Neighborhood: Greenwich Village/NYU
Price range: $15-20 main course
Website: www.favelacubana.com
Address: 543 LaGuardia Place (between Bleecker and West 3rd St)
Pros: Laid back Atmosphere, Good Food, Nice Music (Live Music , Reasonably Priced
Cons: NO CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED, Don't come late if you want to try the Pao de Queijo
Other reviews:
My Take on Things:
I have to admit that fairly early on I had developed a sort of complex about Cuban food. I didn't quite understand it (probably because my only idea of Latin food was some form of Tex-Mex, Spano- Mex, or Mexican food). Then when I was probably in my pre-teens we went to a family friends house where I had "authentic" Cuban food for the first time. Unfortunately our hostess was not a fan of spice or intense flavor and had a very sensitive pallete/stomach. So what we were left eating was very bland, and maybe just a little too alien for my 12 year old brain to process. Since then I have steered clear of Cuban food thinking that its going to be bland and made up only of pork or seafood dishes (I have a bit of an allergy to seafood and for me pork is probably the last of the meats I go to if given a choice). Needless to say I was sort of skeptical going into this place.
My boyfriend and I have probably been walking by this place every weekend for a year. Finally we decided to branch away from our usual go to eating out places and give this place a shot. I had some glimmer of hope seeing that it was really a Brazilian Cuban restaurant. I have recently been trying out Brazilian food and from what I have had so far, I'm in love.
We decided to sit inside since the NY summer humidity was just a bit too much for us. The atmosphere inside was very laid back and nice. I sort of felt transported to a beach side eatery in Mexico or Florida. The decor is probably a little kitschy but the laid back vibe of the wait staff and the soothing Bossa Nova music playing in the background make up for it. The place is small and looks like it is definitely staffed by friends or family of the owner which sort of adds to the charm.
The place was relatively empty when we went (mostly because everyone was out eating on the patio), but the wait staff was just the right balance between attentive and standoffish (I honestly hate when it feels like the waiter is going to hover over me and chew my food for me but I also don't like feeling like I'm gonna have to go tend the bar myself).
We had planned on ordering the Pao de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread) but sadly we had come too late and they had already run out. It seems you generally have to be in for an early dinner or just come for lunch if you want to be able to get in on that action on the weekends. I am sort of obsessed with this bread so I recommend making the effort if you can to try it. The waitress seemed to feel bad about being out of the bread and instead recommended trying one of the Empanadas. The mpanada fillings change daily they day we happened to go the specials were chicken or maiz empanada. I saw a plate go to another table and they sure did look appetizing but I'll admit I had my heart set on the Pao de Queijo and was in no mood to be deterred by a Maiz Empanada.
Instead we went for an order of Maduros (Fried Sweet Plantains $3.50 a plate). I have in the past had plantains in more of a Jamaican cuisine setting so I was interested in seeing if there was any difference here. First of all, at $3.50 a plate they sure did give us ALOT of plantains. Its listed as a side dish but it sure did make for a perfect appetizer. I found these plantains to be less sweet than the Jamaican ones I've had before and they were not so much fried as they were sauteed. Not being a stickler for authenticity in this case (mainly since I'm not even close to an expert in the matter) I have to say I really liked them. They where too intensely greasy or crispy and they had a little saltiness to them that I liked with the natural sweetness of the plantains. I think we would have honestly ordered more sides and made it more of a tapas style meal (not too bad an idea since the side dishes are huge and range from $3-$4) but I was in a serious mood for some Brazilian beef. Deciding to try something different than my standby favorite of Picanha na Chapa (Grilled Black Angus sirloin steak) I ordered the Ropa Vieja (Braised beef with olives, onions and peppers). It came with Cuban black beans and white rice. I didn't have the rice but the beef and the black beans were AMAZING. I'm sort of finicky about beans but these were very good. I think I would have finished the whole bowl if I hadn't had the Maduros earlier. My boyfriend ordered the Salmao (grilled salmon in port sauce). Not being the type to be very verbal about his eating experience I can only imagine he liked what he got since he cleaned the entire plate.
All in all I liked this restaurant. The menu seemed to have a variety of dishes all of which sounded delicious. If anything I want to come back to try out some of the other sides, main course and their Pao de Queijo. As a side note I will point out that the menu was very evenly balanced between pork, seafood, chicken, beef and even vegetarian dishes so anyone who had the apprehensions about Cuban food that I had can rest assured that there is something for everyone on the menu.
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