They opened the restaurant Puerto Escondido at 306 N. Main St. in Kenansville almost a year ago and will be celebrating its 1st anniversary on May 5th on Cinco de Mayo. Head owner Armando has been in the restaurant industry for 15-plus years, and you may recognize him from his many years working at Mariachi and Mi Cabana in Jacksonville.
The owners also like to be engaged in the community and often work with the chamber of commerce, police department, schools, and first responders.
One truth about my friends is that we will find a way to have a good time even when there is no venue or event to attend. As a matter of fact, my mom likes to joke with me that we have parties for everything! But when you live in a county that hardly has any clubs, bars, or entertainment venues, you just have to do what you have to do.
Last Thursday my friends and I were talking in a group chat and realized that we all wanted Mexican food. Some of them couldn’t meet up, but my friends Bryan and William Davis and I decided we were going for it. We all live in different towns so we chose to go to check out Puerto Escondido because it was a midway point for all of us.
We got there and to our surprise, it was a packed house. It was so full that I’m surprised we were able to get a table so fast. We quickly realized the crowd was there because it was karaoke night. We couldn’t believe it — karaoke on a weekday in Duplin County! I don’t know about anyone else in the room, but I was too excited. I love, love, love karaoke!
Even with a packed house, everyone was feeling good because of the $1.99 margaritas, and the madness of karaoke. The servers were great, the food was amazing, and the atmosphere was perfect. Just a bunch of Duplin County’ans having a good time! And yes, I just made that up. Don’t judge me.
Now, what did I eat? I normally go for enchiladas or tacos when I eat out, but decided I would try something new. I had the Pollo ala Crema and baby...it was amazing. I obviously got extra sauce but I probably wouldn’t even have needed it. The portion was very large. So much that I thought I would probably be eating on it all weekend. The sauce was super creamy, and tasty, but not overbearing in taste. It also had crema corn mixed in, which is my favorite vegetable. It was like eating a Mexican version of Fettuccine alfredo — without the pasta — which is perfect for me because I love a good lower-carb dish. Pasta fills me up and gets me bloated so easily.
My meal was paired with rice and salad, and that rice was full of flavor. I could have literally eaten just a bowl of rice by itself without gravy or sauce — and for a sauce lover like me, that says a lot. It was absolutely mouthwatering!
It also came with a pickled jalapeño which luckily didn’t have the pickle taste because I don’t like pickles like that (don’t tell anybody). And it was stuffed with cheese. I usually don’t do spicy stuff, so I asked for it to be on the side, but to my surprise, it wasn’t very spicy and was very tasty. I kept trying to force myself to stop taking more bites so I wouldn’t get too full and not be able to finish my margarita, but let’s just say I failed many times. Ha, ha!
I had a great conversation with the owners after my meal. They were very nice and funny. I think they were having more fun at karaoke than I was. Not only was their food good, but it’s an exciting place to dine out. They host mariachi nights during the last week of the month, bring in DJs occasionally, have karaoke on the third Thursday of the month, and are in the process of hosting country music nights as well. Their second floor can be rented out for parties and seats around 50 people.
Overall, I must say that I think that Puerto Escondido is about to be a new hangout spot for my friends and I from now on. Good people, good food, good fun!
Puerto Escondido is definitely getting an A+ from me!
This blog was also featured in the Duplin Times edition of Duplin Eats that is published the 3rd Thursday of each month.
