Caribbean Gem Hidden in Lake City

August 1st, 2007
By: Steve G

When Lake City comes to mind, usually only a few things pop up and great Latin American food is not one of them. Our perception has changed since going to La Casa Del Mojito. Tucked away in a small residential pocket of Lake City, it is a great restaurant with friendly staff, lively music, and great food and drinks.

Located right next to the I-5 on ramp on Lake City, near Roosevelt Street, if you don't keep a keen lookout for it you might miss it. La Casa Del Mojito is known as a restaurant that infuses all different types cuisine from Latin America, although many people would claim that it is more akin to Cuban-inspired food. In any case, the food is still delicious. Brightly painted walls adorned with artwork and quirky t-shirts for sale surround you on all sides of the narrow establishment, which give a lot of character to the restaurant. In many ways the restaurant is a metaphor for the staff: full of energy, laid back, and very friendly.

Many of the dishes are out of the ordinary from what you would find in a typical Mexican restaurants in the Seattle area. The Parilla de Luigi and Bistec a Caballo are the steaks available on the menu. The Bistec is more of a thin-cut steak that has been marinated and finely cooked, then served with rice, beans, and an egg on top for good measure. The Parilla is a thicker, juicier cut of steak and is also served with rice and beans but lacks that egg cooked on top. (Sorry, no egg for you)

The Pork Asado is also a great dish on which to engorge yourself it includes shredded pork with sauteed onions and black beans paired with plantains and potatoes. The pork is thoroughly cooked, although once in a while some bones might come up. The Pescado Frito is a fried white fish with a side salad served with rice and a plantain. The fillet was fried with a light batter and had a hearty and healthy flavor. All of the dishes are served with a fried plantain which is topped with a light, tangy mojito mayo sauce. La Casa Del Mojito also serves all dishes with two types of sauce. One is a mild salsa verde sauce, the other is a fiery hot red sauce that we recommend be ingested in small samples.

The mojitos are extremely good and are prepared the traditional way using mint leaves bruised with sugar and ice. This results in a great drink that is sweet and refreshing, the way a mojito should be --considering that this is the self-proclaimed "home of the mojito" you would expect nothing less.

The considering the size of the dishes, the price is a great value. Be prepared to spend only $15-20 per person for food and drinks. The restaurant also converts to a bar during some of the summer nights and has lively salsa (dancing) events. The service is decent, depending on when you go. Crowding can be an issue, as it frequently attracts an abundance of customers yet has limited seating, which is the only bad thing you can mention about the place. Of course, if a restaurant is constantly packed, especially in the spring and summer, that is a good sign that they must be doing something right. And trust us, they do.

If you like La Casa Del Mojito, we suggest: