Nearly a decade ago, Las Culebrinas on Flagler Street, which had started out as a humble cafe where folks in the neighborhood went for their cafecitos each morning, went full-scale under a new owner-chef. The spruced-up place with 45 entrees became so popular that a more spacious, handsome, hacienda-style, two-level restaurant in Coconut Grove was opened. Other offshoots have sprung up in Pinecrest and Hialeah, and all serve overflow crowds of locals and visitors alike who lust for the silkiest yuca, moros as fragrant as perfume and unbelievably moist and tender masitas de puerco.
Las Culebrinas, named for the long, heavy cannons of the 16th and 17th centuries, is firing away like the armada of yore. It has quietly quadrupled in size over the past decade and taken its place beside mainstays such as Versailles in the hallowed halls of moderate Miami Cuban cuisine.
Nearly a decade ago, Las Culebrinas on Flagler Street, which had started out as a humble cafe where folks in the neighborhood went for their cafecitos each morning, went full-scale under a new owner-chef. The spruced-up place with 45 entrees became so popular that a more spacious, handsome, hacienda-style, two-level restaurant in Coconut Grove was opened. Other offshoots have sprung up in Pinecrest and Hialeah, and all serve overflow crowds of locals and visitors alike who lust for the silkiest yuca, moros as fragrant as perfume and unbelievably moist and tender masitas de puerco.
While menus are identical and cooking skills similar, the ambience at Flagler and in the Grove is strikingly different.
In the Grove, the crowd skews younger, more boisterous and, since it's at least three times as large and has a full bar, noisy -- especially on weekends. Not that it's sedate on Flagler, but the original location looks like abuela's frilly parlor, which seems to have a quieting effect.
A smooth black-bean soup jazzed during the last stage of cooking with sofrito is impeccable and the tapas list is long and mouth-watering, everything from must-have croquetas de jamón or ham croquettes) to a meal-sized tortilla vasca, a blimp-sized omelet stuffed with shrimp, sausage, ham and veggies. Soup of the day crema de yuca (cream of cassava) is warm and soothing.
We cannot resist an order of crocodile fritters. The croc morsels are rolled in crushed corn flakes and deep fried and they're so good we scratch that old chestnut: Never smile at a crocodile.
Corn flakes are also used to bread chicken and a huge and tasty filet of dolphin served in a honey-mustard sauce with mashed yuca or potatoes and a big platter of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.
Zarzuela de mariscos, a casserole dish of lobster, shrimp, scallops, squid, fish and mussels in a thick marinara, is a succulent feast.
We wash everything down with a first-class, nicely-chilled sangría made with quality red wine and fresh, diced fruit.
Flan fans rejoice. Culebrinas has custards of caramel, cheese, mamey, chocolate, coffee, coconut and orange-peach. Servings could satisfy four. The restaurant also features buñuelos, guava tarts and crema catalana; our choice this trip is pudin diplomático, a yummy Cuban bread pudding that's spiked with vermouth and fruit.
Even in a town with good cocina cubana on just about every corner, Las Culebrinas has exploded on the scene and hits the bull's-eye for delicious Cuban food.
Place: Las Culebrinas.
Address: 2890 SW 27th Ave., Coconut Grove. Also 12257 S. Dixie Hwy., Pinecrest; 4700 W. Flagler St., Miami; and 4590 W. 12th Ave., Hialeah.
Rating: Very Good.
Contact: 305-448-4090 (Coconut Grove); 305-445-2337 (Flagler); 305-969-3995 (Pinecrest) and 305-823-5828 (Hialeah.)
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, till midnight Friday-Saturday.
Prices: Starters $1-$9.95; entrees $7.50-$29.95; desserts $3.50.
FYI: Children's meals $4.95-$5.75; full bar at Grove; beer and wine at all locations; reservations suggested; AX, DN, MC, VS; music Thursday-Saturday.
