As we were enjoying our meals, the chef came out to deliver hot tostones, which are double fried green plantains, and they were perfect with my Cuban dish of Palomilla Steak. The Lasagna Bolognese was absolutely wonderful! It tasted like something that would be served at a farmhouse in Italy, the beef ragout and béchamel sauce was so rich and hearty that we were fighting over it! I cannot wait to order “my own” next time we dine, and I won’t be sharing! It was such an authentic and homemade dish, it reminded me of my family’s cooking, which made me quite happy. I have always tried to follow that, so I was thrown off on what to order at first! So, my husband ordered Italian and I ordered a Cuban dish, since we already had Spanish to start.
My dad always tells me to order something that the restaurant is known for, like don’t order steak at an Italian restaurant, etc. I thought wow, what should I order and what are they known for? Then the couple next to us told us that the owners are from all of those regions, and then I knew everything on the menu would be a safe choice. The menu represented dishes from Italy, Spain, Cuba, and France. As we dined, I took in the European style of décor and smell of the cooking from many different regions. I was in heaven with those fried sweet pieces and could have had a larger portion for my main course! The tapas that followed were just as memorable but couldn’t compare. It was an indulgent appetizer with the aioli mayo and chipotle dipping sauces! We enjoyed every last bite, sauce included. Our wine was brought out at the perfect temperature and our piping hot Yucca Sticks followed shortly after. It was a very relaxing vibe with beautiful Spanish music playing and dimly lit chandeliers, so nice after a week of hard work and travel. The owners, husband (Chef) and wife duo, were very sweet and welcoming to us. We ordered a bottle of wine and three different tapas to start, the Yucca Sticks, Calamari, and Manchego Chorizo Platter. We were taken care of immediately and were informed of the changes on the menu. They definitely looked like regulars and knew the owners well. A few minutes later, two other couples walked in. We arrived, and we were the only ones there so we got a lot of attention to start. I made a reservation for 8pm on a Saturday night. Just as we were leaving, a couple entered who had clearly never been there before and were talking about driving “all the way to Fort Lauderdale.” Fellow Check Please reviewers? I’ll have to wait for the taping to find out. We left, full, happy and having gained a great deal of information about the food we ate and the chef who made it. (“If Cubans had had capers, they’d have put them in it too!” he declared.) Afterward, we each had a piece of sweet gorgonzola topped with fig, and Armando presented us each with a fine glass of port, the promised repayment for his glass of Erumir. We sat together and had a lengthy discussion about both of our dinners, from the Moorish influence on Spanish cuisine to Armando’s decision to add capers to my wife’s vaca frita. My Moroccan chicken was equally good and as we worked on our second bottle of Erumir, the chef came back around and, with our permission, poured himself a glass with the promised trade of two glasses of something else a little later in the meal. The mayo was a little too smoky and the bread a lot too garlicky, but other than that, the appetizers were all delicious…even the curry that Armando had seemed so unsure of. He followed that with another gratis gesture, a bruschetta topped with prosciutto, peppers and a balsamic vinegar reduction. Then came the appetizer of manchego cheese with chorizo cantimpalo, with which the chef sent out garlic bread. After we expressed some interest in his curry-based chicanery, the chef sent out a chicken curry empanada before our appetizer of crispy yucca sticks with aioli and chipotle mayo. Immediately, we were welcomed with open arms by Chef Armando, who ushered us into our seats and began regaling us with a tale of the day’s experimentation with curry. We were offered our pick of tables and chose one in the dining room, as opposed to the handful of tables that face the kitchen.
Other than a regular at the place who was sitting at a table with the owner’s son, there were no other diners. We pulled in to the parking lot about 15 minutes late for our reservation, but that wasn’t a problem.
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