I absolutely adore Cuban food! I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I know what I like. And what I like is some vaca frita. The version at Havana Grill ($12 during lunch) is excellent -- finely shredded beef slow roasted with garlic, salt, lemon, lime and plenty of spices then seared. mmmm... It's so mouth-wateringly good. The best part are the few pieces of beef that were seared too long, making them extra crispy. It's served with rice and black beans.
Because of some of the similarities between Cuban food and the food my mom used to cook, this -- to me -- is comfort food. It's the kind of food that reminds me of home and instantly puts a smile on my face. After taking a few bites of the vaca frita I wanted to pound the table and tell anyone around me how good it was. But, I was eating an early lunch and there was no one else in the dining room.
After cleaning off the plate, I finished the meal with some flan ($4). It's a fairly large portion, needlessly served with whip cream and a cherry on the side with some chocolate sauce drizzled around the plate. All that stuff is unnecessary because it doesn't add anything to the flavor. The flan itself was decent, but c'mon... it's not better than my mom's. Its consistency was way too firm.
The next time I need a pick-me-up I'll be back. There's plenty of dishes on the menu I need to try.
4.5 Stars