Jorge: Glendale was once one of the biggest Cuban areas in California. Glendale doesn't have a little Havana area like we do in Miami, but throughout the city, you'll find several Cuban restaurants, bakeries, meat markets, a fish market, and small grocery stores.

Glenn: We were happy to find La Cubana restaurant on Colorado Avenue, one of the main cross streets in Glendale. The "A" health rating earned by this restaurant is apparent the moment you walk in the door. This is a very clean restaurant maintained with pride by the Fernandez family.

Raúl: We just love a small Cuban restaurant with real, friendly Cubans waiting on the tables. La Cubana is exactly that place. Business was slow for an early lunch on a recent Saturday, but with not one, but two parking areas, we believe that La Cubana can be a very popular spot.

Jorge: La Cubana maintains a limited menu of perhaps a dozen entrees. By focusing on a smaller menu, they guarantee that everything is prepared with care.

Glenn: That's a lesson many restaurants can learn from. So many try to do too much (like a certain delicatessen we ate at in Westwood) and NOTHING comes out very good.

Jorge: A shorter menu makes it easier to decide and everything we ate was great!

Raúl: Hey, they've been doing this since 1973.

Glenn: Let's start with the lechón. A good lechón is one of our touchstones for evaluating Cuban restaurants. If a kitchen can produce a good lechón, they are doing something right.

Raúl: At La Cubana you receive a very generous serving of tender roasted pork, moist and succulent.

Jorge: All of the entrees are generously sized, so plan to get a box for leftovers!

Raúl: Tasajo is dried beef that's been reconstituted and at La Cubana, they cook it with plenty of golden onions. The onions are sweet and tender and give the meat a delicious flavor.

Glenn: We especially enjoyed the enchilado de camarones. Plenty of shrimp and it was big enough to be split between two diners.

Raúl: One of my favorites -- boliche (Cuban pot roast) is also very good as is the fricase de pollo. La Cubana's soups are great. The fabada astuariana is a rich bean stew with chorizo, ham, and morcilla -- blood sausage.

Glenn: All of the entrees come with the standard black beans and rice and plátanos maduros.

Raúl: Be a little adventurous and order the yuca as a side dish. They don't overcook it here as they do at so many places. The flesh is firm yet tender with a tasty garlic and oil sauce.

Jorge: We tried the Cuban sandwich ($4.50) and the medianoche. They were both excellent with real ham and roast pork on real Cuban bread.

Glenn: The Cuban bread is very good here. They start you out with a basket of Cuban toast pre-buttered, flattened, and still warm from the plancha.

Jorge: Don't pass up one of several tasty desserts. You can have cascos de guayaba or naranja (guava or orange shells) served in a sweet syrup on cream cheese -- a great Cuban favorite!

Glenn: All in all, La Cubana is well worth a trip to sunny Glendale.

Update: January 9, 2007

After being closed the better part of a year for a remodeling and then reopening for several months, La Cubana abruptly ceased operations after their building was sold and they lost their lease. This was a tremendous blow to the hard-working Fernandez family who have dedicated their lives to this great Cuban restaurant. The family is currently working hard to find a new location and we hope they can get their business up and running again soon! It's always sad to see a good Cuban restaurant close, and La Cubana was a nice, family-run place. We'll miss it!

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