Mangú and mofongo are very similar dishes made from mashed green plantain. Commonly the first is associated with the Dominican Republic and the second, with Puerto Rico, but in New York there's a lot of cross-pollination between the two cuisines. So although El Nuevo Bohio brands itself a lechonera, a typically Puerto Rican name for a pork-centric restaurant, and is decorated with flags of the commonwealth, my waitress and (seemingly) several customers were of Dominican descent, and both plantain dishes are on the menu.
A more useful distinction between the two dishes is that the plantain used to make mofongo has been fried; for mangú, it's been boiled. With the belly-filling Dominican combo "tres golpes" ("three strikes", $7) — salami, cheese, and eggs, all of them fried — mangú is the default accompaniment. You'll appreciate the textural change of pace.
Also shown, from across the avenue: a once-common motif marking a former garage.
El Nuevo Bohio
1155 Webster Ave. (at East 167th St.), Morrisania, Bronx
718-293-2954
Also at 791 East Tremont Ave. (at Mapes Ave.)
718-299-4218
www.ElNuevoBohioRestaurant.com
