A Little Taste of Cuba

 We ate there Friday before the symphony.  The food was not top
 quality and all was reheated in the microwave, not freshly cooked.
 Even the tostones which have to be freshly prepared to be any
 good.  If you heat them in the microwave they become hard as
 rocks.  I think perhaps the Sunday buffet would be a better bet
 because I'm sure everything is freshly made for the buffet.  Just
 don't go there on any other night and expect decent food.

 Jackie and I had the arroz con pollo and tostones.  It was so-so in
 flavor but the chicken was dry.  Mary Lou had the picadillo but I
 didn't get around to asking her what she thought of it.  Rob had
 a Cuban sandwich and again I didn't find out if he liked it.  It looked
 good.  Most of us had the black bean soup which was raved about in a
 recent newspaper article about the place.  Nothing to write home about.
 It's dirt cheap, though!  I'm willing to give it another try but only for
 the Sunday buffet.

 BTW, this place is like a little coffee shop rather than a regular
 restaurant.  I think they cater more to the lunch crowd - lots of
 sandwiches and stuff on the menu.  There's a counter with stools
 and a row of those fixed-in-place tables with the attached seats.
 Each table is for 4.  They say for the buffet they put it out on the
 counter and remove the stools so the only seating is the 6-8
 tables for 4.

 Kate

 Kate Connally
 "If I were as old as I feel, I'd be dead already."
 mailto:[email removed]

 William wrote in article ...
 > Well...'little' is a poor choice of words...there is a very AUTHENTIC
 > taste of Cuba right here in the 'burgh!!!  About three weeks ago, a
 > little restaurant about three doors down from the Southwest Bistro on
 > 6th Street in downtown Pittsburgh, called Kenny B's Eatery, went out on
 > a limb and started offering Cuban food on certain days of the week.
 >
 > Every Sunday, from 2:30 to 6 p.m., they have an all-you-can eat Cuban
 > buffet...that is just as good as any Cuban eatery you'll find in Little
 > Cuba (more commonly known as 'Miami')!  I was in Miami just under a
 > month ago, and have always loved Latin foods, so I can say with pretty
 > strong confidence that this is the real stuff!  They also offer dinner
 > on Monday evenings, with three entrees to choose from (they vary from
 > week to week), and EVERYTHING to compliment the entrees is included in
 > the meal.
 >
 > My best friend, and a Puerto Rican friend of mine tried the buffet on
 > Sunday, and the Puerto Rican friend was EXTREMELY impressed.  Assured us
 > that it was the real McCoy. Then, I returned on Monday evening for the
 > 'regular' dinner with the best friend and other friends.  Both meals
 > started with complimentary Sangria (which was heavenly).  The buffet had
 > traditional black beans and rice, seasoned rice with chorizo (which was
 > made by a Cubano in New jersey according to Kenny), Picadillo (seasoned
 > ground beef) with rice, a cabbage dish (that I did not try, not being
 > fond of cooked cabbage) that contained bits of bacon, apples, and other
 > goodies, plantains (YUM!!!) and Tostones (another version of plantains,
 > but a bit more 'fried'), and a big ol' slab of roast pork.  There was
 > also the basic 'salad'.  The meal was finished off with damned good
 > strong Cuban coffee, and a fabulous dessert called Cappucino, that
 > wasn't the coffee cappucino...but was a small cone shaped sponge cake,
 > that was delightfully light and sweet, topped with a drop of whipped
 > cream.
 >
 > All of this for $10!
 >
 > The Monday dinner for 5, came to 69.00.  The entrees were Roast Pork (a
 > staple), camarones (shrimp) in creamy cilantro sauce, and a Cuban
 > Fricasseed Chicken...all served with Sangria, black beans and rice,
 > Cuban corn fritters, plantains, rolls, salad, followed by Cuban coffee
 > and dessert.
 >
 > They also have something going for them that most Pittsburgh joints
 > simply DON'T have, but that most true family Latin restaurants DO
 > have...a friendly, 'everyone's our family' atmosphere...Kenny B's wife
 > (I don't remember her name) is from Cuba, having moved to the states
 > with her parents when she was ten years old.  Her mom, Georgina, helps
 > out in the restaurant too (most of the recipes are hers) and they all
 > will sit down at your table with you and chat.  I felt like family after
 > the first day.  For many (hell, MOST) Pittsburghers, this seems to be an
 > alien freak-me-out kind of concept, but for one who LOVES feeling
 > sincere friendliness oozing from other humans, this was a fabulous
 > dining experience.
 >
 > And there just ain't NOTHIN' like fresh fried plantains and Cuban coffee
 > with your beans and rice!
 >
 > Give them a try!  This is not a professional review of any variety...I
 > am just a truly won-over fan...
 >
 > Kenny B's Eatery
 > 123 Sixth Avenue
 > (412) 201-1626
 >
 >

 Kate C. wrote:

 > We ate there Friday before the symphony.  The food was not top
 > quality and all was reheated in the microwave, not freshly cooked.
 > Even the tostones which have to be freshly prepared to be any
 > good.  If you heat them in the microwave they become hard as
 > rocks.  I think perhaps the Sunday buffet would be a better bet
 > because I'm sure everything is freshly made for the buffet.  Just
 > don't go there on any other night and expect decent food.

 They only profess to offer full scale 'Cuban' on Sunday afternoons and Monday
 evenings...the rest of the week you WILL be getting leftovers!  This is
 Pittsburgh...if they tried to survive on selling only Cuban, their doors would
 be closed in a month.

 > BTW, this place is like a little coffee shop rather than a regular
 > restaurant.  I think they cater more to the lunch crowd - lots of
 > sandwiches and stuff on the menu.

 Most of the Cuban restaurants in Miami are like this...they are
 'diners'...because the cuisine is very common there...so I felt like I was
 right back in Miami when I was at Kenny's...And they do cater to the lunch
 crowd...that's going to be their bread-and-butter...it's a burgh thing...and
 eventually, hopefully, they will find their patrons who appreciate the
 authenticity that they have to offer two days per week, who will show up on
 the correct days, to taste the food while it's fresh.  I took a Latina to
 dinner there...and she was VERY impressed...and in my book, that's what
 counts!

 > Give them a try!

 I tried to get my picky co-worker to try this place with me for lunch today.
 She was unhappy because the Eatery was hot inside - maybe the air conditioner
 wasn't working.  We then looked at the menu posted on the window, and she
 couldn't get past the bugs that were smashed between the window and the glass!
 We went to the Lemongrass instead, where she picked all of the green peppers
 and onions out of her food!!

         BD
    " Life is what happens while you're making other plans.".......John Lennon