Vargas’ Restaurant (Comida Criolla),
 393 Connecticut Street, Buffalo
by Laura McClusky & Mike Niman
Gazette Culinary Arts Critics

Delicious roast pork, juicy, tender, exceptionally flavorful, served on a nice cut of fresh, soft, but crusty bread, maybe a little hot sauce to add some zing. Have we caught your attention yet? Then you’ve got to try Vargas’ Sandwich de Pernil ($4.00). It’s exceptional.

But that’s not all that’s on the menu at this busy little Puerto Rican lunch shop. For those with a heartier appetite there’s Arroz con Habichules y Carne ($5.50) - that’s a hefty serving of rice with kidney beans and your choice of chicken, pork chops or roast pork. Again, the roast pork is excellent, the stew chicken is delicious and the pork chops are tender and nice.

You also have your choice of rice, yellow or white. The yellow rice is moist and fresh, cooked with a few small beans for flavor. The key here is the flavor and the freshness. That’s what makes good yellow rice, and this is good yellow rice. The kidney beans are stewed, served in a bowl with their juice - so you can spoon them onto your rice as you wish. Very good.

You can accent your meal with a few appetizers. Try the Alcapurrias ($1.25). They’re mashed plantains wrapped around a small helping of ground beef, then deep fired to a dark brown. These are tasty, but quite high in fat and calories. There’s also Pasteles ($1.50) which is similar fare, but lower in fat. Though the word usually denotes cake or sweets, in Puerto Rico it refers to grated vegetables, like plantains and pumpkin, wrapped around a small portion of pork, then wrapped in leaves and boiled (like a tamale). Pastelillos ($1.25) are beef patties consisting of ground beef wrapped in a pastry dough, similar to what you’d find in a Jamaican restaurant.

The restaurant is run by Marcos Vargas, a Puerto Rican native by way of Brooklyn. The restaurant’s been on Connecticut Street for two years now, having moved from Niagara Street. It’s primarily take-out service, but there are three comfortable sized tables, room for about twelve, if you’d like to sit relax and listen to the radio. Rush Limbaugh was babbling his usual inflammatory drivel when we visited -- a definite negative, but you can also chat with Marcos if he’s not too busy -- a definite positive. You know the food’s good if we put up with Limbaugh.

On Fridays, Marcus cooks up a few special treats: Pulpo con Guineo ($6.00), that’s octopus with boiled green bananas, and Cuchifritos con Guineo ($5.50), that’s stewed pig ears with green bananas. If octopus is a bit adventurous for your palate, don’t fret -- Marcus assures us it is tender and delicately spiced. It’s also quite popular, so if you haven’t had some yet don’t be afraid to try something new.

Marcos also has several tropical drinks on hand, from Tropicola and Coco Rico (coconut) soda pops (.85) to cold tropical fruit drinks made in the blender, like tamarind and papaya juice ($1.50). He also has full array of nectars, tasty thick juices of pear, tamarind or mango. They’ll certainly hit the spot if we ever get a hot summer day.

Vargus’ Restaurant is open every day but Sunday, from about 10:30 AM to about 5:30 PM. All food is available for takeout. The Pernil (roast pork), our favorite menu item, is also available for takeout by the pound ($5.50 per lb. - call first for large orders - 886-5459). So go ahead, impress your friends and host an island feast some time soon!