Cuban sandwiches, believe it or not, actually got its start in Tampa Bay before making its way over to Miami, the Key Coast, and Cuba. This is largely because of the influx of immigrant Cuban workers that had made their way into the Tampa Bay area to take place in the big business involving cigar-making. So, with this fact, now you know Tampa Bay takes their sandwiches very seriously. If the Cuban sandwich contains anything more (or less) than roasted pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard, it will then be frowned upon by the purists. Sometimes some vegetables, mayonnaise, and/or salami is added, but the old-schoolers pass it off as a wanna-be Cuban. While the debate grows on, it has become generally accepted in Tampa Bay that the best Cuban sandwiches are located in a popular local eatery known as The Floridian.
The Floridian started out in 1993 and instantly received outstanding reviews, and on a yearly basis was voted and selected as the top restaurant for Cuban sandwiches. Located on the edges of Treasure Island, it’s located very close to the beach, and on the border of the more-populated St. Petersburg area. The spot is very easy to find, as its right before hitting Gulf Boulevard, which is the street that is dancing on the edge of the ocean. When I approached the spot, the ambience wasn’t arrogant at all (unlike The Pearl Restaurant, but that’s another story). With a few newspaper articles here and about, The Floridian is aware of its acclaim, but doesn’t boast it.
We decide to sit outside, since the inside contains only a few tables, one booth, and a soda machine. Me and Josh order the Cuban sandwich, twelve inches. The Cuban sandwich here is your average Cuban, except it has much more meat, making it much thicker, and it also contains salami. In order to avoid the sandwich popping like a top, we had to grip the sandwich a bit tight before delivering our bites. The food though, was fantastic. The Cuban sandwich here is like your usual sandwich, except on some quality steroids.
Usually Cuban sandwiches come with a side of fries or chips, but in this case it comes with neither. There are specials, but they contain 6-inch sandwiches, when I wanted to go the whole nine yards. The only problem I had was that some of the meat wasn’t fully warm. Not saying it wasn’t fresh, but that during the pressing process, they didn’t get to warm all the meat. It is partially understandable considering that it’s a lot of meat in between two breads to cook, but just a few more minutes could have really propelled our sandwiches to new heights.
Bottom Line: In the Cuban sandwich scale, this one is easily the best I’ve had in the Tampa Bay area. After visiting the area for years upon years, its safe to say the locals nailed it right on the head. The sandwiches were huge, were delicious, and fulfilling. The only Cuban sandwich I’ve ever had that tops it is the one served at Bongos in the Downtown Disney area, which was thick, and consistently hot---not to mention comes with fries at around the same price. Nonetheless, this place was a very nice spot for some good local food, and is worthy of all the praise. If you like great sandwiches, then spot is a must-visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment