5. Tinta y Cafe
The self-described "coffee house y mas" keeps patrons happy and coming
back with 13 different sandwiches de la patria, Tinta's
take on the traditional Cuban sandwich features the usual ingredients
of ham, pork, cheese, pickles and mustard. Selections vary according to
the meat -- usually ham, pork and/or turkey -- and type of bread. La noche
entera ($6.50 small, $8.50 regular) is served on sweet bread and the guajiro ($6.50, $8.75) features ham, Swiss
cheese and Tinta's special mojo de la casa sauce. Other than variations
on the Cuban, Tinta y Cafe also features a delectable sandwich called el
gallego ($6.50, $9.25), which includes cantimpalo (cured chorizo Spanish sausage) and
manchego, a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk
of Manchega sheep.
The
story of the Padrino family reads much like the quintessential Cuban
exile success story, and their restaurant right on the Broward County line in Hallandale just a few blocks from the ocean oozes with the quintessential Cuban taste. First
opened in Hialeah at the height of the Cuban exodus in 1976, the restaurant eventually expanded to three Broward locations and a popular
Orlando bistro. Here the most popular variation on the Cuban sandwich is
the lechon asado ($6.95), a type of Cuban-style marinated roast pork with
grilled onions. They also have the traditional Cuban ($5.95), served with ham,
sliced roast pork, swiss cheese and pickles, and the media noche ($5.95) on a
golden egg roll.
