Dinner at Cubana Cafe To Go

Rainy weather and long work days combine to result in me wanting to stay home and and order take-out. I have a list of standard that I usually order from and places that I usually don't. Sometimes I want to try something new though, so the other night we placed a fairly large order from Cubana Cafe (272 Smith St., between Sackett St. and Degraw St., 718-858-3980). We were thoroughly disappointed. I'm loathe to even write about our meal, but one of the goals of this blog was to try to write about everything I ate as long as it was from a food business in Brooklyn. This was a meal I ate; so, here goes.

We got a few smaller dishes like the Elote, the grilled Corn on the Cob, slathered with a creamy dressing and sprinkled with spices. This was one of the better dishes - a slow burn developed as I ate the corn, which was nicely cooked and not soggy. It just doesn't look so appetizing.



I also got an order of the coconut shrimp which are covered in batter with shredded coconut and then deep fried. They're pretty greasy, but are a sweet treat in moderation (you can see them in the lower right part of the plate). They came with a yummy mango salsa that had a bit of a bite to it as well! I also ordered the Quesadilla with Shrimp. The flavors were good; spicy and strong with cilantro, fresh tomatoes and topped with Queso Fresco, but the shrimp were disgusting, rubbery pieces barely resembling the succulent little crustaceans. Bah!



My boyfriend ordered the Pulled Pork with a side of Yuca. The pulled pork was OK, kinda basic and boring BUT, the yuca! This was really gross - a slimy, starchy puddle of ickiness that you can see in the top part of the to-go container. Ugh, it was horrible and I shudder to think of it. Plain rice came with dish as well.



I used to have good meals here - the Cuban Sandwich was delicious and they serve a chick pea salad that is delicious, but things have really gone down hill in recent months. I know people also complain about the Carroll Gardens Cubana Cafe as being inauthentic, and the one in Soho being much better. We'll see how they fare over the summer, as they have a few tables in a sort-of "porch area" that are fun to sit at on warm evenings, sipping on exotic fruit cocktails while watching people saunter by.