Savoring the Caribbean in San Juan

BY KAREN TINA HARRISON

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Saturday, May 24th 2008, 4:00 AM

While you can find traditional Puerto Rican food all over New York City, hop a plane to San Juan, P.R.'s glamorous capital, for a taste of the real stuff — gourmet style.

This verdant U.S. island has long supplied New Yorkers with beach fun and casino hijinks. But all of a sudden, San Juan's dining scene constitutes another reason to visit. Puerto Rico has become prosperous and sophisticated, and with that comes the demand — by locals and tourists alike — for gourmet restaurants.

Just don’t expect old-fashioned rice and beans and deep-fried croquetas — breaded, creamy croquettes usually stuffed with ham. Puerto Rico’s classic chow has been transformed by a new generation of chefs with island roots, culinary diplomas and international résumés.

"Our cuisine is evolving quickly," says Carmen Gonzalez, a world-renowned, homegrown chef who now lives in the Big Apple. "The Caribbean is a melting pot with the original fusion cuisine. Today's Puerto Rican chefs add new ideas to our rich heritage, and diners are hungry for what we're doing.

A swanky restaurant called Budatai is a good place to see Puerto Rican fusion cuisine in action. Chef Roberto Treviño, an island boy, adds Asian touches to local flavors. You'll know this is no mere fad once you taste Treviño's spicy tuna rolls made with pegao (crunchy Puerto Rican rice) and his churrasco (Puerto Rican skirt steak) atop saucy Chinese noodles. Budatai's ultra-cool vibe adds to the excitement of encountering what Treviño calls “the renaissance of Puerto Rican cuisine."

Koco, a chic, comfy spot in the gorgeously swank El San Juan Hotel, finesses Puerto Rican cooking with a bistro twist. Co-chefs Linton Romero, who grew up partly in California, and Sylva Senat, who was trained in France, ace trendy dishes like ceviche and short ribs.

But the Caribbean inspires them to create recipes like "batata lollipops," crafted with ginger-spiced pork, and malanga, a Puerto Rican spud. Shrimp fanciers, don't miss the gigantic "Koconut" shrimp, lightly tempura-fried and swimming in lick-the-plate coconut sauce. Order Koco's rich coconut risotto on the side and count on desserts that are, for once, as delicious as they look.

For reviewer-praised upscale dining, follow the foodies to Pikayo, a modern masterpiece right in the San Juan Museum of Art. Chef Wilo Benet uses his Culinary Institute of America degree, his keen photographer's eye and his inventor's urge to mastermind dazzling, delectable dishes. We're talking empanadilla turnovers with truffle mojito sauce, risotto with chicharron (pork cracklings) and a makeover of the beloved local dish, mofongo — a Puerto Rican matzoh ball made from green plantains and pork. Benet tops his mofongo with a fat shrimp and lavishes it with saffron broth.

Puerto Rican lunch doesn't get better than in a 350-year-old convent.

El Convento, which once cloistered Carmelite nuns, is now a lovely boutique hotel whose sun-splashed, Moorish-arched courtyard houses the Patio del Nispero restaurant.

Chef Michael Bartemes, a San Juan native who has cooked alongside Nobu Matsuhisa in Miami, enlivens tasty light fare with Puerto Rican panache. Try his refreshing watermelon gazpacho, followed by an intriguing salad like crab with mango and avocado, or spinach with pear and blue cheese in a hummus-like pistachio-bacon dressing.

You can get a taste of old Puerto Rico at La Bombonera, a breakfast joint dating from 1902. Picture a vintage luncheonette with absolutely perfect, fresh-baked doughnuts and "mallorcas," or cheese Danish.

But if you still dream of Puerto Rico's customary, deep-fried food, take a drive through the green countryside to Ponce, on the island's south coast. After admiring this historic city's handsome town squares and Creole-style lacy porches, head up a mountainside to Pal Kampo.

This country eatery, open Friday through Sunday, dishes up soul-satisfying, old-time eats. Appetizer platters spotlight corn fritters, plantain chips, meat pies and alcapurrias — deep-fried marvels of potato-like root vegetable and ground beef.

Next, go for tamarind-glazed pork ribs, crab stew and mamposteao — rice and beans with pork. Over sangria and coconut flan, marvel at the way this alluring island honors the old while celebrating the new.