Trois Cent Onze

Dinner at 311 Cena en 311

I think of Trois Cent Onze as a rose in the heart of a city that has become the island's ''garden of eating.''

The Old San Juan fine dining restaurant named for its Fortaleza Street address (311) in French, serves mainly southern French cuisine in a stylishly elegant dining room. Its owners, Christophe Gourdain and Sylma Perez, combined classic and contemporary furnishings and created a fashionable and pleasingly comfortable ambience in the 18th century Spanish revival architectural landmark.

During a recent visit we were greeted with a tempting basket of warm pumpkin bread, French baguettes and pretzel bread, followed by the chef's welcome appetizer du jour that was a delightful tuna mousse.

That set the stage for our first appetizers, an eye and palate-pleasing Duck foie Gras Terrine served with a caramelized D'Anjou pear and a wonderfully fresh and flavorful Tuna Tartare marinated in olive oil, coriander and lemon juice. For an appetizer encore we reveled in an exceptional Smoked Salmon Terrrine with fresh herbs coulis and capers, and finally Snails and Mushrooms in Puff Pastry with a garlic veal reduction sauce.

Deciding on a main course was no easy task when faced with choices such as Tricolor Linguini with Lobster in a creamy Gruyere sauce, Mahi Mahi Filet with Black Truffles and a Premium Gold Sirloin Steak with a red wine reduction and red mashed potatoes. But we finally and fortunately opted for a memorable Roast Rack of Lamb with mushroom cream and potato gratin, as well as a delightful Duck Magret (medallions) roasted with honey and served with a pumpkin salpicon (a tremendously delicious puree lightly seasoned with nutmeg). Amazingly, we found room to fit dessert and were glad we had.

Mango makes a great dessert. El mangó sirve para un postre delicioso.

Beside the food and the ambience, we were also very impressed with the restaurant's knowledgeable wine selection that included bottles in most price ranges and some very rare and sought after choices. The wine list includes useful descriptions that make selecting something new a little easier, but we found that consulting with Christophe, who is very knowledgeable about wines, was even more helpful.

From the tasteful décor to the artful presentation of the plates, it's obvious that Trois Cent Onze pays attention to small details. And those of us who do the same will surely have a fond appreciation for this classy French dining room.


Trois Cent Onze
311 Fortaleza Street Old San Juan
787-725-7959

Posters at Trois Cent Onze in Old San Juan Afiches en el Trois Cent Onze en el Viejo San Juan

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