Sofrito Rico Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine
Alcapurrias – Fried Taro Root filled with Pork
Empanadas con Pollo – Chicken in Puff Pastry
Rellenos de Papa – Potato Balls filled with Ground Beef
Surullitos – Fried Corn Sticks
Maduros – Sweet Plantains
Carne Frita con Tostones – Fried Pork Chunks with Fried Plantains
Tostones al Ajillo – Fried Plantains with Garlic Sauce
Bacalaitos – Fried Cod Fish Fritters
Chuletas Fritas with Arroz con Gandules – Crispy Pork Chop with Puerto Rican Fried Rice
Mofongo – Fried Mashed Plantains
Arroz con Dulce – Cinnamon Rice Pudding with Raisins
Tembleque – Coconut Custard
Still a favorite of First Fridays and Local Markets, but now turned brick and mortar in the Food Court at 6475 West Charleston Boulevard, Sofrito Rico Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine is a family run business from the husband and wife team of Jason and Susanette Sandoval, the duo looking to bring the food of their ancestors to local natives but equally happy to spread the wealth to all of Las Vegas with everything handmade in house and plentiful portions to share.
No doubt the definition of an “Under the Radar” location, the indoor counter one of many in a dingy space seemingly made specifically for folks attending a nearby community college, Sofrito Rico presents a variety of authentic Puerto Rican options on laminated menus as well as an overhead flatscreen television and with a deceptively large working space that appears sparkling clean from the window the service offered is equally spotless, suggestions provided as requested and all questions answered with a smile.
Modestly priced across the board, appetizers mostly $3 or under with proper meals rarely crossing into double digits, dining at Sofritio Rico is offered both dine-in as well as take-out and with Grubhub delivery plus over-the-phone ordering offered for those in a hurry it warrants mention that wait times are entirely dependent on time of day, the made-to-order freshness leading to a twenty minute delay to delivery of our sizable four-person order.
Not particularly a “light” style of cooking, the majority of items either fried or served with sides of bean stew or Puerto Rican-style rice, approximately one-half of the Sofrito Rico menu focuses on streetfood classics and whether one opts for Empanadas in one of three varieties, well-seasoned Potato Balls stuffed with Ground Beef, or enormous fritters of briny shredded salt cod tastebuds are likely to be pleased with the resultant flavors as well as textures, all three virtually oilless and most portions sharable by two.
Less so “finger food,” but no less delicious or worthy of cost, those seeking something sweeter to start the meal are encouraged to investigate either the Alcapurrias that match tender taro with shredded pork or intensely sweet pan-seared Maduros, the elongated Surullitos something like batter-dipped polenta but not quite as creamy, the sort of thing that required dipping sauce to be truly enjoyable – something provided by the Sandoval’s in the form of ketchup mixed with Mayo.
Doubling up on Tostones, the weighty fried pressed Plantain discs offered alongside cubes of fried pork and then as a side dish dressed in Garlic it was with mashed Mofongo that the meal marched onward, the rustic presentation starchy but soft with a surprisingly complex depth of savory flavors.
Undoubtedly over-ordering, an $80 tab yielding enough food to satiate a group nearly twice our size, the meal’s final savory featured a pair of crispy bone-in Pork Chops lightly fried next to bean and potato stew plus Puerto Rican Fried Rice, the later far better than expected while the former possessed an odd pungency that saw most cut themselves off after just one bite.
Told by the server that desserts were “great” it was with four small cups that the meal would end, and although generally not usually impressed by coconut it was a welcome surprise that the creamy Coconut Custard called “Tembleque” was every bit as spoon-worthy as the sticky rice pudding teeming with cinnamon and raisins plus coconut cream and ginger.
FOUR STARS: Limited only by the sketchy dining room and fixed seating that puts adjacent diners knee-to-knee Sofrito Rico Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine offers great food at an equally impressive pricepoint considering both quality and portions with smiling service that seems as eager to educate as it is to please.
RECOMMENDED: Bacalaitos, Alcapurrias, Carne Frita con Tostones, Tembleque, Arroz con Dulce.
AVOID: Bean Stew, Chuletas (at least compared to the Carne Frita,) and Dining Solo.
TIP: Not particularly well demarcated from the street, look for the baby blue “Campus Commons Food Court” also featuring Korean BBQ, Boba Tea and Mexican Food, Sofrito Rico merely labeled as “Puerto Rican Cuisine” on the sign.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
http://sofritorico.com/