Worth Repeating: Cuba De Ayer Has Jazzed Up The Joint, Kept The Pork Chop And Cubano

Pork chops with beans, plantains and onions at Cuba De Ayer

Cuba De Ayer is an absolutely new restaurant, but the Burtonsville place still goes the pork chop that makes me long for Miami.

Cuba De Ayer renovated last year.  It both doubled in size and amped up its glitz with a shiny new bar and dining room that make it a classic of our indigenous architecture: Strip mall on the outside, fancy restaurant inside.

On our last visit, we ate exactly the same meal that I think we had the two times before.  A Cuban sandwich for Mrs. HowChow and a pork chop for me.  They're both exceptional comfort food.  The sandwich comes hot off the press so the cheese melts into the pork, ham, mustard and pickle.  The pork chop comes on a plate so crowded that Mrs. HowChow was shocked that I could finish it.

You get beans and rice, sweet plantains ("maduros"), and a cup of sweet caramelized onions.   Plus two thin-pork chops that remind me of casual meals in Miami 20 years ago.  The seared edges have crunch and caramelized pieces.  It's super-tender, and it's easy to slice into pieces and pair up with alternating beans, plantains and onions.

I keep ordering the pork chop because that's the flavor of Miami 1994 to me.  But it's worth a visit even if you can't share the nostalgia.  I'm sure much of Cuba de Ayer's menu is delicious.  Mojitos and cuban coffee make every meal more fun.

This is part of a Worth Repeating series highlighting dishes and places that you should hear about even though they aren't new.  I'm suggesting sandwiches, Chinese, ground chuck and other items that have been HowChow favorites for years.

The strip of Rte 198 in Burtonsville has a series of restaurants that make it worth the one-exit drive south of the Howard County border.  It's a slight off drive because you exit, go around a traffic circle, and then drive the old road that parallels Rte 29.  But once you turn right onto Rte 198, you can choose from Mexican (Chapala), Ethiopian (Soretti's), Afghan (a version of Maiwand Kabob), and more on your way to Cuba De Ayer.

What I Did On Summer Vacation #1: Cuban, Pizza, Chinese & More With Good People

Pork chops at Cuba de Ayer in Burtonsville

The posting was light this summer, and I need to stoke the writing hunger to re-start this hobby blog.

So I'll start with a few posts reporting on the summer vacation.  Light posting doesn't mean light eating.  We eat out less than most readers assume, but we did very well over the summer -- both with food and with people to enjoy the meals.  Often, the company makes the meal.  These are some of the fun that we had:

Udon noodles (front)
Bok choy and mushrooms (back)

• Pork chops at Cuba de Ayer in Burtonsville.  We met friends for dinner, and I ordered a 20-year-old memory in Cuban pork chops.  Just as good as I remember from South Florida.  Thin, but juicy chops.  Slightly charred.  Deliciously meaty and served with sweet plantains and beans-and-rice.  Their Cuban sandwich is also a treasure.
• A table of Chinese at Noodles Corner in Columbia.  Family visited last month, and we started relaxed with a late dinner where everyone picked what they wanted.  Ask for the "authentic" menu.  Order anything that looks good.  Try udon noodles with seafood that comes with scallops, shrimp, crab stick and an intense pepper flavor.  Or basil eggplants -- perfectly tender while still retaining their shape.  The basil aroma filled the table even before we ate, and the brown sauce came fresh and thick, a talented contrast to my clumsy, clumpy attempts at Chinese sauces.
• An afternoon pizza at Coal Fire Pizza in Ellicott City.  Coal Fire is kid-friendly in every way.  At times, it seems run by teenagers, which means you need to expect variation in quality and service.  But you can get great pizza when the kitchen does well, and the casual setting means you can mix a good pie and a good beer with little kids or a huge group.  We ate on the patio, which is even better.  That thin-crust pizza disappeared.

Spicy pizza from Coal Fire

I hope that your summer was good.  I'll post more reports over the next week, including news about new restaurants.  Let me know in the comments about summer eating that you'd recommend for people to try.

Local Restaurants Get Some Pricey Real Estate On Washingtonian's 2012 Cheap Eats List

Bon Fresco makes Washingtonian's Cheap Eats list

Local restaurants represent a serious slice of new Washingtonian's Cheap Eats edition -- getting the nod for everything from Mexican to Cuban to sandwiches.

The list includes praise for Red Pearl and Bon Fresco in Columbia, Cuba de Ayer in Burtonsvile, and R&R Taqueria in Elkridge.  It also highlights a few local restaurant chains without noting the Howard County locations, including BGR The Burger Joint in Columbia and Honey Pig Gooldaegee Korean Barbecue and Lighthouse Tofu BBQ in Ellicott City.

The Washingtonian critics write short blurbs about each place, and they give practical suggestions -- lots of ideas about what to order and what makes a place special -- like the chilaquiles that they recommend at R&R.

One spot that I'd love to be considered for this list would be Mango Grove in Columbia.  They were closed while this list was being assembled, but I think the Indian there and spots like House of India compete with any "cheap eats" level Indian that I have every had.

The June 2012 edition is really worth your $5 to pick up at a grocery store.  It's not on line so far, and I think it's great to have around.  You could definitely flip through to see what inspires you.  There are some great-looking places within striking distance like Rockville, Beltsville, and Silver Spring.

Link: Cuba De Ayer's Cubano On DC Foodies

The DC Foodies blog went a long way to talk up the Cuban sandwich at Cuba de Ayer in Burtonsville.  It's an enormous post talking about Cuban sandwiches in DC that also highlights the sandwich that often makes me ignore the rest of the menu.  Key point: They recommend ordering a side of mojo -- "the garlic and olive oil mixture makes a good sandwich phenomenal."

Tres Leches Cake At Cuba De Ayer

Mrs. HowChow doesn't like cake, but we both love the tres leches cake at Cuba de Ayer in Burtonsville.

Cuba de Ayer bakes their cakes and then bathes them (I assume) in the traditional mix of milk, condensed milk and evaporated milk.  The cake soaks up the liquid and cream.

There is a magic spot where you're moister than bread pudding or French toast, but not so wet that the dessert becomes soggy and collapses.  At Cuba de Ayer, nothing falls apart.  The tres leches cake just becomes moist and creamy, firm enough to stand but soft enough that a spoon scoops everything up.

Top that with whipped cream, and it's a decadent dessert even though it isn't as sweet as chocolate or many other options.  You're not going to do better than a simple meal of Cuban sandwiches and a tres leches cake.

Cuban Sandwich At Cuba De Ayer In Burtonsville

The Cuban sandwich at Cuba de Ayer is the rare sandwich that makes me want to look past a menu.

Roasted pork, ham, a mild cheese and just enough pickle to pick it up.  Cuba de Ayer presses the sandwich perfectly -- just enough to crisp the edges, but nothing greasy at all.  The bread stays crunchy, and the sandwich has a perfect mix of meat, salt and creamy cheese.

The real measure of Cuba de Ayer is that we don't share main courses at the Burtonsville restaurant.  We ordered two sandwiches and polished them both off.  We did share a side dish of "maduros" plantains and a dessert of tres leches cake.

(As Steve points out in a comment below, you shouldn't look past Cuba de Ayer's menu.  They have delicious food, as I sketched out in the original post about the restaurant.  I just looked past on the most-recent visit because I was infatuated with the idea of a Cuban sandwich.)

If you're looking for sandwiches worth a drive, everything starts at Bon Fresco.  You can also check out pit beef at Pioneer or the bulgogi panini at Riverside Coffee.  (And per Marcia's comment below, check out the pit turkey and other barbecue at the Town Grill in Lisbon.)  We really do need a place to serve Vietnamese bahn mi.

Cuba De Ayer: Cuban in Burtonsville

Go south of the border for a little food from the tropics. Cuba de Ayer is in Burtonsville, one exit south of the Howard County line, and it offers a casual taste of traditional Cuban dishes.

Inside, the restaurant is brightly-painted with nice art and friendly waitresses. More modern than "old Cuban." But the menu includes the standards -- picadillo, roasted pork, and the shredded beef fish "ropa vieja" toped off with flan, tres leches and both cafe cubano and cafe con leche.

On a Saturday afternoon, we had sandwiches -- the roast pork sandwich and the Cuban sandwich with ham, pork, cheese and pickles pressed on a baguette -- with sweet plantains and a side order of mixed beans and rice (moros y cristianos). From the first forkfuls of the side dishes, I knew it would be delicious. They were flavorful without being greasy. Sweet plantains that cut with a fork, but stayed intact on the plate. Rice and beans subtly spiced, but mostly just earthy and filling.

Beyond sandwiches, Cuba de Ayer offers an array of main courses, specials, and even drinks like mojitos and fruity cocktails. Other nights, we have enjoyed a shrimp special and other dishes. In the end, the Cuban sandwich is still my favorite -- crisp bread, salty ham, a little bit of cheese and pickles. I also loved the tres leches dessert. A slice of cake magically soaked in condensed, goat and cow milks and topped with cream. The tres leches is my favorite kind of dessert -- sweet, but somehow flavorful instead of cloying. The texture is spectacular. It still tastes like cake, but it is moist without dissolving into a pudding.

Don't be put off by the ride down Rte 29 or by the outside of the shopping center. That stretch of Rte 198 has a coffee house that sells Ethopioan food, and branches of both Rita's and Maiwand Kabob. You also stop at the Dutch Country Farmers Market.

If you like Cuba de Ayer, click here for the 2009 "best restaurants" in Howard County.

Cuba de Ayer

15446 Old Columbia Pike (Rte 198)

Burtonsville, MD 20866

301-476-9622

NEAR: This is on Rte 198 just west of Rte 29. From Howard County, you take the first exit on Rte 29 south of the river. That exit puts you on an old piece of Rte 29 that passes an Indian temple and a garden center. Turn right on Rte 198 at the traffic light. Cuba de Ayer is a block up on the right. There is a sign.