La Candela Restaurant Review

I’m fairly new to the South Coast area, a recent transplant from Florida, and I’ve been dying to get my hands on some good Latin cuisine.  I admit, I haven’t been as adventurous as I should have been, but that was before I heard about this little place less than a mile from my house.  Recently, I was lucky enough to be introduced to a hidden gem in New Bedford; La Candela, ‘The Candle’ in English.

La Candela is a Dominican restaurant located at 811 County Street, you can’t miss the bright yellow awning in front.  We avoided the lunch rush at the restaurant, arriving around 1:30 but there were still a few patrons in the cafeteria style line waiting to give their order.  The small entrance means that if you get there at peak time, the line probably snakes out the door onto the sidewalk- another good sign of a local favorite.  As we waited for the man behind the counter to take our order, I got a chance to look over the day’s choices.  I assume they change slightly by what is available to the restaurant but that most of the more popular items are available every day.  There was no menu so I took the advice of my fellow diners on what to order and I was also offered samples of whatever I was unsure of.

When ordering your meal, you ask for either the $5 plate, or the $7 plate.  My party ordered $5 plates which came with rice, meat, and fried plantains.  I can only guess, but the $7 plate must be more food, perhaps another choice of meat but I’d suggest you split that plate with someone, ‘cause it’s a lot of food.  First, you have a choice of white rice or what we’re used to calling Spanish rice (Moro de Guandules).  For the meat, I didn’t know what to get, so I just told the guy (who didn’t speak English well) to give me what he liked.  This didn’t work (forgot he didn’t speak English well), so I just pointed at one of the samples I had especially liked which was the pork shoulder (Pernil a Horno).  We also ordered the Stewed Chicken (Pollo Guisado Dominicano) and the Beef Stew (Res Guisada).

Making our way to the attached dining room, I checked out the space.  There are about six tables of four and a larger table in the middle of the room; I assume most of their business is take-out so the small space is both practical and inviting.  There’s also a huge, new jukebox on the wall, no doubt filled with great Island music to remind patrons of warmer climes.  It’s not a fancy place but when you can get good food at a great price, who cares, right?

As we took our seats, I immediately hoped my fellow diners would share some of their lunch with me as everything looked so good.  My pork shoulder was salty and succulent; I had the top of the roast, which holds most of the seasoning.  Taking a bite of that with the sweet plantain created a nice juxtaposition in my mouth.  The stewed chicken was very tasty, chicken breast cut into cubes, cooked in a rich tomato based sauce.  If you can, ask for the sauce to be poured over the rice, it’s so good!  The Beef will be my order when I go to La Candela next time.  I enjoyed the stew beef with onions, peppers, tomatoes, and Dominican spices over the rice with pigeon peas.

I did a little research on Dominican food when I got home, hoping to be more well-versed when I go back to La Candela.  Recalling a few of the items I didn’t recognize in the restaurant, I went online and found that some other items on offer there are:  Dominican Spaghetti (Espaguetis), Bacalau, and something that certainly looked like mofongo.

If you’re feeling adventurous, if you feel like you need a trip to the Island but you can’t afford the airfare, if you want to practice your Spanish AND you want some great authentic Dominican food, go to La Candela and give something new a try.  Be adventurous!