Casa Cubana--Oakland (Cuban cuisine)

This fairly new establishment has art, color, flavor and flair. For a taste of Cuba in the East Bay, this is an excellent choice for contemporary cuisine and Cuban-inspired cocktails. Located at 59 Grand Avenue, it's a short walk from the 19th street BART station.

Here are some of the things I've enjoyed.

http://www.casacubanaoakland.com/



Mojito. A classic cuban beverage. These vary in sweetness and tangyness depending on who's behind the bar, but if you're open minded, why not?

Montecristo and a Cup of Joe. This was a nice cocktail with some coffee syrup, Bacardi 8, bitters and tobacco mist. A full-flavored drink that was very enjoyable.

Guacamole. Even with the fresh avocado, this happy hour item was a bit of a side liner compared to the house made taro, yuca and plantain chips. I could have had a big bowl of just the chips. Delicious.

Lechon Tostadas. Crispy tortillas were topped with stewed black beans and really well prepared pulled pork with a tangy cabbage slaw. A very tasty item on their happy hour menu. This could have also doubled as a small meal.

Ropa Nueva. This might have been the best thing I've eaten in the month of February. Super savory, succulent skirt steak topped a luscious, fall-apart tender beef brisket ragout. The boniato puree cleansed the palate after each piece and the chimichurri sauce topped it off with even more flavor. So good.

I was not expecting too much from this place, but I was very pleasantly surprised at the phenomenal flavors of some of the dishes, particularly the ones with meat. The happy hour menu is a bit limited, but order one of their meat entrees for dinner, and you won't be disappointed.