Mexican food. Sushi. Pupusas. Korean Barbecue. The list of delicious food in Los Angeles is as diverse as the people who live here.
But what if you're looking to try cuisine of a Puerto Rican persuasion? As it turns out: You're in luck. Head to North Hollywood, and you'll find a bright orange restaurant called Mofongos on Lankershim Boulevard. Mofongos takes the glory of being the only Puerto Rican restaurant in the L.A. area. Take Two takes you there to kick off our summer food series, The Dish.
For the uninitiated, mofongo is a classic Puerto Rican dish made up of mashed plantains that are fried and shaped into a bowl. That bowl is then filled with savory meat, like steak, chicken or pork.
But Augusto Cohen, one of the owners at Mofongos, recommends adorning your mofongo with shrimp. The jumbo shrimp are cooked in a red sofrito sauce — a cilantro-based sauce that is a staple in Puerto Rican cuisine — and enveloped by the flavorful moat of plantains.
Cohen was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and began learning to cook from his mother at age 6. He eventually made his way to L.A. and graduated from UCLA in 2003. He's been serving up delicious Puerto Rican food to hungry Angelenos every since, and has gained a loyal customer following.
"If nothing else, you can talk to your friends and they're like, 'Oh, you're Puerto Rican? Oh, you're the only Puerto Rican I've met.' And you can say, 'Well hey, you know, there's not much to do out here to experience Puerto Rico, but you can go check out Mofongos," he said.
For those who aren't familiar with Puerto Rican food, Cohen says the first thing he has to explain is that this is not spicy food.
"It's not picante, it's sabroso," he said. "The same way that Italian food has a lot of flavor, Puerto Rican food has a lot of flavor. Lots of garlic, oregano, very seasoned, very adobado food."
Get ready for a Caribbean food coma.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.