Another appetizer we tried, pastelitos de carne, simply little beef pies with cabbage, was unappetizing, either because they'd been sitting around (they were stale and almost beefless), or because of the sauce poured on top of them that tasted like Russian dressing.
There was something a little tired, too, about a pork chop entr?e, which the menu made sound succulent - "pan-fried in olive oil, onions, and tomato sauce" - but which was just too dry when it was served. It did have nice flavor, though, and its accompanying black beans, rice and plantains were well handled. Not so much the little green salad. The appetizer we had especially been craving, the yuca with chicharr?n (delectable nuggets of fried pork) wasn't available.
The house specialties here are the entr?e soups, one featuring seafood and the other beef. The version with beef is worth checking out. There's not pretense that this is fancy food; it's the kind of one-pot affair that just about everyone's grandmother made out of leftover meat and vegetables and that just about everyone loves. Here, too, the beef and vegetables (cabbage, yuca, carrots) get tender, and the flavors have a roundness and depth that only comes from slow simmering. After the flautas, though, it's unfinishable.
