Crazy for cubans
If I had been born right (it's a little late for THAT), I would've had an Indian mother and a Cuban father. I would've eaten like a king growing up, even if I would've looked funny. Oh wait, that part's the same. Someone actually asked if I was Filipino the other day. And my non-Indian mom tells me I was mistaken for a Japanese baby when I was... a baby. Maybe it's her way of telling me something...
Anyway, my point is that I love Cuban sandwiches. What? That wasn't clear?
I wish I could pick a favorite cuban sandwich in Atlanta, but all I can say is the last one I ate is my favorite. There's something so right about these porky sandwiches. It's not just roasted pork, but there's ham, too! Genius. And then there's the swiss cheese that melts slightly on the hot pressed bread. All together, el cubano is one of my 3 favorite food groups. Yes, it's a category onto itself.
Here are some ATL restos that enable my habit:
Kool Korners - 14th St., Midtown
Even though it has non-traditional toppings of lettuce & tomatoes and jalapenos, this is just one tasty sandwich. It's spicy, the bread is outstanding and it has the right ratio of meat to cheese. It's ATL's most consistently recommended place to go for a cuban sandwich - mostly cause they make nothing else.
Havana Sandwich Shop - Buford Hwy & North Druid Hills
This is highly regarded, too, but just not by me. I do think the bread is excellent but there's too much mayo and the cheese is too melty, rendering the swiss cheese not as swissy as it should be. In spite of saying all that, I would not say NO to this cuban if I was just within a 5 mile radius of this restaurant. This is how addicted I am.
Las Palmeras - 5th St, Midtown
Being my neighborhood dealer, I am partial to this sandwich. It has the right amount of meat and the cheese is always done right. The bread isn't as good as the others, but I overlook that because the little lady owner is too cute.
Papi's Grill - Ponce de Leon, Midtown
As my backup dealer, I will give big ups to the consistency of this sandwich. It's always humongous, it always has a ton of meat and the bread could always be better.
Red Peppers - Main St., Acworth
As my gateway sandwich, I only remember that it had crusty, tasty great bread. I've only eaten here once so I don't recall anything else about the sandwich, but I was high from the experience. OBVIOUSLY.
Fuego Spanish Grill - Crescent Ave., Midtown
This is a tapas place and I'm not a big tapas fan, so I've only had it once here. The sandwich is normal size and not tapas size, but it had a lot more more mustard and pickles than necessary. The porky meats were good, though.
There's a few more places that I have yet to try (but I'm trying!). This includes Coco Loco on Sidney Marcus and Palomillas up in Norcross. If you're ever downtown, do not get the cuban at the Loaf and Kettle. They don't use cuban pressed bread so it's not the same at all. It's just the idea of a cuban sandwich and while that is indeed a tasty thought, it should not be an option if you want a good version of the 2nd best sandwich ever created.
What's the first? Good question.
« December 12, 2007 8:45 PM | Post a Comment »
2 comment(s):
said:
You're a master of the "always leave them wanting more" school of writing. You big tease, when are you going to tell your public about your sandwhich numero uno? (that was a tiny bit of Spanish just for you, seniorita, in honor of your second favorite sandwhich....)
yen said:
You get to the be the master of NOT PAYING ATTENTION. How many times did I write 'sandwich' up there? 13 times - that's how many times. Yet, you still wrote 'sandwhich' not once, but twice. Here's a hint: there's never a question of which sandwich to get: get the cuban if you can't get the... ah no fun. You already know.
