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Dining out: At Cuban Flavor, you'll swear you've died and gone to Havana
| Tuesday, Mar 4 2008 6:08 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Mar 5 2008 8:19 AM
I’ve only rarely come across Cuban cuisine in my travels, as I haven’t visited either the country itself or Miami.
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1431 California Ave., 326-1977
Hours: 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.
Prices: Breakfast $1.99-$6.99, appetizers $1.99-$3.99, Sandwiches $5.99-$7.99, soups and salads $3.99-$6.99, entrees and seafood $7.99-$10.99. Child’s plate $3.99-$4.49.
Payment: MasterCard, VISA, American Express and Discover accepted. Does not accept personal checks or The Californian’s Press Pass.
Dress: Casual.
Amenities: Wheelchair accessible; no alcohol served; few vegetarian options.
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 31⁄2 stars
Service: 4 stars
Next week: El Portal West
The closest I came was on a visit to neighboring Puerto Rico back in the ’80s, and I was favorably impressed with a cuisine that has Caribbean, African, Spanish, Chinese and even French influences. (I think so many different countries have had a hand in ruling the island over the centuries that it molded the cuisine in unique ways.)
Now we actually have our first Cuban restaurant in Bakersfield, Cuban Flavor (Sabor Cubano), which moved into an old fast-food taco restaurant at the corner of California and Chester avenues, across from the Starbucks (to this point, Mama Roomba would have to be considered our closest link to Cuba, but I consider the food at that superb downtown restaurant to draw more influence from the Caribbean).
Owned by Sergio and Pedro Aguilar, Cuban Flavor has a wide variety of sandwiches and entrees served in a buffet format that can be confusing when you first encounter it.
I say confusing because we walked in and there was a giant menu board behind the counter. I’m thinking the buffet must be some sort of all-you-can-eat option, but the friendly man behind the counter (the staff is exceptionally warm and gregarious) explained to me that only the appetizers and the sandwiches are made to order. The entrees are prepared in advance and visible when you look at the buffet and, as I expressed interest in different items, he would point to where it was on the buffet.
For those who like to SEE what they’re ordering before they order unfamiliar foods, this is a real plus. But there are those who think buffets present their own challenge to a fine meal, notably the tendency for food to get dried out. Among the foods we sampled, this happened only with the black beans with rice.
For our entrees, I chose the bistec encebollado ($8.99), a beef steak with onions, while my companions selected the ropa vieja ($8.99), shredded beef simmered with onions, tomatoes and bell pepper. You get two side dishes with this, and we both had to choose the fried plaintains. Try ’em once and you’ll love ’em. I got the black beans with rice while my companion selected the brown beans (with potato chunks mixed in).
The menu also has two shrimp, two fish, three pork, three chicken choices, a full breakfast menu and eight sandwiches.
Overall, I could fault the food for being a bit salty, but the beef was first rate, nicely flavored by vegetables. My steak with the onions was in something of a brown gravy, and very tender, much like stewed meat.
My companion’s stringy beef reminded me of good shredded beef found in tacos, but since Cuban food really doesn’t have a lot of Mexican influences, you don’t get the same heat. Cuban seasonings are more commonly onion, garlic and maybe bay leaves. This beef had a strong tomato flavor, which was unlike what I’ve sampled in the many other local restaurants with shredded beef.
There are no Cuban beers, but they do have distinctive drinks such as Goya, a “coconut water.” This canned beverage from Thailand combines “young” coconut juice, sugar and coconut pulp ($1.99). I tried it, and it’s an acquired taste that didn’t take the first time. Next time I want to try one of their milk shakes ($3.99), as the Cuban affection for ice cream is pretty strong.
As I mentioned, the staff is friendly and helpful, willing to explain any of the items, offering free tastings and generally making you feel that they’re glad you’re there.
In a phone call with co-owner Sergio, he said that he and his brother own the La Mina on H Street and have always had a dream of opening up their own Cuban restaurant. He noted they make their own Cuban bread for the sandwiches and hope soon to have Cuban pastries available.
“Since I opened this place I’ve met about 150 Cubans,” he said. “I didn’t know that many lived here in Bakersfield.”