Cafes Cubanos (reposts)

La Unica:

It's a market, it's a cafeteria, it's Cuban and it's Colombian/Ecuadoran. Still one of the best bodegas in Chicago, here's something I wrote about it a few years ago:

La Unica: I grew up in Cuban neighborhood and I find La Unica to be quite authentic, for better or worse -- down to the odd, gruff owner at the checkout stand (asked if he carried Presidente beer, he shouted "we don't cater to Dominicans here"). The cafeteria has very good garbanzo soup, made with impossibly bright yellow Bijol (a commercial anato derivative) and the full panoply of deep-fried Cuban finger foods (papas rellenas, yuca rellena, empanadas, tostones, maduros, croquetas etc.). Best is the real cafe Cubano, dark and thick with sugar (like iced tea in the South, there's no such thing as unsweetened Cuban coffee), served in a styrofoam cup with a side of pill cups to use as shot glasses for the cafesitos. Sandwiches are pretty good, including, I think, the idiosyncratic croquetas preparadas (croquettes with saltine crackers and pickles), although I have yet to find a great Cuban sandwich in Chicago. While the store is truly Cuban (we go just to buy Royal Violets brand baby cologne; don't ask), the patrons are not. I see many Mexicans, Colombians, Ecuadorans, etc., and saw a good sized group of Brazilians last time I was there. Great mix. The menu makes several Colombian/Ecuadoran accommodations, as mentioned here previously.


Cafeteria Marianao/Cuban Coffee

Two places in Chicago do cafe Cubano correctly -- Marianao (named after a beach in Cuba) and La Unica (the grocery store on Devon). Cafe Cubano without as much sugar as possible is inauthentic. If you have to add your own, it's too late. This is because the sugar should be added, ideally, when the hot water meets the coffee, permitting the super-saturation that you describe. The very best cuban coffee is made not with an espresso machine, but with a sieve -- more specifically, a finely woven "sock" hanging on a metal ring, in which you put ground coffee and sugar then hot water ["manga" or "colador," lit. sleeve or strainer]. I have not seen this contraption in Chicago, and it is becoming rarer in Tampa and Miami. [Though it can be bought at La Unica and places in Humboldt Park.] The little pill cups are authentic, although one should cost about 25 cents. Typically, an order comes in a short styrofoam cup [a "colada"] with a stack of the little clear ones on the side. While on the subject, I must thank Gary for turning me on to Marianao, which apparently was sucked up from Calle Ocho during the hurricane and deposited on Milwaukee Ave. intact. It's the real deal, down to the little takeout window and counter. Also, it is the only place I have found that does a proper cafe con leche and Cuban toast. (The toast is pressed on the plancha (sandwich press) with lots of butter; dip the toast into the sweet cafe con leche and watch the world go by.) Other places that have decent Cuban food (e.g., the Ambasador, Cafe 28 ) don't seem to get the coffee right.

For those of us unfamiliar, can you post addresses? Thanks.

La Unica Cafeteria
1515 W. Devon Ave., Chicago
(773) 274-7788.

Marianao Food Mart (Cafeteria Marianao)
2246 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
(773) 278-4533.

After reading all about La Unica in the GNR Nominations, I decided I needed to give it a try to find out what all the fuss was about, so I stopped in today with a friend. What a great find!

First, I loved the Cuban Sandwich -- slices of very flavorful roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, mustard and sliced pickles on what might not be Cuban bread, but I personally loved the very crispy texture.

We also shared a Cuban empanada, which was quite tasty. The tostones were delicious -- fresh, crispy on the outside and not the least bit oily. And the black beans and rice (the Moros y Cristianos) were delicious.

They also offer a few sauces in squeeze bottles and I tried them out with the rice and beans, the empanada and the tostones and enjoyed them immensely. I think one of the sauces had a chipotle flavor, another I believe tomatillo but my favorite was the one that was the brightest green and I'm guessing some avocado and cilantro with a huge kick from serranos (cool, yet hot).

I strained my neck severely as I was eating -- the place was packed and all around me were plates piled high with food offering some of the most amazing aromas and colors. I spent half my time checking out everyone else's plates, wishing I had brought more friends so that I could sample more items. With their bargain basement prices, I plant to do just that. Now I know what the fuss is about.

I was running around on the East side last week and stopped in at La Unica for a quick lunch. The Cuban sandwich was as good as ever and they were doing a brisk business of Pan-Hispanic customers, cops and the occasional white guy. They've got such a wide ranging menu, it's a shame that I rarely stray from the Cuban foods. I'll have to make it a point to check out some of the foods from the other cultures represented on the menu in the near future. I'll probably skip the Mexican stuff, though. That is a culture that is well represented elsewhere.

Pan-Hispanic

??

Katie wrote:

Pan-Hispanic

??

I have no trouble understanding what Pan-Hispanic means. The double question mark, on the other hand, is quite ambiguous.

stevez wrote:I was running around on the East side last week and stopped in at La Unica for a quick lunch.

East side?

La Unica Food Mart
1515 West Devon Avenue
Chicago, IL 60660-1313

For someone who lives west of, say, Western, they might consider 1500 West to be the East side.

Yeah, but I thought today was Pick on SteveZ day.

nr706 wrote:Yeah, but I thought today was Pick on SteveZ day.

I must have missed that on the Events Calendar. My bad. Carry on!