Food to ignite the latin in Americans

Cuba is a country of color, Castro and cigars. The better two of these three are represented at Cuba Libre restaurant.

Enter Cuba Libre on any weekend night and you will find a bustling crowd clamoring to get a table. I would recommend reservations, unless you desire to wait for a few hours before eating. But Cuba Libre is prepared to accommodate people who are waiting by allowing access to the bar without entrance into the dining area.

Once you are in the dining area prepare to be awed. The room is vast and feels like it is outside in an upscale section of Havana. There are windows and balcony's overlooking the tables and tall palms shooting up along the walls.

My guest and I were brought to a double table near a window that looked into an adjoining party room. The waitress gave us our menus and we considered the menu. In an attempt to try all of the appetizers we ordered the cha cha cha platter ($22), which includes bean hummus, oysters, barbeque ribs, wings and beef-stuffed potato balls with fried onions. The oyster portion was amazing - the beef and spices mixed with the cool taste of the shellfish for a mouthwatering treat. In retrospect however we would have preferred to simply order the oysters Cuba Libre with just oysters.

As a second appetizer we ordered a duck frita salad ($12). This was easily our favorite dish. It combines the succulent taste of duck with the excellent, lightly fried taste Cuban restaurants are famous for. It was one of the best-tasting salads that I have ever had.

Two entrees followed the appetizers - a pollo al ajillo ($23) and an el churasco ($26) skirt steak. Both of these are signature dishes of Cuba Libre. The skirt steak, like the duck, tastes distinctly Cuban. The special green sauce adds a savory flare to the dish. In addition, the yucca fries on the side provide a unique taste that is quite different from traditional American fries. The pollo al ajillo is more typical fare. A stuffed chicken breast perches atop a whorl of mashed potatoes and is garnished with fried olives. Both of these dishes are extremely filling and neither my guest nor I could power our way through our dishes.

The arroz con leche ($8) is an excellent dessert choice. A pair of cinnamon sticks garnish a cup of rice with sweetened milk. With the consistency of bread pudding and a taste that is unforgettable you will not regret ordering this dessert. However, a word of caution: do not inhale the cinnamon sticks; their fine powder will lodge in your throat and keep you coughing for hours. Even without my self-inflicted culinary pain, the meal would be one to remember.

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