Behold, the chicharron fongo at Albert’s Mofongo House.
Mofongo and I have a love-hate relationship. When the Puerto Rican specialty of mashed fried plantains seasoned with garlic and often shot through with chicharron is bad it’s really, really bad. A dense stomach spackle that leaves me questioning why I ordered it in the first place.
When mofongo is good, it’s still dense, but quite delicious. Such is the case with the chicharron fongo ($12.95) at Albert’s Mofongo House in Inwood. It is garlicky beyond belief and shot through with bits of chicharron. Not enough chicharron in the mofongo? Don’t worry Albert’s got you covered. There’s a pile of cracklingly delicious chunks of pork on the plate. The sidecar of broth is a nice touch too.
As befits a place with such a name there are 31 varieties of mofongo, including chivo fongo ($13.95) and Viagra fongo ($32.95). I’m not so sure I’m ready to spring for the Viagra variety, but the goat one sounds good.
Albert’s Mofongo house 4762 Broadway, Inwood, 212-567-3052
