Roosevelt Tropical Restaurant
Roosevelt Tropical Restaurant
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
2 reviews
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It was a mofongo kind of Saturday. I'd already eaten lunch, but once mofongo takes hold, mofongo don't let go.
This popular* Ecuadorian/Colombian restaurant actually has no mofongo as-named on the menu. Instead, there's bolon – I'm going to call it Ecuadorian mofongo – except the pounded fried plantain and cheese (plus add-ins) are shaped into a fist-sized ball to serve. We ordered bolon de chicharron, so the plate of plain chicharron that arrived was confusing. When we asked after the bolon, we were told, "Oh, no more." I happily ate the chicharron (who wouldn't), but they could have informed us they ran out instead of serving us something else without a word!
Otherwise, the food is decent and comes in massive portions, deserving of $12+ entree prices in humble Woodside. The bistec plate was a trough of rice and meat; eating it becomes one of those existential ordeals where your brain lets go of the reins in exhaustion and your body proceeds to consume everything in front of it with zero discretion. I myself got a "mini" bandeja paisa, a Colombian dish that I thought would be more modest, but was still a heap of rice, beans, fried plantain, avocado, fried egg, grilled beef, and of course another hefty chunk of chicharron. Everything was delightful and homey, and probably more protein than anyone needs in one meal.
For something sweet and surprisingly light, try the guanabana milkshake. It's the rare fruit-based milkshake that doesn't suck, and tasted just like a yogurt smoothie.
*Service was attentive when it was existent, but apparently 3:30pm on a weekend is lunch primetime, and the two waitstaff were swamped. All the other customers were Latino, which is encouraging (but yes I realize my existence there contributes toward destroying the semblance of authenticity).
The quality of the food has definitely gone down the past 2-3x i've been there. And service is still extremely slow. Plus they add a gratuity on it already. I think i'm gonna find another Ecuadorian place to eat at.