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Jorge Castillo: Orlando is a city in constant motion, a kaleidoscope of sights and sounds all vying for the attention of the gung-ho tourist.

Glenn Lindgren: In short, it's easy to have fun, but it's pretty hard to relax here.

Jorge Castillo: If you're in town for a week of heavy theme parking, it's a good idea to take some time off and get away from all the hubbub.

Glenn Lindgren: Habana Grill in nearby Altamonte Springs is a place where you can have a relaxing dinner.

Jorge Castillo: Yes, a relaxing dinner in Orlando!

Raúl Musibay: That doesn't seem possible!

Jorge Castillo: Like so many things in this area, the restaurant sits in the middle of a shipping center. But once you get inside, you forget that you are even in the city.

Raúl Musibay: Don Pepe's started out as a classic Cuban restaurant with a large menu served with traditional Cuban style.

Jorge Castillo: In 2006, Don Pepe's was reborn as the "Habana Grill," a restaurant that retains some of the traditional favorites but also crosses the line into a little Latin fusion.

Glenn Lindgren: For appetizers, Habana Grill now offers nachos, a very untypical dish but here made with tostones instead of tortilla chips. The manchego cheese in this dish makes it a bit more Spanish, but it's still not far removed from your standard Mexican fare. They still serve some of our favorites: empanadas, tostones (fried green plantain), and crispy yuca frita (French fried yuca strips) all served with a house special mojito garlic sauce.

Jorge Castillo: The tamales are very tasty with a combination of pork and ham. You can even get a Cuban sandwich or medianoche as an appetizer plate.

Glenn Lindgren: We especially liked the zarzuela de mariscos, a generous sampling of shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams, fish chunks and lobster. The seafood is cooked quickly and served swimming in a tomato, onion, and green pepper sauce.

Jorge Castillo: Another notable is "Pollo a la Pepe," a chicken breast stuffed with chorizo and cheese, then breaded and deep-fried and served sliced in a tasty white sauce.

Glenn Lindgren: Of course they serve lechón asado, whether thinly sliced and piled on the plate -- what they call the "lechón clásico" or cut into chunks and sautéed to a crispy texture in the masitas de puerco.

Jorge Castillo: The specials of the day tend to be good here. The dishes range from picadillo on Monday to stuffed fish, arroz con pollo, red snapper, and Argentine-style grilled meats the rest of the week.

Raúl Musibay: Let me tell you the sangria is excellent. They use a good quality Spanish brandy and lots of fruit.

Glenn Lindgren: We've always thought that the tres leches cake was as sweet and rich as anyone could ever want. Recently many Miami restaurants have added dulce de leche sauce to the tres leches to create a cuatro leches cake.

Jorge Castillo: But Habana Grill goes all out! They have a special tres leches with chocolate sauce, whipped cream and almonds. They call it "Sunset in Havana."

Glenn Lindgren: But we call it, "There Goes the Diet."

Don Pepe's Cuban Cafe
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HOURS: Monday through Thursday 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM | Friday 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM | Saturday 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM | Sunday 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM

PRICES: Moderate.

DRESS: Casual to moderately dressy

BAR: Full

CARDS: Visa, MasterCard and American Express

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Copyright 1996-2006
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