Dance Fever Grips Crowds At Amway Center During Puerto Rican Festival

Posted on September 26, 2021October 4, 2021 by binsorh

The pandemic shut down many activities, concerts, and festivals this year. For Puerto Ricans, even the New York City Puerto Rican Day Parade was canceled this year.

This year the city of Orlando put on a successful show of culture during its own 5th Annual Florida Puerto Rican Parade and Festival. Last year this activity was cancelled, but organizers decided to go ahead with the festivities this year, and to dedicate them to first responders as a way of thanking them for their service during the pandemic. The parade and festival were also dedicated to the Puerto Rican towns of Cabo Rojo and Moca.

The festival included prominent figures of Puerto Rican music and sport including Olympic Gold Medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn who made her appearance on one of the parade floats.

As always, music was a prominent part of this year’s festivities. Crowds gathered at the Orlando Magic’s Amway center to continue the party atmosphere. Performers included trovador Andres Jimenez, merengue band Limi-T 21, salsero Frankie Negron, and rock band Algarete.

Besides providing a great atmosphere for dancing, the festival also gave vendors an opportunity to interact with the public. There were artworks of all sorts, most of which included the Puerto Rican flag the unifying symbol of this festival.

One improvement festival organizers should address was a shortage of typical Puerto Rican food. There were only a few kiosks that served Puerto Rican favorites such as alcapurrias, bacalaitos, and empanadillas. Next year it would be nice to see a few more food vendors catering to everyone’s appetite.

It was a hot and humid day on the festival grounds but there were plenty of kiosks set up to quench the thirst of festival-goers. Whether you wanted to partake in a mixed drink, a piña colada, or a tropical fruit juice, there was something for everyone to wet their whistle.

If the dancing and singing were any indications, this year’s festival was an outstanding success.

Pay attention to Florida Puerto Rican Parade & Festival Inc’s website for next year’s festival dates and participants.

Also, make sure to subscribe to the Boricua en la Luna blog for the low-down information on this and other Puerto Rican community events.

Corozal Restaurant is Zephyrhills’ Diamond in the Rough

Posted on September 17, 2021September 20, 2021 by binsorh

The Boricua en la Luna blog reviewed a few Puerto Rican restaurants in the past.

Now that The Boricua en la Luna relocated to Tampa Bay, Florida, it should not be as hard to find more Boricua restaurants like it was in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area.

This week something unique happened while exploring the town of Zephyrhills, Florida. Known for bottling its pure waters and serene spaces, Zephyrhills is probably the last place you would expect to find a Puerto Rican restaurant.

Despite it all, there it sits, a bastion of Puerto Rican gastronomic excellence in a town of about 17,000 people.

Corozal Restaurant is a testament to hard work and family unity. The original restaurant was founded in 1994 by restaurant worker Angel Jimenez in the city of Bayamon, Puerto Rico where the restaurant received much acclaim.

After moving to Florida, Mr. Jimenez’s daughter Jeanette and her family opened the second Corozal Restaurant. Opening in a small town with not many Puerto Ricans (at least at that time) some in the family were concerned about how successful this second venture would prove to be.

Just like the line from the movie Field of Dreams, the Jimenez family proved that “if you build it, they will come.” The restaurant thrived despite its unlikely location, drawing regular business from patrons driving from as far away as Tampa, Ocala, and Orlando.

“Maneuvering a successful advertising campaign was key in growing our customer base,” said Corozal administrator Sheila Jimenez. “It’s important that you let everyone know that you are there and open for business.” An innovative way Corozal has done this is by advertising live music performances Saturdays and Sundays.

Corozal Restaurant is known for its powerful paellas, searing seafood, perfect pork chops, and marvelous stuffed mofongos. So if you are looking for a place where you can get satiate your cravings for Puerto Rican comfort food, what better place than Corozal Restaurant where their slogan is “eat like you’re home.”

For more information about Corozal Restaurant’s hours, menu, and specials go to their website here. You may join the many happy customers that have made Corozal their favorite Puerto Rican restaurant in Florida.

Fort Cooper State Park, one of Florida’s Hidden Gems

Posted on September 6, 2021September 8, 2021 by binsorh

With many potential adventures to be had, Fort Cooper State Park should be on the bucket list for people touring the west coast of Florida. It is located about 40 minutes south west of Ocala. The park is not overly crowded adding to its charm. All its qualities make Fort Cooper the perfect destination to get out, have fun, and while still social distancing.

At the edge of historic Inverness, Florida lies a hidden jewel of the Florida State Park system. Fort Cooper State Park is a bastion of wildlife including alligators, deer, bobcats, and most of all birds. In fact, this park forms an important part of the Great Florida Birding Trail providing the fauna of the park over 700 acres on which to nest and graze.

Upon arriving at the park, visitors come across the ranger station. Here patrons pay the $3 per person fee and can also get maps and information pamphlets. The park rangers can also assist you with understanding the park rules and with emergencies in the park. This information is especially important so you can follow the park rules and avoid a fine.

Fishing and boating are popular activities on Lake Holathlikaha. The staff enforces a strict no-private boat rule. Only park rental canoes and paddleboats are allowed on the water. For those wishing to partake in fishing and boating on the lake, it is recommended that you arrive early as the number of boats and canoes is limited.

If you are the adventurous type, the park offers other activities like hiking and swimming. Although some patrons may be skittish about swimming in the same waters as alligators, Fort Cooper allows swimming whenever the water level on the lake is high enough.

There are plenty of other activities on the more cautious side, for a whole family to enjoy. Fort Cooper is perfect for bird watching. The Lake and park are home to many species of birds. During our visit, we observed several common moorhen swimming in the marsh, as well as various heron snatching fish from the water with their long beaks.

The park offers visitors facilities for tent camping and for picnics. If you want to plan an activity such as a birthday or anniversary, you can reserve the spacious pavilion that includes BBQ grills and adequate parking spaces for guests.

First-time patron Jason Lawrence said he was impressed at the quality of the facilities of the park, as well as how close it was to his father’s home in Inverness. Lawrence plans on going fishing here with his father when he visits him in the future.

Restrictions Revoked, a D.C. Area Puerto Rican Restaurant Welcomes Back Diners

Posted on June 28, 2021October 4, 2021 by binsorh

A warm June breeze blows through the Navy Yard area of Washington D.C. It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon and the city is bustling with life. Less than a year ago, COVID measures had D.C. residents sheltering at home, making areas like the 1300 block of 4th Street South East somewhat of a ghost town.

After months of sheltering in place, Tricia Ortiz a Puerto Rican resident that lives in the District decides to invite friends to La Famosa a popular Puerto Rican restaurant in the area. Before the pandemic hit, I wanted to try this place says, Ortiz. She chose this establishment to meet up with friends she had not seen prior to the state of emergency shutting down dining in at restaurants.

Entering La Famosa restaurant is like being transported to a bar reminiscent of the ones you see in Old San Juan. Its white tile decor serves as a backdrop for a classic-looking blackboard containing typical Boricua menu items like fried chillo (snapper), bistec encebollado, and tripleta sandwiches.

La Famosa is lucky to be around. According to the June volume of the Journal of Environmental Health, as many as 19% of restaurants in areas of the United States were forced to shut their doors due to severe cuts in profits caused by pandemic restrictions.

There aren’t many Puerto Rican restaurants in D.C. and I always wanted to try this one says, Ortiz. Indeed a search for Puerto Rican restaurants on Google only yields three restaurants in the area with a smattering of other Latin American and Caribbean restaurants clouding up the search. For Boricuas in the D.C. area, it would be unfortunate to lose any of these restaurants because there are already so few of them.

Restaurants that are able to innovate are more likely to make their way back to profit. La Famosa was able to stay afloat in part thanks to online ordering and touch-less pay technologies. Ortiz and her guests order their meals by scanning their table’s QR code with their smartphones. This technology not only makes it easier to quickly order what everyone wants, but it makes splitting the check an effortless endeavor.

When the city allowed diners to return in a limited capacity La Famosa also had the advantage of having outdoor tables that helped them to comply with new guidelines. The view of renovated classic buildings surrounding the restaurant gives a welcoming ambiance as patrons wait for their meals.

Catching up on conversation Ortiz and her guests are quickly served their food by the server. They ordered the canoa (a sweet plantain “canoe” stuffed with codfish), a pork mofongo (fried green plantains mashed, fried, then stuffed with fried pork, and an octopus salad. It’s good says Ortiz as her guests and she samples the Puerto Rican menu.

Even though most of her guests were full, the traditional Puerto Rican deserts were too much of a temptation and they order some quesitos (a sort of Puerto Rican cheese danish) to go.

Restaurants have a way to go to make up for the losses of the pandemic. If the amount of patrons dining at La Famosa is an indication of recovery, however, then this restaurant is quickly making up ground. Combine this with its warm atmosphere and varied menu of Puerto Rican comfort foods, La Famosa is well underway to making a full recovery.

To visit checkout La Famosa’s webpage, or visit them at 1300 4th Street SE, Washington D.C.

They will want more… Delight with your Coquito this Christmas

Posted on April 5, 2021June 5, 2021 by binsorh

Making Coquito

Many cultures have their holiday drinks. Puerto Rico has one of the greatest of them all… Coquito. It is a simple concoction of coconut creme, milk, and rum. The great thing about Coquito is that it’s not that hard to make. There are many versions, but I’m going to show you how I make mine.

-Ricardo

Get the party started with My Coquito Recipe