Little Habana offers a taste of Cuban food

Although I've never been to Havana, I recently got a taste of authentic, old-style Cuban food in Riverview at the newly opened Little Habana restaurant.

The décor is colorful, with sun-kissed walls of golden yellow and apricot, 1950s-era Cuban travel posters, cigar box wallpaper, old photographs and stalks of sugar cane leaning in the corner. Little Habana feels like a holiday isle in the tropics.

Owners Tanya and Al Estevez are Cuban natives. Al was raised in Union City, N.J., where his father and uncle owned one of the first Cuban restaurants. Tanya and her mother were swept ashore in the 1980 Mariel boatlift.

In 2006, they moved to Riverview to be closer to family. Deciding they had seen enough of what restaurants were doing wrong after years of food-related jobs in the United States, the couple cast their entrepreneurial eyes on a 1,000-square-foot space next to Ace Hardware. Some might call the restaurant small, but I call it intimate. And the flavor is mighty big.

Real Cuban flavor, an inexpensive menu and pleasant surroundings are the bill of fare here.
Much of the food is hearty, not fussy or pretentious: traditional roast pork, ropaÖ vieja, spicy oxtail stew and my favorite - charbroiled skirt steak with homemade, cilantro-based chimichurri sauce.

Entrees can be accompanied by white or dirty rice, black beans, sweet or green plantains or yucca.
A host of tropical fruit shakes are included on the menu, including mamey, papaya, mango, platanito and strawberry.

Little Habana doesn't serve alcohol. But I grabbed a small cup of cafe con leche - without all the foamy frou-frou - and had myself a reasonably priced sippin' cup of Latino heaven.

This week, I'm featuring a recipe for picadillo, a stew of ground beef, olives and potatoes that Al and Tanya agreed to share. Serve it with white rice and sweet plantains for an authentic taste of Cuban cuisine.

CUBAN PICADILLO

1 pound ground meat
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small can tomato sauce
1/2 cup dry white wine
Pimento-stuffed olives
2 potatoes, cubed
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown the ground meat, onions, peppers and garlic. Turn heat down to medium low. Add the tomato sauce and wine. While it simmers, chop the olives and potatoes, and add to the meat mixture. Cook 15 minutes or until the potatoes are done. Add a little bit of the olive brine, if you wish. Adjust the seasonings. Serve the picadillo warm with white rice and sweet plantains. Serves 4 to 6.