Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
into one of the island's most romantic interiors, awash with billowing white curtains, flick-
ering candles and delightful Moorish-Andalusian tiles, and order from a menu replete with
scallops, duck and foie gras. Not surprisingly, there's a wine list to rival anything in France.
Aguaviva
SEAFOOD $$
( 787-722-0665; 364 Fortaleza; dishes $17-34; lunch Fri-Sun in season, dinner
daily)
Seviche's the word at Aguaviva, a trendy SoFo restaurant owned by the same com-
pany as Dragonfly and the Parrot Club. It's designed with an arty water/sea-life theme -
all turquoise blues and brilliant whites. The house specialty is seafood, in particular the
seviche, with plenty of patrons rolling in just to savor an appetizer with a pre-dinner cock-
tail. Everything from the open-view kitchen to the catwalk clientele is slavishly stylish. But
the real test is the food: fresh oysters, lobster yucca gnocchi and swordfish steak
frites
with
wild mushrooms.
El Picoteo
SPANISH $$
(GranHotelElConvento,100CalledelCristo;tapas$10-20; lunch&dinner)
One
of El Convento's culinary highlights is this terrace tapas bar - suspended above the hotel's
central courtyard - that could rival anything in Andalusia. Perennial favorites include tor-
tilla, meatballs, garlic prawns, garbanzos and various cheeses. If you're after something
more substantial there's also pizza and paella washed down with sangria. The ambience at
Picoteo is terrific and, during the afternoon, the canned music is punctuated with the famil-
iar clack of dominos.
Patio del Nispero
INTERNATIONAL $$
( Gran Hotel El Convento, 100 Calle del Cristo; sandwiches $12-17, platters $13-24;
breakfast & lunch)
Every great Spanish colonial hotel has its shady courtyard and the
one at El Convento is the home of the deliciously cool Patio de Nispero, so named for the
350-year-old Nispero tree that resides in its midst. You can enjoy breakfast and lunch here
or, even better, escape the hot sun-bleached streets to savor a coffee or an icy mojito during
the lazy siesta hour.
Café Berlin
INTERNATIONAL $$
( 407 San Francisco; dishes $13-22; 10am-10pm Sun-Thu, 10am-11pm Fri & Sat;
)
You've probably heard about the Taíno, the Spanish, the French and the Americ-
ans, but the German influence in Puerto Rico is less well documented, unless you wind
