Easter brunch at El Castillo de Jagua II. Mangu with eggs, fried cheese and onions. And coffee strong enough to raise the dead, just sayin’.
It appears my allergy to plantains is gone! Might try a banana at some point.
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Your mention of this nagged at the pea I fondly call my brain and I ordered from them after an unconscionable 4-year gap. I went all water-ish with frogs legs, scallops, cauliflower, bean sprouts and head-on prawns. I don’t remember frogs legs from before or the option of multiple spice levels. I chose the one below the highest, but while fiery-ish it was not challenging.
The frogs legs were a succulent knockout, but everything else was also superb: the scallops tender, the shrimp with satisfying heads. I had their cold eggplant as a side and that was a silky, garlicky knockout too.
Of course I needed an appetizer – I’m not an animal – and I got their mala peanuts. They were as superb as I remembered. Theirs is a moist rendition and I couldn’t help remembering fondly the contrasting dry versions I’ve had in the past, most notably as Sichuan peanuts at a couple of places at the New World Mall in Flushing. But they are no more there.
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Oy
So many better things to try 
- plantain chips! tostones!
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Oh, I’ll fit those in somewhere. But last time I had a plantain chip (maybe 6 or 7 years ago?), my mouth got very itchy!
good way to test if the allergy is indeed gone
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Yep, that’s the tell.
I hope you can work your way up to a Venezuelan patacon pisao!
There’s a place right by me! If I can make it out of the house tomorrow.
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I’m wondering if part of the plantain skin was left on the edge of the chip.
I get a scratchy throat and my throat starts to feel like it is swelling shut, if any mango skin is left on mango, and sometimes if I eat a lot of raw mango..No issues with mango juice, mango lassi, or green mango salad.
I know that underripe figs also have a sap that causes swelling and itching for some people.
Mangos are botanically related to poison ivy and oils on the skin can cause a reaction in susceptible people (particularly those who have previously had sensitivity to poison ivy etc. ) - my whole mouth got inflamed eating mango off the skin when I was younger…since the urushiol oil that is on the skin only, there should be no problem eating the fruit.
Bananas are not related to mangos so the same phenomenon should not apply
I didnt know about the fig sap issue but you are right there are issues with that, too
https://www.reddit.com/r/Figs/comments/1olghxr/allergic_or_something_reactions_to_too_much/
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Doubtful. I am (or was) just allergic to bananas and their kin. The first thing I reacted to was a chocolate-covered frozen banana on a stick at an amusement park, when I was probably around 10 years old.
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okay, glad you found you could enjoy the plantain!
I had to look mangú up, and add it to my list of things to try.
It’s excellent. Like mofongo, but no pork, so I can eat it!
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Last week I went largely surf (the frogs posing a tricky surf-turf question) but today distinctly all turf with marbled beef, tongue, and pork belly, accompanied by cauliflower, sprouts and shitake. These last were cut into very hefty chunks, and added little except additional, slightly watery challenge. The beef tongue and pork belly were very good, but the “marbled beef” seemed to have lost all its marbles (or is it marbling?) and appeared in thick, chewy slabs.
Back to surfing for me.
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Has anyone been to Kanyakumari? We are planning to try it next week. Same owners as Laut, and according to a reviewer on Yelp, the chef was formerly at Lungi.
I had a $30 dividend on my Macy’s card (thanks, new couch!), so I went over there to get some eyeshadow. Then, figuring I’d just saved $30, I took myself to lunch. New Wonjo has a spring special lunch set, clams and masago with mountain vegetables (I guess romaine can grow on a mountain), a soybean paste stew (not pictured), and banchan. It was one of those meals you’re sure you won’t be able to finish, and the next thing you know it’s pretty much gone. 
The clams were very good, but overall the meal was average, solid, no real standouts.
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You’re basically talking about every meal of my life
This isn’t every meal of my life, but it does happen more often than not when confronted with a big bowl o’ ramen or soondubu or like that. We need a study to find out wassup.
I haven’t yet, but I’ve heard some positive things.
(Salil Mehta’s restaurants generally put out reliably tasty food.)
