Address: 2320 NW Market St.
We're back! It's been about a month since we've ventured out to a new restaurant, but our return to our culinary journey was definitely a hit! As first timers to Puerto Rican cuisine, we didn't know what to expect. To my ignorance, I was expecting something like Mexican food, I was even a little upset we didn't have chips and salsa to snack on before dinner! However, I did do a little research before our visit and learned La Isla is the only Puerto Rican in the state of Washington so I was more than excited to check this place out!
The restaurant itself is quaintly decorated brightly painted walls. It's low lit with candles on each table, nice place for a first date...not too fancy, but a fun romantic setting. If you get there on a sunny day, there's outdoor seating right in front of the restaurant. There's also a bar at the back of the restaurant, I was tempted to try a mojito but decided to save it for next time! The menu is pretty extensive. There's a separate lunch menu that is considerably cheaper than the regular one, less than $10 for a plate. Menu is split up between appetizers, soup and salads, sandwiches and entrees. We both decided to do a full entree each...definitely a good choice. Though, I took a peak at the tables near us that had sandwiches and they looked like decent sizes and they come with sweet potato fries as well. All entrees come with rice & beans, tostones, an avocado wedge and mojito sauce.
I had the Pernil Special $14.99 which is a marinated slow roasted pork shoulder. If you're familiar with Hawaiian cuisine, it reminds me of Kalua pork. The pork shoulder is served shredded and it's very tender and juicy. What surprised me most about this dish is how delicious the sides were. When I saw on the menu the sides were rice and beans, I was expecting your typical Spanish rice and beans. However, the rice served at La Isla is white rice (think of thick, Japanese style rice) with red beans on top. The other side, tostones are sort of a fried potato patty. I googled it earlier today and it's actually deep-fried plantains. J had the Pastelon $14.99 which is a Puerto Rican style lasagna filled with cheese and plantains and your choice of either ground beef or a tofu vegetarian option. J really enjoyed his dish and described it as "sweet and tangy".
This is one of our favorites, probably J's favorite so far. I'm still sticking by my great Indian food experience! If you're in the mood to try something different...definitely check out La Isla.
J&C rate this: 4 1/2 out of 5
For their full menu: http://www.laislaseattle.com/
