We should visit restaurants more often when they are closed! My post about the Sake Moon tells how we discovered that fine restaurant because the one at which we had intended to eat was not open. Ironically, our next great discovery came because the Sake Moon was closed when Porter was in the mood for pho. The new version is bigger, and I dare to say better. I had the
Shrimp Habana (grilled shrimp and pineapple, with a mango mustard sauce), and Porter had the special of the day, which was a very substantial, spicy fish soup. Although I rarely drink soda, I ordered my own
Ironbeer
after tasting Porter’s. Even better than
the food, though, was the atmosphere. I
haven’t had so much fun in a restaurant in a long time. Music was provided by a man at an electric
(Korg) keyboard, and if it was too loud at least it was not so loud as to
inhibit conversation. When he played
familiar songs some of the staff and many of the customers joined in—even I sang parts of Guantanamera. Whether the other customers were of Cuban
descent or not I couldn’t tell, but most of the conversations were in Spanish. This was as far removed as possible from
those horrible experiences at other restaurants where some poor birthday “honoree”
is subjected to loud clapping and off-key singing by waiters who enjoy the
experience no more than the customers.
The feeling was closer to the atmosphere I’ve felt in an Irish pub,
though much more amateur and informal than a Seisiún.
Switching hemispheres, we decided instead to use a $10 coupon to check out the new the Habana Grill Cuban restaurant. How excited we were to discover that it was our old Don Pepe’s renewed! We had enjoyed Don Pepe’s for years, having been introduced to it when Heather was taking Spanish in high school. However, the plaza in which it was located underwent major demolition and reconstruction, and Don Pepe’s disappeared, we feared forever.
Comments
Oh, hooray! Papas Rellenas!!! Next time I visit Florida, I request we go there so I can have some Papas Rellenas and Ropa Vieja, just like old times.
Posted by
joyful
on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 9:40 am
It's a deal! The rest of March is pretty full, as is the end of June :), but otherwise you're welcome anytime!
Posted by
SursumCorda
on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 10:17 am
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