By Elliot Boswell
Café Cubano, the new Cuban restaurant that opened up in the old Encanto on Lombard Street, will perhaps unfairly but inevitably be compared to its semi-divine peer, Pambiche, located on Northeast Glison at the edge of the Hollywood District.
Indeed, both offer Cuban food and "authentic" recipes. But that's about where the similarities end.
Officially launched on Jan. 16 of this year, Cubano's Web site promises "flowing palm trees and large ceiling fans evoking a true feeling of the Islands," which, upon entry, is evidently an artful overstatement.
There are certainly a few potted plants around the place, but the brown walls and tile floor give a drab, unnatural vibe and the touristy "Come Visit Beautiful Havana!" posters on the walls recall American billboards from the late 1940s. It's almost as though Cubano is trying to flatter our conception of Cuba instead of actually treating it.
It wasn't particularly crowded on Saturday night, but my friends and I still waited for about ten minutes before finally being seated at one of the carefully-glossed wooden tables near the window overlooking Lombard.
Apparently, it was some sort of open mic night and the John Mayer surrogate in the corner was inoffensive enough but a far cry from any sort of "Cuban" feel, to compare - again - with Pambiche, which plays ubiquitous salsa rhythms. There is an uncomfortable amount of space between tables, as though tempting diners to try and listen for their own echoes.
The menu promises delight upon culinary delight, at least until you try the food. The Camarones shrimp dish is supposedly prepared in a Creole sauce of onions, peppers, olives and capers, but it's a decidedly one-note flavor: only the capers are distinguishable.
The Churasco platter, a grilled skirt steak topped with cilantro sauce, is tender enough but too small, even given the affordable $15 price tag. The mango-fried chicken, well, tastes solidly of mango, but its sides of rice and black beans are too bland and too salty, respectively. And the hallmark Cuban sandwich is fairly enjoyable, but what is there to screw up?
But the bigger problem with Cubano is not a lack of supposed "authenticity," but rather a lack of imagination.
I have no doubt that all of these dishes are served regularly in Cuba, but newness alone is not enough to keep a steady clientele. Instead, we return to a given establishment for atmosphere, for presentation and finally for escape: in short, we wish to feel like someone else is treating us, not us treating ourselves.
Who doesn't like to go to a Mexican restaurant and be served by a waiter with a Spanish accent? Ah, we tell ourselves, this is the real deal, the full experience, and all for a reasonable price in our own backyard.
Cubano is not at all a fundamentally flawed experience, but it's little things like these on which the restaurant trips up. For one, here aren't any garnishes on the dishes, the simplest of touches that indicate to the diner how lovingly prepared their meal was. Secondly, the aforementioned music and artwork leave something to be desired. The restaurant's web site promises original Cuban cigar boxes on each table, but there wasn't one on ours.
These are all touches that Pambiche gets right, with its brilliantly-painted exterior, cramped, chatty interior and plate upon plate of complex flavors and elegant arrangements.
On the bright side, however, I grabbed a toothpick on my way out and it was such a 'pick that it may have been the high point of my evening. Really terrific toothpicks they got there at Café Cubano.
