Comments on: Review: Havana Cafe is next best thing to trip to Cuba http://thedish.freedomblogging.com/2008/09/16/review-havana-cafe-is-next-best-thing-to-trip-to-cuba/1449/ Pursuing food and fun across the East Valley Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:09:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Mercedes http://thedish.freedomblogging.com/2008/09/16/review-havana-cafe-is-next-best-thing-to-trip-to-cuba/1449/#comment-1841 Mercedes Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:54:16 +0000 http://thedish.freedomblogging.com/?p=1449#comment-1841 I am Cuban born, from Havana and was very excited to check this place out. I was raised in West Palm Beach, Florida and know what a REAL cuban restaurant is and obviously grew up on comida cubana (cuban food). As soon as I walked in, I looked around and the atmosphere SCREAMED nursing home to me. I did a double take and was frankly embarrased. I ignored the horrible decor aside, that by the way, resembled NOTHING from my homeland. There attempt for the "island" look was tacky picture frames from Target that say Cuba. I ordered congri and yuca frita. Which are both favorites growing up. When my food came and the server placed the plate in front of me of yuca frita with this weird looking cream sauce on top, I almost had a heart attack. I asked the waiter what the white stuff on top of my yuca frita was and he told me it was a mayo based sauce. I said WHAT?!? Yuca frita doesn't come with any sauce except mojo. He proceeded to argue with me. I asked him where he was from and he said Venezuela or some south america country. I let him know I was from Cuba and I knew how to make Yuca frita and that I was VERY offended that they were serving such a dish in that way. To make a long story short, it was a horrible experience and I left there hungry and VERY upset that they were portraying my birthplace in such a horrible way. THUMBS DOWN and they REALLY should SHUT DOWN. I am Cuban born, from Havana and was very excited to check this place out.
I was raised in West Palm Beach, Florida and know what a REAL cuban restaurant is and obviously grew up on comida cubana (cuban food).

As soon as I walked in, I looked around and the atmosphere SCREAMED nursing home to me. I did a double take and was frankly embarrased.

I ignored the horrible decor aside, that by the way, resembled NOTHING from my homeland. There attempt for the “island” look was tacky picture frames from Target that say Cuba.

I ordered congri and yuca frita. Which are both favorites growing up.
When my food came and the server placed the plate in front of me of yuca frita with this weird looking cream sauce on top, I almost had a heart attack.

I asked the waiter what the white stuff on top of my yuca frita was and he told me it was a mayo based sauce. I said WHAT?!? Yuca frita doesn’t come with any sauce except mojo. He proceeded to argue with me. I asked him where he was from and he said Venezuela or some south america country.

I let him know I was from Cuba and I knew how to make Yuca frita and that I was VERY offended that they were serving such a dish in that way.

To make a long story short, it was a horrible experience and I left there hungry and VERY upset that they were portraying my birthplace in such a horrible way.

THUMBS DOWN and they REALLY should SHUT DOWN.

]]> By: Miami Transplant http://thedish.freedomblogging.com/2008/09/16/review-havana-cafe-is-next-best-thing-to-trip-to-cuba/1449/#comment-1840 Miami Transplant Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:33:50 +0000 http://thedish.freedomblogging.com/?p=1449#comment-1840 It seems that the reviewer has never had authentic Cuban food, which is readily available as close as Los Angeles, and as far away as Miami, Tampa and other locales. The quality of the dishes pales in comparison to authentic dishes and the prices that Havana Cafe charges are outrageous. I have yet to experience anything at any of the restaurant's locations that comes close to the dishes served in Little Havana in Miami, or from my Cuban grandmother's kitchen in Key West. A typical Cuban sandwich costs between $4-$7, NOT $11! I think the it begins with the inclusion of cilantro on any Cuban dish...it's not an ingredient in Cuban cuisine (at least not pre-embargo recipes). It just seems that attention to the quality of the ingredients is not adhered to. I wish it were better, Cuban food is the food of my family and my youth and I was excited when it opened so many years ago. Sadly, it has not improved and my opinion of it has not either. The best I can say is that the atmosphere is very comfortable and inviting and the food is good, if you have never had Cuban food before. It seems that the reviewer has never had authentic Cuban food, which is readily available as close as Los Angeles, and as far away as Miami, Tampa and other locales.
The quality of the dishes pales in comparison to authentic dishes and the prices that Havana Cafe charges are outrageous. I have yet to experience anything at any of the restaurant’s locations that comes close to the dishes served in Little Havana in Miami, or from my Cuban grandmother’s kitchen in Key West. A typical Cuban sandwich costs between $4-$7, NOT $11!
I think the it begins with the inclusion of cilantro on any Cuban dish…it’s not an ingredient in Cuban cuisine (at least not pre-embargo recipes). It just seems that attention to the quality of the ingredients is not adhered to.
I wish it were better, Cuban food is the food of my family and my youth and I was excited when it opened so many years ago. Sadly, it has not improved and my opinion of it has not either.
The best I can say is that the atmosphere is very comfortable and inviting and the food is good, if you have never had Cuban food before.

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