Mr. Cubano's

- By T. Bennison

Ask me why I moved back to Florida after living so long in beautiful San Francisco, and I’ll go on at length about the astronomical prices, unaffordable rents, and widespread unemployment I encountered there. But give me a few drinks, let me get sentimental, and I’ll tell you that what really brought me back was the Cuban sandwich.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I had it great, food-wise. I could eat a Balinese breakfast, a Lebanese lunch, and a Somalian supper there without going more than three blocks from my apartment. But damned if I could find a good Cuban sandwich.
Sure, you can get Frisco’s spin on what they call a “charming, working-class culinary curiosity,” spruced up with wasabi dressing and carmelized shallots for $10.99, but you can’t find that Cuban sandwich of my youth: warmly pressed with freshly shredded pork hanging from its seams and served on a paper plate, not looking very beautiful, yet still tasting better than anything those Californian snobs could cobble together.
You see, the Cuban sandwich, or cubano as it’s often called, originated in Cuba, but it belongs to Florida - Miami and Tampa in particular, and now, thanks to Tony Hernandez, Cape Canaveral.

Tony, an attorney and owner of Mr. Cubano at 6550 N. Atlantic Ave., knows his Cuban sandwich, and his version is the best and most authentic around. He’s had a passion for cooking ever since he was a young boy growing up in Havana, and the family recipes he uses reflect four generations of tried and true techniques. Every aficionado believes in his own version of the cubano; they’re highly passionate about the subject and will argue for hours on ingredients and the finer points of preparation, but most can agree on at least this much:
The cubano constists of ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, and pickle stacked between sliced Cuban bread. Despite what you may find elsewhere, the true cubano uses no mayonnaise, lettuce, onions, bell peppers, or tomatoes, though butter and mustard are optional. There is some heated debate among fans as to what kind of mustard to use, though most agree French’s simple yellow is the best. The key to a great cubano lies in the grilling under a press called a plancha, which fuses the flavors together and gives the bread a delicious crispiness. The bread is thought to be the most important part of a Cuban sandwich and some adherents claim that if it doesn’t come from Tampa or Miami, it’s not worth eating. Cuban bread is best when it’s eaten on the same day it’s made, and Tony has his delivered fresh every morning from Tampa.

The pork in Mr. Cubano’s sandwiches comes from the pig’s shoulder and is slow roasted (with the bone still on for optimum flavor) for 8 1/2 hours, after which the fat is removed and the shoulder painstakingly cleaned. The tender hand-pulled pork is then marinated in mojo, a citrus garlic sauce, and chopped into lean, healthy chunks. Tony found that regular Swiss was too oily and didn’t melt properly, so he opts for Baby Swiss which melts evenly and retains a resilient texture. He presses the sandwich in the plancha for just the right amount of time (a second more or less could be disastrous) and slices it diagonally lengthwise as tradition requires.

Though the classic cubano takes center stage at Mr. Cubano, the Tampa version (which adds salami), the pan con lechon (roast pork sandwich with green peppers), and the media noche (“midnight sandwich,” basically a cubano on sweet, fluffy egg bread) are also delicious. Loads of other delectables vie for the spotlight. Belly up to the counter, sip on an excellent cafecito from the authentic espresso machine and peruse the menu (just below a small television playing an endless loop of “I Love Lucy”): yuca frita, yuca rellena, maduros, black beans and rice, ham croquetas, empanadas, pastelitos de carne, Cuban tamales, and a range of baked in-house desserts.

People swear by his bistec de palomilla (a recipe perfected with his mother’s help): sirloin top round tenderized, marinated in mojo for three days topped with grilled onions and served between Cuban bread. Throw in some shoestring potatoes, and it becomes the popular “Tony G.” style. The incredibly layered flavor of Tony’s picadillo stems from a freshly-made sofrito, and forms the core of his amazing deep-fried papas rellenas, breaded potatoes filled with the tasty beef hash.

All of his excellent, well-priced food should be reason enough to visit, but Mr. Cubano’s enlightening museum exerts an equally strong pull. Along the walls, his chronologically-arranged collection of artifacts, photos, documents, and newspaper clippings traces Cuba’s long and often troubled history from colonial times to the fall of Fulgencio Batista. Tony is a fount of knowledge about the country’s culture, history, and politics, and his gregarious nature harks back to the good old days of “mom-and-pop” establishments when the conversation was just as important as the food.

Mr. Cubano is also a great place to stock up on Cuban ingredients. Tony carries a range of Goya products like sofrito, recaito, black beans, olive oil, mojo criollo, and other spices and seasonings. He also sells Cafe Bustelo and cigars from a small humidor next to the domino table. Though all the food is served to go, popular demand has inspired Tony to expand sometime soon for counter seating and several ’50s retro-style booths for sit-down diners. A well-stocked walk-in humidor is also in the works.

Mr. Cubano, “Home of the Real Cuban Sandwich,” is located 6550 N. Atlantic Ave. in Cape Canaveral. Call 799-2200 if you’d like to have your order prepared ahead. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9 to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10-5 p.m., closed Sundays. Visit the website at: www.mrcubano.com. Though it’s still under construction, you’ll soon be able to email your order in ahead.