark) and one Medalla (pale).

We were never rushed while we there and the waitress shared stories with us about life in Puerto Rico and how tense it was after the layoff of thousands of government workers.