Pass the plantains, please! Delicias Latin Food and Bar opens on East Nine Mile this week
Friends Mary Vasquez Ortiz and Esteffania Reyes had a hard time finding a restaurant in Pensacola that reminded them of their Dominican roots. So, they started one of their own.
Their finished product, Delicias Latin Food and Bar, will hold its grand opening at 1741 E. Nine Mile Road in University Town Center on Friday.
"When I came to Pensacola ... it was really difficult for me because I miss my mother's food," co-owner Reyes said.
The cuisine is intended to bring the flavors of the Caribbean to the Panhandle, with items such as yuca mash, fried plantains and tropical fruits all incorporated into the menu. Some of the items that star on the Delicias menu, like the Latin chicken croquettes — deep-fried, dumpling-like, stuffed balls of goodness — are near impossible to find locally.
"Sometimes I want to eat my food, and I see nothing around here," Ortiz said. "A lot of Dominican people live here, and they are looking for this food."
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Everything on the menu — from the soups to the starters to the sweets — are all made from scratch using fresh, natural ingredients, Ortiz said.
As Ortiz goes down the menu and describes each item, she shares a story of how each dish reflects an aspect of Caribbean culture.
The Pesacado Boca Chica for example, a fried fish dish, is inspired by a day at the Boca Chica, a main beach out of Santo Domingo. There, it is common to catch a fish out of the Caribbean Sea and throw it on a grill.
At Delicias, a mural of the beach stretches the dining room wall so guests can see the sea for themselves.
Other traditional items from the Dominican garnish the restaurant's walls, such as the country's flag, sculptures, a Tambora drum and a garlic press. The restaurant's tiki-styled bar is wrapped with metal sheets often used in housing in the country, Ortiz said.
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Ortiz even incorporated a common catchphrase into the restaurant's décor, using the expression "Una vaina bien," loosely translated as "something nice," as a neon photo backdrop.
The restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a small seating area for guests who want to stay and a carry-out option for those looking for food on the go. A case in the front of restaurant will be filled with daily, rotating lunch specials, Ortiz said, along with a case of hot-and-ready empanadas.
She said she is most looking forward to familiarizing Pensacola with Dominican culture and its dishes, like her favorite, the la vega churrasco encebollado, a grilled steak cooked with onions and topped with a parsley-based, chimichurri-like sauce.
"Every time I go home to visit the Dominican Republic, I order that," Ortiz said.
Delicias will host a soft opening starting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday with a limited menu. The full menu will be available from 8 a.m. Friday until about 10 p.m. Regular hours of operation are still to be determined and are subject to change.
More updates and information be found on the Delicias Latinas Facebook page, Delicias Latin Food and Bar Instagram page and by phone at 850-466-2206.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Delicias Latin Food and Bar brings a taste of Dominican to Pensacola
