REVIEW: MARES, PUERTO PLATA

When planning our trip to the Dominican Republic, quality of food was not our first thought, escaping the Canadian winter was. But hold and behold, our sense for culinary mastery prevailed and we discovered a food haven on an island not known for such; Mares Restaurant.

Located on a beautiful estate in the center of Puerto Plata, this multi-generational home is everything and more when thinking of a cultural food haven. We had the great honour of meeting the owner and executive chef, Rafael Vasquez Heinsen, who took the time to tell us the story behind the now famous restaurant and show us around (there is lot to see).

Combining his love of food, culture and his ancestral home, Rafael Vasquez Heinsen redesigned his 125 year old estate to accommodate two restaurants, an art gallery, a ballet school, a fresh garden where dozens of fresh herbs, fruits and vegetable are grown for the kitchen and a panoply of walkways and meadows all while keeping the estate his home.

Our choice of restaurant, Mares is clearly his passion. Limited to 10 tables, the restaurant features world renowned delicacies fashioned with tastes and flair of the Dominican.

After being convinced to let the chefs decide what our menu would be, we started things off with the Sweet Plantain Sushi Roll featuring tempura shrimp, cream cheese, smoked salmon with chives, avocado and sweet plantain on the outside. Let me be honest, this was amazing.

We were then served the Plantain “Mofonguito” With Goat. Now lots of people will be thrown off by the goat, including Nicole but I gave it a try. This goat is so tender that it closely resembles lamb in taste and texture unlike the “goaty” taste you can typically get with this meat. Layered on a “bowl” of fried mash plantain and drizzled with a rum base reduction, this was surprisingly delicious.

The service followed up with a small Spring Roll, by the look of it, a very standard spring roll but we were surprised by how fresh and flavourful it was. So much so that the dipping sauce was not required.

Our mains were equally delicious as our appetizers, Nicole was served the Tuna Center Cut With Sesame and I was served the Skirt Steak Angus Prime Churrasco. My steak was battered and tenderized to a level seldom seen, accompanied by a house made chimichurri sauce, it just melted in your mouth. The accompaniment of yucca fritters was a nice twist to the usual potatoes. The center cut tuna was perfectly cooked and dripping in the house made sesame dressing which elevated the flavours to new levels.

Our final course was a Homemade Flan with a rum based sauce, although not a typical fan of flan, this one was quite delicious, fresh and flavourful.

We finished our evening by taking our drinks (we recommend the Passion Fruit Daiquiri and The Bolli Martini) and exploring the garden and walkways of the Estate, culminating in sitting next to the Infiniti Pool for shared laughs in the candlelight.

By Dominican Standards: 12/5

By North American Standards: 4.5/5

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