BURNHAM - The Greater Lewistown Shopping Plaza is home to a new restaurant inspired by the Dominican Republic culture and food. Quisqueya Restaurant owner Paulina Guante is cooking up made-to-order dishes and buffet style recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Before relocating to the United States, Guante ran a restaurant in Puerto Rico. After starting her life in Pennsylvania, she continued creating dishes and serving meals to friends and family. On Sept. 1, she officially opened Quisqueya Restaurant, persevering in her dream to own a successful food establishment, Guante said.
Quisqueya refers to a major island in the Caribbean which contains Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Puerto Rico rests just east of the Dominican Republic and features a number of similar foods, Guante said. Where she comes from, eating is a cultural experience, she added.
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Sentinel photo by LAUREN?LINHARD
Paulina Guante stands by her handmade buffet selections during the late lunch hours Thursday at Quisqueya, a new restaurant in Burnham. Guests can enjoy the buffet or place an order for specialty dishes.
"I love every aspect of cooking," Guante said. "The taste is just as important as the look of a dish. I'm excited to bring these parts of my culture to the area. So far, the restaurant has gotten a great response."
The menu consists of a variety of American, Caribbean and Dominican food, Guante said. Her two favorite dishes on the menu are monfogo and tostones, both plantain style recipes. Monfogo is made from fried green plantains which are mashed together with broth, garlic and olive oil to form a bowl. It's then filled with vegetables, chicken, crab, shrimp or beef. Tostones is made from sliced green plantains, stuffed with shrimp and then twice fried.
"The tostones are a favorite because they taste good and monfogo is a favorite because it looks beautiful on a plate," Guente said. "Besides the buffet, which is handmade, everything on the menu is made-to-order."
Quisqueya is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Buffet service is available from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday to Sunday. Take-out is available by in-store order. The restaurant is located at 224 N. Logan Blvd., Burnham, and can be reached at 248-2004.
