Carribean Corner

4948 Main Street
Downers Grove, IL 60515
(630) 541-8641
Website

I was visiting family in the Chicago area and stumbled upon the Caribbean Corner. Touting the "best Cuban in town" (Downers Grove), I figured it was worth a try. Though I was somewhat concerned about the robustness of the Cuban scene in a town with a 5.2% Latino population.

I started with some chicken empanadas. These were well fried, and had quite a bit of shredded chicken inside. The carrots and corn inside looked like they came from a frozen bag, but overall they were quite serviceable.

The sandwiches, while lacking in visual appeal, all had hefty flavor profiles. Cuban pictured below.

The pork was tender, the bread well griddled, and the general consistency was where it should be.

The shredded beef sandwich was similar to a torta or a bocadilla. The beef was tender and had a nice smack of meat to it. Sloppy, but quite good.

I like my bread to hold up a bit better than what you see here, but overall the flavors were pretty fantastic.

The shredded chicken was just like the shredded beef. But with chicken. Again, pretty sloppy, but tasted just fine. A good offering for the Chicago burbs, but I would not be breaking out the linen suit and a bottle of rum while rushing to eat here.

Garden Cafe

23 South Jackson Street
Media PA 19063
(484) 444 2424
Website

Media has a great bar scene, but the restaurant selection leaves something to be desired. The higher end places can't compete with the city for the most part, and the medium to lower budget options just don't have any soul. Now, when I read the Garden cafe was offering panini's and salads, I thought, typical. Luckily they have an ace up their sleeve.

They were rated as the best chicken pot pie by some publication in some geographic area. So that was certainly something that piqued my interest.

The pie crust is just about perfect. Crispy without being overly browned, a nice X ventilation system, and served in it's own foil pan.

But the interior was even better. Creamy, with perfectly executed veggies, moist chicken, and plenty of black pepper. This was a delicious standout within the potted pie community. I have to say, it's been a while since I have had a chicken pot pie out, and even longer that I have had one as good as this. Buttery,crispy crust, paired with the creamy succulent filling helped keep this one a winner.

I also tried some sandwiches, including the Cuban, pictured below. It was perfectly fine, and quite acceptable for a Cuban. Though like most Cubans (the SANDWICH) nothing to write home about.

A very well executed sandwich below.

The buffalo chicken panini was lacking in nothing but napkins, and potentially something other than meat and cheese. Again, totally a fine sandwich, and even good for a panini. But it is not my typical cup of tea.

The salad was refreshing and had fresh vegetables and grilled chicken. It is perfect for someone the opposite of me, but expected for a place called Garden Cafe. This is a good, healthy spot for a quick lunch, unless you get the chicken pot pie, in which case you can wait a bit longer for something much less healthy and much more delicious.

Café Olé

2752 N State St
Jackson, MS 39216
(769) 524-3627

That's right, it says Jackson, Mississippi. I've had the joy task of working in Jackson for the past few months and it's getting harder and harder to find new lunch spots - especially good ones.

Last week's adventure took me just over 2 miles north of the central capitol complex to an "up-and-coming" neighborhood known as the Fondren District. It's sort of like the Northern Liberties of Jackson, but with nearby residential housing that's more like the Main Line. Think rich, middle-aged women with boutiques driving Lexus SUVs. No doubt their husbands are all doctors working at one of seven nearby hospitals...

And then there's Café Olé. Run by a Venezuelan transplant, it's housed in what looks like an old gas station on the main strip. Come to think of it, a lot of the Fondren establishments seem to be in old gas stations...

The food is authentic and was a welcome change from the standard "southern fried" options that permeate the market down here. I tried the al pastor torta first. Each entree comes with a side of fresh tortilla chips and choice of salsa. I decided to go with the pineapple version, it seemed like the proper match for the chopped, marinated pork.

The sandwiches are all served on Cuban bread, so I guess they're not 'technically' tortas. That said, it was delicious. Hot off the press, it was warm and still fresh with crisp iceberg laced throughout the tender cubes of seasoned pork.

Second lunch included a beef empanada and a barbecue pork tamale.

Definitely the highlight of the meal was the authentic Venezuelan tamale. Filled with a mixture of masa harina (corn meal, think polenta) and tender shreds of a Latin American-style barbecue pork, this was delicious. It was tender, juicy and full of spicy-sweet chipotle flavor.

The empanada's shell was more like an arepa than the (thinner) crisp, flaky wrapper that I'm used to. It was good, but a little too thick and spongy for my liking. Maybe that's just how they do it for real in South America.

The beef was spot on, and the cheese added a mild tang.

Needless to say, while I'm stranded in Jackson for the indefinite work-week future, it's nice to have some authentic Latin American cuisine in the mix.

El Cafeito

1700 North 3rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 278-2482
Website

Tucked away on lonely Cecil B. Moore is a little Latin-inspired cafe with colorful paint and a nice outdoor courtyard.

You can get a variety of sweets here, but I was looking for coffee and a sandwich.

Luckily they specialize in both.

A cafe con leche.

The Cuban sounded great, so I ordered both the breakfast version, served in wrap form, and the more traditional lunch version, served on grilled bread.

Although the menu didn't mention it, this came with ham (as it should), as well as pulled pork, scrambled eggs, cheese, and avocado. Not quite traditional, but certainly delicious. It was a bit dry, so ask for a side of their chipotle aioli sauce.

The traditional Cubano came on delicious bread, was nicely griddled with more pulled pork, pickles, yellow mustard, and Swiss. This actually came with a smear of the chipotle sauce, but lacked the ham that the menu lead me to believe would be included. Role reversal.

This was an awfully good sandwich, with a great ratio of ingredients, as well as careful construction. I would definitely get it again - but I would also make sure that ham slides its way into the layering.

I also ordered a highly recommended Domincano sandwich to go. I made it nearly an hour before tearing into it, but it did not fare as well as its Cuban counterparts.

Everything seemed to be in place, but unfortunately, there was something very off-putting about this sandwich. I narrowed it down to the salami. Either it was a brand I didn't like, or it had been sitting for a while. At first I thought it might have been the sweet plantain mayo, but I am relatively certain the salami was to blame. I had two independent sources verify my suspicions. Anyway, it comes with American, sweet plantain mayo, lettuce, and tomato on another nicely grilled roll. I wanted it to be delicious, because this place was great otherwise, but alas, I will have to try again soon.

It was a very laid back atmosphere, and everyone working was incredibly nice. I will definitely be back for the cafe con leche and a Cuban, but will be hesitant on the Dominican.

Editor's note: El Cafeito was this close to being 4 cheesesteaks, but the Dominican fiasco really left a sour taste in my mouth, so to speak.

El Siboney

5800 Overseas Hwy
Marathon, FL 33050
(305) 743-9090
Website

The Key's are obviously known for their seafood. That is without question. But on my recent voyage to the promised land, where the beer flows like water and the fish travel in schools by the million, I had a chance to embrace some delicious Cuban food to go along with the obligatory snapper, spiny lobster and stone crabs I had been feasting on. I hit the Marathon outpost of El Siboney, the original is located in Key West.

The first thing to note about El Siboney is the prices. They are outrageously affordable. Like any good Cuban place, you will get started on some bread. It comes out hot, with a light, fluffy interior, similar to a large Italian roll you would get at the local grocery store up here in Philly. Not the gourmet Sarcone's or similar offerings, but the cheap Shop Rite or Super Fresh style bread that you can also buy pre-buttered. Shutter. However, this bread is flat, fluffy, and delicious. It's the same bread you will see featured in my forth coming Cuban mix sandwich. Before we cross that bridge, however, we need to talk plantains. Fried ones. Mariquitas con Mojo. Fried plantain strips, that are thin and addictively crispy, not to mention incredibly fun to eat, as they twist up when you add them to the hot oil. But the sauce is where its at. A simple mixture of olive oil, lime juice, garlic, and onion transforms into a tart, strikingly flavor-packed accompaniment. Simple perfection. A must try. At $3.25, they are not too hard on the wallet, either.

They had a special of the day, beef stew, that I guess was supposed to only be available at lunch. As it was an early dinner, they graciously offered us a portion, and maintained the whopping $7.25 price tag. Served with some fried sweet plantains, yellow rice and black beans, this was a hell of a deal. The beef stew had a hearty, homey flavor that could have passed for an American version of the same meal, save for a nutmeg or cinnamon type flavor that coaxed my taste buds back to the island. The plantains were delicious, sweet, tender and had the creamy texture I love from these overripe Cuban staples. The rice and beans were okay, but lacked some of the flavors that their comrades (too soon?) boasted.

I also had to order the mixed Cuban sandwich, as I am quite partial to a good sandwich, and it had been a while since I had one that I truly enjoyed (besides when I break out my own sandwich press and go to town). El Siboney did not disappoint. Everything that makes a Cuban great was in there. Tender pork, salty ham, swiss cheese, and pickles. They even used regular old yellow mustard, which I usually hate, but it has its place in limited applications (see Cuban Sandwich). The best part of the whole sandwich? The bread. This is the real deal Cuban bread, buttered and pressed into a thin package that delivered everything a Cuban should. As you can see, I am surely hooked on the bread. Light, crusty and flaky, it held together perfectly, and kept all of the ingredients from sliding out the back.