Nuevo Restaurant Row
Sue Huffman reports.
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San Juan, Puerto Rico—For years, sun worshippers heading to chic Caribbean islands considered San Juan nothing more than a place to change planes. No more. San Juan is now being called the new South Beach. And the attraction is more than the beaches. Old San Juan, the 500 year old colonial port, has become a food lover's paradise.
The cuisine? Call it whatever you like: Criollo, Creole, or Latino—nuevas things are happening. The spark behind the dining renaissance in Old San Juan is Emilio Figueroa, who could be called his city's Danny Meyer, the New York City restaurateur whose name is synonymous with hospitality in the food world. Like Meyer, Figueroa is warm, affable, and insistent on a highly trained, well-treated staff.
Along with his wife/partner New Jerseyan Gigi Zafero Figueroa and Guam native executive chef Dustin Atoigue, Figueroa opened The Parrot Club in late 1996, on the then decidedly untrendy end of Fortaleza Street in the old capital city. The vibrantly hued, immediately popular Nuevo Latino restaurant became de rigueur for locals and tourists alike to enjoy tropical drinks, hot music, and a new take on Puerto Rican food. Blackened tuna in dark rum sauce with orange essence remains a menu highlight.
In 2000, the team segued into Latin-Asian with Dragonfly, a tiny 44 seat boîte decorated in a bordello/opium den theme across the street from The Parrot Club. Still the hottest ticket on the island, Dragonfly offers up small plates ranging from Peking duck nachos with wasabi sour cream to halibut seviche with ginger, coconut milk, and scallions.
Aguaviva ("jellyfish" in Spanish) was born in the spring of '02, so "people could get decent fish in San Juan," according to Figueroa. Now more than 10 years after opening The Parrot Club, the Figueroa's OOFInc. restaurant group has added seven more restaurants to the roster, ranging from Spanish tapas to Caribbean to steakhouse to Italian and even a diner.
With The Parrot Club leading the way, South Fortaleza Street has been dubbed SoFo and is inhabited by 30 restaurants, a third of them owned and operated by the Figueroa/Atoigue team. So what's next for the trendsetting trio? There's talk of a Mexican restaurant. Could Miami or New York City be on the horizon? Stay tuned.
