Cuban

I posted this elsewhere some time back. Cuba Libre.

I thought it might be helpful to make a list, in no particular order, of extant and open (as far as I know) Cuban places. There are more than I realized. Maybe 20 in the city alone. Most are simple mom&pops and may or may not show up in Metromix, etc. I've left out the many PR places and few Mexican places that serve some Cuban food. Also missing are the Nuevo places like Rumba and Coobah that stray farther from tradition than say a Cafe 28 or Mar y Sol. Noteworthy stuff in parens. (?)= question as to current status.

Ambassador Cafe
3605 N Ashland
404/8770 (seafood, soups, sandwiches)

La Unica
1515 W. Devon
274-7788 (cafeteria in the back of a great store, carribean/S. American goods in addition to Cuban; lechon, garbanzos, cafe con leche, tamales)

Cafe Marianao
2246 N. Milwaukee
278-4533 (biste sandwich (their spelling, which is phonetically correct, if you're Cuban); cafe con leche, cafe Cubano)

Cafe Bolero
2252 N. Western
227-9000 (more formal, full bar, but still quite traditional, except for the cevapccici) Also in Elmwood Park, close to Johnnie's and Massa.

Ay Carumba Cafe
2714 N. Milwaukee
772-1662 (coffee, close to some other places on the list)

Bombonera Cafe
2557 N. Milwaukee
235-8398 (ditto)

La Guantanamera
2825 N. Milwaukee
342-7025 (same; fairly extensive menu)

Mambo Cafe
3336 N. Milwaukee
481-2050 (dining room now open; salsa club adjacent has been open for some time; haven't tried but seems popular)

Rinconcito Cubano
3238 W. Fullerton
489-4440 (can smoke cigars, play dominos)

Cafe 28/Havana Express
1800 W. Irving Pk.
528-2883 (well-documented Cuban w/ some Mexican; nice Spanish wines by the glass, cold Presidente; weekday breakfast/sandwich place now open)

Cafe LaGuardia
2111 W. Armitage
862-5996 (popular place that seems to follow the Cafe 28 formula)

Rancho Luna
3357 W. Peterson
509-9332 (long-time standby, fairly large)

Rancho Luna del Caribe
2554 W. Diversey
772-9333 (related to the Peterson standby?; apparently a popular salsa (dancing) option as well)

Mar y Sol [closed]
816 W. Randolph
(312)563-1763 (from the Bolero people, I believe; lukewarm reviews initially, but seems to be gaining steam; never been)

Cafeteria de Pancho
2200 N. California
772-7811 (ropa vieja sandwich)

Las Villas (?)
3101 N. Kedzie
267-0300 (bakery with a cafe; old location knocked down for a gas station; never been to this location, not sure it is still open or has a cafe)

Cuban Island (?)
3446 W. Peterson
509-9332

Latin American #1 (?)
6221 N. Clark

Sabor a Cuba
1833 W. Wilson
769-6859 (mixed reviews here)

Please chime in w/ corrections/additions.

Latin American #1 is definitely gone, the space is an African restaurant, Benadir.

Cafe Express, aka Express Cafe, which I posted about here, is mainly I guess a Mexican place but I would say there's enough Cuban on the menu to call it a Cuban-Mexican restaurant, not a Mexican restaurant that serves some Cuban. (I see that I listed the address as 5793 N. Clark-- that seems questionable in a city where the block numbers rarely reach the 8s and 9s; anyway, 5700ish N. Clark is surely right, easy enough to spot.)

oh how i wish i had this list w/me this weekend. i've been craving a cuban sandwich for a few days, and hunger took me to the closest place to where i was that i could think of. cafe laguardia. i've been there before and, though not the best cuban food, it'll get you by in a pinch.

i also rode my bike to scooters to try the highly recommended custard. man was it good. i tried the vanilla with a banana mixed in. beautiful, creamy texture, great flavor.

but the woman behind the counter was so unfriendly/unhelpful (i'd never been there before, and the flavors/"instructions" taped all over the walls were a little confusing), that i almost left without buying. it was tasty, but i think i prefer the flavorful and friendly miami flavors on west division.

ciao
sharon

I knew there was at least one other place I'd seen, and as soon as it came to me I decided to go check it out again: Click On Cafe, the internet cafe (barely) and Cuban coffee shop with an outdoor patio reflecting the space's former life as a Polish beer garden called Theresa's. Despite some generic things on the menu, I figure it HAS to be Cuban, given not one but TWO hagiographic pictures of John F. and Jackie Kennedy behind the cash register. Here's my sandwich:



Despite the use of Gonnella bread, which makes for a somewhat heavy sandwich when pressed into Cuban sandwich shape, this is a really good Cuban sandwich, I think, mainly due to the excellent pork (which according to the menu description for the pork sandwich, which surely uses the same meat, is roasted with a homemade mojo/marinade). Breakfast seems to be the main specialty, the sandwich menu is not terribly broad, and there's a mention, unspecified, on the menu of "dinner items" too.

Click On Cafe
3656 W. Fullerton

Here's what I posted about Click On last August, during the Teevy Challenge (aka Teevium) to uncover undiscovered restaurants:

Click On Cafe (3656 W. Fullerton)-- I actually noticed this during my first try for a Teevium last week, but it was closed. At first glance the black exterior and iron grates over the windows made it look like your usual totally unappealing hot dog and Kronos pizza puff type place, but the name (which implied an internet cafe) and especially the fact that it has a garden next to it made it seem like there might be more there. (The name Theresa's can still be read on the sign in blacked-out paint, so I suspect this was an old Polish/German beer garden. Anyone know?)

When I went back it was open and the iron grates were pulled back, and the place was transformed. It's actually a very light and pleasant Cuban cafe, apparently redecorated by the owner (who is still working on the garden, though it's pleasant even in its slightly dilapidated state) and he did a pretty nice and classy job of it. A lunch menu sticks mostly to Cuban basics, and the steak sandwich I had was first rate and compared very well with the one I had a couple of weeks ago at Havana Express (Cafe 28's lunch sibling), although I suspect the Gonnella bread would not pass the authenticity test with some here. (Authenticity aside, it was very fresh and a major contributor to the sandwich's success.)

Talking to the owner, he told me that they're just starting to branch out to dinner but that breakfast has been very successful. He is also now offering Intelligentsia coffee, which seems a slight move toward the gentrification of the neighborhood (just beginning if you ask me). Anyway, I plan to go back for breakfast and on the whole, this looks like a place to watch, the Cafe 28 of tomorrow.

By the way, Leesh, really surprised to hear you had an unhelpful/rude counterperson at Scooter's. Give 'em another chance, they've always been really nice to me and mine, though I agree deciphering the choices can be a little hard.

Zza Zzo is a new Cuban restaurant to add to the upscale end of the spectrum. It inhabits the old Bone Daddy location on Ogden and doesn't appear to have done much with the space itself; well, the BBQ-themed photos are no longer in the rest rooms.

The menu is split into tapas and entrees. We went a few weeks ago and the offerings were fair, but nothing extraordinary. Service was fair. They have a good Cuban band, but no sight of Desi Arnez.

They do have an extensive menu of mojitos that range from mango to coconut and other flavors in between. I do recommend that you skip the raspberry-flavored mojito unless you have a thing for Robitussin.

Overall, for the money, I'd head elsewhere.

Zza Zzo
551 N. Ogden Ave.
312-733-9000

Can anyone explain the difference between the Medianoche and the Cuban Sandwich? I've tried the ones at Cafe Marianao, 2246 N. Milwaukee, and they taste awfully similar. The only difference I could detect was the bread; the Cuban Sandwich used a white bread as pictured in Mike G's post above. The Medianoche (sorry no picture) uses a yellow bread (egg mixed in?), and is more oblong in shape. Both contained roast pork, ham, cheese, bread, pickle. I'd say the Cuban Sandwich has a clearly dominant roast pork taste, while the Medianoche had a more balanced flavor. Not sure if this was just my experience, or just as done at Cafe Marianao.

Another place that I really, really like is Taquaria Moran on California across the blue line stop (just south of the intersection with Milwaukee)

They serve a great range of dishes, are very friendly, and the food is really, really good (and cheap). I have been usually getting the tacos al pastor and the Cafe Con Leche. However last time I was there I noticed that one of the waitresses was eating a Jibarito - which I will have to now order the next time I am there.

A Jibarito, for those who do not know, is a sandwich made with plantains instead of bread.

Shannon

Rich4 wrote:Can anyone explain the difference between the Medianoche and the Cuban Sandwich?

Rich,

Far as I know same filling, different bread. Medianoche uses a slightly sweet egg bread which is smaller in size then the traditional Cuban sandwich. Medianoche/Midnight sandwich, is often eaten as a snack, late night or otherwise.

My preference for either Cuban sandwich or Medianoche is Cafe Marianao, but I wouldn't kick a La Unica sandwich out of bed for eating crackers.

I recently had a Cuban sandwich at Latin American Cafe in Miami, which to me is one of the best. I send a copy of the picture I took to JeffB who thought it looked a bit Hollywood.


I also had an delicious bowl of plantain soup.


Latin American's sandwich presses in action.


Enjoy,
Gary

Cafe Marianao
2246 N. Milwaukee
Chicago, IL
278-4533

La Unica
1515 W. Devon
Chicago, IL
274-7788

The Latin American Cafeteria
2940 Coral Way
Miami, FL.
305-448-6809

Shannon Clark wrote:A Jibarito, for those who do not know, is a sandwich made with plantains instead of bread.

Shannon,

Borinquen's Jibarito is my current favorite.


Enjoy,
Gary

Borinquen Restaurant
1720 N. California Ave
Chicago, IL
773-227-6038

Hi,

Borinquen certainly was the originator of the Jabarito sandwich. I have visited their Central Avenue establishment once. It was Jabarito straight from the under the heat lamps. Plaintains get very rubbery under those conditions.

My favored Jabarito sandwich is from Papa's, who also offers Pollo Chon which I just cannot get enough of. Their Jabarito sandwich is made fresh to order every time, no heat lamps period.

Papa's Cache Sabroso Restaurant
2517 W. Division St.
Chicago, IL 60622
Tel: 773/862-8313
Closed Sunday
Monday-Thursday: 10:30 AM to 9 PM
Friday and Saturday: 10:30 AM to 10 PM

Papa's is typically closed on Sundays

Cathy2 wrote:Borinquen certainly was the originator of the Jabarito sandwich. I have visited their Central Avenue establishment once. It was Jabarito straight from the under the heat lamps. Plaintains get very rubbery under those conditions.

Cathy,

I've never had a heat lamp jibarito at Borinquen, only fresh, crisp, garlicky and delicious. Though I will agree that Papa's makes an excellent jibarito, along with very delicious chicken.

Enjoy,
Gary

I've never had a heat lamp jibarito at Borinquen, only fresh, crisp, garlicky and delicious. Though I will agree that Papa's makes an excellent jibarito, along with very delicious chicken

Unfortunately, it did happen. I can offer verification as I had guests with me. I do believe I was a victim of a youthful workforce who were more busy keeping the volume way up to amuse themselves and slogging through their customer-related chores.

I do intend to visit Borinquen on California one of these days. Usually when I am in neighborhood the car insists on Papa's! What can I say, the car has taste!

Soon, I promise...

Getting into this sort of late, but yes, medianoches generally have the same fillings as Cubans. The difference is pretty much the bread. For reasons I haven't really thought too much about, one can find medianoches all around Latin America, while Cubans are in generally restricted to places with a decent-sized population of Cuban extraction.

In general, I like medianoches better, mostly because bread of the type displayed in Gary's Miami photo does not exist north of Orlando, anywhere. On the other hand, lots of Latinos make good egg bread/pan dulce/pan amarillo. (Pan dulce is a confusing term because it means much different things to different people.) Unfortunately, none of the Cuban places around here consistently stocks medianoche bread.

Of course, jibaritos are not Cuban, and not even strictly Puerto Rican, but are a proud Humboldt Park invention. A jibaro, by the way, is a "hillbilly" in PR. Cubans use the term guajiro. So maybe one could ask for the Cuban sandwich fillings on a couple of tostones and create the first "guajirito."

Interestingly, I've noticed that Humboldt Park places, like Las Palmas, e.g., will have pan con lechon (pork sandwich) and ham and cheese (with or without eggs), but no Cubans.

As long as I'm at it, I'll note that the Cuban sandwich repertoire extends beyond medianoches, pan con lechon and the sanwiche mixto we call the Cuban.

An oddball not often seen in Chicago is the croqueta preparada/papa preparada: a sandwich with squished croquettes or papas rellenas (stuffed potatoes) ham and cheese. Sometimes a sandwich is made with croquetas and pickles between two large Cuban crackers (which, like Cuban bread, are filled with lard and for that reason pretty tasty, but unlike Cuban bread are widely available here).

Then there's the Cuban steak sandwich, Marianao's being as good as any, and sandwiches made from picadillo or ropa vieja. I like the latter pressed with a little mayo. A chicken version of the steak sandwich seems to have come from nowhere in recent years.

Then, there is the rare and elusive Elena Ruiz -- an egg (bread) roll filled with sliced turkey, strawberry jam and cream cheese, pressed.

Scratch Las Villas, indicated as questionable, from your list. I drove past 3101 N Kedzie one day last week and the storefront does not seem to have any business dealing with the public. My wife thought it looked as though somebody might be living there.

For those of you who stray into the suburbs, Sabor in Schaumburg is a great place to get an amazingly good Cuban sandwich. The restaurant is Nuevo Latino, but the chef/owner, Christina Hernandez, is Cuban and bakes her own Cuban bread -- which the local Cuban population lines up to buy even when it's not attached to a sandwich. Lots of interesting dishes, but you can always find the Cuban classics -- Cuban sandwich, frijoles negros, ropa vieja. Hernandez also has an award-winning selection of Latin American wines. If you're out that way, it's worth a visit. Lovely outdoor dining option, too, plus wine dinners that focus on different Latin American countries.

Sabor
160-E South Roselle Road
Schaumburg
847-301-1470

Had an excellent Cuban Sandwich and Tostones (green not sweet plantains) today at Cafe Laguardia. I'm no expert on Cuban cuisine but both were well presented and tasty and service during an admittedly slow lunch crowd was attentive and pleasant. I would definitely go back for lunch and would also check out dinner.

I went to the new Cuban restaurant, Habana Libre, on Chicago ave for dinner this weekend - and was very pleased!

Habana Libre has been open for a couple of weeks now - across the street from Cafe Central in the old seafood place (I believe it was called Costa Azul) on Chicago Ave about a block west of Noble. The owners are Josephina and her best friend, a fella whose name escapes me at the moment. Both Josephina and her friend worked at Ambassador Cafe for many years - Josephina as a waitress and her friend in the kitchen. I believe her daughter (Christina - the very pleasant & friendly hostess) told me they both worked for a short time at Sabor y Cuba, the new restaurant opened by the old owners of the Ambassador, before deciding to open their own restaurant.

Christina explained that her mother is from Vera Cruz, and that they have very similar cuisines to Cuba, and that her friend is directly from Cuba. The restaurant is pleasant - it's not like the bright storefront space that was Ambassador (tho I loved that place!), it's a little more dimly lit and nicely, tho simply decorated.

I ordered a number of things, and was hoping as well to order one of their daily specials that I had heard they served, but the specials are available only during the day (lunch). But I was still very happy with my selections:

Caldo Gallego - This soup was EXCELLENT! the broth was a white bean based, thicker broth. I believe it was cannellini beans - they had the shape of a lima bean but were definately white. It had delicious bite sized chunks of sausage and roasted pork, complete with bits of the roasted pork skin - yum, potatoes and spinach. This is definately a hearty soup that i'm counting on to carry me thru the cold winter months....

Empanadas de Pollo - a wonderfully flaky pastry crust filled with seasoned, slightly spicy finely shreaded chicken. The pastry was not greasy in the least and i completely enjoyed this appetizer.

Yucca Rellena - mashed yucca filled with seasoned ground beef. this was good - the yucca was finely and consistently mashed, and seemed as tho it was lightly rolled in fine bread crumbs and fried (pan fried maybe?) as the crust on the outside was very thin and light. the beef inside was a little light on flavor tho.

Congri - mixed black beans and rice - i thought this was a little dry - the flavor was good, but i guess i'm a bigger fan of the soupy black beans with the side of white rice.

Cuban sandwich - I'm not an expert on the Cuban sandwich like some others on this board, but I love 'em! and the Ambassadors was one of my favorite. I had the 'famous' La Unica Cuban not too long ago, and I didn't think it lived up to the hype I'd read about here. But then again the sandwich press had been turned off for a while and I think they made my sandwich in haste. But the Habana Libre Cuban sandwich absolutely hit the mark. Thin slices of ham, nice pieces of roast pork, white cheese, etc. The bread was nice and flaky/crunchy. Christina told me they actually get a lot of their grocery items from La Unica, but I didn't ask where they get their bread from.

Overall I loved this place - especially since its a short walk from my house. The prices are very reasonable - my entire order was about $17. The menu has quite a lot of items on it - all Cuban - and I'm looking forward to working my way thru it over the next few months!

Habana Libre
1440 W Chicago Ave
312-243-3303

Thanks for the report. The green stuff in the Caldo Gallego is collard greens, or should be. If this is the person who I think it is, I'm sure things are good.

PS, a word about the alleged "hype" regarding certain board favorites and whatnot. Maybe its just semantics, but this is a written forum: I see lots of folks lately posting that they went to this place or that and it didn't live up to LTH "hype." I don't get it. La Unica's a good example-- here's a beacon to the Cuban community in Chicago and likely the entire midwest. Resolutely and authentically Cuban, and so much so that the owners of the new place note they shop there. Yet La Unica never has been the beneficiary of any kind of media "hype" that I can tell (though MaryAnn Marciano's Cuban heritage gets it mentioned by Bob Sirott, whose picks for things Chicago, mind you, are spot on). I like it, others here like it; it's pretty good. The sandwiches are solid, for Chicago. That's a big reservation, because the bread is wrong (as it is everywhere outside of FL) and even LaUnica subscribes to the irritating Chicago tendency to use processed cheese rather than the strictly authentic Emmental. Leesh, this is not a criticism of you or the post, which I am very grateful that you made. I just don't get the "hype" about the supposed "hype." "Hype" applies to Snakes On A Plane or Sushi Samba; it really isn't applicable to Honey 1, Katy's or La Unica, I don't think. Or is it?

Habana Libre- so that's what that place is! I'll have to go this week and check it out. Thanks for the report.

JeffB wrote:Thanks for the report. The green stuff in the Caldo Gallego is collard greens, or should be. If this is the person who I think it is, I'm sure things are good.

PS, a word about the alleged "hype" regarding certain board favorites and whatnot. Maybe its just semantics, but this is a written forum: I see lots of folks lately posting that they went to this place or that and it didn't live up to LTH "hype." I don't get it. La Unica's a good example-- here's a beacon to the Cuban community in Chicago and likely the entire midwest. Resolutely and authentically Cuban, and so much so that the owners of the new place note they shop there. Yet La Unica never has been the beneficiary of any kind of media "hype" that I can tell (though MaryAnn Marciano's Cuban heritage gets it mentioned by Bob Sirott, whose picks for things Chicago, mind you, are spot on). I like it, others here like it; it's pretty good. The sandwiches are solid, for Chicago. That's a big reservation, because the bread is wrong (as it is everywhere outside of FL) and even LaUnica subscribes to the irritating Chicago tendency to use processed cheese rather than the strictly authentic Emmental. Leesh, this is not a criticism of you or the post, which I am very grateful that you made. I just don't get the "hype" about the supposed "hype." "Hype" applies to Snakes On A Plane or Sushi Samba; it really isn't applicable to Honey 1, Katy's or La Unica, I don't think. Or is it?

Collard Greens! you are correct - it wasn't spinach...

maybe "hype" might have been the wrong word to use regarding the posts favoring La Unica. I used that word because I love Cuban food, and was sooo eagerly looking forward to trying their food, after reading many many posts reccommending the place. And don't get me wrong - I guess I didn't mention that I loved La Unica - I'm a sucker for authentic little ethnic grocery stores, and I'm crazy for Cuban food. It's just that I had my expectations so high when I went there, and they didn't have available the first item I wanted to order (oxtail), so I went with the Cuban sandwich, only to be shot down again when they told me that they had turned off the sandwich press a couple of hours before (We went on a Monday night at about 7:30pm). They offered to still make me the sandwich, but it would take a few minutes longer, and this is why I think I didn't get the optimal Cuban sandwich - it just didn't feel like it was "pressed" long enough. But this hasn't turned me off from the place - I'll definately show (or rather 'feed') my face in there again in the future, but La Unica is a long way from home for me, and I'm just glad to have a new really good Cuban place (Habana Libre) just a couple minutes walk from my home.

Being someone that loves La Unica's Cuban sandwich, I'll need to give this place a shot. Thanks for the heads up.

I visited Habana Libre about a week ago and strongly agree with leesh’s assessment of the place. The Caldo Gallego was nothing short of fantastic – tasted truly homemade, like something straight out of a mother’s kitchen. Could easily be a meal in itself, like good posole. Sometimes fried foods can weigh heavily, but the Yucca Rellena was not so – although it could have used a little more spice for my taste. Fried pork entrée was excellent. Think a nice chuck of lechon, fried for a crispier outside with moist inside. Better than a straight lechon dinner IMO. Finally, mango sorbet served in a hollowed out piece of frozen mango was a great, and light, way to finish. Also tried the pineapple sorbet but found it bland compared to the mango. You can tell that they are still training some of the servers, so service was a little erratic. Regardless, I will definitely be back for the great food – especially the Caldo Gallego.

These folks prepare a mighty fine Cuban sandwich along with other Cuban and Chilean offerings. The cafe is on my way home to Albany Park from the South Loop, and I often palm one or two to take out for dinner. I usually start to salivate, in anticipation, around the North Ave. exit off the Kennedy. If I grab two, one is usually gone by the time I finish the drive up Elston to home near Pulaski/Lawrence. The dog loves those days; she gets to lick the mustardy, pickly meat juices from my face before our walk.



Latin Sandwich Cafe
4009 N. Elston (at Irving Park)
773-478-0175
http://www.latinsandwichcafe.com

Cheers,
Wade

I had a nice Sunday lunch at Habana Libre. Each meal comes with a basket of Dracula-ready garlic bread. To start, we split the cuban appetizer plate for 2. For $6.95, you got two ham croquettes, a softball-sized papa rellena, a tasty beef empanada with a flaky, short(er) crust and fried yucca. For a main course, I had the ropa vieja sandwich. Tender, flavorful beef with a slight tug left to it -- it hadn't been stewed to death, a texture I prefer. The sandwich roll was sturdy, but soft, and was slightly toasted -- definitely not an afterthought. My companion had the media noche sandwich, which she enjoyed. With one iced tea and a Cuban coffee, we were out of there for $25, including tip, and a 1/2 sandwich each to take home.

The new owners spruced up the decor from the taco place before. It is bright and clean. Upon leaving, I wondered why all those people were still waiting for a table at FLO when they could have had a perfectly nice lunch here.

Habana Libre
1440 W. Chicago Avenue

aschie30 wrote:I had a nice Sunday lunch at Habana Libre. Each meal comes with a basket of Dracula-ready garlic bread. To start, we split the cuban appetizer plate for 2. For $6.95, you got two ham croquettes, a softball-sized papa rellena, a tasty beef empanada with a flaky, short(er) crust and fried yucca. For a main course, I had the ropa vieja sandwich. Tender, flavorful beef with a slight tug left to it -- it hadn't been stewed to death, a texture I prefer. The sandwich roll was sturdy, but soft, and was slightly toasted -- definitely not an afterthought. My companion had the media noche sandwich, which she enjoyed. With one iced tea and a Cuban coffee, we were out of there for $25, including tip, and a 1/2 sandwich each to take home.

We had the the Cuban appetizer platter and thought everything was done perfectly. The empanada and papa relleno in particular were amazingly delicate -- whoever is back there frying knows what he or she is doing.

Geli had raved about the ropa vieja and we were very pleased with ours. I guess I tend to prefer it "stewed to death," too -- with the tougher cuts of meat used for this dish, it's probably better to cook a little longer to soften the threads.

Note: one of the servers who used to work at Sol de Mexico is now working at Habana Libre.

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:Note: one of the servers who used to work at Sol de Mexico is now working at Habana Libre.

Hammond, is it this one?

stevez wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Note: one of the servers who used to work at Sol de Mexico is now working at Habana Libre.

Hammond, is it this one?

I believe so. I called to make reservations Friday morning and the server who answered recognized my name and told me she used to work at SdM. I was on my cell so connection wasn't clear but I think she said Jasmine (Yazz-neem). When I got there Friday night, there were no recognizable faces there...but I think this was the one.

David Hammond wrote:whoever is back there frying knows what he or she is doing.

That was my take as well. We were so impressed with our fried appetizers, which we ordered while still deciding on entrees, that I had a fried main course as well and I'm happy to report that the chuletas empanizadas (fried pork chops) are lovely as well.

I was somewhat less impressed with the Cuban sandwich, which was pretty dry, not terribly well pressed and on the wrong kind of bread.