Latin mmerfican Culinafu Identitq in West Tampa


 (Continued from page 14)
 Pork is also treated dif-
ferently between these two
island states. Capedevila, a
trained butcher, points out
that Puerto Rican cooks often
cube their meat, whereas Cu-
bans prefer their meat to be
sliced or shredded, as is evi-
dent in a number of tradition-
al Cuban dishes, such as ropa
vieja and roast pork. As well,


Pipo's Caf's owner Danny
Hernandez reveals that Puerto
Ricans make use of different
cuts of meat that Cubans tend
to ignore, preferring instead
the leaner, whiter cuts. For
example, at Hernandez' Pipo's
Caf, only the most tender
cuts of white meat pork are
used in their signature Cuban
specials and sandwiches.
 And when it comes to Cu-


The deviled crab at Alessi Bakery has received a recent makeover: the breading that
surrounds the crab filling has been reduced to more than half its original size. The
newer, leaner deviled crab is set to debut this month.


Castillo's cook, Jesus Salazar, proudly displays the
caf's signature crab enchilado, a dish.whose roots run
deep throughout Tampa-Cuban tradition. The crab en-
chilado is a favorite at Castillo's, where it is tradition-
ally served every Friday for lunch.


 CASTILLOS CAFE & CATI
 2001 N ARMENIA AVE
 IN OLD










 Daily Specials Next Week
 Monday 051/1109 thru 05/15/0


Monday Arroz con Pollo $6.95
05/11/09 bone-In chicken sauteed in olive oil,
 spanish onions, green peppers, gadic
 and special spices then baked with yellow
 rice

 Tuesday Meat Loaf $7i.25
 05/12/09 our homemade meatloaf is prepared
 using an old family receive, stuffed with
 hardboiled eggs and baked til golden
 brown.

Wednesday Lasagna $7.95
05/13/09 our homemade lasagna in a red meat
 sauce and topped with mozarella cheese


Thursday A
05/14/09
 via
 sp
 an
 aC

 Friday
05/15/09 as
 wit
 shr
 cal


ban food, there is no shortage cials rice and beans from
when it comes to West Tam- $1.99, Cuban sandwich com-
pa, thanks bos (plan-
in part to 14i <AM t7tioM 0 CO1 lo tains in-
land mark oke Ha" dy \ [i4 cluded) for
establish- $2.99, ropa
ments such as La- Teresi- vieja for $3.99. It is almost a
ta and Pipo's Caf, both of crime, all of that food for so
which have served West Tam- little money.
pa for decades, since the 70s. Little known and often ig-
The list of West Tampa Cu- nored is the presence of one
ban eateries is by no means particularly influential popu-.
small. In addition to well- lation within Cuba who mi-
established restaurants and grated in long after Spanish
cafs, from La Flor de Cuba settlement in search of plan-
to the Fourth of July Caf to station work: the Chinese.
Pinar's Caf (all located on N. At its height, the number of
Armenia Ave.}, there is a infi- Chinese immigrants living
nite amount of small Cuban in Cuba numbered around
countersinside of gas stations 40,000. Their existence, how-
all throughout West Tampa ever, is no secret to Arco Iris,
offering affordable lunch spe- a West Tampa restaurant lo-
 cated at 3328 W. Columbus
 Dr., where the menu special-
 izes in Cuban cuisine and
IERING CO. Chinese-Cuban fusion. Of-
. TAMPA. FL 98607 fered alongside traditional
 Cuban mainstays such as
 WEST TAMPA ropa vieja and arroz con pollo
 are a number of fusion dish-
 8138251"2015 es that mix a classic Chinese
for Breakfast & Lunch staple fried rice with some
nday thru Friday of the best from Cuba plan-
 tains, roast pork and even
7:00am 3:00pm palomilla steak.
 The Arco Iris tradition is in
 fact rooted in Cuban fusion;
 their newest location, Arco
 Iris Caf, is a caf focusing on
 special-order pizza and is de-
 scribed by its owner, Madelin
)9 Gonzalez, as "Cuban-Italian."
krroz con Salchiacha ,7.95 The pizza there is made with
 a lighter, drier dough that
 w/ Breaded Steak si t be closer to Cuban
anna sauagesauteed olive oil, strives to be closer to Cuban
anish onions, green peppers, gartic bread than thick traditional
d spices then baked with yellow rice. pizza dough. And the toppings
Castillo family favorite that's where the fusion re-
 ally comes in.
Arroz con Marisco $12.95 "We have a ropa vieja top-


seafood Paella, made "a la chorrera"
th valencia rice, clams, mussels,
rimp, scallops, mahi-mahl and
lamares.


Homemade Desserts
 Flan
 Rice Pudding
 Bread Pudding


 Free Dessert
with purchase of any lunch entre or daily special


Come try some "old time favorites"


Cuban bread battered with eggs,
cinnamon and wine then pan fried &
served with our home made syrup


a blend of ground beef, chorizo, onions,
and spices topped with shaved papitas
and served on a kaiser bun


ping," said Gonzalez. "And
someone who once ordered a
pizza asked us to put a fried
egg on top of it."
. Arco Iris is not only one
example of the way coexist-
ing cultures tend to.influence
each other's cuisine, but it is
the very embodiment of how
Latin American tradition has
come to flavor many other as-
pects of life which is some-
thing has become a tradition
in its own right throughout
much of West Tampa.
 Latin America, from the
 West Tampa Perspective
 Latin American roots can
no doubt be felt much far-
ther than just Latin America,
and the transformation the
cuisine has undergone since
arriving on the sunny beach-
es of Tampa Bay is perhaps
equally as astonishing as the
cuisine's own idiosyncrasies.
Evidence of this abounds
in West Tampa, especially
where the Cuban sandwich,
arguably one of Tampa's own
greatest traditions, is con-
cerned. It can be found in
most Hispanic restaurants in -m
the area, and there are even
those few who make the Cu-
ban its premier act, such as
the West Tampa Sandwich
Shop on N. Armenia Ave. and
Pipo's Caf, where Cubans
are big business all day long.
 Tampa has also succeeded
in modifying one of the Span-
ish Caribbean's main culi-
nary ingredients crab into
something it can truly call its
own.
 Henry Castillo of Castillo's
Caf cites crab enchilado as
one of Tampa's forefront Cu-
 (Continued on page 16)


ELLIS-VAN PELT, INC.
 BURlBA ELLIS



 New & Used Office Furniture
 Material Handling Equipment


1906 N. Armenia
Tampa, FL 33607
evpinc@aol.com


 (813) 251-4252
 1-800-329-3453
Fax 1813) 251-5745


LA GACETA/Friday, May 8, 2009/Page 15 Section B


g0o.