Habana Restuarnt and Bar of Austin has authentic Cuban food and is a day trip for anyone living in Houston or San Antonio. The place is off I-35 and/or US290 on the west side of Congress Street. If you live in Austin, you know where Congress is.
My wife Vilma and I were out trolling in Austin for mom-n-pop restaurants when we made this find. She said that we had to stop here because they spelled Habana the Cuban way with a "B" and not a "V".
We like to sit in the shaded patio for dining (even in the summer), catching a wisp of the Cuban seasonings every time the inside door opens. I had to return for the Arroz con Pollo, a heaping dinner for two which isn't cooked until you order.
Arroz Morro and Ropa Vieja
A classic Cuban speciality, Arroz Morro is white rice cooked in a black-bean sauce. Ropa Vieja is shredded beef stewed in a tomato sauce. My wife loves the beef dishes. I think there is sweet plantains on this plate as well. Vilma always gets sweet plantains.
Yuca con Mojo and Lechon Asado with more Arroz Morro
Yuca is just what you think it is, but stewed down until tender. Yes, it tastes good. That's my plate you see and I almost always get yuca. Lechon Asado is pork shoulder marinated overnight and slow cooked until it is falling apart. And it goes great with Arroz Morro. Cubans know how to cook pork!
Masitas de Puerco
Masitas de Puerco ... that's fried pork chunks (not breaded, and that's important). The cut that I heard used by my mother-in-law Gloria is Boston butt, but because the pork is not breaded, most of the fat cooks out of it. It is served with limes to flavor the pork. This dish comes with yuca and Arroz Morro.
Arroz con Pollo
Arroz con Pollo is rice cooked with chicken, but it's the spices that make the dish: saffron, garlic, onions, and at Habana's cumin. There is a scrumptious fried taste to the rice, but my guess is that is do to the chicken which is browned in oil before the rice and water are added. This is my favorite dish here. If you look to the lower right side of the picture, you'll see a sweet plantain (species of banana). That's cooked separately as a side. Great stuff.
Yuca Frita Appetizer
Looks like French fries, but it's not. The same Yuca as above but deep fried to a crisp. Squeamish eaters go to another blog ... this stuff is great.
Croqueta Appetizer
The croquettes are infused with garlic, onions, and pork before deep frying. You can get croquettes with chicken or pork. The ones in the photo above are a special for the day, black drum. Wherever I go, if black drum is on the menu, all other bets are off.
Cervasa (Beer)
Habana's has two custom-made beers, a dark (Mulatto) and a lite (Oro). You have to try them both.
Cuban Sandwich
Cuban sandwiches are essentially pork-based with ham, swiss, and pickles. The best are served with butter and/or yellow mustard. Nothing else should be on them (never mayonnaise!). The photo above is only half a sandwich. Habana's also serves a great pork sandwich.
For more information go to habanaaustin.com
Water-Based Caribbean Bread
A Cuban Sandwich is made with this awesome water-based bread which by-the-way you can get at some HEB groceries. It's called Pan de Agua. Squeeze the bread before you buy it to make sure it's soft. When you eat it, the crust flakes all over the place. It's a tasty mess, and I love it.
The bread will get hard in two days, but don't throw it away. Slice it into slivers and oven roast them until they're golden brown. Keep them in a tin for snacking with butter later. I have never seen Cuban bread get moldy ... apparently just the milk-based breads do that. For more info go to HEB.com
