Monday, April 2, 2018

Copacabana, Mt Dora

I had dinner tonight at this Cuban Cafe at the end of the main street. It has been there for nine years and pre-dates the other Cuban place on the corner. I have walked past it many times and only recently noticed its existence. It was fairly good. I tried to address my luke warm feelings about the cuisine and expand my knowledge of it by trying something I hadn't tried before. I ordered the higado (liver) for $12. It was one of the cheaper choices. It came pan fried with onions and red peppers. The liver was a bit overcooked (as were most things), but, I don't need a squirmy liver. It was good. Not coppery. It was a large portion. It came with rice (I chose white but they served yellow), beans (I chose red) and a salad or tostones or plantains. I chose tostones. They served four. The rice was a little pasty with a slight brothy flavor. The tostones were hard, but, not oily. The beans were soupy and bland. They started me off with garlic bread. The soda was large. I'm not s huge liver fan, but, this might be my favorite Cuban meal now. Cuban spicing works well with a piece of meat that is usually served in a boring manner. The menu was large and has most of the items you'd expect. The seafood (and paella) is the most expense dinner fare. It tops out just below twenty dollars. The place was one of the busier spots in town. It seems like the locals favor it. They have an inside and a patio. The decor is haphazard and the colors are garish (an off peach). There is more clutter than there should be. There are some unfortunate sight lines inside. The kitchen (for instance) is too exposed. It was a good bargain. service was fast and polite. They have another location at 249 W 436 in Altamonte Springs. I'm not sure if I have tried that one.

*It appears I had gone there. Almost ten years ago. Have I been wasting our time for that long? I placed it in Apopka. It's a brief review.

1 comment:

evan said...

If only for our lack of Cuban restaurants, this place can charge a 30% markup or more for standard fare. Otherwise you have to get Cuban food at places that are mostly Puerto Rican, Colombian, etc where it's good, but the spicing isn't quite Cuban.