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.

Cuban at Cubana Cafe

What timing! Brownstoner picked the Cubana Cafe (272 Smith Street, between DeGraw & Sackett Streets, 718-858-3980) as their restaurant of the day yesterday, and I happened to have eaten there with a friend just the other night. Here's a peek at some of the dishes not mentioned in their post.

I love Tostones, crispy fried slices of Green Plantain, and the Cubana Cafe does 'em up nice. They are served with a sweet and spicy mango salsa and are plentiful on the colorful plate.



I also ordered the Chick Pea & Corn salad with greens and creamy dressing, which I had been craving and is the perfect dinner for a summer night. It's served cold and is light and delicious. I can't get enough.



My friend got the Shrimp and Avocado salad with greens which was surprisingly good. The plentiful shrimp were grilled, and there were lots of big slices of yummy ripe avocado.



We also ordered the Relleno de Papa which is mashed potato, stuffed with ground beef and fried to a cripsy finish. It was accompanied by the chick pea salad, but overall was a little disappointing. The beef was a bit mushy.



I like this place and overall think that it's a great little spot for dinner and lunch. The service can be spotty, but for the price it's a great deal.

UrbanSpoon has more reviews.

Rice & Beans and Sweet Plantains at the Habana Outpost

I love Brooklyn. Really and truly. And one of my favorite things to do is park myself at some outdoor seating to eat and drink with friends and people-watch. Habana Outpost has been around for a few years now, but it's still a great spot to go for icy drinks, yummy Cuban & Spanish food & awesome people watching (www.ecoeatery.com, 757 Fulton Street, at So. Portland Ave., and mere steps from both the G and C trains, 718-858-9500). It's also a completely Green restaurant, using solar panels for all their electrical needs, human-powered smoothie blenders (with a bike) and rain water is used in the bathrooms to flush the toilets. Pretty cool stuff.



I got the rice and beans, the famous grilled corn, and a side of sweet plantains. The rice and beans totally hit the spot, but were your basic yellow rice and black beans, without much else in the way of spices or flavor. The corn was great, covered in cotija cheese and grilled to crunchy perfection. The sweet plantains, which I LOVE, were delicious. They were just the right bit of sweet, and were a nice consistency, but there weren't enough of them, even at $4. I also got a Frozen Mojito which was ample and strong and the yard was packed with the It's-The-Weekend! crowd. The tables are sort of communal if you're not there with a large group, so go only if you're in the mood to talk to a stranger. It can be quite the pick-up scene there too, so be forewarned. Or tipped off if you're in the market.