CUBA LiBRE (Orlando)

Back to my Orlando post, we went to a nearby restaurant from our Hotel after our 3rd day of all-day-walking at Universal Studio.... we were so tired that we decided to go to CUBA LiBRE since we saw how pack it was the night before, so bet it won't be bad and they have a great patio.

They were very popular for their Mojito and since it's one of my favorite cocktail (♥ Cesar) I'm just thrill.

We ordered the Primo and Passion Fruit Mojitos... Yummmmy and there was quite a bit of rum =P

The bread was really really thin and was soak in butter/oil.... sort of oily but it was soooo good
.

After our waitress listed their specialty, we decided to try their Tasting menu so we could taste everything and it was only $39 /person.

Trio of Dips

~ Black Bean Hummus, Rum cured smoked marlin salad & Haitian Eggplant Spread

Love all 3 dips but especially the eggplant which was very light and refreshing

Plantain, malanga and yuca chips

Appetizers to share

Atun Fire and Ice Ceviche

~ Big Eye tuna, jalapeno coconut-ginger sauce, red onion escabeche

Great start, super yummy and refreshing, too bad there was only a few pieces to share, wish there was more

  

Mama Amelia's Empanada De la Casa

~ hand chopped chicken, corn, sweet peppers and Jack cheese, tomatillo relish

This is not comparable to the one we had on our fist day here, the filling is just not as flavorful and the shell is not as flacky and crispy but the tomatillo relish was super yummy which compensate for the empanada

Guava BBQ Rib

~ Cuba Libre's award-winning pork rib, slow cooked and glazed with guava sauce, jicama-Sambai Salad

This was fall off the bone good and much better than the one we had here

 Torticas de Cangrejo

~ mini crab cakes, creama de yuca and blood orange majo, young pea tendrils, coconut vinaigrette 

although it didn't taste burn, I wish that they didn't "blacken" it that much but it was still super yummy with big chucks of crab meats

And of course I have to have another Mojito... this time Classic with extra mint =D

 

Entrees, this time we got one plate each 

 Dorado

~ Marinated pan-roasted mahi-Mahi, "Mojito" salsa verde and chipotle allioli

Super moist and flacky goes perfectly with the refreshing mint aka Mojito salsa verde and with the conyrast of the slight heat from the chipotle allioli

Camarones con Cana

~ Pan seared sugarcane-skewered jumbo shrinp, mango BBQ glaze. Guacamole Cubano

While I was reading the menu I keep thinking of the Vietnamese version of the sugarcane shrimp but I was relieve as soon as I saw this... this was so pretty with the bright shimp glazed with a even brighter color of mango glaze.... the sweet mango sauce just goes perfectly with the cold and fresh guacamole on the side and it was also a perfect palette cleanser before going to the next dish

Churrasco a la Cubana

~ Grilled skirt steak, parsley, lemon and onion sauce. Rosemary mushroom escabeche salad

It's steak and tasted better than it look although would wish it's not as cook (more raw) =P

 

Side dishes

Moros y Cristianos 

~ Black Beans, bacon, peppers, onion and long grain rice

We were both surprise at how good the rice was, super flavorful with the rice flavor still shinning through

and no need to wonder why the guy at the next table just order a huge bowl of it

 Maduros

~ Fried ripened sweet plantains

 Desserts

 Tocino del Cielo

 ~ a traditional Cuban flan, salad of seasonal berries

Arroz con Leche

 ~ Mami Totty's receipe for classic Cuban rice pudding, Alfajor de membrillo

 I'm really not that into the desserts, it was too sweet without any other flavor other than that....

all the bill came in huge empty cigar box

Verdict :

Good food, Good service, Great Pricing

Could have stay all night and sip on Mojito if it wasn't for mosquitoes (they just tend to ♥ me) on the patio and how dead tired we were by the time we finish dinner