Caribbean Cafe

It's a new year! That means it's time to get back to this whole blogging thing! I was off work for a couple of wonderful weeks over the holidays and I got out of all of my good blogging habits :(

But things are back to normal now, Meal of Food Friday included. Last Friday, we tried a hidden gem called Caribbean Cafe. It's an authentic Cuban restaurant in Carrollton. It's in a small strip shopping center, and you might not notice it much from the street, but it's nice on the inside. It's actually right around the corner from Coconut Thai, which we tried a while back. The restaurant is pretty small, but we were able to get a table for 8 without a reservation. I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't call ahead, but we lucked out and didn't have to wait.

Photo credit: http://caribbeancafecuba.com/home.html

Ryan and I started out with beef empanadas, which were very tasty. Empanadas are basically pastry filled with seasoned meat, fruit, or other filling. We had a similar dish at Casa Vieja, a Colombian restaurant also in Carrollton.

who can say no to a flaky, buttery pastry?

I tried the Vaca Frita, which is fried shredded beef with onions, served with white rice and red or black beans. Ryan went for the Chicken Cordon Blue - Cuban Style! It had seasoned chicken and ham with swiss cheese and came with rice and fried plantains. We both enjoyed our meals a lot. I like Caribbean/South American/ Latin American food because the flavors are strong and interesting. They use quite a bit of onions, peppers, citrus, etc.

The Vaca Frita with double order of rice (hold the beans). I used the complementary bread to make a sandwich of sorts. Very yummy!

Ryan's Chicken Cordon Blue.

I liked this restaurant a lot. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but it's cozy and welcoming on the inside. The prices are reasonable - entrees run from $12 - $15 (my entree was enough for two meals) and sandwiches run around $8. Our waitress was friendly and attentive, and they had a great selection of food and drinks. Finding these great, authentic, off-the-beaten-path restaurants is one of my favorite parts of MoFF.