Baracoa Cuban Restaurant

August 13, 2016

Palmdale, California – It was midday and time for lunch. Arriving in Palmdale, I was three blocks from the place I had originally planned on visiting. Realizing how close I was to this place, I instantly changed my mind and decided to come here instead.

Baracoa Cuban Restaurant is family owned, started by three brothers in honor of their grandmother. If the name Baracoa sounds a bit familiar, it is because the restaurant is named after the Cuban city where their grandmother was raised – Baracoa. They specialize in a creole or comida criolla style of Cuban cooking.

Baracoa is easy enough to find. What was hard to get my head around was that the restaurant sits in a complex surrounded by spas and medical offices.

I was immediately greeted when I walked in the door. Looking around, what struck me first is that it reminded me of the paladars in Cuba. Dark yellow walls evoke a strong image of many of the buildings in cities throughout Cuba. A few Cuban paintings and photos hang on the walls. Cuban Pop and other Cuban music styles play on the speakers while you dine.

Furnishings include wooden tables and chairs, plus a few larger vinyl chairs. About six dark brown vinyl benches are located at the eastern corners of the dining room. Maybe a dozen two-person tables, some of which can be combined to form larger tables, fill out the rest of the room. There are a couple of taller wooden tables near the brick wall on the western side of the restaurant.

The fully-stocked bar has about six to eight chairs. A large collection of wines can be found at the bar.

My server came by to take my order. I chose an Ironbeer to start. Though I try hard to

stay away from pork, I was unsuccessful today; I went for the Lechón Asado. The lechón comes with plantains, which, as readers of this blog know, I am usually not fond of. I asked if they could substitute yuca frita instead. They were able to accommodate my request. A glass of wine sounded good to go with the meal, so I ended up ordering a merlot from Napa Valley.

The Ironbeer arrived soon after my server left to place the order. Ironbeer is actually a Cuban soda, not a beer. I usually don’t drink sodas, but in cases like this I will make exceptions. In some circles and publications, Ironbeer is referred to as “the national beverage” of Cuba.

The description says it is a cross between a Coke and root beer. It has a hint of something else, which I find similar to cream soda. It has light carbonation and it is a bit sweet. I found it to be very refreshing. I will definitely have this again.

When the meal arrived, one of the first things I noticed was the nice presentation. The artistry on my plate didn’t last too long as I immediately began taking it apart, with the yuca frita going first. The yuca was piping hot when it reached my table. It is lightly fried with a light crispiness. Delicious! The flavor of yuca, such as it is, came through muted. I would order this again in a heartbeat. Yuca frita can be ordered as a side, which is served with a garlic-lime mojo sauce.

Next, I tasted the merlot. It had a bold flavor with a light finish. It was suggested by my server. I was leery about having red wine with lechón, but against my better judgement I went with his suggestion anyway. As I feared, it didn’t pair very well with the lechón. However, by itself it was very good.

The rice was garnished with cilantro. It had a very noticeable buttery flavor. I thought it was supposed to come with black beans but they weren’t on my plate when my meal arrived. If I had read the menu closer, I would’ve seen that entrees are served with rice, OR black beans, OR congri, along with the plantains. My bad. Next time I’ll be sure to order congri.

Now, for the main event: lechón. It looked like carnitas. More of the chunkier style versus shredded or pulled. It was topped with a green sauce full of minced garlic. I thought this may be their mojo sauce. Nope, it was their garlic-lime sauce. In my opinion, the meat itself could use a bit more marinade. When combined with the onion and the sauce, it was very, very flavorful. I think Baracoa has a hit with this sauce. It amplifies just about any meat you put it on. I found that out on a subsequent visit.

Near the end of my meal, there was just me and a group of six others. The server knew the members of the group and all were involved in a conversation. I was trying not to listen but something the server said cracked me up. Soon I was brought into the conversation. A nice way to end my lunch here. Next time I think I will try the Vaca Frita.

Baracoa’s website invites you to “come experience the best Cuban food off the island.” I’ll leave that for you to decide whether or not that is true since my experience with Cuban food, as much as I like it, is not nearly as vast as I would prefer. But I will say that Baracoa does serve some of the best that I have tasted in California.

Baracoa Cuban Restaurant – 4.75 forks. Very highly recommended. Live music featured on some nights. Check the Calendar page on their website.