Last Saturday we had dinner at Mojito on our way to a symphony concert. It’s a tiny pan-Latinx restaurant just off Interstate 5. Mojito’s owner, Luam Wersom, started out as a dishwasher at the restaurant before he bought it several years ago. We’ve been going to the restaurant almost as long as it’s been open. My go-to dishes on the menu are lechon asado (pulled pork) and pabellon (the Venezuelan equivalent of Cuban ropa vieja). I had the former last night, while Julian had the camarones Carmen Miranda (shrimp stir-fried with mango, pineapple, and bell peppers). Even though we had been there once since the pandemic started, Luam remembered us.
Yesterday we went to Bahama Breeze at Southcenter Mall. We needed to go to the southern end of Lake Washington to do some shopping at Ikea. We’d taken Julian’s mother there several times after we moved her to Seattle. In contrast to Mojito, it’s part of a chain. You could fit about 15 Mojito buildings into Bahama Breeze. We had to make an early (4:30) dinner reservation. We had conch fritters, black bean soup, jerk chicken, and stuffed plantain. The service was okay, but it was obvious that the restaurant was understaffed. We had to pay through a computer pad on the table.
While both restaurants serve good food, I’m more inclined to go to a family-owned place. Mojito gets my vote. It doesn’t require going down western Washington’s longest parking lot (I-405) to get there. It’s also nice to go to a place where you’re recognized and welcomed.
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