No sign or street number identifies the modest beige bungalow as the site of José Enrique’s vibrant cuisine. In a land of clichés and high prices, you have to know someone to find it – a friendly local foodie, if you’re lucky - and I was. Once you’ve tasted his contemporary twists on traditional comida, you’ll find it with your eyes closed just a block from the Plaza del Mercado in the Santurce neighborhood of San Juan.

        I arrived as the doors opened, exhausted and sweat-soaked from a too-long walk following bad directions in 90 degree heat. The cool interior helped, but the waitresses fluttering around me like butterflies were an instant mood elevator. The food did the rest. Within a half-hour, the place was packed. They all clearly knew the address. José Enrique is definitely not a tourist spot – I was the only non-Spanish speaker in the joint.

        The simple rectangular room has bare wooden tables, terracotta floors, and a tropical fan spinning lazily overhead. That’s the only lazy in this place. A small kitchen, visible through a big window at the back of the bar, is a blur of motion, where the chef-owner can be seen conjuring, tasting and plating. The menu changes daily – “Nothing is frozen here except the ice,” I’m told – and is displayed, hand-written on eraser boards, by one of the efficient, adorable servers.

        My salmon chicharrónes starter ($8), medallions of filet lightly flour-dusted and fried, were rare and buttery, with a spicy dipping mayonnaise. Knockout good. A huge salad ($7) followed, full of surprises in a town where iceberg is ubiquitous - mustard greens, mizuna, and other crisp-fresh leaves covered in a blizzard of parmesan. I was already plotting my return.

        My husband joined me the next day for lunch, our last meal in San Juan before heading home. We opened with juices fresh from the fruit – mine, coconut; Tim’s a yummy mix of passion and grapefruit ($3.50). For my main course I had “colirubia” ($23), whole yellowtail snapper deep-fried, like the salmon, with a sweet potato puree piled high with a dice of roasted carrots, onion and avocado. Let’s just say I sucked the bones dry. Tim’s “pez espada,” grilled swordfish ($22) on a pillow of puréed malanga, a savory root similar to taro, with papaya relish, was perfectly tender and moist. We shared a dessert: “temblequé,” coconut mousse ($8), with gelled temblequé cubes rolled in cinnamon. The check, with one café con leché and a salad, came to $73.88 plus tip.

        If only I’d found José earlier. I’ll be back to taste more now that I know where he’s hiding.

José Enrique, 176 Calle Duffaut, Santurce, Puerto Rico 00907, (787) 725-3518. Tuesday – Friday, lunch and dinner, 11:30am – 10pm. Saturday, dinner only from 6pm. Closed Sunday and Monday. No reservations.

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