¡Cuba! Fundamentally Flawed
Posted by Foobooz on October 6th, 2008
Craig LaBan turns his eyes towards ¡Cuba!, a Cuban BYOB in Chestnut Hill and finds the promising spot missing some essentials.
At ¡Cuba!, the traditional flavors don’t go nearly deep enough, or far enough beyond, to really merit the prices. Is a simple plate of pulled roast pork shoulder, pernil asado, worth $24 because it comes with a squishy, underseasoned tamale and over-pickled green beans? Ay-yay-yay! Bacalao is traditionally rehydrated salt cod in a piquant tomato sauce. But it loses its funk in a goofy rendition here with fresh cod, a small fillet over dry, parboiled rice beneath a lurid yellow mango cream and a handful of shrimp so tiny and chewy they were hardly worth the flourish.
One Bell - Hit-or-miss
¡Cuba! [Philadelphia Inquirer]
8609 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA
Related Tags: ¡Cuba!, BYOB, Chestnut-Hill, Craig-LaBan, Cuban, Reviewed
October 6th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Ok. Here’s a fundamental question: Why do all restaurants suck in Chestnut Hill? You would think that this would be a hotbed for chefs given the income level and thriving commercial strip of the neighborhood. Why can’t somebody open a solid destination place that draws people from all over the city? Or even a basic, local neighborhood BYO with solid food? Every place I’ve eaten at up there has been disappointing and every new place always garners terrible reviews.
October 6th, 2008 at 10:01 am
There is a local BYO with solid food, but it’s not on the “strip” — http://www.cafette.com/ — other than that minor point, I agree completely. Cafette is smashing and Citrus is OK, but for other gastronomic excursions I have to drive, and that annoys me immensely.