October 26, 2006
The Joy of Eating Old Clothes
When the cool breezes of autumn’s first blush suddenly turn to the frosty chill of Washington’s first winter wind, what could be better than a big wide plate of slow-cooked beef and a glass of merlot? Not much, we think.
At Cubano’s, a beloved, authentic Cuban Silver Spring institution, the atmosphere is refined yet unpretentious – a white tablecloth kind of place without the snooty attitude. The colorful walls and tastefully tropical art bring restrained joy to an otherwise simple Cuban comfort food menu. The outdoor fountain and patio attract summer diners, sipping mojitos in the sun and laughing at the loud music and loud people pouring out of the constant party that is Mi Rancho across the street, but in the colder months, the warmth is all inside the cool, calm Cubano's.
The star of this comfort food menu is ropa vieja. The translation is literally “old clothes,” which sounds unappetizing until you try it once. Flank steak is simmered in a celery, bay leaf and carrot broth, shredded into bite-sized pieces, and simmered some more in tomatoes, garlic, peppers and onions and seasonings. The stew is at once reminiscent of the best of summer tomatoes and the most comforting of fuzzy sweaters you have just rediscovered in the back of your closet as the sweater season starts. It is like an old friend -- quiet, solid, dependable, there when you need it.
That’s not to say ropa vieja is the only thing worth ordering at Cubano’s. Another stand-out choice is a lunch special of slow-roasted pork in a bitter orange sauce and onions sautéed so perfectly that they just melt away into the juice on the plate, leaving just a trace of their outlines to prove they once existed.
Frequent specials allow diners to try new things, like a spicy pan-fried steak one day and a garlicky shrimp dish the next.
But there are those who stick with what they know they love. An amiable professor-type with a slight German accent confided to us on a recent visit that he comes every week for the chicken breast in saffron sauce and the exceptional black beans (frijoles negros), which are lightly touched by garlic but mostly left to shine in their own rich and earthy right. Then there’s the sweet bites of fried plantain on every plate, and the inexplicably un-crusty but good garlic bread the waiters bring you while you wait for your meal.
For us, ropa vieja is the ultimate comfort food we wish our grandmothers had made, because it provides a hit of the tropics, right when we need it the most.
Cubano's
1201 Fidler Lane
Silver Spring, Md.
(301) 563-4020
Photo by flickr user krakatoa and used under a Creative Commons license.
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I've never seen ropa vieja down here, so i'm excited. Had it for the first time (and many times thereafter) at a New Orleans style place in a crappy little town in New England I lived in for two years. Looking forward to trying a more authentic version. Thanks!!!!
Interesting. As an American Born Chinese, I recall my elderly babysitter always calling Arby's roast beef as "torn clothes" in a literal translation. She spoke a dying/dead dialect, whereas I speak Cantonese, so my translation my not be perfect, but it was definitely clothes. I always wondered were that term came from. She didn't come to America until her 60's, so it's unlikely she got it from Cubans, but it just furthers the mystery.
Another suburban restaurant review, waaaaaaahh!
lamaccountant: Post-Castro, a lot of Chinese-Cubans emigrated to the U.S. (mostly to Miami & NYC), so perhaps your babysitter had some contact w/them.
Dude, Cubano's is walking distance from the DC line, give me a f---ing break. DC insularity is ridiculous sometimes.
How about the service? Always found it inconsistant and below par for the food quality and cost at Cubanos.
If you can't make it to Silver Spring, they also have ropa vieja at the underground food court on 18th and I, by the farragut west metro. I'm hispanic and grew up in Miami where ropa vieja the most common menu item around and I am constantly searching for places that serve it. Cubano's is delicious but overpriced when you're used to paying between $5 and $10 for the same ropa vieja and sides. The worst propa vieja I've ever had was at South Beach in Bethesda. Eeew, it tasted awful and was cubed instead of shredded.
Chaz - How could you have possibly taken that seriously? I was pre-emptively mocking the inevitable, repetitive, and ubiquitous whining about the 'burbs here on DCist.
Lighten up Francis.
Maybe I was too eagerly awaiting the same whining. Woops.
The owner of Cubano's is reported to also be opening another restaurant on U St. in the near future. Good times.
That said, while Cubano's is damn tasty, it is a bit pricy. I'd also suggest Cuban Corner in Rockville.
~EEE~
I'll second Cuban Corner over Cubano's, particularly on price. You'd figure a place named Cubano's would have a decent cuban sandwich, but that's not the case. Was not impressed by their take on it. Not bad, but I've had better in Tampa gas stations.
Come to think of it, I've had a lot of better things in Tampa gas stations but that's another NSFW post.
Cubano's is OK and I wasn't all that impressed with Cuban Corner. I've been wanting to try out Cuba de Ayer out in Burtonsville for some time and see how it is.
15446 Old Columbia Pike
Burtonsville, MD 20866
Anyone been to that joint?
Yeah, its out in the boonies, so DC'ers are gonna hafta get their FlexCars to get there. =p
It didn't last very long, but there used to be a FANTASTIC Cuban place call El Guajiro that was directly across from AFI (around the corner from Cubano). It was a complete hole in the wall, but the prices were very reasonable and it was all made frm scratch.
If you have a hankering for damned good Mexican (unlike the far overrated and overpriced Lauriol Plaza), check out Mi Ranco across from Cubano's. YUM!
Thanks furcafe. She was my cousin's grandmother who lived with them. I'll have to ask my uncle or maybe my parents to see if they know where it originated from. The interesting part is that there is a term for roast beef, so the "torn clothes" name is slang.
I ate at Cuban Corner once and found the media noche sandwich to be "taste-free". I grew up in Puerto Rico and those sandwiches are my favorite, it was such a let-down that I'm not going there again. The 6 other people in my group hated the food too.
On the other hand, Cubanos has NEVER let me down. I try to go there at least once a month. The lechon asado is the best I've had outside of PR (maybe inside too).
No worries mate, it seems between the two of us we were able to convince the DC-only crybabies to keep their yaps shut.
Cuba de Ayer is very, very good and worth the drive up to Burtonsville. I've gotten takeout there a few times but have yet to eat in the dining room. Much nicer place and better food than Cuban Corner in Rockville.
Cubano's is crap. Soory to hate, but it is over-priced crap. Those who claim it is "Keeping it Cuban" or the best since living in The PR are flat out lying. Those folks are most likely flaks for the dump. It is a waste of a place in a prime piece of restaurant real estate.
The lunch entree, which included black beans and rice, was $10.95. You could easily spend that much at Cosi.
El Guajiro was awesome. I miss it. The service at Cubano's both times I went was indifferent at best and actively unsolicitous at worst. Not something that makes me want to try it a third time.
For those who aren't afraid to venture out into the VA 'burbs, Caribbean Grill (on Lee Hwy @ George Mason) is a great hole-in-the-wall place with a good ropa vieja, plus a pretty good (if occasionally dry) jerk chicken and a black bean & chorizo soup that is dangerously good--and the food is cheaper than Cubanos, too. (Secret insider tip to really maximize your bang-for-buck: get a chicken meal to go; the high walls of the carryout containers let them pile twice as much of the sides in as you get on your plate when you eat in.)