 |
 |
|
|
|
| Friday, February 01, 2008 |
|
Forkin’ It (V-Day): Cuba Cuba
By Image Mag Staff @ 4:08 PM :: 238 Views ::
0 Comments :: Food
|
Atmosphere & Aphrodisiacs
wordplay: Ben Simkins
image: Josh Gold
When you want to prove to your date that you’re in the know on what’s hot in Denver there’s little better than the two Houses on Delaware called Cuba Cuba Café.
ATMOSPHERE: The first house (on the left) welcomes you to your new home, one with a full working bar no less. With its Caribbean aesthetic, urban art and Cuban cigar boxes adorning the wall it’s a great introduction to the main ‘dining’ house (right side). With it’s sea breeze colors and billowing, tan cloth ceiling with palm leaf fans.
APHRODISIAC: This place lives fresh. Start the night over some of their specialty mojitos (coconut, mango, pomegranate…) and Plantain chips appetizer with homemade mojos (Cuban sauces) and avocado mash. Think tortilla chips done sooo much better!
AMORE: Wow your special someone with chef special, Paella and close it out with a coconut crème brulee.
The dark, winding, rural roads of Cocoa Beach, Florida, stretched out in front of our rental car. The salt from the sea quickly making my skin feel two sizes too small and my hair into a before picture in a “no more tangles” shampoo commercial. All this and we ‘found’ our selves completely lost with no sign of life. No life except for a small little mom & pop looking gas station that is. So, desperate and hungry we decided to do the very un-male thing and ask for directions, vowing never to speak of it again… DAMMIT! Although we located the male compass abilities in question, we did come out of the ordeal with a fair trade. That trade would account for my first taste of Cuban food, and let me tell you I have been desperate for another ever since. Unfortunately, it appears that much of the Midwest hasn’t gotten lost in Florida and wound up stumbling on some of the best regional cuisine this fair blue globe has to offer. But oh my, are they stumbling upon Cuba Cuba Café in droves? That was a rhetorical question, yes, yes they are.
As I stand sandwiched in the bar that makes up one of the two houses that is Cuba Cuba, I come to the conclusion that this is the place you bring someone when you want to show them you’re ‘in the know’. Either that or there really is a lot of directionally challenged people all lost on one night. I think I’ll go with the former statement as being the reason. Above the throng of people I take in my surroundings. A mix of urban art and Cuban cigar boxes adorn the airy, pastel walls. Above the chatter of the clientele the sound system adds fitting music to the surroundings giving an immediate familiarity to the room, readying you for a journey into the flavors of Cuba. Now for me the three most important ingredients in making authentic Cuban food are freshness, freshness, and freshness. Where better to start than fresh mint and lime beaten up with white rum and soda? Oh yes and when this place does the infamous Mojito, they do it oh so right. Choose from coconut, mango, pomegranate and berry to suit any taste. Moving into the adjoining house, which makes up the dining area, the same feel of bright, inviting décor makes itself immediately apparent with a billowing, tan cloth ceiling and palm leaf fans.
When it comes to fresh, you can’t get much better than the food and Cuba Cuba makes sure you’re not disappointed. There’s a misunderstanding in America that Cuban food is much like Mexican food with plantains. While the latter is true, the former ain’t even close. As if to poke fun at this erroneous myth, Cuba Cuba serves up a playful take on nachos with a heaving mass of crisp plantain chips, perfectly seasoned avocado mash and a couple of their homemade mojos (Cuban Sauces). Another stand out of fresh flavors is the snapper ceviche with onions, tomato, peppers and avocado tossed in a house ceviche sauce. For an entrée you can go über traditional with the Vaca Frita. A crispy, mojo marinated flank steak, sautéed onions, rice and black beans served with maduros and garlic mojo. You can also get your ‘Spanish’ on with chef’s special paella with spicy chorizo and shrimp among others, served with Valencia rice in a saffron-infused seafood broth. Whichever you choose, you won’t be disappointed with the generous portions. If you have room, treat yourself to the coconut crème brulee. Heck, cram it in if you don’t, you won’t regret it, just don’t eat a wafer thin mint afterwards!
1173 Delaware (303) 605.2822
CubaCubaCafe.com |
|
|
|
|
| Comments |
Currently, there are no comments. Be the first to post one!
Click here to post a comment
|
|
|
|
|