If you want to experience some true, down home Cuban culture in Tampa, you can't beat La Ideal Sandwich Shop. This is a place where people come for their daily fix of Cuban coffee and conversation. In the morning, most people buy Cuban café and pastelles, the very traditional Cuban breakfast. You can also get scrambled eggs and toasted and buttered Cuban bread if you are really hungry.
However, the real attraction here is the sandwiches. During the noon hour they keep three large planchas busy turning out nine different Cuban sandwich favorites. And the prices, que barato! They charge just $2.95 for a Cuban sandwich! We were a little surprised to see shaved meats on a Cuban sandwich.
However, we have to admit, the sandwiches are very tasty and the meat is very moist and flavorful. At least here they don't follow one Tampa tradition -- there is NO Genoa salami on the Cuban sandwiches here!
At La Ideal you can make it a complete lunch with a sandwich and one of several soups. The caldo gallego here is very hearty and filled with delicate white beans.
They also have an assortment of Cuban bocaditos -- papa rellenas, empanadas, tamales and croquetas. An ideal lunch at La Ideal? Any one of the sandwiches, two tamales, and a bowl of their delicious garbanzo bean soup... (more) 
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- Divine Secrets of the Cuban Bakery Brotherhood
We recently spent some time with a good friend of ours who is a baker and he let us in a few bakery secrets! Unfortunately, bakers work with pounds and gallons and huge bags of everything. They also have some pretty slick electric equipment that you just aren't going to find in the average home!
We did get a lot of answers to our recipe questions and we hope to develop some home kitchen-friendly adaptations of several Cuban bakery favorites.
Jorge shows his technique for filling a capuchino cone.
Cuban exile Tony Mendoza returns to Cuba thirty-six years later. Through his pictures and nicely written text, Mendoza gives you a no-holds barred view of Cuba today. Mendoza found very few Castro supporters in Cuba! Most people carry on their daily struggle for survival, hoping and praying for the day when the failed "socialist" experiment comes to an end... (more)
Habana Abierta to Play in Miami
Six years ago a group of eight Cuban musicians formed a new group in Madrid called Habana Abierta. The group features a fusion of sounds that represent today's Cuban music: rock, son, bolero, rap, and Latin jazz.
The band has recorded two CDs: "Habana Abierta" and "Veinticuatro Horas" (24 Hours). The group will appear at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami October 3-4. Tickets can be purchased at cgplayhouse.com, or by telephone: 305-442-4000.
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Caldo Gallego
Caldo Gallego is really a Spanish recipe, but some smart Cubans stole it from the Spaniards years ago and made it a lot better. Our usual humility prevents us from naming any names. Let's just say we know three guys in Miami who really love this soup.
If you use a good Spanish chorizo, you'll give your soup a hearty, smoked flavor. This is a great soup, and it is very filling! All you need is a loaf or two or fresh Cuban bread and you are in heaven! (more)
Camarones y Arroz Amarillo
In Castro's Cuba, unless you lived on the coast or were a fisherman by trade, you didn't get to eat a lot of fish. It just wasn't available! Yet Cubans have always had a passion for seafood.
In the United States, Cuban-Americans finally found access to all of the seafood they could ever hope for. Lobster, crab, and shrimp are big favorites with Miami Cubans.
This Cuban classic blends the delicious flavor of yellow rice with the delicate taste of shrimp... (more)
Ensalada de Garbanzos
We've been told by the Food Police that Cuban food is unhealthy! "Where's the salads?" they cry. Again, that's the Food Police, talking. Well, just to prove them wrong, here is another delicious and healthy Cuban salad.
The next time anyone from the Food Police comes over, we're going to give them a big bag of lettuce to munch on. That will mean more of that "unhealthy" Cuban food for the rest of us! YUM! (more)
Where is it?
Detail from a mural in Little Havana depicting a beach scene on Varadero Beach during the glory days of Cuba.
The next time you are in Little Havana, look for this mural just off of Calle Ocho!
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