Road Tips

The Lost Cuban - Cedar Rapids, IA

My continued quest for finding a "true" Cuban sandwich in the Midwest has not been very fruitful so far.  Most of the places that offer a Cuban sandwich on their menu usually just use a pressed-ciabatta bread with pork, ham, cheese, mustard and pickles.  The key to a great Cuban sandwich is the sweet Cuban bread they use in Tampa or Miami at the authentic Cuban restaurants.  However, almost five years ago a Cuban restaurant - which I believe to be the only Cuban restaurant in the state of Iowa - opened in Cedar Rapids.  I finally got a chance to stop there on a recent trip through the City of Five Seasons to see if The Lost Cuban had a good Cuban sandwich.  

Jess Streit grew up in Central Florida around the Orlando area.  Coming from a big family, they used to hold large cook-outs that would regularly feed upwards of 75 to 80 people.  With his grandparents moving to the U.S. in 1960 after escaping Cuba via Venezuela a year before, most of the foods that Streit and his family served at the cook-outs were authentic Cuban foods made from recipes handed down in his family.  Everybody helped cook at the gatherings and Streit knew his way around a kitchen very well.

When his girlfriend took a job with General Mills in Cedar Rapids, Streit moved with her to the area.  He decided to open a restaurant to keep him occupied in his new environment, but he couldn't do anything but feel somewhat lost among the flat cornfields of Iowa.  Coming up with the name Lost Cuban and focusing on finding a place in the Cedar Rapids area thrust Streit in a full-time pursuit of opening his restaurant.  When he found that a Mexican place in downtown Cedar Rapids was looking to close its doors, he approached the owner about taking over the space for his venture.  He helped the owner of Salsa del Rio in his final days of business, then took over the space for a quick renovation.  Streit opened The Lost Cuban in October of 2012.

The Lost Cuban is located on 3rd St. SE in downtown Cedar Rapids (see map) and I was able to find a parking space down the street from the place.  The place is pretty small with a bar area up front and an open kitchen off to the side.  But it was clean, well-lit and welcoming.  The Lost Cuban has an extensive cocktail menu and is open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.  And through the week, they also have nightly food specials.  

I ended up taking a high-topped table in a small alcove underneath a painting of a vintage car that are still found on the streets of Havana.  A young lady brought me over a menu, and even though I knew what I wanted I took a quick look through it to see that they had a short menu of authentic Cuban foods including ropa vieja (stewed beef and vegetables), arroz con pollo (chicken and rice), and pollo en fricase (braised chicken with potatoes and carrots).  But I got the Cuban sandwich.

I had high hopes for the sandwich being good.  It was pressed with Swiss cheese oozing out of the bread with ham, pork, pickles and mustard packed inside.  But from the first bite, I knew that it was not the great Cuban bread that I've been searching for in the Midwest for the past 20 years.  Oh, don't get me wrong - it was a very good sandwich.  The outer shell of the bread was crunchy and flaky, while the pork inside was tender and tasty.  It was much better than many of the Cuban sandwiches I've tried at other restaurants.  But it didn't seem to be the same as the ones I'd had in Florida years ago.  Then again, maybe my memory is failing me and this is what a true Cuban sandwich is supposed to be like.  To me, I remember the bread being similar in taste to a King's Hawaiian bun or bread.  But this just sort of seemed like a basic baked Italian or French bread that you'd find at most bakeries.   

Even though the Cuban sandwich at the Lost Cuban was good, it still wasn't what I remembered having years ago during my trips to Miami.  It was better than many other renditions of Cuban sandwiches I've had in the Midwest over the past few years, but it was not what I was expecting.  However, the Lost Cuban is a unique and interesting restaurant - one that seems to have found a good home in Cedar Rapids.  (The Lost Cuban is closed on Sunday.)  

90 Miles Cuban Cafe - Chicago (Lincolnwood)

I've been on the hunt for a good Cuban sandwich similar to the ones that I first enjoyed during trips to Miami over 25 years ago.  The sweet Cuban bread is the key to the sandwich.  But most places in the Midwest usually just use a pressed ciabatta panini and all it becomes is nothing more than a seasoned pork sandwich with ham and cheese and yellow mustard.   I had asked Judith Dunbar-Hines who has taken us on a couple of culinary tours of Chicago neighborhoods - and who has visited Cuba, as well - which restaurant had good - as in REAL - Cuban sandwiches.  She mentioned a couple three to me and one that I was near one day on a trip into Chicago was 90 Miles Cuban Cafe.  I decided to give their Cuban sandwich a try.  

During the Mariel Boat Lift in 1980, Alberto Gonzalez decided to make the treacherous crossing from Cuba to Key West with is family.  Along with his wife Maria Magdalena and his young son Alberto, Jr., the Gonzalez family made the 90 mile trek to the United States over a 15-hour period in stormy weather in a shrimp boat loaded with dozens of people.

The Gonzalez's settled initially in Key West where Alberto Gonzalez, Sr. and Alberto, Jr. caught fish from the sea and sold them on the dock.  The family eventually came north to Chicago where family members had settled and the family began their new life in America.  Alberto, Jr. eventually got into the mortgage business as a young adult. 

One thing that Alberto, Jr. really missed was his grandmother's cooking and there wasn't a lot of Cuban restaurants in the greater Chicago area.  He had talked about opening a restaurant with his parents, but the timing always seemed to be wrong.  However, in 2008 an opportunity to take over a spot on Armtiage Ave. in the Wicker Park/Bucktown neighborhood came about and Alberto, Jr. and his wife Christina opened 90 Miles Cuban Cafe in the fall of that year, naming the place after the 90 miles his family had to sail in a crowded boat in stormy seas to get to freedom.  Friends were telling the Gonzales' that this was a risky adventure given the economic crisis that was going on at the time.  But armed with recipes from his grandmother's kitchen, Alberto Gonzalez, Jr. found that 90 Miles Cuban Cafe was a hit with not only many of the nearly 20,000 Cuban citizens of the greater Chicagoland area, but with people looking for something different to try.  

Within six months during a time when restaurants were closing, the Gonzales' were already planning for a second location.  In July of 2009, they opened a second location at the corner of Clybourn and Belmont in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago.  Both places were small and had a BYOB policy if you wanted to have your own Cuba Libré's and Mojitos.  

Pictured right - Alberto Gonzalez, Jr. and his wife Christina. (Photo courtesy dnainfo.com)

The Lincolnwood Town Center shopping mall is located at the corner of Touhy Ave. and McCormick Blvd. literally across the street from the Chicago city limits in Lincolnwood.  (see map)  The upscale mall that catered to upper-middle class shoppers had fallen on hard times after the economic downturn in 2008-09 and many of its stores had gone out of business.  A space that housed a Ruby Tuesday restaurant stood vacant for over two years after it closed in 2012.  After a new ownership group came in to take over the struggling mall, they were aggressive in getting new businesses to come to the property.  In 2014, the ownership of the mall approached Alberto and Christina Gonzalez about putting a 90 Miles Cuban Cafe in the old Ruby Tuesday spot.  Within a year, the third location of 90 Miles Cuban Cafe opened at Lincolnwood Town Center.       

It was around 2 p.m. when I had finished with an appointment and I was near the Lincolnwood Town Center heading toward a dealer in Chicago.  I decided to stop in and try a Cuban sandwich at 90 Miles Cuban Cafe.  The restaurant is located on the east side of the mall at ground level.  There's an outside entrance to the restaurant as well as a mall entrance inside.  

The decor of the 7000 square foot space was designed to look like a true Cuban restaurant complete with art deco style lighting and tile floors - a restaurant that was literally stuck in time like many buildings are in Havana.  Tiled walls with leaded glass windows were also prominent along the mall side of the restaurant.  

The Gonzalez's called upon Cuban artist Alejandro Arango to paint a series of murals on the walls of the restaurant.  The brightly colored murals were found in a back room that could be used for receptions and meetings complete with small lights hanging from the ceiling.

Another mural was on the wall near the bar area.  (This is the only 90 Mile Cuban Cafe that features a bar.) Most of the mural paid tribute to Ernest Hemingway who spent many years in Cuba.  A Corona 3 typewriter, two cats (Hemingway loved cats) and a couple of books that Hemingway wrote while he was in Cuba were depicted in the mural.  

There was a coffee bar at the restaurant which features a small alcove of non-matching furniture.  The furniture may have been used, but the area reminded me of an old time hotel lobby.  Elsewhere in the restaurant were benches made from old windows shutters.  Alberto Gonzalez, Jr. once said that this was his way of showing how resourceful Cubans can be when faced with a need with little to work with.  

Along the wall heading to the restrooms were a number of vintage photographs depicting life in Cuba.  Cuba has always fascinated me and I lingered for awhile in this area taking in the photos from life in the 1950's Cuba just before the revolution.  

I asked the hostess if I could sit at the bar and she said that would be no problem.  Well, it turned out to be a problem.  There didn't appear to be a bartender or any staff behind the bar.  I looked through the menu while I waited for someone to show up and it was a good five minutes - maybe longer - before someone showed up behind the bar.  And, of course, he completely ignored me.  He brought some food out for another couple seated at the bar, but then disappeared again for another couple of minutes.  I had to flag him down to get his attention.  He asked if I wanted anything to drink and I told him that I'd take a Revolution Anti-Hero IPA that they had on tap.  He poured it for me, wordlessly set it down in front of me and then disappeared again.  

I pretty much knew that all I wanted was a Cubano sandwich, but the rest of the food was authentic Cuban fare.  Appetizers included meat or seafood filled empanadas, tuna ceviche and beef filled potatoes called Papas Rellenos.  Cuban staples such as Ropa Viejas (slow roasted beef with onions, peppers and garlic), Lechon (slow roasted pork with citrus mojo), and Pargo (flash fried whole Red Snapper).  One thing that I noticed on the menu was that not all entrees came with plantains.  I don't care for plantains and the Cuban restaurants I've been to before seem to serve plantains with everything.  

When the bartender finally showed up again, I had to get his attention to place my sandwich order.  His service was absolutely horrid.  And when someone from the kitchen brought my sandwich out to me, I quickly realized that I didn't have a napkin or any utensils.  I had to flag down someone else to get those.  

Now, maybe I don't really know what a Cuban sandwich really is.  Once again, this was not what I've had before during previous trips to Miami.  The bread was not the Cuban sweet bread that I've had.  The crust was crisp, but it was like any other panini-style Cuban-style sandwich that I've had around the Midwest.  Overall, the taste of the sandwich was fine, but I was mildly disappointed in that it was still not the great Cuban bread that I've had years ago.  I sat there after finishing up a good portion of the sandwich and some of the seasoned fries that came with the Cubano and I thought, "Well, maybe I really don't know what a Cuban sandwich really is."  

Coupled with the poor service I experienced, the Cubano sandwich I had at 90 Miles Cuban Cafe made for an overall disappointing experience.  Oh, don't get me wrong.  The Cuban sandwich was fine, but it was like any other Cuban sandwich that I've had around the Midwest.  Being an authentic Cuban restaurant, I expected the sandwich to feature the sweet Cuban bread and to have the pork and ham explode with flavors.  It turned out that it had neither.  There are, however, some other items that I found on the menu that intrigued me and I would have no problem going back to the Lincolnwood 90 Miles location to give some of them a try.  I just won't sit at the bar the next time I go.  

Victor's 1959 Cafe - Minneapolis

I met up with one of my dealers for breakfast during a late summer trip to the Twin Cities.  He does a really good job of picking restaurant to meet at and he suggested a place that I've had my eye on for quite sometime.  When he suggested we meet up at Victor's 1959 Cafe in Minneapolis, I was happy to agree to meet him there.  

The building that houses Victor's was originally built as a Shell gas station in the 1920's.  In the 60's, it turned into a Dairy Queen and was a neighborhood gathering spot for many years.  In 1981, the building became Rick's Ol' Time Cafe.  It was a popular place for breakfast before the business was sold to Niki Stavrou and Victor Valens in 1999.   

Victor Valens was a Cuban refugee when he moved to New York in 1961 at the age of 11.  He eventually made it to the Twin Cities where he found a noticeable lack of Cuban food even though there was a small Cuban community in the area.  With Niki Stavrou, he opened Victor's 1959 Cafe - the "1959" comes from the year of the Cuban revolution.  

During the first few years of its existence, Victor's 1959 Cafe became well known for their breakfasts and authentic Cuban foods.  They began to sell wine and beer in 2004, and Niki ended up taking over the kitchen soon after that.  In 2007, she bought out Valens and kept the Cuban theme to the restaurant.  She remodeled the inside of the small building and added a patio for seasonal seating.   Niki Stavrou hired a chef in 2008 and got out of the kitchen to concentrate on being the sole owner of Victor's 1959 Cafe.  She continues to run the restaurant today.  

Victor's 1959 Cafe is located on the northwest corner of S. Grand and W. 38th in Minneapolis.  (see map)  I found parking on W. 38th just down the street from the restaurant.  I was supposed to meet my dealer around 9 a.m. and as I walked up to the restaurant I found that the outdoor patio dining area was full.  I went inside to see if my dealer was in there and he wasn't.  I told the hostess that I was waiting for someone and that I'd wait inside for him.  

The interior of Victor's 1959 Cafe is, well, sort of funky.  It featured a low slung ceiling, a number of high-backed wooden booths covered in graffiti, and red, green and yellow pepper lights hung haphazardly around the place.  I waited patiently for my dealer to show up and I finally texted him around 9:10 a.m.  He texted back and said that he was outside on the patio.  I walked outside and there he was at a table in the corner.  I asked, "How long have you been here?"  He said that he'd been there about five minutes.  I told him the patio was full when I got there.  He said, "I walked up and about three tables opened up just as I was coming in."  

Our server came over to drop off a couple breakfast menus and asked if we wanted any coffee.  I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but I did see that they had Cuban coffee.  I've had the sweet coffee with the consistency of motor oil in Miami a number of years ago and I sort of liked it.  I ordered a Cafe Cubano - basically a sugar pressed espresso - a double.  It was good, but it was so packed with sugar and caffeine that I thought I was going to crawl out of my skin an hour later.  

The breakfast menu was a cross between American and Cuban foods.  They had scrambler platters with black beans or chorizo, mango pancakes or waffles, a sweet plantain omelet, and something called "Huevos de la Isla" - thinly sliced smoked salmon on top of two English muffins, topped with two poached eggs and finished off with an orange-avocado sauce.  The Cuban Hash - ground beef simmered in a creole sauce with potatoes, green olives, raisins and capers - also caught my eye. 

I ended up getting the Basque Scrambler that consisted of three scrambled eggs topped with a creole stew of Spanish chorizo sausage, ham, onions, garlic, with green and red peppers.  It was an interesting taste.  The creole stew was thick and had a bit of a spicy taste to it.  I like to put Cholula on top of scrambled eggs or an omelet, but the creole sauce was more than a great taste sensation on the eggs.  

My dealer told our waitress, "You know, everything looks good and interesting.  Why don't you just bring me out your most popular breakfast?"  She brought him a variation of the Cuban Hash with two poached eggs.  I liked my Basque Scrambler, but I was certainly intrigued with the look of the Cuban Hash and wished I would have gotten that.  Of course, he said the Cuban Hash was very good.  But he also said that all the food at Victor's is very good.  "I don't think I've ever had a bad meal here," he told me.

I've been on the hunt for a good Cuban sandwich - not the pressed panini sandwiches most restaurants try to pass off as a Cuban sandwich - but one with the sweet Cuban bread and pork that is marinated in citrus juice.  It sounds like they have one at Victor's 1959 and I'll have to go back to try it.  

I liked everything about Victor's 1959 Cafe - the quaint funkiness of the place, the food was very good and very interesting, and the service was top notch.  It's one of the more popular and unique places to eat in the Twin Cities.  I don't know all that much about Cuban food, but it appeared that most of the foods they have on the menu are authentic.  Victor's 1959 Cafe is a nice change of pace in terms of culinary selections in the Twin Cities.