Remember the dinner scene in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, when Richard Dreyfuss intently molded his mashed potatoes into the shape of a mountain? That’s sort of what mofongo looks like. The signature dish of Puerto Rico is stick-to-your-ribs hearty: mashed plantains formed into a mound, often served with a sauce and meat.

I was up in NY last week, where my friend Deirdre and I got dinner at Sofrito in White Plains.

We shared these beef and chicken empanadas.

And I ordered mofongo with crispy chicken.

The dense and garlicky mofongo made for a full meal all by itself. The chicken, wonderfully crispy if a bit salty, put this dish over the top. It was a serious amount of food that easily could have been split between two people.

I hugely enjoyed the mofongo, but paid the price several minutes later when I found myself dozing off during the first twenty minutes of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  Mofongo and red wine are not ideal pre-movie dinner fare if you plan on staying awake. I think all the blood in my body had been diverted to my stomach. Or it could just be I’m turning into a senior citizen.

Sofrito
175 Main St.
White Plains, NY
914-428-5500