Red wine vinegar in the black beans seals the deal for me. Picadillo, yes please but with raisins and cocktail olives with pimentos and capers. Louie if you ever find yourself in Austin, please give me a call at my virtual restaurant @Papi'sKitchen and we can share recipes over a Cuban sandwich, mine is called the Cuban Ruban, some black beans and you can try my Latino inspired burritos including one made with picadillo named "el Sloppy Joe"! Approvecha!
1
Lovely and incisive. Witty and great writing. Thanks!
Fabulous review, descriptive and illuminating without being overwrought.
5
Picadillo sin raisins?! Save a seat for me because I’m on my way!
1
After I left Florida, I survived with my espresso pot and bulk size cans of Bustelo. However, after going to a local deli and ordering a Cuban sandwich, I almost cried to find it was served on a hamburger bun.
4
Really happy to know about this, although schlepping out to Gowanus just for food is a bit difficult to fit in.... But for cuban coffee, definitely !
Another former Miami-an
3
Ahhh, brings back fond memories of growing up in Miami in the 70's. We used to go to the old Hialeah Flea Market on Saturday's and we'd get Cubano sandwiches hot from the press and a Jupina pineapple soda. Heaven. Either that or two Tastee patties and a Ting!
Thanks NYT for another review of a great and accessible restaurant.
5
Love fried egg over rice! Classic Cuban breakfast.
And always put rainsins in the picadillo please! It's part of the flavor
profile!
Cheers
irina
4
Sounds delicious!
2
Ligaya mishan, your prose is magical.
12
Ms. Mishan,
Thank you for the great review of My Cuban Spot. While there is nothing Cuban or even Latin American in my ancestry, I have always been a huge fan of the cuisine. Sit down, stand up, dine in or take out, I do not much care. There seems to be something wonderful in the seasonings used.
Sadly, Cuba food is nearly impossible to find on the West Coast; even the largest cities have but a handful of Cuban offerings. The Northwest it even drier.
The single menu item mentioned that I won't touch is tilapia. I've eaten the fresh water fish a number of times and to my taste, it always seems 'dirty,' or tasting of mud. I hope the tilapia available on your coast is better. Otherwise, a wonderful review, including a variety of inexpensive Cuban items. Complying with the NYT's rule about 3+ visits before a review must have been torture for you . If the chef is ever able to open a branch office in Oregon, it will thrive.
8
When you want to escape the grey, rainy winter in OR (assuming you live in the western part of the state), take a trip to blue-sky Santa Fe where you can experience a taste of Cuba at the following homey, welcoming restaurant:
https://www.facebook.com/cubafefood/
Be sure to try their cornbread - verging on pudding - studded with kernels of corn (and green chile upon request) and luxuriating in a pool of raspberry chipotle sauce.
2
I'm sure the food is lovely in this Santa Fe restaurant, and perhaps the rest of the menu is Cuban, but cornbread with green chile and chipotle sauce is not Cuban in any way, shape, or form.
And mi abuela's picadillo always had raisins, so that is how we make it in my house, as well.