The Crusade to Consume the Choicest Cuban Sandwich

Postby **LITT** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:19 pm

The Cuban Sandwich is the pinnacle of the sandwich world. It has everything you could want in a sandwich:
-panini/griddled - all sandwiches should be pressed and warmed
-multiple meats - all sandwiches should have a variety of meat; no one deserves one meat
-sauce(s) - all sandwiches should have a sauce - nothing worse than a bunch of dry stuff without a viscous material to tie it all together
-bread - it is all about the bread. a cuban is won and lost with the bread (and also the mustard:bread ratio)
-pickles - a sandwich without pickles is like a ship without a captain
-dealers choice - the beauty of the cuban is the simplicity of it and the chef's choice on specific alterations

i will always order a cuban if it is on the menu if i go to a new restaurant. hands down. i am consistently on the quest to find the best cuban sandwich. in this thread i will post my notes about the cuban sandwiches that i have enjoyed over my life. i encourage you to do to the same.

Postby **MrKennethTKangaroo** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:20 pm

much better than the rueben imo

Postby **LITT** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:23 pm

The 2nd Best Cuban I ever ate (see what I did there, get to you to come back for number 1);

Bodega - St. Pete FL (http://eatatbodega.com/food)

this eatery is no frills. delivers on all accounts. the bread is exceptional - the thickness is perfect, the meat variety is perfect, pickle slices - gotta increase that surface area coverage, TWO sauces.

if you go to st pete and dont get this cuban, i feel bad for you

Postby **LITT** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:23 pm

much better than the rueben imo

omg is it even a question?

Postby **Kaiser** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:25 pm

Never had one.

Postby **count2infinity** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:27 pm

The cuban is definitely a fantastic choice for favorite sandwich. My best one in my memory was at the Gnarly Barley in Orlando. We had just finished a conference for work. We were exhausted from packing up the booth and we hit up the Gnarly Barley. Got a table out on the patio with some cold beers, and the sandwich hit me just right. There was nothing special about it. It was your typical Cubano, but man was it tasty.

Postby **LITT** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:29 pm

The cuban is definitely a fantastic choice for favorite sandwich. My best one in my memory was at the Gnarly Barley in Orlando. We had just finished a conference for work. We were exhausted from packing up the booth and we hit up the Gnarly Barley. Got a table out on the patio with some cold beers, and the sandwich hit me just right. There was nothing special about it. It was your typical Cubano, but man was it tasty.

thank you for sharing your cuban experience. this sounds like a perfect day right about now

Postby **willeyeam** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:35 pm

My last Cuban was at the Tampa airport at the Cigar City brewing restaurant. It was okay.

I'm looking forward to this thread

Postby **the wicked child** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:37 pm

Sadly, my favorite Cuban is no longer available due to the place burning down a couple years ago, but it was at Hot Rods House of BBQ in Waynesburg.

A lot probably had to do with them smoking the meat in house, but gd that was a great sammy.

Typical ingredients, but done well, an awesome sammich, accompanied with homemade chips.

Postby **Morkle** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:38 pm

There's a new restaurant in Wexford called Thorn Hill that has a Cuban. I'm dying to try it, I can't find a good one, locally.

Postby **the wicked child** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:39 pm

Related, I got really excited yesterday when I realized that I have both smoked pork shoulder and leftover ham in my freezer right now, so I am but a few ingredients from being able to make my own cubans.

Postby **tifosi77** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:40 pm

The medianoche from the (sadly closed) No Jodas! truck.

There was also a place in Ft Lauderdale where I had my first Cubano, but I have no recollection of the name of the restaurant. But that was good.

Postby **Dickie Dunn** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:46 pm

Versailles in Miami’s Little Havana.

Postby **NTP66** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 3:02 pm

The best Cuban I've ever had was actually in an office building that house multiple training companies. A Cuban guy settled his family in Atlanta and opened a little sandwich shop in the lobby of the building, and the food was out of this world good, and dirt cheap. I've since tried to book another training class at that same facility just to go there for lunch for the entire week.

Postby **Lemon Berry Lobster** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:09 pm

Eefffffff now I want one

Postby **willeyeam** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:25 pm

Eefffffff now I want one

You sure? Mikey hasn't said if he likes them or not yet

Postby **NTP66** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:27 pm

YouTube · Postby **mikey** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:31 pm

Haha I'm not even 100% sure what a Cuban is...I've heard the term, but it's in my head as something that I don't order...is it like a panini?

I had a Rueben twice, several years apart, and both times it was an absolute trash sandwich for garbage people...so hopefully it's nothing like that...

Postby **NTP66** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:38 pm

Haha I'm not even 100% sure what a Cuban is...I've heard the term, but it's in my head as something that I don't order...is it like a panini?

I had a Rueben twice, several years apart, and both times it was an absolute trash sandwich for garbage people...so hopefully it's nothing like that...

JFC you uncultured swine, take a few more laps.

Postby **Lemon Berry Lobster** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:39 pm

mikey probably doesn't like mustard

Postby **willeyeam** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:42 pm

God damnit mikey you plug

Postby **faftorial** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:48 pm

Does a cuban always have mustard?

Postby **NTP66** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:55 pm

Does a cuban always have mustard?

Yes.

Postby **faftorial** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:58 pm

OK, I'll never have one.

Postby **King Colby** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 8:15 pm

The best Cuban sandwich I've had was at Fernandez the Bull in Naples FL.

I liked it a lot, but there is definitely better.

I had an unbelievable Cuban meal at a little dive called Jose's in Bradenton when I went down for spring training. It has since been closed for health department violations which is no surprise and the owner is now dead. But the food was unreal. If I recall, you got a huge platter with black beans & rice, yucca, plantains, and a heaping pile of pork for like $12 cash. Crushed it and was so damn full.