Dishing up a taste of island home
On Sundays, Island II, a new Dominican bar and grill, provides a menu of timeless Latino moments. Pulsing merengue blends with the soothing sound of conversations in Spanish. The air is laced with aromas of garlic shrimp and thick sancocho soup. At a back table, teenagers play game after game of dominoes.
The kitchen of this
Fells Point restaurant belongs to Charo Rodriguez and her mother, Andrea Castro, who perform the traditional choreography of seasoned cooks. They gracefully pass one another, weaving back and forth, turning the flame up and down, sauteing, slicing, mashing.
Daughter Kathy Rodriguez, 14, brings back orders and carries out steaming platters. The grill's proprieter, Ramon Rodriguez, occasionally pops in like an expectant father to check on his wife's progress and maybe stir a few pots.
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