We're Cuban, B!

By Erin

On Tuesday of this week, there was much reason for celebration: we were celebrating our petitions being turned in and DONE (thus indicating the end of our first year of law school!), it was my friend Lydia's birthday (belated), and it was most people's first day of work in their various legal jobs (myself included). Why not celebrate with a few mojitos? So, we went to a great place in Federal Hill called Little Havana, located on Key Highway, right on the water.

The folks at Little Havana definitely know how to party. How do I know this? The slogan on the backs of the waiters' shirts is "You can't drink all day if you don't start early." Amen, brother.


Anyway, Little Havana not only has a great atmosphere, with a large indoor bar/restaurant and a cute deck on the right water, but the food (and drinks) are great as well. I've been to Little Havana many times but this evening, lots of new folks came along (including some of my new fabulous work friends from my summer job at the US Attorney's Office), so I was excited to show them the Cuban ropes (um, what?).


The mojitos at Little Havana are great - so great that I forgot to take a pic...sorry!


However, I did remember to take pictures of the food...whew. I got my usual, which was a Cuban Sandwich. I love the Cuban Sandwich - pulled pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickles, and yellow mustard on crusty bread (essentially baguette), which is pressed in a sandwich/panini press to perfect crunchiness. It sounds like a weird combo but trust me on this one, it's AWESOME. (Cuban Sandwich anecdote: The last time I was at Little Havana, I was enjoying my sandwich when someone asked me if I kept kosher, to which I responded "well, there are TWO kinds of pork, plus cheese, on this sandwich...so no, not really.")

Cuban Sandwich

Normally the Cuban Sandwich at Little Havana is served with black beans and rice and plantain chips, which is what my friend Adam got with his. I wanted to try their sweet potato fries, however, so I requested those instead of the rice and beans. The fries were good - sweet and salty, though they had a little too much seasoning (Old Bay, I think) which overpowered the yummy yammy flavors. Here's a shot of the black beans and rice, with the plantain chips (which are quite good).

Lynn got a black bean bread bowl, which she said was "okay". The bowl sort of fell apart and couldn't hold up to the black bean soup. Also, if I recall correctly, she felt "mislead" since she thought it was going to be more like nachos - a word to the wise next time you're at Little Havana.

Black Bean Bread Bowl

Although we did not order this dish this time, Xani and I are known to get their appetizer, the masas de puerco fritas, which are little pieces of pork that are fried up and served with a cilantro lime hot sauce - this dish is delicious, intensely-flavored, and highly recommended.

We had a great time celebrating our various events at Little Havana, and I'm sure we'll be back soon for more good times!

Happy eating,
EP