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5th Street and Rising Sun
Philadelphia, PA (North 5th/Barrio)
Daily
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Philadelphia's Barrio, North 5th Street between Erie and the Boulevard, has a wealth of Puerto Rican, Columbian, Mexican and other Hispanic restaurants. Most are sit down with carry-out available. Porky's Point is the McD's of the Barrio. Two differences. The cooking is Puerto Rican and the food has flavor.
The menu is a mixture of Spanish and English. What is translatable is in English, what isn't stays in Spanish. Dishes like Rellenos, Alcapurras and Pastellos are all fried appetizers. When we're at a sit-down restaurant like El Bohio, we'll order a few of each and share them around the table.
This trip I went for Porky's namesake, the pork sandwich, along with an order of Mofongo with gravy and six tostones. The pork sandwich is pulled, barbecue pork on a hoagie roll. I had it topped with both barbecue and hot sauce. Mofongo is mashed fried plantain (think a green, unripe, pulpy banana) that is mixed with crisp pork skin cracklins and shaped into a ball and served with an optional but essential tomato gravy. A less essential mofongo compliment is a side of pig ears. Tostones, the Puerto Rican equivalent to french fries, are mashed fried plan that are formed into patties, deep fried, and brushed with a garlicky oil.
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