Cuba

I hosted a going away dinner party here last night for one of my best friends as he is off to Liberia for six months to do some good in this world. Overall, I enjoyed it. The space is incredibly charming and rustic with exposed brick walls lined with photos of Havana city scenes. Immediately when you walk in you see a man in the corner who hand rolls cigars for all of the patrons. His name is Jose Martinez and he has been making cigars for the past 30 years- previously learning at La Aurora cigar factory in the Dominican Republic. The cigars are free of charge and customers are welcome to enjoy a post-meal smoke when they are finished. Antique lanterns and sconces create a romantic glow. The restaurant seems quaint at first but as you walk beyond the bar the room opens up to many more tables in the back as well as a cavernous downstairs area with another bar and more tables. They had a live band upstairs and by the end of our meal the upstairs space was filled with couples dancing. Our party of 12 basically had a private room in the basement which was a good move on their part given the rowdiness that was about to ensue.

The service was pretty good. Our waiter came to take our order when we were not ready and then disappeared for quite a long time but once we got his attention again it was smooth sailing. We ordered pitchers of mojitos and sangria for the table. They have an inventive drink menu with many flavored mojitos such as raspberry and mango as well as mojito martinis and even Cuban beer. I highly recommend the mojitos which were well crafted and served with sugar cane sticks (a nice touch). My friend tried a mojito martini that he enjoyed. The sangria was watered down and weak. I recommend sticking to the mojitos. The waiter also brought us some toasted bread and plantain chips with some kind of dip (not sure what this was).

Our reservation was not until 10:30 so we ordered mainly appetizers to share for the table. Here’s the rundown: beef empanadas, ceviche mixto, chorizo with plantain chips, sandwich cubano, grilled calamari, pinchos, and a ropa vieja entrée. The food was really not the focus of the meal but being how I am, it’s important to me. I also apologize for the lack of detail as the drinks were freely flowing throughout the meal Anyway, the beef empanadas were really delicious. They were perfectly crisp and not greasy at all and they came with a green sauce which complemented them well. The chorizo had a rich smokiness but it was an odd match with the plantain chips. I’m really no expert on Cuban cuisine given it was probably my second time having it but I think they could have done better. The sandwich Cubano was decent. The meat was a bit dry and could have been seasoned better. The ceviche was nice and refreshing. It had a generous portion of shrimp, scallop, and squid which had soaked in a lemon marinade. I didn’t get to taste the pinchos which were skewers of beef, chicken, and shrimp marinated in citrus juices but others seemed to really enjoy them. The ropa vieja was the star of the show. I read that Cuba made a delicious ropa vieja (Cuban shredded beef) so I was glad that we got to try it. The beef was served in a plantain basket with rice and black beans on the side. It was incredibly flavorful as the beef was slow braised in a tomato and garlic sauce. In retrospect, I would have tried more of the entrees since the appetizers were hit-or-miss.

All in all, the food was tasty and affordable, service was good, and the atmosphere was charming. New York isn’t overflowing with great Cuban restaurants so if you have a hankering, I recommend Cuba.

Cuba: 222 Thompson Street and Bleecker

Cuisine: Cuban

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