|
Eats - Cuban - Puerto Rican
CUBAN RESTAURANTS
Cuban International Restaurant
625 N. 6th St.
San Jose, CA 95112
408/288-6783
This is one of the oddest dives in San Jose. Located in the heart
of Japantown, the restaurant occupies the second floor of an older
building. The food is very, very good. The stews are spicy and balanced,
the plaintains delicious, and the black beans tasty. Type A diners
should skip this experience; this is a place to sit, eat, relax,
and sip a coffee Cubano.
Habana-Cuba Restaurant
238 Race St.
San Jose, CA 95126
408/998-2822
Another nifty family-owned restaurant, but this one you can get in and out of in under a two hours.
The food is tasty, service is good, and there is a disturbing picture on the wall of a stairway showing Jesus descending on the United Nations.
PUERTO RICAN RESTAURANTS
Sol Food
732 4th St., San Rafael, CA 94901
(415) 451-4765
A tiny, tiny place near the train station in San Rafael. We stopped by on a
sunny day for lunch, and the place was packed (all ten of us). We started
with deep fried strips of plantain with a spiced mayonaise (very nice). I had
the chicken combination (chicken marinated with lots of oregano, beans, rice,
and a small green salad). The chicken needed a little oomph, so I sprinkled
on some of the homemade orange hot sauce. The beans...ooooh, the beans. Delicious.
Rice and salad were fine, although I did find a tiny caterpillar on one pieces
of lettuce. My friend had the Cuban sandwich, full of very tasty pulled
pork and flattened panini-style. We both had coconut juice, which was refreshing
and light but out of a can. I'd probably go for something they made next time.
With tip: $37.13. 05/05/05 |
