Sofrito Rico Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine
Alcapurria – Fried Taro Root, Beef
Bacalaito – Fried Cod Fish Fritter
Rellenos de Papa – Potato Ball, Ground Beef
Jibarito de Bistec – Fried Plantain, Steak, Mayo Ketchup, Lettuce, Tomato
Jibarito de Pernil – Fried Plantain, Pork, Mayo Ketchup, Lettuce, Tomato
Trifongo – Mashed Green Plantains, Sweet Plantains, Yuca, Pork Rinds
Surullitos – Fried Corn Sticks, Mayo Ketchup on the side
Que Rico Fries – French Fries, Roasted Pork, Sweet Plantains, Mayo Ketchup
Although Puerto Rican Cuisine has a long and storied history it is far from well-represented in Las Vegas, the city’s only proper purveyor started as a Food Truck in 2015 before laying down roots inside the Food Court at 6475 West Charleston and later moving down the Boulevard to a proper storefront at 5201 Suite 110 between Decatur and Lindell.
Titled Sofrito Rico Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine, family owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Jason and Susanette Sandoval, it is from 11:00am daily that guests will find an expansive menu of plates hailing from the couples’ heritage, everything handmade in house and portioned plentifully for the price.
Still “Under the Radar,” but getting by during COVID-19 thanks to safety measures including distanced tables plus staff and guests wearing PPE, it was after an aggressive exchange with a tatted-up server interrogating guests about “taking pictures of my line” that $60 of Food was taken elsewhere, well-seasoned Potato Balls stuffed with Ground Beef and sizable Fritters of shredded Salt Cod each delicious while elongated Alcapurria were unfortunately fairly bland.
Not a particularly “light” style of cooking, most items including finger-length Corn Sticks fried in Oil, “Que Rico Fries” seem to be something specific to Sofrito Rico, the store-bought Crinkle-Cut Spuds topped in chopped Plantains and Pork plus Mayo Ketchup that had specifically been requested on the side using Grubhub.
More authentic with Trifongo, Yuca joining the more traditional combination of Pork Rinds, Garlic and Plantains that constitute Mofongo, entrees entailed dueling Jibarito Sandwiches, a relatively modern concoction first seen in 1996 at Restaurant Borinquen in Chicago’s Humboldt Par neighborhood featuring flattened-fried Green Plantains as the “Bun” and Meat with fairly benign Veggies plus a dearth of seasoning within.
TWO AND A HALF STARS: From the frankly appalling behavior of a server who all-but-threatened a guest for taking the same picture others have posted more than once on social media, to hit-n-miss dishes and the inability to read typed instructions in an online-ordering system, this visit to Sofrito Rico was a significant fall-off from 2016 – though prices and portions are both still recommendable.
RECOMMENDED: Bacalaito, Rellenos de Papa.
AVOID: Jibarito de Bistec, Que Rico Fries.
TIP: Online ordering, delivery and dine-in all available from 11:00am until 8:00pm Monday through Thursday, and till nine o’clock Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
www.sofritorico.com
