Sun, fun, bright colors, swimming in warm Caribbean waters, nights full of hot salsa music and the best horn players in the whole wide world. And the food — spicy, luscious, exotic. If only we could put down our work-a-day routines and run off to Puerto Rico for romance and a plate of mofongo.
Well, you’ll have to bring your own romance and there’s no beach, but you will get hot salsa music and mofongo, along with other kinds of real Puerto Rican food, at El Coqui, the new hot spot at the corner of Mendocino Avenue and Fifth Street in Santa Rosa.
The place has been drawing crowds for lunch and dinner, due in part to the bubbly personality and enthusiasm for all things Puerto Rican of Jacqueline Roman, who is co-owner with Christina Jackson. Roman was born into the Puerto Rican community in the Bronx, but visited her family’s farm on the island most summers when young. She learned the authentic cooking of the community from her mother and grandmother, and brought that knowledge with her when she moved here over 20 years ago. Now she’s sharing it with the rest of us.
The Puerto Rican ambience begins the minute you walk in the door. There’s the territory’s flag. The walls are decorated with the sleeves of vinyl records by the island’s musical stars. Pictures of Puerto Rico hang on the walls. Palm fronds lend atmosphere, as do the tropical-style ceiling fans. Salsa music blazes from the sound system.
READ MORE
