Puerto Rican in Phoenix

Puerto Rican specialties here include pernil (roasted pork shoulder), bistec encebollado (steak with caramelized onions), and pollo guisado (braised chicken with potatoes). Hard-to-find Puerto Rican sodas are available, too: a coconut soda, Coco Rico, that's sweet but not sticky-sweet, and Goya Cola Champagne, an orange cream soda. The tostones at FrinGo's, served with the obligatory side of ketchup-mayonnaise, are perfectly fried slices of plantain. House specialties include pollo guisado, a stew of bone-in chicken and potatoes with adobo-like seasonings over fork-tender meat. Pastelillos, a Puerto Rican turnover, can be filled with a number of meats, the best of which might be the moist shredded chicken and pork. The traditional carne molida (ground beef) and bistec (steak) aren't half-bad, either.

It’s hard to find Puerto Rican cuisine of any kind in the Valley, so it’s great to know that this newish restaurant offers diners a well-executed and approachable menu of dishes from the Caribbean archipelago. Owned by a husband-and-wife team, this small but bright restaurant features a menu that provides helpful descriptions of the food should you not recognize the Spanish names. Appetizers include both chicken and beef empanadas. The alcapurria, a fried fritter made with green plantains, banana, and taro root and ground meat is delicious. Tostones, or deep-fried green plantains, are a simple, salty snack that taste great when dipped in mayo-ketchup. The restaurant's specialty is mofongo, a well-loved Puerto Rican dish made with mashed green plantains. For dessert, flan, budin (bread pudding with raisins), and tres leches cake are all sublime.