| rev:text
| - Some things change for the better. Alas, not Cuba Cafe.
I wrote my last review 3 1/2 years ago and gave it four stars. It's quite a distance from home, so we're not regulars. I think we were there once after that first visit. But this time we were meeting friends from Henderson and, like so many from that part of the valley, driving anywhere but nearby is an odyssey to be undertaken, well...never. So we shlepped to East Tropicana, after convincing them that Cuba Cafe was worth their short drive.
The guys each had a Bud Light, my girlfriend ordered a Pinot Grigio, and I had a German Riesling that was excellent. So far, so good.
We gave in our orders, and the waitress returned to tell my friend that her Mango Salmon was not to be; they were out of salmon. She switched to Lechon Asado. Her husband, Mr. Picky Eater, ordered Rice with Chicken Breast, probably the plainest choice on the menu. Mine ordered Chicken in Peanut sauce over linguine, and I stayed with the same tasting plate as I had the first time, mainly because I had a hankering for maduros, the sweet plantains. But there were just two small pieces. My dish came complete with a serving of...ALUMINUM FOIL, nestled right in the beef. When I pointed this out, the other waitress snatched it away, saying they'd remake it. It's noteworthy that from the moment we entered the restaurant until our departure, there was not a scintilla of a smile from either of these two. It was more like the ice in the water that we weren't served.
My friend said her pork was tender, and she liked her dish. Mr. Picky picked at his food and said it was okay. Then again, I've never heard him rave about anything anywhere. I had some of the linguine dish. The chicken was very tender, but the linguine were a little too soft for my taste. Not mushy, but I prefer al dente, which this wasn't. Though Cuban food is not known for its spice, this was described as having a peanut-chipotle sauce, but there wasn't much chipotle to be found. My replaced Tasting Plate was okay, sans foil, but was oversalted. I always turn down water when it's offered, because all I ever drink is wine or coffee, but this time I sure could have used it. Except it wasn't offered.
At 9 p.m. almost all diners were gone, and that's when an excellent latino band started to play. I love those congas!!! Apparently, this place turns into a club on the weekends, when they're open much later, complete with dancing. My advice, if you're into this kind of music - my personal favorite - is to go for a drink, the music, and some dancing. Because if you're there for dinner...
The real "fun" started when we got the check, which was delivered without us asking. No one bothered to ask if we'd like dessert or coffee. And it was just ONE check. My friend had asked for separate checks right when we ordered. Moreover, it's a good thing we checked that check, which is probably why it's called "check" in the first place.
Two beers had become four. One pinot grigio became two. The elusive salmon wasn't in the kitchen, but it was right there on the bill, along with the lechon asado that was substituted. WTF??? The waitress gave us some double-talk about her ringing up the drinks and the bartender also ringing them up. And when I asked to see a manager, this very young woman said that she was in charge. Maybe, but it sure seemed like the other woman was more owner-like. To their credit, they did make good on the bill by removing the extra drinks, making it two checks, and comping both my friend's and my dish, though we didn't ask for anything except to remove the charges that shouldn't have been there. Still, it made for a very unpleasant finale to a meal that was in a nice setting but oh, so ordinary. And I'm still thirsty.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)