For starters, I was shocked to discover this morning that my daughters are growing up. I know, I should have recognized some of the signs before now. Walking, talking, beginning school, celebrating birthdays...these are all clues, right? Somehow I didn't really recognize any of this for what it was until today, when my 10 and almost 9 year old daughters made a complete breakfast for the family. Here was the menu:
- scrambled eggs with shredded colby-jack cheese
- fresh sliced strawberries and cream
- toast
- orange juice
Absolutely the best breakfast ever, in my opinion. To top it off, the stove was wiped, the cutting board rinsed and put in the dishwasher, and the spatula and spoon rest were put in the sink for hand-washing (they know I have control issues when it comes to dealing with cooked-on eggs). Talk about making a mom's day!
The girls went to swim and barbeque at a friend's grandmother's home, so it was just my husband, my baby, and myself for dinner. We decided to check out a new Cuban restaurant in the area. I was cautiously hopeful, as this part of town has shown a surprising lack of quality eateries. You'd think with the number of professional athletes, entertainers, and power players living up the road from us, we'd have restaurants on par with somewhere like Beverly Hills or at least Scottsdale, but noooooooo...we have ()live Garden, Red L0bster, and other similar chains. The rest of our non-chain options range from unimpressive to downright awful.
I love Caribbean cooking, especially Haitian and Cuban food. I kept my fingers crossed as we entered this place. Here's what I can honestly say...Yesssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The bread: light and crispy, served with Spanish paprika-infused butter
The entrees: flavorful and cooked to perfection
My husband's ropa vieja was tender and delicious, with excellent moros y cristianos. My pollo cubano was moist and tasty, without being overseasoned. It came with congri and the second-best maduros I've ever tasted (sorry, Tigeorges in LA still takes first in that contest).
We enjoyed chatting with the owner, a painfully young-looking fellow who is clearly thrilled at owning his own place. I did have to ask him about the name. His explanation was that his wife loves "I Love Lucy". I wonder if it gave him pause that his restaurant is named after the orisha of pestilence, plague, smallpox, boils, and various other infectious diseases. Don't ask me why I know this stuff. I really should go on "Jeopardy"!
Overall, this restaurant got two thumbs up from my husband and me. We will definitely go back again sometime.
1 comment:
Well, besides the translation of the restaurant's name, that sounds like a great hang! We love Cuban food. Michael has taken me up to LA a couple of times to Versailles. Did you ever go there? Just a hole in the wall, but the food is SO good (and cheap, too). We were just jonesin' for some Cuban food last night, but we made BBQ'd turkey burgers instead.
:-)
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