AW Spotlight
Havana – 24/7 Cuban Food that Can’t Be Beat
By Krista Martinelli
If you’ve somehow missed the amazing Cuban restaurant that “never sleeps” and makes customers happy 24/7, seven days a week, it’s time to discover Havana. Located at the corner of Forest Hill Blvd. and Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach, Havana has been serving their mouth-watering specialties for 17 years. Founded by Roberto Reyes who brought his authentic Cuban recipes to the restaurant, Havana is known for their excellent service, family-run goodness and scrumptious specials.
A good place to start is with a glass of homemade sangria or a cold cerveza. On this typically hot Florida summer evening, my husband Joe and I decided to order the ceviche for an appetizer, which was on their “Specials” board. It was refreshing and delicate in its nice blend of flavors. A chilled glass of shrimp and fish in lime, salsa and fresh cilantro was the perfect appetizer. The only challenge is making sure that no one is looking if you try to drink the juice of it down to the very last drop. Just do it quickly without spilling any – is my advice.
If you’re wondering what to order, you cannot go wrong with the Surf and Turf at Havana. Your plate comes with giant shrimp in a wonderful garlic sauce and their “Bistec Especial,” a skirt steak grilled to your taste, prepared with herbs, garlic and olive oil. All of the dinners come with two sides. You can choose from: black beans, white rice, yellow rice, sweet plantains, Yuca con Mojo (cassava with a garlic sauce), white rice and black beans cooked together, french fries or green plantains with Mojo. The yellow rice and black beans are customer favorites. All of the sides are very good. Here’s the online menu, so you can plan ahead: http://www.havanacubanfood.com/menu.html
Another side order, or it can be ordered as an appetizer, that is not to be missed is the Mariquitas con Mojo. These plantain chips are addictive, and you will probably need to avoid kissing anyone after the amount of delicious garlic sauce you will consume. A small price to pay. Seriously, it’s worth it.
A word about the Mojo (garlic) sauce. It’s delicious and you’ll find it on several of the things you order. I recommend spreading it around on your plate. The flavors will blend very well. For example, if you spill a little Mojo sauce onto your yellow rice or into your black beans, it’s a happy accident.
Here are a few other popular entrees. The Lechon Asado con Cebolla is a succulent, shredded pork dish with grilled onions and Mojo sauce. The Bistec de Palomilla is a nice thin cutlet of choice top round, very tender. The Bistec de Pollo a la Milanesa is an indulgent breast of chicken, fried and topped with ham and Mozzarella, with a Spanish sauce. If you order the Cuban Combo (not on the menu, but often as a special), you get a sampling of the Lechon Asado con Cebolla, the Bistec de Palomilla, the Bistec de Pollo Empanizado (another nice chicken dish) and a terrific sausage (Chorizo). This a great way to get a taste of four different Havana meats, all prepared beautifully.
We had the grouper, another entree which is not on the menu but often offered as a special. With a light touch of paprika and parsley, this was a lovely preparation that brings out the buttery taste of the grouper and leaves you wanting more.
Our waiter Luis was energetic, attentive and best of all, truly enthusiastic about the food he was serving. I frequently like to ask the waiter for “his favorite” when I cannot decide on something – like dessert. Thanks to Luis, we narrowed it down to a sampling of three desserts – the Caramel Flan, the Rice Pudding and the Tres Leches cake. All of these are “to die for,” depending on your preference. For me, it was the flan that did the trick. Paired with a strong Cuban coffee, the caramel flan was a fantastic finish to a delectable evening. You really can’t go wrong with the cinnamon rice pudding or the rich Tres Leches cake either.
As another notable thing to mention, Havana is constantly giving back to our community by participating in festivals, catering luncheons and helping with fundraisers. It’s refreshing to see restaurant owners, who are some of the busiest people around, getting so involved in community events.
Havana also caters parties of any size and offers reasonable prices. Personally, we have had Havana cater our children’s birthday parties, more than once. The feedback from parents was terrific! For example, “Best food we’ve ever had at a child’s birthday party!”
If you’re having a small meeting or party, there’s a separate VIP room upstairs at Havana, just perfect for a party of up to sixteen people. Make sure to reserve this room in advance of your special occasion.
Best of all, you can ALWAYS get Havana’s food, thanks to their 24-Hour Walk-Up Window. So check out Havana today or tonight (or in the wee hours of any evening), and you will be in for a real treat!
Havana Cuban Food
6801 S. Dixie Highway
W. Palm Beach, FL 33405
Corner of Forest Hill Blvd
and Dixie Highway
(561) 547-9799
(See the Havana Coupon at “AW Coupons” on this website)
Visit www.havanacubanfood.com.
Don’t forget to become a Facebook Fan: http://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Palm-Beach-FL/Havana-Restaurant/142614049133
And you can follow Havana on Twitter too: