Cafecito
The Cuban sandwich--a tasty delight or communist propaganda infiltrating our fair nation? The Chicago Swallow has crossed into enemy territory and reports back.
First, allow me to allay your fears with a few facts. The Cuban sandwich as we know it today is not at all part of the Red agenda; rather, it was invented in the continental United States by Cuban expatriates bent on leaving that oppressive socialist state. Industrious immigrants married ham, pork, cheese, pickles, and mustard. The marriage is consummated on a bed of Cuban bread. Like the crushing vice of economic oppression, the sandwich is then pressed to give the crust a satisfying crunch.
The options available at Cafecito go far beyond the traditional jamon (ha-MON) and queso (KEH-so). A full 20 sandwiches grace the menu as well as a handful of platters, served with rice, beans, and plantains (a delightfully curious, lightly fried banana). With the cheapest sandwich selling for a mere $4.99, the adventurous eater can come back again and again to try them all without so much as a pinch on the pocketbook.
Alas, the popularity of the restaurant may be it's greatest enemy. Coming in at noon on a Tuesday felt like queuing for government rations. The Swallow waited patiently half inside and half outside the restaurant. Thankfully, it was on a spring day when one needen't worry about blustery Vortices or Northerlies. A well-dressed comrade working at the restaurant took the patron's orders while in line to expedite the process. But, to change one's order before reaching the register would probably be received with something akin to a firing squad.
The steak Chimichurri sandwich at Cafecito.
Finally the sandwich comes. The Chimichurri comes with a choice to make. Chicken, the delicious, squawking bird of Cuba or the most American of meats, the noble steak. The long-time reader knows what this Swallow prefers. Tender, juicy cuts of beef were drizziled with a healthy portion of Chimichurri sauce, an import from Argentina containing parsley, garlic, sunflower oil, and vinegar. How was it? It is this author's opinion that if President Kennedy tasted one of these in 1962, every blue-blooded American would be eating one for lunch followed by a Cohiba as a digestif. 4.5 Swallows.