All Entries in the "Cuban & Latin" Category
Restaurant Review: La Isla Bonita
Sandwiched between a tattoo shop and the unforgiving speed and lack of attention of Ulmerton Road, La Isla Bonita (9033 Ulmerton Rd, Largo, FL 33771-5312, (727) 588-0338) is a promising taste of latin flavors at reasonable prices that may soon be gone. Their location, both too expensive and hard to find, keeps the foot traffic low. In the few times I’ve been there, even during the weekday lunch hour, there’s never anyone there but the staff. When I walk in, I’m always greeted warmly and the owner stays enthusiastic while making my lunch, even as he explains how he’s about to go under if he doesn’t move to a better location. I sincerely hope they do, as their food is top notch, their service is good and the owner’s candid and friendly approach make this a great little place to eat.
This is traditional latin island food including slow roasted pork, chicken and beef served with rice, beans and shells. The food is distinctly Puerto Rican, and they obviously put a great deal of time into the slow cooking process that makes the meats so tender and juicy. During my photo shoot day, I ordered two tacos with pulled pork and a beef burrito.
The Tacos come loaded with tomatoes and lettuce over pork, filling the cream-slathered shell. They’re succulent and dripping, a bit salty but overall very flavorful. They are small, as far as tacos go, so you’ll want atleast two. The burrito is actually quite large and filled with meat and vegetables. No salsa is needed, as the steaming process that they use to keep the meat hot adds a good deal of moisture without zapping out the flavor.
The price is reasonable at La Isla Bonita. My whole meal, including two tacos, a burrito and a drink were under $15. Assuming Bonita makes it past the recession and gets some bodies in seats, it promises to be a Largo favorite. I just hope others don’t dismiss it because of it’s poor location and blink-and-you-miss-it store front.
Restaurant Review: Monserrate Bar & Grill
Having worked in Tampa long before moving here, I had driven by Monserrate Bar & Grill (2311 W Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL 33603-1052, (813) 878-2466) a number of times but had never stopped in. This weekend, I dropped by and was pleasantly surprised by both the atmosphere and the meal. A Columbian restaurant serving Latin favorites, Monserrate is a casual dining experience that is all too familiar to the natives. In the hour I was there, several Latin families came and went. I was definitely the only one not fluent in Spanish, and that made the atmosphere that much more authentic.
Within a few minutes of being seated, a beautiful woman approached me to take my order. Through broken English, she and I talked a bit about their specialties and she recommended the Asada. I do love a good steak, so I decided to take her word for it.
As she returned with my drink, she brought out this small dish of chips and sauce. The chips were infused with garlic, a powerful aroma and flavor that overtook everything about the chips. The sauce complimented it perfectly, being filled with both garlic and citrus. The more of these chips that I ate, the more I wanted even more. The garlic really starts to overtake all of the senses. They were crunchy and fried to a delicious brown. I wish I knew what they were made of, because this would be a great party food to serve at dinner parties.
Service was fast with the entree, being out in about 20 minutes. When I order Carne Asada, I typically expect a pile of shredded meat or at most a thin strip of skirt steak. What I got was a delicious and large cut of meat served with a fajita-style presentation on a bed of sauteed onions, topped in red and green peppers and a garlic lime sauce. This steak was so tender and perfect that it fell apart as soon as I forked at it. It took very little cutting of the knife to free individual pieces. The meat was medium-rare throughout and just oily enough to be flavorful without coming off as greasy or fatty. There wasn’t a single bit of the steak that wasn’t exquisite. If all steakhouses could replicate this taste and consistency, I’d never write a bad review of a steak place again. Did I mention this was only $15?
The steak was served with black beans and rice, both of which were acceptable. Nothing outstanding in either side item, but I used them to soak up the remnants of the steak juice and onions after I gobbled up the steak.
I’ll definitely be going back to Monserrate now that I know what a great little place it is. Along with the steak, I was recommended the pork and the shrimp dishes. Those will be next on the docket on my return to a Latin paradise right here in Tampa.
Restaurant Review: Mandy’s Restaurant
We tried Mandy’s Restaurant (4025 W. Waters Ave. Tampa, FL 33614, (813) 888-6050) the other day after seeing people lined up every time I drove by. The menu online showed decent prices and the food was traditional Cuban cuisine, so we decided to pop in.
When we came through the door, we were greeted by Mandy himself. I was surprised by the layout, a classic cafeteria style line of food with everything in warming trays. Generally this cafeteria/buffet style food is pretty bad, but I wanted to give it a try anyway.
The place was cleaner than a lot of the cafeteria style places I’ve been too before. Mandy and his employees do keep the place free of debris, the tables were clean and there were only a few patrons, so there were plenty of places to sit. Much of their business is to-go carryout and catering.
Since the food is pre-prepared and scooped out as you order it, we were quickly seated with our food. We ended up trying a bit of everything, as is customary with this kind of restaurant, as I wanted to make sure I had enough choices to judge from.
I started out with the fish, which was broiled to a light crisp and served with mashed potatoes and fried plantains. The fish itself wasn’t bad, but it was a little salty for my taste. The plantains, which sweet and delicious, were overly candied. It felt less like I was eating a cousin of the banana more like I was eating a confection. The mashed potatoes were consistent with what I’d expect from cafeteria potatoes, done decently but not amazing.
The best thing I had was the stuffed potato, seen here in blurry motion as I snagged it from the plate. The meat filling inside was tasty if only a little dry. I added hot sauce to it making it my favorite thing on the menu.
The second best thing I tried was the pulled pork with black beans and rice. The pork, just salty enough to remind you it’s pork, was stringy and savory. They mixed well with the black beans and the rice and this would be the dish I would go back for regularly, as it was a bargain at around $8.
The stew was a mix of stewed and brazed meat with potatoes and a thick sauce. The sauce was too salty (like the fish) and lacked any other flavor. I picked at it for a few bites but chose to leave it alone.
The chicken breast was dry, hard to eat and greasy. Completely unappetizing.
All in all, it was what I expect from this kind of food. Sitting out in the warmers dries the food out, makes it more salty and makes it difficult to swallow. That said, there are a few hidden gems here. The stuffed potato and pork and black beans are worth a return trip.
Restaurant Review: Argentine Steakhouse by Latin American Grill
On Tuesday night, Dereck and I went to the Argentine Steakhouse by Latin American Grill (3780 Tampa Rd # D2, Oldsmar, FL 34677, (813) 855-0332). If the name is a lot to swallow, you won’t be prepared for the meal itself which is overwhelming both in scale and taste. I’ve eaten a lot of meat from a lot of places, but very little of it lives up to the sheer abundance and decadence of what is offered at the Argentine Steakhouse. Argentina is a meat loving country and the Argentines eat more meat per head than any other country. This is evident at the Steakhouse.
When we arrived, it took a little bit of time to find the place. It’s tucked away in a corner off Tampa Road/Hillsborough behind the “Oldsmar Cop Shop” bar and next to a Hungry Howies. Also, be sure to call ahead to ensure they are there. They have Mondays off and I’ve called other times and not gotten an answer. I assure you that the trouble of making the call and driving out to Oldsmar is worth it if you’re a carnivore like myself.
When we walked in, we were greeted by the manager, who sat us quickly and brought out our drinks. This place doesn’t have fountain soda, only cans, so you pay for every drink. Seating is reasonably comfortable and there’s a good flow of traffic in and out. Music plays, but isn’t overwhelming so you can still conversate over your meal. It’s a humble and accepting environment with photos of customers adorning the walls between soccer uniforms and decorations from Argentina.
We decided to go with the mixed meats plate, which is a combination of 7 different meats on a grill, served with two sides and two salads for $35. The menu says this takes 35 minutes to cook, but we found it was out inside of 20 minutes. I’m always happy when I’m under promised and over delivered.
The first course of the meal was a traditional bread with an oily and bitter tasting spread, a combination of garlic and other herbs. It was a good compliment to the bread, giving it a depth that I wasn’t expecting.
Secondly, we were brought out our salads. They were pretty standard garden salads with a nice dressing which was creamy and sweet on top (such as a honey mustard might be) but with a balsamic vinegar finish.
Finally, the main course arrived. A cup of black beans and a large plate of rice came out first. The rice itself was cooked just right, making it light and fluffy and easy to spoon out onto the plate. I find myself having a love-hate relationship with rice lately, mostly because cooks tend to overcook it or make it very bland. This rice was prepared well and had a good flavor index that is a bit oily, a bit savory and a good base for the rest of the meal. The black beans were a bit minimalist compared to the rice, but a decent sized portion was served and the taste was spot on.
The meat grill was everything I had hoped for. A combination of chicken, blood sausage, roasted pork sausage, skirt steak, flank steak, sweetbreads, flap steak, short ribs and pork chops sat atop a charcoal lined table grill. The meats could be smelled before they even got to our table and they continued to sizzle like a fajita grill as we dug in. It’s important to note that most any facet of this dish could have been a meal on it’s own and still been very good. We were fortunate to try a bit of everything.
The chorizo sausage was a really nice first bite. I’m not usually a fan of sausage, but this was nicely roasted with clean grill marks, a robust taste and just enough fat content to make it delicious. Usually, pork sausage is either too oily or too dry. This was a good middle ground, really packing a lot of flavor into something I don’t usually enjoy.
The blood sausage was what blood sausage is supposed to be. The sausage itself was cooked well throughout and had that robust flavor you’d expect from blood sausage. I’m not a fan of it unless I’ve been drinking beer, but I can account that this is the way that blood sausage is supposed to be cooked.
The chicken was a little overdone for my tastes, but still quite good. One thing I’ve learned about grilled chicken is that it only takes the slightest lack of attention for it to go very wrong. These guys saved it from getting to that point, but it was still a bit more overdone than I like.
The pork chops were amongst my favorite parts of the dish and on par with the chops I had at Carmines. With so many people doing pork chops wrong, I’m glad to find a place that makes them tender with lightly crispy edges, savory all the way through without being too salty or overwhelmed with herbs and spices. These were as close as I’ve had to perfect pork chops in a while and are neck to neck with Carmines.
The flank steak, a specialty at the Argentine Grill, was also a superstar of the platter. Seered to lock in the juices and tender all the way through, the flank steak broke apart as I picked it up with the fork. Now that’s tender! I’ve had flank before in dishes like fajitas, but it’s usually dry and flavorless. This flank was a good cut, a good combination of flavors and melt in the mouth delicious.
The skirt steak continued down the path of delicious meat. The way they cut the skirt lends to this, as it helps seal in the oils and juices that make this lower price cut perform like a much higher end piece of meat. The skirt was also seered hot and fast, leaving a nice pink side clearly defined from the browned edge.
The sweetbreads, a food I’d never eaten before, were a succulent and delicious cut of meat. This was Dereck’s favorite, and will definitely be something I re-order when I go back. As our host explained to us, the sweetbreads are the neck muscle. There is very little use from these muscles in the field, so they stay tender and flavorful. The taste profile was that of a top cut from veal. This was definitely a winner.
The flap steak was a bit of a side note compared to the rest of the selection, but it was a decent cut of meat. Flap steak, like flank steak or skirt steak, can be easily overdone and dried out. This cut was succulent and moist throughout, locking in flavors with a hint of salt.
The short ribs were the last bit of meat that we ate. A bit tougher than the rest of the meat, the barbecue taste really shined through on these. Leaving the bones intact helps hold in the natural flavors which definitely added to these. I’ve eaten a lot of ribs in my day and these were well within what I’d call “decent”, though not groundbreaking by any means. Then again, compared to things like the sweetbreads and the rest of the meal, there was a high bar to compare to as we were getting full.
We finished the meal with fried plantains, which were nothing short of heavenly. I don’t usually like plantains because they’re typically either overly fried or mushy inside. Argentine Steakhouse got them just right, hot and sweet on the inside with a golden crust. To quote Dereck, “I could eat these every day.”
This is one of the few places were Dereck and I have gone and not brought food home. Even though we were given more than a big enough portion, we were both so happy that we continued to eat until we were miserable. This steakhouse is highly recommmended, especially considering the price point (about $40 for 2 people), the quality of service and the exceptionally tasty meat dishes.
Restaurant Review: The Columbia
What can be said about the oldest running restaurant in Tampa? The Columbia (2117 E 7th Ave Tampa, FL 33605 – (813) 248-4961) has been a staple in Ybor City since it’s inception in 1905. It’s longevity has just as much to do with the culture it embodies as it’s good food.
The Hernandez Gonzmart family has been making restaurant history since 1905 when they opened their landmark Columbia Restaurant in Tampa’s Historic Ybor City, which today is Florida’s Oldest and the World’s Largest Spanish restaurant. Today, 4th & 5th generation family members work hard to preserve the family’s legacy that their great-grandfather Casimiro Hernandez Sr. created over 100 years ago when he opened the Columbia as a corner café frequented by local cigar workers.
The thing that amazed me is how truly overwhelming the Columbia is as an experience. It’s a whole block long, featuring multiple dining rooms, specialty halls, an expansive kitchen and a museum/store. Tours are offered throughout the day that delve into some of the history andtake in everything that the Columbia has to offer.
I recently went there for lunch with Tommy Duncan of Sticks of Fire fame. Since it was a working lunch, I was glad to just sit at the bar and enjoy a traditional cuban favorite, the Cuban Sandwich.
The sandwich has taken the top spot in my heart and in my stomach for “Best Cuban Sandwich” in Tampa. Since they’ve been doing it longer than anyone else, it makes sense that they have perfected it. The bread is crispy and pressed just long enough to make it crunchy but not hard. The contents are sliced thin and cut corner to corner so the presentation is as good as any sandwich can possibly be.
The first bite reminds me of the simplicity of the sandwich. The second reinforces the taste profile, especially the mustard and the pickles which give it a slightly bitter taste. The fusion of meats and cheese bring a soft counterpart to the crust of the bread. It’s a very fulfilling sandwich, both in it’s overall taste and it’s larger than average size.
After lunch, we took the free tour. Here’s photos of the restaurant, as seen throughout the tour.
Restaurant Review: La Tropicana Cafe
After the Saturday morning Ybor Yard Sale, I decided to check out local eatery La Tropicana Cafe (1822 E 7th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605,(813) 247-4040?). Open only breakfast and lunch, this Ybor city staple serves up traditional Cuban favorites at a great price.
The atmosphere is cozy, the kind of seat-yourself place that shows it’s age and experience without feeling dated or worn out. Wood beams traverse the ceilings, leaving off-white walls covered in portraits and relics from all over Tampa. The only negative thing I’ve found about this place is that it doesn’t take credit cards. While it’s so commonplace for most restaurants to take them, Tropicana sticks with tradition and keeps prices low by being a cash-only business.
I knew I was going to be running around all day, so I took the opportunity to have a big early lunch. What I didn’t count on when I ordered a piece of deviled crab and the special (a half cuban sandwich and black beans) was how incredibly large it really was. For under $10, I got a big pile of cuban bread and butter, a good size bowl of black beans and rice, a half (about 6″ long) cuban sandwich and an ostrich-egg sizes deviled crab. Even after eating my fill, I took home more than half of this.
The bread, black beans and rice came out first. This is more than enough to feed a person, but it’s just the starting course. The bread is perfectly done, as cuban bread needs to be. It was piping hot inside, crunchy and perfectly crusted outside and served with more than enough butter to clog a major cardiac inlet.
The black beans and rice reminded me of my days in New Orleans. They fill you up quickly and they taste great when topped with onions.
By the time the sandwich and deviled crab came out, I was already full. I did take a few bites of each and took the rest home. The cuban sandwich was excellent, crispy and thin bread with thick slices of tomatoes and lettuce, sitting on a few slices of pork. This was the way I’d always imagined perfect cuban sandwiches to be.
The deviled crab was exceptional. Not only was it slightly spicy with a firm fried shell, but the first bite into it release a puff of steam and delicious crab meat. The meat was tender, and better than any I’d had to date. I’ve seen seafood restaurants that couldn’t get this right, and it’s a bargain at three dollars.
Restaurant Review: Streetcar Charlies
Seated in the middle of the Gaybor District of Ybor City, Streetcar Charlies (1811 N 15th St
Tampa, FL 33605, (813) 248-1444) is a refreshing upscale restaurant at a mid-scale price. Catering to gay clientele but welcoming to everyone, the menu is a combination of styles and regions. We purchased a $25 for $10 coupon off Restaurant.com and decided to give this place a try for Valentine’s Day. I’m glad we did.
When you walk in, the restaurant breaks into three separate areas. In the middle, you’ll find an aged-looking bar. Lots of dark woods and crystal and a mixed crowd, everyone seeming to really enjoy themselves. To the right, you have a more private dining area. To the left, where we sat, is the open wing. By day, they open up all the floor-to-ceiling windows and this becomes an open-air restaurant. At night, it reverts to an elegant dining area.
When we came in, we were greeted by a hostess that reminded me of a fashionista. She was stern, but sweet. We gave her our name (reservations welcome!) and she sat us immediately. The room we sat in was a mix of themes that didn’t seem to mesh at first, but they all made sense as I took a look around at the crowd. On the televisions, we had sports on one TV and the rest turned to dance music videos. The tables had fine linens with a paper cover. Every table had a delicate piece of stemware on it. Even the soda cups were made of high quality glass, none of that polycarbonate garbage that some restaurants try to pass off as drinkware.
Our server came out very quickly. She was also quite sweet, continually calling me “baby” and making sure we had enough to drink. It’s personalities like this that make dining out a true pleasure and I gladly left her a 30% tip because she was exceptional.
The appetizer course was the Latin Quarter, a mix of Wonton Chips with Mojo marinated chicken or chorizo, seasoned black beans, poblano, Manchego – jack cheese served with salsa, guava lime sour creme). It sounds strangely inviting, but it can only be described as one word: delicious. I never thought I’d mix wonton chips with anything outside of Asia, but this was a pleasant mix of cultures. Chorizo sausage mixed with the cheese and beans have a distinct latin flavor while the sauce (oh my god, the sauce!) was savory and sweet to the tastebuds while completely complimenting the dish. I honestly could have lived with just the appetizer, as it was not only tasty but a very large portion for $8.95.
Then the main dishes came out. I opted for a dinner Greek Salad. Kara got the Crispy Mojo Chicken. My salad was on par with anything I’ve had in Tarpon Springs. Lots of feta, a thick serving of beets, delicious red onions and a garnish of shrimp. The deciding factor of a good greek salad for me is in the extras, and Charlie’s served up the extras include a glob of Greek Potato salad at the core. My only complaint was the large leaves of lettuce they used for the bottom, but it didn’t stop me from making an empty bowl quickly.
I tasted a bit of Kara’s Mojo chicken as well. It was a nicely glazed chicken, juicy throughout without being greasy. The lemon-butter gravy is a nice touch, being a bit unexpected by still good. She continually praised, “This chicken is so juicy! We need to come here again!”. I definitely agree with her.
After the meal, our server brought us the check. It was less than $60 (before the coupon), including my top shelf Ketel One Martini and her Long Island Ice Tea, which were both incredibly potent. It’s difficult to get the note of a dirty martini, but Charlies landed it.
All in all, I couldn’t recommend this place more. Everyone was so friendly. The atmosphere was fun. We didn’t stick out like sore thumbs, though we’re definitely not the standard guests. If you find yourself in Gaybor, take a walk into Charlies. You’ll leave satisfied.
Restaurant Review: Carmine’s on 7th Avenue
Pigs and I go way back. Being a BBQ guy, it’s something that goes hand in hoof. One could say that BBQ is almost forgiving in many ways to the pig, as it’s slow and smokey and really “cooks itself” in a lot of ways. Other cooking methods have no been so good to my little pink friends.
I’ve been to places from Hardees (pork chop sammich, $3, fried and dried, likely to give you a stomach ache) to places like luxury steakhouses that served pork undercooked, overcooked, slathered in too much sauce or otherwise.. well.. not right. I’m afraid to even consider a pork chop made any other way than BBQ for fear that it would be inedible.
Enter Carmine’s on 7th Avenue in Ybor. The decor is a mix of bar-scene and fine tavern. The waitstaff is friendly and accommodating. When I threw out the, “You tell me what you like.” to the waitress, she didn’t even flinch. “Deviled crab and pork chops are my two favorites, and I eat here all the time.” So the expert spoketh, so I eateth. The pork chops, that is.
Our waitress brought out a Mojito for both of us. It was strong, the way the Cubans make it, and it was not so overly sweet that it ruined the drink. It was a nice balance, and the whole mint leaves accented by didn’t overcrowd.
The service was overall very pretty prompt, and she can back as needed to check on us. I was doing this review over a lunch meeting with a colleague, so perhaps the time passed even faster than I thought. Seemingly, we ordered and within 10 minutes had bread sticks, spaghetti and pork chops glazed in an au jus style sauce with mushrooms. The chops were done well, and not overly done. The dinner knives they have are not the hardcore steak variety, so I was expecting a fight. I was pleasantly surprised. Knife in and out, clean slice showing a perfect muscular center with a good grain that was delicate but firm. It’s that visual dichotomy in pork that is rare no matter how you prepare it, and especially rare outside of slow cooked pork.
The first bite was a wonderful combination of the beef overtones of the gravy, the subtle hints of garlic and pepper with the mushrooms and pork that was more melt than chew. Bite after bite, the pork chops did not disappoint. The portions were good size and well balanced with the sauce, that didn’t overpower but didn’t fall short either. I’d have to say these are some of the best pork chops I’ve ever had.. and at less than a tenth of the price that I’ve paid in other places.
The followup to the pork was side dish of spaghetti. Simple, elegant, not too filling, not too much. Just right, and with a red sauce that was thick and succulent. While many places that serve spaghetti as a main dish do so to overpower your palette, either by a sauce too strong or a noodle too thick, this made a nice side dish. No complaints.
The bread basket was so-so. By the point I got to it, I was using it to sop up both spaghetti sauce and the pork chop gravy, so again, no complaints. It served it’s purpose well. I was so stuffed and overwhelmed by the rest of the meal that the bread got a free pass.
While I went for lunch, I’d imagine the dinner would be just as good. The trick is finding the place. I’ve literally driven by it thousands of times and never seen it. I drink across the street at the Boneyard. I get tattooed across the street at Las Vegas Tattoo. I’ve been to Acropolis, a block down. In all this time, I’ve never seen it until it was recommended to me. So I, dear reader, am recommending it to you.
Carmine’s Seventh Avenue
1802 E 7th Ave
Yrbor City, 33605
(813) 248-3834
Also, not to disappoint, some photos of my pork chop adventure at Carmine’s:
