El Coqui Puerto Rican Restaurant Review

El Coqui (the small tree frog) is a cool Puerto Rican restaurant located in the heart of down town Santa Rosa. I approached El Coqui and had this weird feeling that I was an insect getting hypnotized by their bright neon lights. Once inside I snapped out of the trance and found myself in an immaculate restaurant with spotless tables and polished floors. The restaurant is decked out in a hip island style theme. Before I sat down I ordered really sexy sangria, she was my date for the night. After I studied the menu for a few minutes I gave up and told my waiter to bring me the most authentic Puerto Rican menu items. First he brought out Empanadillas de Res (turnover filled with ground beef, olives and raisins). I felt kind of gross after consuming this large fried meat pocket, but snaps it was good! Second was the Canoas Con Carne Molida (whole plantain stuffed with ground beef & topped with cheese,). This plantain canoe of greasy beef was boring and unseasoned, the red beans and rice were delish and the avocado salad was a fresh addition to a somewhat boring dish. Finally I had the Flan de Coco (coconut flan). This standard island flavor was tasty but the flan was dense. I would recommend El Coqui because the food was unique and somewhat exotic. Oh yeah and they sell a beautiful sangria. If you decide to try El Coqui keep in mind they have happy hour Monday-Friday three to six pm, half off appetizers and three dollar draft beers!