Tucked among the trendy restaurants and bars of Gordon Square is Rincon Criollo, a true Latin American classic that’s been dishing up flavorful home cooking-style food for years. And when it comes to Puerto Rican comfort foods, nothing beats mofongo con camarones ($11).
The beloved dish starts with fried plantains, which are mashed with garlic and olive oil in a wooden goblet called a pilon, a device much like a mortar and pestle. The resulting mixture is then shaped into a ball and placed in the center of the plate. It’s topped with sautéed shrimp swimming in Rincon’s special sauce.
First comes the sweet brininess of the shrimp, followed by the garlicky mofongo. Like mashed potatoes and gravy, it’s the sauce-covered plantain mixture that provides that soothing comfort food sensation. It’s also what brings people back again and again to Rincon Criollo.
6504 Detroit Ave.
Cleveland
216-939-0992
This article appears in Aug 14-20, 2013.
