It’s easy to see why Cuba Cafe outgrew its original tiny space

A reader asked me recently to recommend a good Cuban restaurant. As we discussed a couple of suggestions, he inquired about Cuba Cafe. I told him I remembered the space years ago as a tiny place that specialized in risotto and eventually gave way to a number of Cuban restaurants, but that I hadn’t been there in a while.

Which, of course, reminded me it was time for a revisit. So we made our way to East Tropicana Avenue and — surprise. Cuba Cafe no long anchors the east end of its strip center (having moved toward the western end) and no longer is a tiny place, having expanded into a number of adjoining storefronts. And, as it turned out, everything about it is larger — or at least greater — than those tiny spots of yore, from the menu to the decor and the service.

Like a number of other local strip-mall restaurants, Cuba Cafe has a sort of odd footprint, narrow and long, with doors to the outside (originally intended for separate businesses) spaced along the way. Much has been done, though, to soften the space and give it a gracious feel, such as a fresh rose on each table, lush draperies, colorful artwork and crisp rose-and-black linens. The menu remains, as we would expect, quintessentially Cuban, but its size provides far more choices than the average local Cuban spot.

We were extremely intrigued by the Pasta Cuba Cafe — linguine in a peanut butter-chipotle sauce with chicken — but thought we probably ought to stick to something a little more mainstream, so we chose the Tasting Plate ($16.95). It came with a number of our favorites and they were all excellent interpretations: the soft, lightly caramelized sweet plantains; puerco asado, or roasted pork, cooked until tender in its own juices with just a hint of citrus and garlic; ropa vieja, the shredded braised flank steak that might remind some of the old clothes (or rags) that inspired its name but that carries a remarkable depth of flavor; and moros y cristianos, the black beans and white rice that’s basically the national dish of Cuba and where the seasoning wins the day, as it did in this case. And a new one to us, the tender chicken Pollo Grand Marnier, the orange evoking tropicalia.

We’ve always liked tostones, a dish of twice-cooked plantains. Most of the time they’re a little flat in both form and flavor, but these tostones rellenos ($8.95) had been formed into the classic cup shape, all the more suited to a filling, which in our case was cheese (ceviche and ropa vieja being the other choices). And they were very good, the plantain cups crisp on the outside and lightly chewy within, the ooey-gooey molten cheese with which they were filled making them seem like a real indulgence.

The “from the grill” section of the menu listed various steak variations but also the more interesting Costillas de Cerdo Habana ($14.95), which were wonderfully tender baby back ribs, the traditional mojo marinade providing more of those garlic and sour citrus flavors, the not-too-sweet barbecue sauce so light that it even worked as a sort of sauce for the mashed potatoes.

And flan ($4.75), because we couldn’t imagine dining in a Cuban restaurant without it, and this was a good one, the custard exceptionally rich.

Service throughout was very good, our server forbearing in the light of our indecision, courses well timed and dishes cleared promptly.

As is the case with a number of genres, the number of Cuban restaurants tends to fluctuate greatly in Las Vegas, and we seem to be in a down part of the cycle. As we relaxed over dinner at Cuba Cafe, and observed many around us who were doing the same, it occurred to us that while currently a little low in number, our Cuban choices today are very high in quality. Cuba Cafe is a prime example of that.

Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Email Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at www.reviewjournal.com, and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.