Glenn: The best Cuban restaurant in the Twin Cities isn't really Cuban.

Jorge: With the demise of the original Café Havana, El Mesón restaurant is Minneapolis' last standard bearer of true Cuban food.

Glenn: Unfortunately, it's not your typical Miami Cuban restaurant. A man from the Dominican Republic and his Swedish wife started this one! So the food has always been more Caribbean than Cuban. But thank God, there isn't any lutefisk or lefse on the menu!

Raúl: In 2004 the restaurant was purchased by Hector Ruiz and his wife Erin Ungerman. Hector was born in Los Angeles, grew up in Mexico, and learned to cook in the Twin Cities.

Glenn: An accomplished chef, he has breathed new life into this south Minneapolis favorite. The result is more Latin and Caribbean than Cuban, but anyone who loves Cuban food will find a good eating experience here.

Jorge: You just have to expand your horizons a bit. If you insist on eating only Cuban, the menu here includes a very decent Cuban tamal, croquetas, lechón asado, plantains, and yuca. I especially enjoy their fried calamari rings -- they are thin and crispy, not rubbery.

Glenn: Another real treat is croquetas de cangrejo (crab meat croquettes). We don't see these on the menu very much in Miami, and these are made with REAL crab meat, not that fake stuff.

Jorge: El Meson now offers a nice selection of tapas dishes. My favorite is the pollito, chicken chunks is a rich garlic and parsley sauce.

Raúl: The quesillo is delicious -- fresh mozzarella cheese sautéed with peppers, olives, and onions. The Montaditos are also a standout. They are small sandwiches made with Serrano ham, roasted peppers, and cheese.

Glenn: The ceviche is also excellent -- a Latin style dish of shrimp, scallops, calamari, and fish marinated in lime juice and served with fresh tostones.

Jorge: For entrees, El Meson has always been known locally for their paella. It's a decent, though pricey, rendition for two that takes 45 minutes to an hour to prepare. If you can't get your companion to go in on the paella with you, (or you just can't wait that long) try something similar, but strictly seafood: the arroz con mariscos (rice with seafood) is a generous helping of tender shrimp, crabmeat, calamari, mussels, and fish chunks.

Glenn: For a real departure from traditional Cuban, I really like the Pollo Jamaiquino, a spicy chicken curry dish with mushrooms and onions.

Raúl: El Meson makes the Puerto Rican version of fufú, called mofongo and served as an entree -- carne frita con mofongo, a dish that is very similar to the Cuban masas de puerco fritas con fufú. We prefer our mofongo to include pieces of pork that are more fat endowed. Ruiz uses some very lean pork in his mofongo, perhaps a nod to the fat-phobic food police.

Glenn: I was excited to find corvina on the menu, a fish that is very popular in Peruvian restaurants. Here it's served over a bed of coconut risotto with sautéed spinach, again with a distinct touch of curry and ginger -- a real fusion dish!

Jorge: The pollo al ajillo is a very Cuban rendition, a half chicken marinated in garlic sauce and served with rice and beans.

Glenn: We've always enjoyed the lunch buffets here. The food is freshly prepared and includes a good selection of dishes. If you are still getting your Latin food feet wet, the buffet is a good place to sample several different dishes in one sitting.

Raúl: There are only two desserts that we can recommend, a mango crème Brûlée and the restaurant's signature flan. Both dishes are rich and satisfying, the perfect ending to a great Latin meal.

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