Cafe Cubano
The Flat is boarded up tight. The queers aren't awake to open up Escafe. Bluegrass Grill & Bakery has a slow moving line out the door. What's a slightly hung-over gay man in search of brunch to do?
It's with this picture painted that I present to you Cafe Cubano: a fall back.
Cafe Cubano is located on the downtown mall, right across from Marco and Luca's dumpling shop. The ambiance is stripped bare - you stand in a constantly shifting line until you finally elbow your way to the front. There's one copy of the menu, and it's on the wall behind the cashier. You can attempt to read it from afar, but chances are you'll be at the front of the line long enough to re-read every ingredient seven times. From there you'll get a number to put at your table, and drinks show up (unannounced) at the bar.
Since it's Sunday morning, you're probably a few hours away from thinking about homework. You also weren't anticipating going to Cafe Cubano. But if for some reason you had the foresight to bring your laptop, they have free WiFi, and an attractive-enough wait staff to substitute for otherwise poor people watching.
There's nothing particularly stand-out about Cafe Cubano. The menu has the breakfast basics - slightly egg-heavy omelettes, slightly over-cooked french toast, and slightly overpriced sides. The potatoes are slightly cold and slightly underseasoned - all in all, it's difficult to finger just one problem, but combined it leads to a generally unsatisfactory meal.All 15-some-odd menu items range from $4-$8, so you won't have any problems convincing friends that it's a good plan C.
That being said, make sure to get some coffee. The sizes are good, and the caffeine is plentiful. Nearly every flavor combination is available, and don't shy away from the exotic sounding; mint and caramel can be a better mix than you think.
When all else fails: Cafe Cubano. When all else works? Well, nobody said Cafe Cubano was the hottest spot north of Havana.
-M.
The Other Milan
Restaurants:
Indian
Milan
Tonight, the Indian restaurant Milan (pronounced MILL-en, not to be confused with the Italian City, delicious in its own right). My order? The usual - potato and pea samosas, naan, and chicken tika masala. The rating? So far the best Indian this city has to offer.
There's not *too* much to say about Milan. If you've been to an Indian restaurant, this is just like all the others. The decor is a little bit more upscale, so you might feel under dressed in a tee-shirt, shorts, and flipflops, but that's not to say that you shouldn't feel comfortable in whatever you wear. After all, not everyone wants their three piece suit to smell like curry (although I still haven't heard a good reason as to why, and I personally keep a garam masala sachet in my underwear drawer). The price is average for the city, which is to say a little bit overpriced ($13 for an entree). The service is a bit friendlier. Our water glasses were always filled, the rice was always replenished, and the wait staff was always available.
The trade off, albeit a small one, is that the naan is a little dried out and crispy. I don't know about you, but the best part of naan is the doughy, fluffy part. If I want burnt flatbread I'll buy a box of Matzo.
Notwithstanding the naan, the meal was wonderfully typical and expected. If you're looking for exciting new twists on Indian favorites, skip this place and head to Himalayan Fusion (review forthcoming). If you want your tandoori traditions and you want them exactly as you remember them, Milan will sure not disappoint.
-M.
Tonight, the Indian restaurant Milan (pronounced MILL-en, not to be confused with the Italian City, delicious in its own right). My order? The usual - potato and pea samosas, naan, and chicken tika masala. The rating? So far the best Indian this city has to offer.
There's not *too* much to say about Milan. If you've been to an Indian restaurant, this is just like all the others. The decor is a little bit more upscale, so you might feel under dressed in a tee-shirt, shorts, and flipflops, but that's not to say that you shouldn't feel comfortable in whatever you wear. After all, not everyone wants their three piece suit to smell like curry (although I still haven't heard a good reason as to why, and I personally keep a garam masala sachet in my underwear drawer). The price is average for the city, which is to say a little bit overpriced ($13 for an entree). The service is a bit friendlier. Our water glasses were always filled, the rice was always replenished, and the wait staff was always available.
The trade off, albeit a small one, is that the naan is a little dried out and crispy. I don't know about you, but the best part of naan is the doughy, fluffy part. If I want burnt flatbread I'll buy a box of Matzo.
Notwithstanding the naan, the meal was wonderfully typical and expected. If you're looking for exciting new twists on Indian favorites, skip this place and head to Himalayan Fusion (review forthcoming). If you want your tandoori traditions and you want them exactly as you remember them, Milan will sure not disappoint.
-M.
Shebeens, Shebeens, Oh Baby When She Moves, She Moves
Restaurants:
South African
The Shebeen
A remedy to the previous night's breakdown, The Shebeen South African Pub & Braai's menu reads like a delicious wet dream. Cape mussels, huge salads topped with salmon, ground nut stew, Sosatie, and grilled specialties galore, I feel like to write an effective review will take me at least two dozen visits so I can try everything they have to offer. But last night was a good head start.
Durban spiced chicken - two large chicken breasts with cumin, coriander, and cardamom skewered on large sugar canes. What could be better? The chicken's a bit dry, but no worries, there's plenty of jus underneath to soak up. And if you need more flavor, it's served with a spicy voodoo sauce of kick - it might not seem like it, but wait for the afterbite-in-the-ass. And you'll keep coming back for more. The mielie pap and mango chutney cut the spice nicely, and the whole dish comes together in a really wonderful way.
As already evidenced, the menu is certainly influenced by other cuisines. Indian samosas, Malaysian satays, and British fish and chips all make their way into the pub. Somehow, it all manages to work.
The ambiance is wonderful as well. Inside, big plush leather couches welcome you an upscale pub setting, one where you wouldn't feel guilty kicking back with a beer or ordering something stiffer. Outside, the patio has a closed, private feeling, so although it's situated right in the parking lot of a strip mall, large wrought iron tables and chairs spaced comfortably apart from one another make you forget all about the traffic outside.
Though a little bit pricey (averaging $17 per entree) it's worth every penny.
Geniet!
-M.
A remedy to the previous night's breakdown, The Shebeen South African Pub & Braai's menu reads like a delicious wet dream. Cape mussels, huge salads topped with salmon, ground nut stew, Sosatie, and grilled specialties galore, I feel like to write an effective review will take me at least two dozen visits so I can try everything they have to offer. But last night was a good head start.
Durban spiced chicken - two large chicken breasts with cumin, coriander, and cardamom skewered on large sugar canes. What could be better? The chicken's a bit dry, but no worries, there's plenty of jus underneath to soak up. And if you need more flavor, it's served with a spicy voodoo sauce of kick - it might not seem like it, but wait for the afterbite-in-the-ass. And you'll keep coming back for more. The mielie pap and mango chutney cut the spice nicely, and the whole dish comes together in a really wonderful way.
As already evidenced, the menu is certainly influenced by other cuisines. Indian samosas, Malaysian satays, and British fish and chips all make their way into the pub. Somehow, it all manages to work.
The ambiance is wonderful as well. Inside, big plush leather couches welcome you an upscale pub setting, one where you wouldn't feel guilty kicking back with a beer or ordering something stiffer. Outside, the patio has a closed, private feeling, so although it's situated right in the parking lot of a strip mall, large wrought iron tables and chairs spaced comfortably apart from one another make you forget all about the traffic outside.
Though a little bit pricey (averaging $17 per entree) it's worth every penny.
Geniet!
-M.
Not With a Bang, But With a Whimper
Restaurants:
Fusion
Bang
If you're hungry, grumpy, or out to an obligatory dinner with acquaintances or clients you'd rather avoid, skip Bang. If you have a few hours and dollars to burn, and the company is good, then it just might be the place to go and be trendy hipsters.
Our evening started with a filler at Marco and Luca's - a dumpling shop serving roughly six different items (of which dumplings are 3) in the Downtown mall. Based on what we had heard of Bang, we decided to grab a few dumplings as an appetizer. Delicious and fast, Marco and Luca's "dumpling" order comes with about 6-8 dumplings in a tiny styrofoam container for $3. Grab this and the hot and sour soup and you can call it a night. The pork and veggie buns look fantastic, and taste great, but be warned: you get one napkin and one set of chopsticks, and these large buns would be hard to eat with an army of heavy utensils. If you're looking to eat gracefully, move on.
Marco and Luca's is in the center of the downtown mall, and shares patio space with their neighbors Cafe Cubano. On a nice September Friday night, with the town out in full swing, it's a wonderful place to grab some dumplings and people watch. Although it's a bit far from campus, the quick availability of cheap snacks makes this place a worthwhile study spot for those who need a crowd.
Across the street, behind the free parking, is Bang. Bang bills itself as Asian tapas (so...dim sum?) that's not dim sum (damn). Following in the passee tradition of Asian fusion, Bang's list of small plates is already only half a page, and reduced further by black sharpee lines across some of the more appetizing-sounding offerings. Given our dumpling first course, we skipped the dumplings and ordered (for four of us). The first to come out was the Korean beef in lettuce cups.
The 'cup' is a leaf of bib lettuce sitting underneath a thin strip of beef, with a tiny dipping sauce on the side. After one bite, the need for sauce became apparent. It didn't help the dryness, but certainly added much needed flavor. At this point, two of four ordered drinks still had not arrived, one of which was mine, and the beef was beginning to dehydrate me.
About twenty minutes later, the drinks arrived with the 'sides' we had ordered - coconut rice and edamame. While the small plates are meant for sharing, the sides are clearly a per-person deal. Fortunately, only one of the two was in demand. The coconut rice was milky and sweet, with just a hint of crunch (and this is coming from someone who hates coconut). There was nothing in particular that the rice went with, as none of other small plates had arrived yet, but it stood on its own. The same could not be said for overcooked edamame sprinkled with prepackaged bread crumbs. I'll let you imagine this one on your own.
About ten hours later, the second entree came out. There was more to go around (in the style of the Donner party, we had consumed one of our guests out of waiting hunger) of the Shrimp with noodles and chiles. One in our group was allergic to peanuts, so we opted out of that, and to Bang's credit the request was satisfied without muss or fuss. Unlike the rest of the meal. To be frank, I was so hungry that I don't even remember what this tasted like, except to say that there must have been a carrot truck that had broken down outside and started handing out produce for free.
Finally, a long awaited thai beef with soba noodles arrived in a heap of buckwheat. One bite and I was done - the food was drenched in cilantro, to a point where nothing else reached the senses.
In the end, our sesame tuna never reached the table - the waitress forgot, and we weren't interested in staying to celebrate Stefanee's December birthday. We told her not to worry about it, and after returning the check which still listed the dish, paid and left.
The food was certainly edible, but the service made the restaurant near intolerable. Fortunately, the conversation was good and so the time passed quickly. But for three small appetizers, the two hour dinner could have been cut down significantly. Bang forgot that the point of tapas is to sample different flavors at the same time. Instead, the menu was so slow that we found ourselves eating the garnish on the plates and drinking the dipping sauce for sustenance.
Rather than attempt to order a dessert, the group of us moved to the Flat, a crepe take-away window located a block away. The crepe suzette doesn't skip on the grand marnier, and anything with chocolate and nutella is filled to the brim. Seating is limited, but the crepes are the real thing and worth the drive downtown alone. Certainly the best dessert Bang has never served.
-M.
If you're hungry, grumpy, or out to an obligatory dinner with acquaintances or clients you'd rather avoid, skip Bang. If you have a few hours and dollars to burn, and the company is good, then it just might be the place to go and be trendy hipsters.
Our evening started with a filler at Marco and Luca's - a dumpling shop serving roughly six different items (of which dumplings are 3) in the Downtown mall. Based on what we had heard of Bang, we decided to grab a few dumplings as an appetizer. Delicious and fast, Marco and Luca's "dumpling" order comes with about 6-8 dumplings in a tiny styrofoam container for $3. Grab this and the hot and sour soup and you can call it a night. The pork and veggie buns look fantastic, and taste great, but be warned: you get one napkin and one set of chopsticks, and these large buns would be hard to eat with an army of heavy utensils. If you're looking to eat gracefully, move on.
Marco and Luca's is in the center of the downtown mall, and shares patio space with their neighbors Cafe Cubano. On a nice September Friday night, with the town out in full swing, it's a wonderful place to grab some dumplings and people watch. Although it's a bit far from campus, the quick availability of cheap snacks makes this place a worthwhile study spot for those who need a crowd.
Across the street, behind the free parking, is Bang. Bang bills itself as Asian tapas (so...dim sum?) that's not dim sum (damn). Following in the passee tradition of Asian fusion, Bang's list of small plates is already only half a page, and reduced further by black sharpee lines across some of the more appetizing-sounding offerings. Given our dumpling first course, we skipped the dumplings and ordered (for four of us). The first to come out was the Korean beef in lettuce cups.
The 'cup' is a leaf of bib lettuce sitting underneath a thin strip of beef, with a tiny dipping sauce on the side. After one bite, the need for sauce became apparent. It didn't help the dryness, but certainly added much needed flavor. At this point, two of four ordered drinks still had not arrived, one of which was mine, and the beef was beginning to dehydrate me.
About twenty minutes later, the drinks arrived with the 'sides' we had ordered - coconut rice and edamame. While the small plates are meant for sharing, the sides are clearly a per-person deal. Fortunately, only one of the two was in demand. The coconut rice was milky and sweet, with just a hint of crunch (and this is coming from someone who hates coconut). There was nothing in particular that the rice went with, as none of other small plates had arrived yet, but it stood on its own. The same could not be said for overcooked edamame sprinkled with prepackaged bread crumbs. I'll let you imagine this one on your own.
About ten hours later, the second entree came out. There was more to go around (in the style of the Donner party, we had consumed one of our guests out of waiting hunger) of the Shrimp with noodles and chiles. One in our group was allergic to peanuts, so we opted out of that, and to Bang's credit the request was satisfied without muss or fuss. Unlike the rest of the meal. To be frank, I was so hungry that I don't even remember what this tasted like, except to say that there must have been a carrot truck that had broken down outside and started handing out produce for free.
Finally, a long awaited thai beef with soba noodles arrived in a heap of buckwheat. One bite and I was done - the food was drenched in cilantro, to a point where nothing else reached the senses.
In the end, our sesame tuna never reached the table - the waitress forgot, and we weren't interested in staying to celebrate Stefanee's December birthday. We told her not to worry about it, and after returning the check which still listed the dish, paid and left.
The food was certainly edible, but the service made the restaurant near intolerable. Fortunately, the conversation was good and so the time passed quickly. But for three small appetizers, the two hour dinner could have been cut down significantly. Bang forgot that the point of tapas is to sample different flavors at the same time. Instead, the menu was so slow that we found ourselves eating the garnish on the plates and drinking the dipping sauce for sustenance.
Rather than attempt to order a dessert, the group of us moved to the Flat, a crepe take-away window located a block away. The crepe suzette doesn't skip on the grand marnier, and anything with chocolate and nutella is filled to the brim. Seating is limited, but the crepes are the real thing and worth the drive downtown alone. Certainly the best dessert Bang has never served.
-M.
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