Hella

Last night I headed out and walked about 15 blocks or so over to Cuba Libre down on 2nd Street. I had been a few weeks back for a recruiting event but only for cocktails. I wanted to check out the food and see if it was as good as the drinks. At 8:00pm, there wasn’t much of a wait which surprised me for a Thursday evening. We were promptly seated and ordered up a pitcher of Red Sangria.

Shortly after placing drink orders, some cuban bread was brought out along with a flavored butter. This was included with the meal and it was very tasty. The butter had just enough sweetness to complement but not overpower the bread.

We sat in the spacious open-ceiling downstairs sipping the sangria and waiting for the main course to arrive. I opted for the Ropa Vieja. Here’s the menu description:

Literally translated as “Old Clothes”. Shredded beef brisket simmered with red wine, sofrito, peppers and onions. Accompanied by white rice and sweet plantains. $18.50

Served with white rice and plantains in a spicy red/brown sauce, the slow simmered beef brisket was delicious. It was just the right texture and not chewy at all. The spices were great and the sweetness of the plantains made the meal one of the best I’ve had in a while. So far, this is one of my two favorite meals, the other being the rare ahi tuna steak at Roy’s on 15th Street.

We finished up dinner and had a bit of sangria to finish off. It was a nice merlot-based drink with fresh limes, lemons, and oranges in the pitcher. It was sweet without being too much which is just how I like it. I’ll definitely be back to try their other flavors: White Pear and Sparkling Peach (made with champagne).

Filed under: Philadelphia