After watching the movie “Chef” and blogging about it here, I Yelped and Googled my way to find Cubanos here in Connecticut. I found a list of places in the city from “Loved the Movie Chef? Now Taste a Real Cubano!“, which I’ll check out the next time hubby and I gallivant in the city.
Hubby and I tried two places here in Connecticut – Amigo’s in Danbury and Sandwiches El Cubano in New Haven. Curious about the rave reviews for Amigo’s Cubano, we went to Amigo’s first. It was a grocery store that sells authentic Hispanic food. Here’s how the deli area looks like:
As you can see, their offerings are very wallet-friendly.
Sandwiches El Cubano is a food truck off Long Wharf Drive near Ikea in New Haven.
In terms of prices, Amigo’s sells their Cubanos for $5.49.
Sandwiches El Cubano sells theirs for $7.00. Still not a deal-breaker.
Lettuce, tomatoes, onions and the misspelled mayonnaise are optional with Sandwiches El Cubano, but I don’t think they charge for those. In Amigo’s, it’s part of the sandwich.
Anyway, I ordered the Cubano while hubby had Steak BLT from Amigo’s. As the sandwiches were cut in half anyway, we both ate half of each sandwich. Even if this post is really about Cubanos, I’m posting the picture of the Steak BLT from Amigo’s so you’ll see how it looks like.
Now it’s time to compare the two Cubanos from the two places.
This is the Cubano from Amigo’s.
This is the Cubano from Sandwiches El Cubano.
Melted cheese? Check! See how flat the sandwich was?
After we got our order from the food truck, we crossed the street and sat on the grassy area to look at the Long Island Sound while eating.
So which Cubano won?
For me, it was a no-brainer. Sandwiches El Cubano was the winner. True, it was a bit more expensive than Amigo’s. It’s even far from where we live. But what can I say? Their sandwich was hot and buttery without being too greasy on the outside, while tender and juicy on the inside. I didn’t care that they offered no outdoor seating. The sandwich kept me happy. I simply plopped down on the grass with my sandwich and soda in tow, took quick pictures and ate. Hubby ate in silence, quietly enjoying his food. Even my sister, who went with us to Ikea, liked it.
Hubby thought the Amigo’s Cubano was alright, but he didn’t rave about it. I confess, I was slightly disappointed probably because “Chef” set the bar too high for me. Where was the melted golden cheese and the buttery bread? What I got looked drab and dry. Honestly, not what I expected. Of course, we still finished both sandwiches because wasting food is a no-no. Hopefully, it was just an off-day for Amigo’s. I’m still rooting for them because they are closer to us than Sandwiches El Cubano. What if I crave for a Cubano in the future?
In the meantime, I’ll take a break from my Cubano search. I’m already happy that we tracked down a deceptively simple yet delicious Cubano here in Connecticut.
Addresses:
Amigo’s Deli & Carniceria
130 West Street Danbury, CT 06810
Sandwiches El Cubano
Long Wharf Drive New Haven, CT
I have been craving a Cubano ever since I watched Chef too. I’d heard good things about Amigo’s but now I don’t know, might have to drive further.
I keep hoping that maybe it was just an off day for Amigo’s when we went there.