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| - I finally made it to Havana Carolina Café.
I came to try their Cuban sandwich, and lo and behold, it was the special of the day.
It took about fifteen minutes for my food to arrive, and I was getting a little antsy. The food was worth the wait though.
The Cuban sandwich that I had today was pretty good, but not as good as the one that I ate at the original Versailles restaurant on Calle Ocho in Miami. The sandwich wasn't pressed, which is typical in a Cuban sandwich, and the roast pork was dry and without much flavor. Without melting the cheese, the only liquid in the sandwich is mustard, and this just doesn't make the sandwich moist enough. It also leaves the bread cold, which is incongruous with the sandwich itself.
The "maduros," their fried sweet plantains, were good.
Service from Oliva, my waitress, was fantastic. I overheard her make several excellent recommendations to other diners. She kept my beverage refilled without being asked. When I complemented her on her great service, she said that today was the fourth day by herself on the job.
I LOVE the décor of the restaurant. The light green paint of the interior has a beautiful swirl pattern ingrained into the walls. The artwork is tasteful and well chosen. The feeling of the restaurant is light and airy, and truly reminiscent of restaurants in Miami. The only thing missing are palm trees in the courtyard.
There is plenty of free, two hour, parking along the street. If there is none in front of the restaurant, just circle the block - you'll find a parking spot nearby.
I ordered a tres leches cake to sample at home, but I haven't gotten around to trying it yet.
***UPDATE*** I ate the tres leches cake Saturday night, and it was FAN-tastic.
The prices were fairly reasonable, but by the time that I added the maduros, a soda, and the tres leches for dessert, my tab was $13+. Add in a generous tip, and one is pushing a $20 bill.
I'm deducting a star for for the "dry-ish" Cuban sandwich. The prices were reasonable, but the wait for food was too long. It only takes a minute to make a sandwich and cut it in half. The plantains came out before the sandwich! Go figure...
Good Cuban food. A charming restaurant, Excellent staff. Friendly owner. If I lived in Concord, I would dine here once a week until I had sampled everything on the menu.
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