Havana Cafe

 It is getting harder and harder to find unique restaurants that have cuisine I haven't tried yet.  But I have found some of the smaller restaurants that have stood the test of time are some of the best places to eat in the valley.  This Fun Frank Friday, we took a recommendation from our friend Rosemarie and went to the Havana Cafe located at 4225 Camelback Rd in Phoenix.  This restaurant is known for its Cuban cuisine.  I personally have never had Cuban cuisine before and it intrigued me to see how it may differ from other Caribbean or Latin American cuisines.  From my understanding the food is a fusion of Spain and Latin American influences.  It doesn't have the hot spicy peppers and it includes more of the sweet fruit flavors.  We arrived at approximately 5pm and the place was small and had only one other table filled.  Normally this is not always a good sign but I was relieved that by the time we left, the restaurant was three quarters of the way full.

Our waiter came over and asked us what we would like to drink, we were happy to hear that they do serve Coke products.  Both Patti and I ordered sodas and one of the nice touches of this place is that not only did they refill our sodas frequently but they also brought extra over in a small carafe.  This is the type of service that we continued to see throughout our meal.  Our waiter was extremely knowledgeable about the food and professional in his approach.

After much debate, arguing, hem and hawing over which appetizer to get, we finally agreed on three of them.  The first one was the Maduros Fritos (sweet plantain bananas).  These were lightly fried to a golden brown.  The outside had slight crisp texture while the inside was a firm, sweet banana texture.  The next was the Sun Spots (sweet potato rounds) served with their house specialty banana guava ketchup.  The sweet potatoes were excellently cooked, fried to a nice crispy texture outside while maintaining the smooth potato inside.  The house ketchup is to die for!  Patti insisted on ordering these because she wanted to try the ketchup and I have to admit it was a good idea.  It was more like a sweet and sour sauce with a spicy kick amid a fruity flavor.  This combination with the sweet potato made for an incredible appetizer.  The third one was "Datiles con Chorizo".  These were medjool dates stuffed with Spanish chorizo then wrapped in bacon.  How can you go wrong when the menu says "wrapped in bacon"?  This is one of the most innovative appetizers I've had in a long time.  The idea of taking a small piece of sausage, placing it in a sweet date, wrapping it in bacon and then baking it, is pure genius.  The combination of the salty, smoky bacon with the soft sweet date complimented by the tang of the inner sausage makes for a mouth watering experience.  We loved them so much that when the time came to leave, we asked for two more orders to take with us.

Patti decided to go with the "Emparedado Cubano" (but please don't ask her how to pronounce it as she kept tripping over her tongue to try and say it.)  This is Cuba’s famous pressed sandwich with roasted pork, cured ham, mortadella cheese, swiss cheese and a pickle on buns that are then grilled similar to a panini.   On the side were moros which is a Cuban black beans and rice combination along side of  a heaping dose of french fries.  If you like cheese this is the sandwich for you.  The moros was an interesting mix of the beans and rice with rich spices and a slight tang.  I enjoyed the rice mainly because the beans gave it a new texture and the flavor was more rich than a typical Spanish rice and not as bland as a refried bean dish.

I couldn't decide on one dish.  I wanted to taste all the Cuban cuisine, so I went with the Havana Combination.  This plate included moros, tamal cubano, yuca frita, maduros, and ensalada de col.  Our waiter suggested that I add the masas de puerco for the inner carnivore.
The moros was excellent, the maduros or fried plantains were also excellent but a repeat of what we had for an appetizer.  So to get the root of the matter, let's talk about the yuca frita.  The root of the yucca plant is cut into strips and deep fried.  They have a similar taste and texture of a thick french fried potato.  Here is served with a drizzle of mayo on top.  This mayo gave just the right tang of the yucca.  Between the plantains and the yucca was my Cuban tamale (tamal cubano).  Most tamales I have had, the outside breading is just a vehicle to get the inside meat to your mouth.  It is just the opposite for this tamale.  I was surprised on the sweet fruity flavors.  The tamale had an excellent smooth texture and was well prepared.  The ensalada de col is a cabbage cucumber salad.  This salad was well minced with light flavor and perfect for cleansing the palate between bites.  Of course, I added the masas de puerco.  This was a few cubes of pork tenderloin, fried to a crispy brown with the center remaining tender and extremely juicy.  Here at the Havana Cafe you can expect excellent food and great service.  And if you haven't tried stuffed dates wrapped in bacon, you need to try it now.