Pikayo Puerto Rico – A Fine Dining Culinary Experience

I had the opportunity to have dinner at Pikayo Puerto Rico on my very first ever trip to the island and boy did they deliver! Pikayo Puerto Rico, located on the Mezzanine floor of the luxurious Conrad Condado Plaza in San Juan, is helmed by celebrity Chef Wilo Benet. Chef Benet’s culinary style is best described as contemporary global cuisine, combining traditional Puerto Rican ingredients and dishes with global influences. Pikayo’s menu has local Puerto Rican flavors that are transformed to culminate in a fine dining gastronomic experience! The food and wine pairings are a true work of art!

Pikayo Puerto Rico is one of those restaurants that sets the bar. In Puerto Rico, Pikayo is at the top of the food chain in a league with very few competitors. It opened in 1990 and is still going strong after 26 years! Now that’s impressive! Pikayo is an ideal dining option for special occasions or when wanting to indulge in elegance, it is truly fine dining in Puerto Rico at its best! It’s worth noting, Pikayo has one of the best ran front of the house staff of any restaurant I’ve dined at. Personally, the exceptionally polished service and knowledge of the menu by the staff combined with the quality of each plate culminated in one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had!

Pikayo’s menu features a section called “Pikadera” which is essentially snacks or Hors d’oeuvres, both cold and hot small dishes which represent appetizer sized dishes, and a main dish section that features a segment for seafood and a segment for meat.

Warm fresh bread is served as you study the menu. The bread has a tougher crust, similar to a French baguette, a soft and airy interior and is served with a sweet honey butter embedded with sesame seeds.

We started off with a sampler of bite sized “Pikadera’s”. A round sliced piece of tuna lays over crunchy toasted rice and topped with chipotle mayonnaise. The bite was delicate with a subtle hit from the chipotle. The rice was very crunchy, I believe it was dehydrated, and delivered tons of texture to the bite sized Pikadera. The Sous Vide Octopus at Pikayo was the most tender octopus I have EVER had! The octopus is topped with a shallot escabeche that delivers a tangy mild vinegar flavor. The octopus was a culinary experience on its own and an exemplary combination of Puerto Rican cuisine and fine dining. The Beef Tenderloin Alcapurria lays on Garlic Aioli.

The Alcapurria is a very safe Pikdaera option for picky eaters. By definition Alcapurrias are made of a masa dough that surrounds the meat made primarily of green bananas and a variety of starchy tropical tubers. Achiote seeds are traditionally used to give the masa color and flavor. The dough is then stuffed with Beef Tenderloin and fried. The Gouda Cheese Parisenne with Guava Sauce is another bite that’s easy on the palate. The pairing of the savory gouda cheese with a subtle sweetness from the guava sauce is an excellent combination. This is one sweet and savory bite. What stood out with the Pikaderas was the attention to detail and how each element on the plate delivered something to the palate. You could taste the high quality of execution in each Pikadera. Though all were tasty, the sous vide octopus took the cake in this round.

For small dishes we started with the Escargot with Wild Mushrooms and Balsamic Vinegar. The escargot is an original recipe of Chef Wilo Benet and has been included in the menu since the opening of Pikayo Puerto Rico over 20 years ago. The same exact recipe for over 20 years?! If it ain’t broke don’t fix it! The sauce that carried the escargot and mushrooms held a prominent balsamic vinegar taste that was not too tart or acidic. The sauce was balanced well and filled with the earthy flavors of mushrooms and meaty pieces of escargot. Not one to leave much behind on my plate, using the complementary bread to soak up that delicious sauce is the way to go! The escargot is paired with Zepalta, a Californian Pinot Noir.

The Sauteed Foie Gras with Ripe Plantains and Black Truffle Honey was a culinary foodgasm! Each ingredient in the dish delivered a different element to the palate that culminated in one of the best bites I’ve EVER had! The foie gras is meant to be consumed in one bite so that you can appreciate each element on the plate. I wish I had an entire plate of this sweet and savory dish to enjoy! This is the plate that elevated my dinner experience. The black truffle honey was to die for and the foie gras soft in texture. There were so many things going on at once, yet the bite of foie gras was simple and elegant with only 3 main ingredients. Foodies looking for must have culinary experiences, order the Foie Gras, this is something you should try at least once. Once again we see a combination of Puerto Rican cuisine with the inclusion of ripe plantains, which are consumed abundantly on the island. The Foie Gras was paired with a Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc form Chile, a white wine that was sweet. The wine pairing was nothing short of stellar. The foi gras and wine pairing was the biggest surprise of my entire trip to Puerto Rico and the best bite of the night!

I am glad that the risotto was recommended and brought out during our tasting, I can’t imagine not having eaten these! The risotto at Pikayo Puerto Rico were easily some of the best risotto plates I’ve ever had. The Shiitake Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Butter and Red Wine Sauce delivered an orgasmic combination of deep earthy flavors from the mushrooms and truffle butter. Honestly, the earthy unique flavors and aroma from the truffle butter was so pleasing that it elevated the dish and made me want to keep eating more and more. The risotto itself was aromatic, creamy, and the iconic truffle essence was out of this world! While the mushroom risotto was an international inspired dish, the Caribbean Lentil “Gandules”Risotto with Pork Cracklings is exemplary of the Puerto Rican influence in Pikayo’s menu. The risotto was creamy, rich, salty, and full of pork flavors! The pork cracklings are crunchy, fatty and salty. They delivered crunchy texture to the otherwise soft and creamy risotto. The wine pairing was a red wine that was on the bitter side. This helped cut through the richness of both risottos as they both were very hearty and rich. It paired especially well with the saltiness of the Gandules risotto.

The North Atlantic Sword Fish comes served with a Pigeon Pea “Escabeche” and Ripe Plantain Emulsion. Pigeon Peas are an iconic Puerto Rican ingredient, it was great to see it included in several menu items. The swordfish steak was seasoned perfectly and had a nice browned seared exterior. The briny gandules escabeche contrasts the more subtle flavors of the swordfish. The South American Sea Bass came with creamy polenta and smoked oven dried tomato puree. The Sea Bass as opposed to the sword fish, was very soft and flaky. The polenta was creamy and the smoked oven dried tomato puree was simply delicious.

The Prime NY Striploin came with Maitake and Royal Trumpets Mushrooms and a Sherry Wine Sauce. The New Zealand Lamb Chops came with asparagus, a Red Bliss Garlic Mash and Rosemary Demi Glaze. Both of these dishes embodied the international aspect of Pikao’s menu. These options are available for those looking for a more traditional upscale steak house meal while in Puerto Rico. Both of these meat dishes epitomize high quality of ingredients and preparation in classic combinations.

Pikayo Fries are fried fingerling potatoes. Being cut so thin, the fries become very crispy. The Mofonguitos was my favorite side dish. It is essentially Pikayo’s take on mofongo with the inclusion of peas and corn and a broth that is utterly delicious! If you order one side, I recommend the mofonguitos! We also ordered the Mamposteao, which is essentially a Puerto Rican classic combination of rice and beans. At Pikayo Puerto Rico, chorizo was included which added a rich chorizo flavor.

The Chocolate and Cheese Soufflé’s are visual foodporn! The cheese soufflé is a mixture of manchego, parmesan, and cream cheese with a Caribbean classic pairing of guava sauce. The chocolate soufflé came with a white chocolate sauce. The soufflé’s were decadant, light and fluffy, and topped with superb sauces.