Casa Dominicana

I find lots of inspiration from fellow local food bloggers to try new and exciting places, mostly because I am salivating as I browse through their posts and pictures. My most recent adventure was inspired by Masticating Monkey's visit to Casa Dominicana for mofongo de chicharron on All Over Albany. 

One of my best friends was in town and we both have a love for all things culinary and food related. D is half Puerto Rican and knows her Latin food. Her Grandma makes a mean alcapurria and I can vouch for it. For the longest time we've been talking about getting mofongo but never knew where to find a good place for it in Albany. Lucky for us, AOA pointed us in the right direction for a lunch feast. 

Central Avenue never fails when it comes to getting authentic ethnic eats. No frills, no fusion-- just simple, good regional native food and that's what we found at Casa Dominicana. D, accompanied by her fiance J, were so excited to be greeted by a menu full of her childhood favorites. Casa Dominicana is a Dominican establishment but carries an array of Latin foods with Puerto Rican and Cuban favorites. I also have to mention how nice and accommodating the owner was. We were initially awestruck by the menu but he was very friendly, introducing each item in the hot trays and highlighting the specialties of the house.

We all came for the mofongo of course: one order each of the mofongo de chicharron (pork); mofongo de carne frita (fried beef); and mofongo de bacalao guisado (stewed codfish). Here's where having a half-Puerto Rican friend came in handy. Unbeknownst to me, you have a choice of getting two different kinds of plantains in your mofongo. D pointed out that green plantains (verde) taste more like tostones which are more savory and much more to her liking while mashed ripe plantains (maduro) have a sweeter flavor. I love a sweet and salty combo and opted for the latter.
D couldn't resist getting alcapurria (stuffed plantain patties with pork) and a side of platanos maduros (sweet plantains) and lechon asado (roast pork) as appetizers. This is where Puerto Rican and Dominican food differs a bit. D tells me that her Gma makes alcapurria with a paste of yuca (cassava) rather than plantains. Casa's version with plantains were super crispy and just as delicious. Definitely ask for a side of the house-made hot sauce, a delightful bright green and acidic blend of cilantro, peppers, garlic, and vinegar. The plantain medallions were perfectly ripe and sweet but the star was the pork. The chunks of unctuous fatty pork were melt in your mouth tender but the best bites were bites of super crispy pork skins. 

We knew our orders of mofongo were ready when we could smell a giant waft of garlic headed our way. It was overwhelmingly fantastic not to mention the portions were huge! Don't let the strong garlic smell scare you. It's a strong blend but not too powerful as it's mixed in with bits of shredded pork and mashed plantains. There is also no shortage of pork and of course the best bite are the ones with crisy pork rinds. Unlike D's and J's mofongos, only my version with pork came with a red tomato gravy both in a bowl and extra on the side. The sauce helped keep the dish moist and I appreciated getting extra sauce without asking for it. These monfongos got a seal of approval from D; she said it tastes just like her Grandma's. I also give my first mofongo experience a thumbs up. It's an awesome blend of flavors and textures. Go all out at Casa Dominicana and get a Dominican soda to wash every last delicious bite down, if you can finish it all!

Thanks for featuring another ethnic eat Masticating Monkey, what a great find. I can't wait to come back and try other specialties.  I'll just make sure to bring with me a tin of altoids, unless I really want to scare away some vampires.