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.

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.

Tinta y Cafe

276 Southwest 8th Street
Miami, FL 33130
(305) 285-010
Website

I was briefly in Miami, and I wanted to see what sandwiches they had to offer. I heard about Tinta y Cafe, and was interested to get a more authentic Cuban experience than is available in Philadelphia. When I walked in and saw the warming trays of empanadas, croquettes, and more, I knew I was in for a treat.

This place is a perfect little cafe, serving an incredible café con leche and a variety of small bites and sandwiches. Everything in this place was clean and well thought out.

I started with the ham and cheese croquettes (las croquetas), which were a steal at $.85. They were served with saltines, but no cracker was necessary in the devouring of these bites of joy. They were packed with diced ham and gooey cheese, and had I not otherwise ordered a significant amount of food, I would have eaten a dozen or so.

As it took approximately five minutes for my food to be prepared, I could not resist grabbing a chicken empanada to nosh while I waited. I have serious problems. The empanadas were incredible, and another steal at $2.25. Packed with well seasoned shredded chicken, I could also have eaten a (half) dozen of these.

Finally, it was time for some sandwiches. I say finally not because they took a while to come out, but because I was salivating thinking about them – even though I had already eaten what the average person might call "lunch." The first sandwich was based around their cilantro mayo, and included chicken, Spanish salami, Manchego, and caramelized onions. All of the sandwiches come on pressed bread, and are delicately assembled. This first one was incredible. It was the perfect balance of salty, crunchy and savory. Basically the trifecta of good sandwiches. The sandwiches are also served with a side of addictive plantain chips.

Last, but certainly not least, was the best Cuban I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying (or should I say 'eating'). The El Patria came with ham, pork, cheese, pickles and mustard. The standard Cuban components. However, between the bread, the quality of the ingredients, and the perfectly executed preparation, this was the best Cuban I have eaten. The cheese was nicely melted, the meats were all extremely tasty and the pickles looked like they had been sliced with a razor blade.

I really wish this place was in Philly; it would serve a niche that has been overlooked, namely casual Spanish-inspired sandwiches done with a creative flair. I know there are some SIMILAR places, but nothing I have seen that has executed like Tinta y Cafe.