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| - After my last very disappointing experiences at Mimita's, I had become afraid to stick my neck out on new Cuban restaurants, and so came to my favorite Peruvian restaurant in the valley. Alas, they are no more, and here stood Azucar in its place. I was tempted to turn around, but couldn't resist popping in, as I was determined to find out what a Azucar was.
The lay out is so far the same as when this was the Peruvian place, with a largish dance floor on the left side of the restaurant, some booths and tables very spread out in a pretty large space, couple flat screens with direct tv, a nondescript bar. An interesting feature Alan, the owner told me, is that on Fridays at 5pm they intend to drive traffic by bringing in antique cars (aren't I so punny) by our standards and common cars in Cuba. So expect an interesting vehicle exhibition on Fridays after work!
Yelena [sp?], co-owner and wife of Alan, was a charming and knowledgeable introduction to Azucar. She made me a Mojito, 3.50 to drink, which I was satisfied by but wouldn't say it stood out. But the papa rellenas was my first appetizer, and it was a very tasty version, crispy on the outside, pillowy on the inside with steam rising when punctured with a fork, and the ground beef mixture inside was seasoned nicely too. It wasn't a very large portion, but for 2.50, you shouldn't expect to get huge apps to share anyways.
However, the main highlight was my entree. Brilliantly roasted pork, with a nice heavily seasoned near-crust like texture on the outside, ridiculously succulent and juicy meat on the interior. Not light on the garlic for the garlic haters out there, though thankfully I am not such a creature. The rice that came with it was fine, but the black beans... wow! So rich, and when poured over the rice, would have been a tasty meal on its own. Cooked with pork skin, a sliver of pork skin found its way into my bowl which, though soft and lacking the texture you're used to with pork skin, was another delicious treat. This entree for 8.99 also came with a side salad that was nothing special, but made a refreshingly light contrast to the heavy and rich foods mentioned above.
I'm in love with this place and will definitely be here at least once a week. I'll be the guy at the bar that stares at all the food leaving the kitchen. In fact, Yelena caught me staring at the home-cooked potato chips and let me try some- delish as well! You'll love this place!
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