In preparation for the 2012 New York City Dominican Day Parade this Sunday, August 12, you’ll want to sample some authentic Dominican dishes.
Overall, the island’s food has Spanish and African influences and also shares similarities between Puerto Rican and Cuban cuisine. The centerpiece of Dominican cuisine is sofrito, a base sauce that uses rich flavors made primarily of fresh herbs, peppers, onions, tomato paste, and cilantro.
Here are some popular platos dominicanos that you can try at Dominican restaurants in Manhattan before the parade on Sunday. The photos are from Flickr, not from the restaurants mentioned, but they’ll give you an idea of what the dishes look like:
Head to Tropical Sensation for an authentic, affordable Dominican breakfast of eggs, mangú (mashed, boiled plantains) and deep-fried Dominican salami. (Credit: Remolacha.net pics via Flickr)
At the Malecon Restaurant you can enjoy “La Bandera” (“The Flag”), a typical lunch dish made up of rice, chicken/beef/pork/fish, beans, and salad. (Credit: Mary Yulis Tejeda, Cocina en casita)
Pastelitos, crunchy deep-fried flour pastries, stuffed with either meat or cheese, are a snack food you can taste at the lunch counter spot Coma Bueno in Manhattan Valley. (Credit: Mama Fina Dominican Restaurant, Yelp)
A chimichurri is a Dominican hamburger made of seasoned ground beef or pork and topped with cabbage and salsa rosa (ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard). To try a chimi, visit the snack truck on Sherman Avenue and Dykman Street in Inwood around dinnertime or late night. (Credit: Paul Lowry)
Feature image courtesy of aturkus via Flickr.
