Cuban food is not something that one comes across in Dayton very often and when you do it is not often very good. One of the reasons I love to travel I that nine times out of ten they know a little bit more about food elsewhere and I get a chance to experience some nice cuisine. Enter Havana Mania in Redondo Beach.
On our way to Disneyland, day one of the great Los Angeles trip, Ian and I were accompanied by Aaron and Stephanie (Ian’s brother and sister-in-law) and Doug (a close friend of Aaron and Steph) to this little neighborhood Cuban restaurant for lunch. Stephanie who is Guatemalan ordered an appetizer for the table in Spanish an to be honest I had no idea what she ordered but was pleasantly surprised when pan-fried smashed plantains and traditional Cuban style black beans arrived. These little fritters were served with a creamy garlic sauce that was out of this world good. They were fried till just crispy and the plantains themselves had a hint of sweetness to them that made them irresistible. The black beans were a nice compliment to the plantains, rich and with a full depth of flavor that stood up to the creamy garlicky sauce.
When our entrees arrived I was treated to a huge Cuban pork sandwich. Slow roasted pork, ham, tart yellow mustard, sweet and sour dill pickles, and creamy Swiss cheese all packed into an eight-inch hunk of French bread and grilled panini-style to great effect. This was for sure the best Cuban I’ve ever had. This sandwich is about balance. The richness of the pork to the saltiness of the ham, the vinegary crunch of the pickles to the fatty richness of the pork, the tartness of the mustard to the creaminess of the cheese, all these things must be in harmony in order for a sandwich like this to work. When all these elements come together a Cuban sandwich can stand up to the best sandwich on the world…that’s right…the Rueben! This sandwich was just perfect. I wish Dayton had a Cuban restaurant that was as laid back as this and had such great food. The closest thing that we have is El Meson but I would say that they are a little too formal to enjoy things on this level. Sandwiches in my humble opinion are high art when done well and Havana Mania makes the Mona Lisa of Cuban sandwiches. Ten out of ten!
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