Menu Movers & Shakers: Classic Cuban Cuisine Makes Inroads in Westchester
By Morris Gut
I travel the culinary trail a great deal and I always try to search out what is unique, interesting and delicious, whether it be a food foray into the Big Apple, around the country, or close by, here in Westchester. Even with the expansion of the food and dining scene in the suburbs over the past decade, there are still certain cuisines that are underrepresented. Vietnamese cooking finally showed its face in Westchester a couple of years ago at cozy Saigonese in Hartsdale; hearty French bistros have been making a comeback like the new Encore in Rye, sister restaurant to the original in Larchmont; true Mexican cuisine, not the watered down Americanized version, can be found in the mom and pop shops and bodegas in towns such as Port Chester, New Rochelle and White Plains, and the Latin culinary realm has enjoyed a rhythmic bounce throughout greater Westchester led by Sofrito, Don Coqui and Gaucho Grill, all in White Plains. I am delighted to report that Cuban cooking has started to take root in the area as well. Here in the county there are now two restaurants espousing this cuisine, La Bella Havana in downtown Yonkers and the newest Havana Central in the Ridge Hill Shopping Center in Yonkers. I am also going to turn you on to a most compelling lively Cuban-themed restaurant I discovered recently in the Bronx just minutes from the Westchester line.
Havana Café Serves a Taste of the Caribbean
The breezy flavors of the Caribbean are highlighting the seasonal fare at bustling Havana Café in the Schuylerville section of the Bronx. Partners Kevin Alicea, Ruben Rodriguez, Antonio Olavarria, Troy Perez and Executive Chef Ramon Perez have opened the French doors to their outdoor café and patrons are flocking in.
Step inside the multi-sectioned restaurant and to your left is a wrap-around 30-seat bar/lounge area busy throughout the day and evening with a lively networking crowd enjoying those colorful specialty cocktails. The 100-seat dining room is divided into three sections highlighted by Cuban inspired wall murals, banquets, two-tier seating, exposed industrial piping, wood beams and ceiling fans. Popular Happy Hours run from 3 to 7 p.m. and include $5 Mojitos, Sangria and Margaritas. The house also carries a major rum list and offers rum flights daily.
From Chef Perez’s kitchen come such beautifully plated starters as: Camarones al Ajillo, sautéed shrimp, double garlic sauce, piquillo peppers served with garlic toast; Havana Sushi, tempura shrimp, crab, avocado, pickled ginger and wasabi; Bacalaitos, traditional cod fritters with garlic and lemon mojo; Calamares Cubanos, crackling calamari, spiced honey glaze, served with organic salad; Pinchos, grilled pork, spicy chorizo and chicken skewers with house chimichurri; Mango Ribs, baby back pork ribs with mango BBQ sauce; and a Picadera combo platter of empanadas, cangrejitos (mini corn and crab cakes), spicy wings and coconut shrimp.
Overstuffed sandwiches include: Pollo, grilled chicken breast, Swiss cheese, guava BBQ sauce, served with plantain chips; a Signature Cuban Burger, 10 oz. beef burger, double smoked bacon, caramelized onions, American cheese and French fries; Cubano, the traditional Cuban sandwich served with plantain chips; and Salmon Burger with fresh avocado, chipotle mayo and mixed green salad. Signature Pizzas Cubana have become quite popular here and run from the traditional with fresh mozzarella and tomato sauce, to the Picadillo, Cuban style beef picaillo or grilled chicken with peppers and onions.
‘Nuevo Cubano’ main courses include: Lechoncito, bone-in roast pork, coconut rice, creamy sour orange mojo; Paella Cubana, chicken, chorizo, jumbo shrimp, mussels, calamari, served with saffron rice; Pargo, red snapper served with stewed tomatoes, olives, and crispy yucca mofongo; and Churrasco, grilled skirt steak with tomato escabeche, smoked bacon moro de mami; and Mahi Mahi.
‘Los Clasicos’ served with white rice, black beans and maduros include: Boliche, chorizo stuffed pork tenderloin served with a Creole style sauce; Ropa Vieja, slow cooked shredded beef, onions and peppers; Palomila, thinly sliced Cuban steak with caramelized onions; and Camarones Enchilados, adobo rubbed jumbo shrimp. A number vegan options are also available daily.
Special Hint: This dynamic team also operates Havana Catering, which does on and off-premise catered events of all types and sizes. They already handle the food service for Orchard Beach and backstage catering and concession service for Lehman College. The same group will soon premiere Cabo, an upscale Mexican restaurant serving classic and modern south-of-the-border cuisine; and Vapor Lounge, featuring hand crafted cocktails and Hookah.
Havana Café is located at 3151 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx, N.Y. near Throgs Neck. The restaurant is open seven days a week for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. Main courses at lunch and dinner: $7 to $27. Bar/lounge. Happy Hours: 3 to 7 p.m. daily. Specialty cocktails. Occasional live entertainment. Live comedy Monday nights. Casual dress. Seasonal outdoor seating. Parties and on/off premise catering for all types of events. Major credit cards. Municipal and street parking. Reservations suggested for larger groups. Phone: 718-518-1800. www.bronxhavanacafe.com
Buying Local at Area Farmers Markets
Going ‘local’ when shopping for your food pantry is an ever-popular movement today. ‘Farm-to-table’ is another term often applied. To meet this demand farmer’s markets have sprung up all over greater Westchester making it easier for buyers to meet the grower or artisanal purveyor up close. And depending on the market, they offer a bounty of foods from cheeses to pies and baked goods, pickles to organic meats and wines. It’s great fun for the whole family and most of the outdoor markets will run through the fall. Open now are farmers markets in White Plains, Cold Spring, Croton on Hudson, Hudson, Kinderhook, Larchmont, Mt. Kisco, Nyack, Rhinebeck, Rye, Warwick, Chappaqua, Ossining, Pleasantville, Red Hook, Tarrytown, Woodstock, Goshen and Pine Bush. We should mention one of the newest markets taking place in Katonah at the historic John Jay Homestead. www.johnjayhomestead.org Also, the Greenmarket at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx is scheduled to open on June 25 and run every Wednesdayfrom 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. through October 23rd. Admission and parking for the market is free. For more info: www.nybg.org
Morris Gut is a restaurant consultant and former restaurant trade magazine editor. He has been tracking and writing about the food and dining scene in greater Westchester for over 25 years. He may be reached at: 914-235-6591. E-mail: gutreactions@optonline.net.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
