Traditional Cuban food, mojitos, live music and hand rolled cigars
This was part two of the birthday celebrations for my friend Jen which began on Saturday night. We started at Ava Lounge (210 W 55th St. Penthouse, NYC). Thanks to my friend Liz who is the event coordinator, a choice table and a round of drinks, I was able to look like rockstar to this group of lovely ladies. Did I mention that at this early point, I was the only man? Sweet.
Dinner was at a Cuban hotspot called Guantanamera (939 8th Ave, NYC). My friend Holly and I kept referring to it as Guantanamo. The mojitos looked very refreshing, but I decided to stick with the delicious sangria. The ultra-sweetness potential of a mojito can be hit or miss with my tastebuds, I didn’t want to take that chance. I sat at the head of our long table, feeling like the group’s fun-loving, young-at-heart dad. Right next to us was the tiny bandstand.
The music was a medley of cool, traditional songs at a low volume. Never intrusive, it allowed us to groove slightly as we talked and laughed. When it came time to order food, a curious thing seemed to happen. Most of us ordered he same exact dish called Ropa Vieja (shredded skirt steak braised in a garlic sauce of fresh tomatoes, sliced onions and green peppers nested in a tropical plantain basket).
Aside from being a tasty mix of sweet and savory, it’s name revealed a wonderful sense of humor. Meaning ‘old clothes’, it was a dish centered around ‘shredded skirt steak’ in a ‘tropical plantain basket’. As an American, I am as lazy as the next guy when it comes to learning languages. But things like this cute play on words that cross translation lines to find a laugh fascinate me.
In addition to the music and food; palm trees, watercolor paintings of rural Cuban life, rattan ceiling fans and exposed brick added to the atmosphere, as did the hand-rolled cigars. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize the cigars were complimentary until after we left. Even though I no longer smoke cigarettes, I’m not ashamed to admit that a good cigar from time to time is a very pleasant indulgence.
Before we left Guantanamera , it was time for the obligatory embarrassment of the birthday girl. The whole room erupted into a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ as the waiters brought out a treat. Of course we could not see what the treat was at first. We were blinded by the road flare they used in place of a candle.
Photo by Amanda Pressner
Amid the singing and laughs were hollers of, “Don’t try to blow it out!” I’m happy to say, both the birthday girl and the cheese cake survived unscathed.
Our night ended with a handful of us ending up at Rumours (933 8th Ave, NYC) for a night cap. It was here that we started planning a huge, fun roadtrip for the first weekend in August. It’s bound to be a blast and I’m really looking forward to it. More details to come as we figure them out. Stay tuned.
See Also:
Guantanamera
Ava Lounge
The Lost Girls
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