We made our way on bikes to the Cuban restaurant that Billy, the pool bar guy, recommended and it was exactly the kind of place I like to go to when traveling… seeing and tasting from the local’s perspective. On the corner of Margaret and Catherine Streets (I love that all the street names are names…) is a one story brick home-turned-business with maybe 3 parking spots out front. It is very out of the way for the tourist crowd, but a nice change of pace from the bustling Duval street. The restaurant’s name is El Siboney and purports itself to be a family friendly Cuban restaurant offering the best in authentic Cuban dishes on budget. It was filled with mostly locals… little old ladies, latin families (I assume Cuban) and perhaps 3 tourist families. I had the grilled pork tenderloin (for some reason, pork says Cuban to me) and mom had the mahi. Each dish was served with black beans, yellow rice and fried plantains. Mom enjoyed her mahi, not having ordered that fish in a number of years which made her question why? We guessed the spices on her fish to be cumin and paprika. My pork loin was served butterflied and was far too large to eat in one sitting. With some lime squeezed over it, it was tender, juicy and flavorful. While I enjoyed my pork, I wish I had called ahead to order the paella which has lobster and shrimp in it, but takes over an hour to make. The best part of the meal was in the end though, a small bowl of rice pudding. As a rice pudding fanatic, I can honestly say this was the best I’ve ever had. Creamy with overpowering vanilla flavor and large grains of rice. The staff at this restaurant was friendly, attentive and fast, but don’t go there for the ambiance. A trip to this hole in the wall is strictly for the magnificent food, not for a dining experience.
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