Crispy Cuban Cubano (Dose of Vitamin P)
Branding matters. Ever since I saw a retired trolley driving down on the road advertising Crispy Cuban sandwiches, I swore that I would one day eat one of their Cubanos. I finally caught up...
Habana Vieja Arroz Con Pollo (Food of the Week)
Most Cuban meals in Los Angeles fall into a narrow spectrum. Menus are pretty similar, usually quite limited, and satisfaction primarily comes down to execution. Habana Vieja, a Cuban restaurant in Torrance’s CarsonWestern plaza,...
El Palacio de los Jugos: Building on Palatial Juice in Miami
My red-eye flight from Los Angeles landed as the sun rose over Fort Lauderdale, and initial food thoughts on Thanksgiving weren’t of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. They were of roast pork, fresh juice...
Monrovia’s Merengue Offers “Food That’ll Make You Dance”
Over the summer, Mike Mulhall and George Algarin opened Merengue Bakery & Café in the former Old Town Monrovia home of Cajun Way and Frank & Joe’s Southern Smokehouse, specializing in Cuban food. Mulhall...
Cafe Tropical: Sandwiching Cuba in Silver Lake
Silver Lake is pretty far along in its gentrification, so it’s hard to imagine a time when the corner of Sunset & Silver Lake was still teeming with drugs and violence. Apparently that was...
