EL MOFONGAZO! Yeah you heard me!

I've never seen it before yesterday, and it's right around the corner, across the street from Cacciatore's Italian Market at Hanley Road & Paula Drive...
I needed stamps, and I dropped off some mail at the post office near Cacciatore's, and as I was heading back out to Hanley, around 3PM, I looked to my right and saw this!

I've been falling in love with Puerto Rican food recently, and I've become a semi-regular at a couple other spots I want to make sure you know about as well... Soon...
After confirming that I had my camera with me, I swung around just to get a photo of the store-front to send to a few Chowbuds who, like me, love discovering these small family restaurants, ethnic or otherwise, that season-up the Tampa area itself as far as I'm concerned...
My excitement was elevated when I saw the sign's smaller print 'LA CASA DEL JIBARITO SANDWICH'...

The Jibarito was a great discovery by a friend who turned me on to it a year or two ago at another place... It's a sandwich, but there is no bread... I know!
Somehow they press & evenly flatten a couple unripe Plantains a lil' thicker than a tortilla and toss them on a hot griddle to cook, crisp, and color-up golden----then they're used as the bread, top and bottom...
Next visit I'll ask about the procedure...
I've only had it as a steak sandwich, but it's usually offered with most other meat or seafood options... Important words of advice that I'm passing on---- 'make sure you get the garlic sauce'!
Just to give you a visual, here's a photo I have of a Jibarito, but it's not from this place...
Once I try theirs, I'll switch out the photos...
OK, to be fair it's from Mi Pueblo on Lincoln, off of Columbus... Another treasure...

Steak Jibarito from Mi Pueblo

So as I'm getting ready for my drive-by photo, intending to pause for just a second, I figured 'WTH, I got time' and I pulled in to a parking spot to quickly grab a to-go menu if they had one... I got some warm hellos as I entered from a gentleman and a young waitress.
As a natural response to their hospitality I sat for a minute, halfway in the chair next to the door to look at the menu and to find out how long they've been there... One month to the day! Still, I'm surprised I haven't seen them sooner...

Hmmmm... Roast pork, rice w/gandules, and tostones for $6.95! Usually tostones are an extra $4.00 +/-...

They say you should eat smaller meals more frequently so that you never let yourself get too hungry---- that's why I'll often have two lunches spaced a couple hours apart----- and WTH, $6.95 probably couldn't spoil dinner...

I almost always take a Spanish restaurant for a test-ride by trying their roast pork... This was actually listed as roast pork with onions, and it was, simply that... Don't get me wrong, the pork was tender, moist, and tasted fresh & good... I may have expected more mojo, and maybe even hoped for a more intense flavor, but when I found the rhythm I concluded I wouldn't have changed a thing...

Rice and beans as a side dish, or in this case arroz con gandules (rice w/pigeon peas) rarely excites me unless the main dish is very juicy or saucy... That's been the case for a long time, until recently, when I first took some of that garlic sauce and mixed it in... Now it seems I love the beans & rice no matter what, but especially if there's a delicious sauce, of course...

Same with tostones! Now I get it!
And that makes me happy...

$6.95 with the Tostones!

I put some roast pork and onions onto a garlicky tostone and I was in heaven...

Always considering them more fill than thrill I've never eaten a full plate of tostones in my life... I usually take them to go, then feed the wildlife a few days later... These were thin and crispy, not pasty and dry...
It really makes me wanna get in there for a Jibarito ASAP!

Such a simple thing was so delicious!

Looking over the menu I mentioned I never had an Alcapurria before... The response was something like; 'oh man, they're delicious' so I ordered one for around $2.00... Wonderful!
Like a rustic croquette... Mashed plantain(?) and root veg masa, filled with chopped pork meat & porky bits, sofrito, herbs, peppers and other things... From the outside I had no idea what to expect...

Alcapurria

That's love in there...

A woman, the owner it turns out, came out of the kitchen and asked how I liked the food. She explained that the nice folks I've been talking with were her brother and granddaughter, and that they were helping out----  and I explained to everyone why I was taking pictures...

I need to get a smaller camera for this kinda thing! I have it because I shoot weddings and things sometimes, but nobody ever knows what the heck is going on when I break out this beast and point it at the food they just handed me... Putting myself in their shoes I know I'd be uptight that I might not have made the plate as pretty as I could have... I feel for them, but I imagine this is something restaurants are seeing more and more of, and are hopefully sharpening things up on their end...

I don't use the lens shade indoors

Since we were talkin' about different things, in what I welcomed as a warm gesture because of the experience up to that point, she sat with me at my table for a few minutes. Some might feel that's unprofessional, but it was off-hours and I was the only one in there, comfortable as if I've known these nice folks for years... And I have... They possess a spirit that is familiar to me... One that I try to surround myself with as often as possible...
She wouldn't let me take her pic, saying she looked a mess--- but I told her; 'nah, you look like a cook,  you look beautiful'... With a grin she mumbled over her shoulder to her family; 'he told me I look like a cook!'...
I said soon we'll get a nice family photo, and she said OK...

She explained how most places charge extra for the tostones, but they decided to include them, to help keep prices down, because people were having a tough time these days...

Please, pop in there and order some food... It's their first couple of months and I bet hardly anybody knows they're there---- it's gotta be rough... I absolutely can't wait to try their other items... I have reason to believe there's a lot of love on that menu... Tell them 'el gordito con la camara grande' sent you...
(The fat guy with the big camera)

El Mofongazo Restaurant
5502 Hanley Road, Suite 106
Tampa, Florida 33634
813.280.2929

Although the website doesn't seem to be functional:
www.elmofongazotampa.com

I'd scan the to-go menu if I could find it...
I'll have to go back for another one...