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Cuban Bread
Cuba Cafe Sampler - Beef Empanada, Ham and Beef Croquetas, Mariquitas and Beef Stuffed Papa Rellena
Sandwich Cubano - Roasted Pork, Ham, Swiss Cheese, Mustard and Pickles hot pressed on Cuban Bread
Tasting Plate - Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef with Onions and Peppers,) Lechon Asado (Roasted Pork with Garlic, Olive Oil, Lime, Mojo,) and Pollo Tequila (Marinated Chicken in Fresh Herbs with Tequila Sauce and Chipotle) plus Maudros (Sweet Plantains) and Moros & Cristianos
Camarones Enchilados - Jumbo Shrimp in Housemade Tomato Sauce with Yellow Rice
Postre de la Casa - Flan / Tres Leches / Pineapple Special Sauce
Fresas de la Casa - Strawberry Flambe over Ice Cream
Experiencing "real" Cuban cuisine for the first time just under a year ago during a trip to South Florida, it was finally on Saturday night that I sat with a friend who'd never tasted a Cubano, let alone Ropa Vieja, inside Cuba Cafe on East Tropicana and tasting our way through fifteen items by way of appetizers, entrees, desserts, and samplers the results were a mixed bag of decent to excellent with a pricepoint congruent to the quality of the fare.
Larger in size than one might guess, the low ceilings, dim lighting, and live music with a rose at each table providing a romantic sort of feel, it was a bit too close to the crooners that we were first seated and despite being at only 1/3 capacity it was not until one of several dirty tables was bussed that a move was accommodated, a large order soon to follow with minimal delay from the kitchen as conversation ensued and beverage refills were repeatedly offered.
Starting off with buttered bread that wasn't especially appealing or particularly "Cuban" in any way, it was not long before a duo of "appetizers" arrived to render the basket irrelevant, a sampler of four items including plantain chips highlighted by creamy croquetas while the empanada trended a bit greasy, a pressed Cuban Sandwich not quite as crispy as those found in Miami though the meat to cheese ratio and light application of mustard and pickle was on point.
Insisting that a Cuban friend said the Camarones Enchilados was good, though the resulting plate was little more than some previously frozen U16 shrimp cooked a bit too firm beneath a ladle of sauce not really distinctive from that at any checkered-tablecloth spot, a far better value was found in the tasting plate of Beef, Chicken, and Pork with smashed plantains and tender beans with rice - the Ropa robustly flavored by onions and peppers without being overwhelmed while the Lechon was a bit too fatty to be enjoyed in its entirety, the chicken trending a touch sweet but certainly not bad by any means.
Doing the heavy lifting on most of the food, it was still essential that dessert be ordered in order to evaluate the experience as a whole, and thankfully finding a willing partner to tackle the restaurant's two "de la casa" signatures, the combination of flan and tres leches an excellent rendition of each with light notes of pineapple while a 'flambe' of strawberries was tasty enough, but also a bit disappointing as I'd half-expected a fiery tableside show.
***Competently executing some Cuban Classics while also offering several options for those not entirely interested in going all-in on such heavy Ethnic fare, Cuba Cafe fills a niche for those with a craving while also offering an introduction to any who are curious without breaking the bank...or boarding a plane.
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