Bric-a-Brac 67
San Juan’s cool new food scene, chic cross-body bags that fit all the essentials, and what it’s like to stay at the “Gjelina hotel” in Venice Beach
JUST BACK FROM…Puerto Rico
I was born in San Juan and moved to the New York metro area when I was very young. Growing up meant spending summers in Puerto Rico with my grandparents and getting in my share of beach culture with my very cool older cousin, who was always heading to the beach with her friends to tan and check out boys. After those summers, I would return home with a Playero t-shirt—the long sleeved versions are still my favorite souvenirs. As are a hard-to-find sour orange dulce, a cross between membrillo/quince paste and marmalade wrapped in a leaf, and a delicious soft, tart island cheese that is allowed through customs. (Pair the dulce de naranja sweet and bitter and the queso blanco del pais for a delicious end-of-meal course.)
All these years later, I remain very connected to my roots, my family, and the culture there, and I go back often. The flavors I grew up with—local bean and meat braises that always start with sofrito or a variety of local root veggies with salt fish and avocado, and fruits freshly picked from backyard trees year round—have long influenced me in the kitchen. For many years, however, Puerto Rico experienced a lack of local ingredients as farmers’ markets were supplanted by huge supermarkets, as happened in so many American cities. But today the local tropical ingredient culture is vibrant once again, and dedicated, thoughtful chefs are incorporating the best fresh local produce into creative fare. Now everyone is flocking to the food scene in San Juan—dare I say it’s the new Miami! If you're like me and travel for food, get ready to eat well and hear buen provecho from strangers—it’s a thing.
Puerto Rico is a US Commonwealth, so it’s easy to travel to and doesn’t require a passport. If you leave New York on an 8AM flight, you’ll be able to dive into the soft turquoise Caribbean Sea of the San Juan beaches by 1PM. I’m reborn every time, especially coming off of air travel. I stay until early evening, my favorite time of the day at the beach.
If you don’t want to stay in San Juan, hop a ferry or puddle jumper to the island of Vieques, off of Puerto Rico’s eastern coast, where wild horses roam alongside chickens, you ride golf carts instead of cars, and hit the seafood market for spiny lobster to throw on the grill. It's a very special place to unplug and reboot. Or head one hour south of San Juan to Yabucoa, where stripped-down studio Airbnbs that overlook the sea rent for $50 a night and beaches are backed by tall cliffs, like in Bali. (It’s also a great place to fast, as there's no restaurant culture—stopping at La Placita to stock up on fruits and avocados is the move.) I recently got back from visiting friends and family on the island. Here’s my list of favorites in San Juan and beyond…
My San Juan List
Eat/Drink
If you're a food lover, a trip to La Placita-Plaza del Mercado de Rio Piedras, the local marketplace, will secure both the aforementioned orange dulce and queso blanco, along with the best of the season's local fruit. Mango season starts in April and lasts several months. There’s a smaller marketplace in San Juan called La Placita de Santurce, but through the years, the lack of emphasis on the region’s local fruits and vegetables means the market has lacked its former abundance of fresh produce—I dream it will become vibrant again someday. In the evenings, this placita becomes a lively destination for dancing and drinking.
La Casita Blanca - A classic spot for a long lunch. It's a vibe—delicious, traditional and local. I suggest starting off your meal with an ice cold Medalla, the local beer, and wait for the amuse bouche to drop, the house fried plantain chips, a cross between chip and a tostone, then linger for late afternoon breezes.
Café Regina - Here they serve local coffee, grown and roasted on the island from regenerative farms like Forgotten Forest. I start my day with an iced macchiato with house nut milk and a freshly pressed fruit juice, then I head to the beach down the street—it’s the perfect local scene. Afterwards, I head back to Regina’s for lunch. I previewed some recipes from my forthcoming book Bright Cooking there this winter.
Spiga - If you're in Old San Juan and strong delicious coffee with buttered housemade sourdough toast is your thing, you’ve landed in the right place. The breakfast sandwich is on most everyone's order. Go early before the cruise shippers arrive.
Cafe Caleta - Perfect for late afternoon in Old San Juan, when all l want after a day in the sun is an affogato. Afterwards, a chilled glass of orange or any other of their natural wines can be magical, as this lil’ gem is located across the street from Catedral Basilica Menor de San Juan Bautista, the second oldest cathedral in all of the Americas, built in 1540. The former convent across the way is now a hotel, adding to the transportive charm.
El Vino Crudo - Also in Old San Juan, the name translates to raw wine—and they have an amazing natural wines list and a menu that's exactly how I like to eat, with various small-plate dishes that are smart with big flavor. It's located in a beautiful old space that feels grand, though EVC is very down to earth.
Fidela Pizza - Even in tropical climates you deserve good pizza, and Fidela is a Neapolitan-style pizzeria doing it with cared-for sourdough. I love the pizza rosa here, especially when it comes with little puddles of EVOO. Pepperoni is the other hit. Salads are delicious, and we all know pizzas paired with salads make the perfect meal.
Vianda - A classic, one of the early restaurants committed to locally sourced product within the dynamic food scene currently happening in PR.
Cocina al Fondo - This is the place to be. The menu is an homage to traditional-but-modern style dishes. Seating is in a beautiful patio behind the house, where you dine under a large mango tree.
Celeste - It feels like you stepped into a bistro in downtown New York during the ‘80s, meaning chic AF. If natural wines are your thing, then you’ll be very much in heaven. Dishes are fancy-ish.
Berlingeri - Vegan done well with island ingredients, for all of us who are hippies at heart.
El Balcón del Zumbador - Live bomba music, Thursdays are especially great.
For dive vibes - El Hamburguer and La Penúltima bars.
Stay
Dreamers Welcome has the most thoughtful places to stay. If hotel stays are your thing, check out The Dreamcatcher, the group’s one hotel. I prefer their studios and apartments in classic old homes throughout San Juan. My favorites are APT, Rosa or Verde.
There’s a farmers market in old San Juan on Saturday mornings where I like to grab tropical local flowers for my room or apartment.
Road Trips
El Yunque National Forest is the nation’s only rainforest preserve. It's all about swimming in the waterfalls there. It can get packed, but the best ones to seek out are Juan Diego Falls and Angelito Trail Head.
Los Piñones - Head 20 minutes out from the center of San Juan to this strip of beach—a food destination and a slice of true old PR food culture. You’ll find big cauldrons of frying cuchifritos and whole fish, as well as chilled marinated seafood salads. If you want to sit, try Mi Casita Seafood for whole fried local snapper, which is always fresh, or chilled conch salad with a side of mofongo (a dish made by pounding fried plantains with salt, garlic, broth and olive oil in a wooden pilón), or tostones. Or grab up empanadas and beers and take them to the beach steps away.
Camille Becerra is a chef, food stylist, and chef-partner at As You Are at Ace Hotel Brooklyn (formerly at De Maria and Café Henry). Her highly anticipated first cookbook, Bright Cooking, is out in June, and she posts recipes and food thoughts from “an imagined classroom” on her Substack of the same name. More info at www.camillebecerra.com.
GUEST BOOK: Vitorrja, Venice Beach, CA
Best for… A low-key weekend or warm getaway near the beach with your own tasteful apartment stocked with delicious Gjelina food.
The vibe… The beloved Gjelina/Gjusta restaurant group quietly opened their first hotel a stone's throw from the beach in Venice. It's also within walking distance from their grocery market, bakery, florist and vegetable-centric restaurant that started it all. Each reflects their devotion to natural produce, local craftsmanship, and hiring great employees. Vitorrja (Vi-tore-ya) shares this sensibility for tasteful details and understated warmth. Partner/CEO Shelley Armistead pays extra attention to sustainability and artisans to make everything from the chairs to the sea salt. She also operates all properties and designs each napkin with as much thoughtful detail as she applies to her 400+ staff. The stylish Agnes Baddoo swung by during my stay to work with her on leather door hangers.
The rooms…Felt more like an English countryside B&B disguised as a beach bungalow owned by gracious friends who love Oaxaca and Italy. A refreshingly chic take—the right amount of interesting for a worldly, comfortable environment you can settle into. I loved the rooms' tiles, floors, and hardware—more substantial than they needed to be and balanced by discreet floral prints and comfortable nooks to lay around the fireplace. A warm color palette of dusty roses and saffrons, deep emerald greens, and salt-washed Klein blues, and Murano lights. Upstairs are large apartments with kitchens, wooden dining tables, Gjusta textiles, stoneware and florals, and fridges filled with homemade food. You can sit outside on a large wooden deck overlooking the beach. Downstairs rooms are standard (non-apartments), but well appointed.
The wellness… The beach is on your doorstep, as well as surfing—Eric from the hotel will give lessons to guests of any age. I loved running on the coast up to Santa Monica, which is also a great path to bike (you can rent bikes easily). Go to Open Studio for yoga and sound baths, who partner with the hotel.
The food… You have access to healthy Gjusta cafe and grocery all day, their wine shop, and Gjelina for lunch or dinner—all owned by the Vitorrja team, who will arrange it. Bonus: they give you gift cards for coffee and pastries every morning from their bakery, an institution where everything is good and Lauren Hutton might sit next to you. Health mecca Erewhon is down the road if kelp noodles are your thing.
Extra tip goes to… Eric Valenzuela, the general manager and surfer, is genuinely superb. When I arrived in the rain, he apologized for the weather, gave me a bigger room, and asked if he could send a smoked fish picnic and wine to my room for any friends I'd like to have to join me, since the beach wasn’t an option. I stayed for five days. It's a good tone: you're always taken care of, but you can also go without speaking to anyone. Armistead, the visionary behind it all, sets this intuitive approach.
Be sure to… Go to Gjelina for dinner, ideally with friends, and try as much of the menu as possible. Wake up at sunrise and go to the ocean. Have breakfast or lunch at Gjusta outside under the trees. Bring a picnic to the beach. Try the chocolate avocado mousse.
Parting words…An easy getaway on the ocean with privacy, healthy food, and grown-up decor. Venice Beach is walkable, so a car isn’t necessary. It also attracts the creative crowd with its undercurrent of character and grit. If you’re after a more pristine coastline, Malibu is an easy drive away!
Date of stay…December 2023
Emilie Hawtin is a brand consultant, writer and the founder of Clementina: tailored clothing for women made in collaboration with global ateliers.
TRAVEL UNIFORM: Cross-body Bags
I’ve been a diehard cross-body fan ever since I stopped going to a day job. Back then, I carried purses that could stand on their own on the table, or floor, or if I was lucky, one of those fancy bag benches you rarely see anymore. But now that I’m on the road more than 300 days a year, those bags sit in their dust bags in a closet most of the time, and I only use a cross-body. I have my personal favorites depending on the season—a Ferragamo top handle in deep brown for fall/winter/spring if I’m going anywhere where I might need to get a little dressed up, an APC workhorse that my daughter gave me for Christmas, a Hunting Season structured top handle made of woven Iraca palm and leather that I bring out in the summer months, and the dusty blue suede Stowaway from Métier that I love for summer as well. (However, now I’m angling hard for the black one below!) We asked our favorite style editor (and stylist! If you need one—she’s amazing) Sarah Meikle to source what she thinks are the best on the market now, with one rule: they couldn’t be too small (minimum width 7 inches)—they have to fit a small wallet or passport holder, a pair of glasses, lip balm…basically, the stuff you don’t want to put in an overhead bin. She came back with so many good ones, including some well-priced options I’d never heard of. —Y.E.
APC Grace Small Bag, $895. I love highly polished calf leather–adds an elegance to a cross-body, which can be a bit of an informal bag.
Oroton Margot Crossbody, $349. New-to-me Australian brand with nice detail.
Quince Italian Leather Triple Compartment Crossbody, $119.90. A workhorse!
Bottega Veneta Small Loop Camera Bag, $2,700. An investment piece.
Demellier London The Vancouver, $525. Love the brass details.
Lutz Morris Maya Bag in Tan, $1,350. Made in Germany by incredible artisans–and has a pocket for your cell phone on the back.
Clare V Midi Sac in Black, $325. A classic and a good price.
Ferragamo Iconic Top Handle (S), $2,650. I have this and love it because it’s tall enough to hold my glasses and a special travel wallet and a couple of other things. Take the strap off at night and it’s super elegant for evening.
Metier Stowaway Crossbody, $1,850. The do-everything cross-body bag–goes from casual with the strap to evening when you remove the strap and use it as a clutch.
Hitchcock Mini Handbag, $1,190. I like the simplicity of Isaac Reina’s designs.
Madewell Hyer Goods Luxe Cube Bag, $310. A nice option for the price.
YSL Manhattan Small in Box Saint Laurent, $2,990. An investment piece for sure.
Mark Cross Benchley, $2,290. I like the top handle bags that double as cross body–because they are kind of a two-in-one when you take the strap off!
Hunting Season The Small Top Handle in Woven Iraca, $625. My summer favorite!
Your work has been appreciated. Maybe San Juan is my next destination...
Such a good list. I’ve been to Puerto Rico many times, but I’m more inspired to go back soon with Camille‘s list. I always trust her.