Cuban Burger
August 16, 2016
The girls are back in town!
The girls are back in town!
Natalie is finally back from Spain where she has been getting her
Masters Degree and we hung out on Tuesday.
I was very excited to see my friend. Had she changed? Had I changed?
She arrived and I showed off my house and tried to make her
laugh. She told my roommate the story of
When Raccoons Broke Into Our Cabin and Stole Our Food in 2012. Classic.
We debated on where to go for lunch while we drank wine and she invited
me to her wedding next summer.
I hesitate to share my worst fear on the internet where it
could be used against me, but let me just tell you that I have a strange phobia
and Natalie said that her wedding reception will be featuring some specimens of
those things I am so afraid of. Just don’t
look at them, she says. Just drink more,
she says. We will see. Almost a year to think about it, though. More on that never.
We decided to go to Cuban Burger. I’ve been there a number of times and had no
worries about taking Natalie there, as it is always top-notch.
So, Cuban Burger has happy hour every single day from three
to six. Appetizers and drinks are half
off and Spanish beers are $2. And
starting at seven, I found out, the burgers are half-priced on Tuesdays.
Allow me to set the stage.
Sultry Cuban music plays on a hot summer afternoon. It’s broad daylight outside, but inside, the
lights are dim. The décor is dark and
white following clean lines. People
speak softly and perhaps that’s why it feels like a speak-easy. The space is divided into a bar area and a
dining area. It is is not your typical
burger joint.
We slinked to a table assisted by my friend Alcinda, who was
hostessing like a pro. And we were
waited on by my buddy Adrienne, who is as smooth as the restaurant itself.
I excused myself to fix my lipstick. In front of me, the bathroom doors featured a
picture of Lucille Ball on the ladies’ and Desi Arnez on the mens’. Inside, the floor and walls were covered in
beautiful tiles. After enough time of
squinting at myself in the mirror, I returned to the table.
Drinks had arrived. I
squeezed lime into my Tecate. We
discussed the restaurant and decided that our only concern was the wobbly
table.
We devoured the yucca fries that we had ordered with our
beers. Let me tell you about their yucca: They have a soft inside, a crispy, flakey
outside. They are potato-like but softer
and tastier. They are served with a
lovely spicy creamy green sauce.
It was only minutes until we would be able to order those half
priced burgers and the wait would be over.
I love those burgers. Fifteen
more minutes until seven? Natalie checked
the time on her phone. 5:42. Wait
what. Ahhhhhhhhhh!!
I thought that it was almost seven, but it was only almost six!! Another whole hour? What to do, what to do . . .
We bounced.
Walked over to the Dodger for $3 rails. But after a bit the jazz was getting to be too
much. (Aside: Natalie if you have jazz
at your wedding, that is seriously the last straw.) And so we giggled back to Cuban Burger for
those burgers, man!
Cuban was hopping at this point. We sat at the bar. I ordered my favorite burger there. The Buenas Dias burger. The very meal that changed my mind about
runny eggs long ago.
The wait was longer than usual, but like I said, they were
hopping.
Here’s a picture of Natalie’s Buenas Dias:
The burger was smoky and topped with thick bacon, teensy
potato fries and a runny egg. It was
totally satisfying and large. Does not
come with fries, though.
Natalie had to get going to do wedding stuff so we said our
goodbyes.
We had a good time. I’m
glad that happened. And at the time,
neither of us knew that the next morning my grandfather would pass on and that
in less than a week both my and Natalie’s fathers would be leading the moving
funeral service. Life is interesting
like that, isn’t it?
Shout out to Alcinda and Adrienne who helped us have a splendid
restaurant experience. Shout out to Natalie and may she find an outlet for her
creativity. Shout out to my family who I
love so much, even if they think I’ve been distant. Shout out to myself, who I love too. Shout out to Cuban Burger, the maker of the
best sweet plantains in town. And shout
out to you, reader, for reading this and being a lover of life.
That’s all for now. Amanda
out!
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