I have been in the mood for Latin food lately, so this week I ended up going to lunch twice in search of some fixings. Since it was just a break from work, I wanted to look for places close to my office. I ended up with two great lunch spots that I will definitely remember.
The first lunch was at a restaurant called Bella Cuba, located in a little plaza with other various multi-culti selections. My friend recommended the ropa vieja or the shredded chicken, but I saw oxtail on the menu and I was sold. The menu described it as stewed in a creole sauce with Cuban spices. The meat fell off the bone without a knife and had a really nice, bold flavor. We also ordered a round of sangrias, which were really fruity with finely chopped apple and orange chunks.
For the next lunch outing, my friend introduced me to a hole in the wall shop called Taqueria el Zamorano for some Mexican food. Just seeing the place, I knew the food would be good. For drinks, I ordered their nameless green juice, which I found out later was made of spinach and pineapples. The flavor was beyond unique, and so refreshing on hot day while eating lunch on the patio outside. Interestingly enough, they only made that juice because they had a cucumber lemonade that they had to temporarily halt because of some cucumber recall. The jamaica was a little sweeter, and also a great drink for sitting outside.
For food, I decided to order individual tacos for some variety. I selected the pescado (fish), camaron (shrimp) and cabeza (beef head) tacos, and they were all so good. This is probably one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever been to. The fish and shrimp were battered and deep fried, and covered in a spicy pepper sauce, topped with cabbage and salsa. The cabeza meat was similar in flavor and texture to a braised short rib.
