Critics’ choice: Three stops for standout Caribbean cuisine

Mio

Washington, D.C.

Eat just once at Mio and “you’ll wonder why Puerto Rican food doesn’t have more of a presence” in the mainland U.S., said Tom Sietsema in The Washington Post. After running through multiple chefs since Mio’s 2007 opening, owner Manuel Iguina wisely turned to an old friend from San Juan, cookbook author Giovanna Huyke, and the “Julia Child of Puerto Rico” has Mio’s pan–Latin American kitchen humming. Start with the citrus-glazed shrimp over mofongo: The cayenne-and-paprika-spiced shrimp add kick to the “sweet, starchy comfort” of mashed fried ripe plantains pocked with garlic and salt-cured ham. All of Huyke’s dishes are “tropical still lifes,” and the fried whole red snapper is no exception. The fish, whose skin is pierced by a spear of crisp fried plantains, follows the curve of its plate, with a cool mound of creamy slaw “filling out the picture.” The roasted pig is “a two-part treat: a sail of brittle skin, ruddy from its rub with achiote oil, hovering over a mound of succulent meat.” Thanks to Huyke’s genius, “I’ve found a new last-meal request.” 1110 Vermont Ave. NW, (202) 955-0075

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Kafe Kultura

Milwaukee

It was easy to overlook Kafe Kultura when it opened late last year, said Carol Deptolla in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Because only a neon open sign marked the restaurant’s entrance, many passersby might not have noticed the stylish room behind it, or guessed that the Latin American and Caribbean food served inside was “something to see, too.” The Cuban favorite ropa vieja gets a “hip makeover” from chef Ramon Hernandez, who presents it not as a sloppy stew of shredded beef, tomatoes, and peppers but shaped into “a tidy disc” that shares a plate with caramelized ripe plantains—all delicious. The kitchen can also do “the opposite of delicate,” as evidenced by the “monster platter of food” that answers every order for Colombia’s bandeja paisa, a confab of chorizo, crispy chicharrón, plantains, avocado, and even an egg “fried until the white’s edge turns crunchy and brown.” Finish with the “excellent” flan, one half of a restrained sweets menu that proves beyond doubt that it’s always “better to offer only two very good desserts than many mediocre ones.” 600 S. 6th St., (414) 270-5858

Café Restaurant Dominicano

Norcross, Ga.

For years, I’ve had “a serious crush” on the “honest, hearty” food of the Dominican Republic, said John Kessler in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. So it was a thrill to happen upon this “modest, dimly lit” spot and discover that it makes “some of the tastiest Caribbean food in metro Atlanta.” By day, it’s a no-frills lunch joint, serving $6 plates from a steam table. Late at night, it hosts live music. But I’m partial to its breakfasts and dinners. Start an evening meal with mondongo, a “thick, velvety” soup with wonderfully tender cubes of tripe. An order for chivo guisado “brings fantastic hunks of stewed goat in a mild red chile sauce,” while the chicharrón de pollo pairs hunks of “boldly seasoned and well-fried chicken” with pickled onions. “If you love Caribbean food,” this is a find. 4650 Jimmy Carter Blvd., (770) 723-3784