Jorge Castillo: Cuba Cuba may just be the best thing that ever happened to the Denver dining scene.

Glenn Lindgren: Owner Kristy Socarras Bigelow, a Cuban who grew up in Miami, and her husband Brian have created a traditional Cuban restaurant that benefits from the restaurant smarts of Kristy Bigelow's brother Enrique.

Raúl Musibay: Except for the exterior, which looks nothing like any Cuban restaurant we've ever seen...

Glenn Lindgren: ...Cuba Cuba may have been airlifted directly from Miami and plopped down here in Denver at the base of the Rockies.

Raúl Musibay: It's really two houses, side by side, each painted in Key West pastels. On one side a full bar – on the other, the dining room.

Jorge Castillo: The menu is not large, but features all of the Cuban classics: lechón asado, vaca frita, ropa vieja, camarones habanero, palomilla steak, arroz con pollo, paella, and masitas.

Raúl Musibay: You know the restaurant is great when they do the picadillo right, and at Cuba Cuba they take this most simple of all Cuban dishes and make it into a surprisingly good entree.

Jorge Castillo: Start your meal out right with a basket of mariquitas (plantain chips) served with a tangy traditional mojo and a not-so-traditional mango habanero mojo with a kick.

Glenn Lindgren: We rarely order paella at restaurants – ours is too good and we are spoiled by an abundance of seafood – but the paella here is generously endowed with shrimp and lobster pieces.

Jorge Castillo: The price is very reasonable!

Raúl Musibay: The do an excellent spicy tuna ceviche – plantain-crusted tuna served over watermelon-ginger escabeche.

Jorge Castillo: Best of all? Even in Denver, they DON'T put mayonnaise on the Cuban sandwiches!

Glenn Lindgren: Thank God for that!