G Wiv wrote:
While we both very much liked the chicken, Daane thought the jibarito was the best he'd encountered.
Jibarito, fried chicken, tostones
Fast Food Place and Ice Cream
3611 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
773-135-1768
hamph wrote:Borinquen's Jibaritos seems to varies from each branch. The best Jibarito I had was at their 3020 N. Central Branch. Perhaps it's just my personal preference, with the Jibarito at Borinquen and Papas accompanied with large amount of mayonnaise to make me gag, that I liked Cafe Salamera - replacing mayo with avocado.
senoritap wrote:The Winds is not a likely place to find such a wonderful jibarito. This neighborhood joint has a great juke box and a great vibe courtesy of the owners. The jibarito comes with choice of chicken, steak or the non-tradtional veggie burger. Good meat sandwiched between perfectly cooked plantains and I can't get enough of the garlic brushed on top!
2657 N Kedzie Ave (Logan Square)
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 489-7478
www.windscafeofchicago.com
Cathy2 wrote:Hi,
My favorite jibarito is from Papa's Pollo Chon. Freshly cooked, flavorful with a side of tostones glistening with garlic oil. Their chicken last time I was there was back on track, too. I like it all.
Pollo Chon/Papa's Cache Sabroso
LAZ wrote:I'm wondering if we can draft a description of a perfect jibarito. (For the tourists, by the way, a jibarito is a Chicago-born, Puerto Rican-inspired sandwich made with fried plantains instead of bread. It can have any kind of filling although the original was steak, and it usually has cheese as well.)
From the descriptions above, and my own tastes, I'd say crispy, well seasoned and ungreasy plantains and good garlicky dressing are essential. Tender meat. Decent cheese.
Anything else?
John Rebus wrote:One question: is the sandwich pronounced hee-bah-ree-two, or hee-bah-ree-tah?
Mhays wrote:Sorry, I don't have pics, but tried Habana Libre - the jibarito is excellent, though I'd order some garlic sauce on the side to amp it up a bit.
Inspired by Mhays's talk of jibaritos at Wiener and Still Champion Friday, I've finally found this most relevant thread. And thanks to MJN's earlier online article about it, I've also been to the Western Borinquen Lounge a number of times for its most famous fare. While the jibarito there is... acceptable... it's hard to enjoy it too much when I still have fond memories of Cafe Salamera's version lingering in the recesses of my heart (perhaps quite literally). Not getting guacamole (er, avocado?) at Borinquen by default just feels wrong somehow. I think it's time for me to try some of the other contenders in this thread.MJN wrote:Borinquen Lounge at 3811 N. Western makes the best in the local chain. The central and california locations tend to drop the ball on garlic and seasoning, whereas the Western location seems to hit it everytime. 've had jibaritos at most of the locations listed above, and this one consistently ranks as my favorite, above all others. Always exploring to make sure though....
fastfoodsnob wrote:I've also been to the Western Borinquen Lounge a number of times for its most famous fare. While the jibarito there is... acceptable...
fastfoodsnob wrote:Not getting guacamole (er, avocado?) at Borinquen by default just feels wrong somehow.