La Segunda, St. Petersburg, Florida

I’ve heard a lot about the original 1915 location of La Segunda in Ybor City. It has the top-rated Cuban bread in the area, in Florida, and the world. But it was our first full day at the beach — we stayed in Indian Shores by the Gulf — and Nancy and I spent so much time strolling on the beach and luxuriating in the warmth, that by the time we discussed lunch, we were pretty.hungry. The original La Segunda beckoned, but from afar, all the way across Tampa Bay, close to an hour away per my GPS. The perfect often is the enemy of the good and, as it happened, the good was much closer — a La Segunda branch in St. Petersburg. Off to St. Petersburg!

This La Segunda is in a newish, nondescript building with plenty of parking. It lacked the patina of age that I love, but there’s pleasant outdoor seating in an 18-24 foot shaded area

between La Segunda and another eatery, Grain and Berry, from which customers emerged with smoothies and the like. There’s also seating inside, and when I entered, La Segunda’s charm level soared thanks to a rack of yard-long loaves of Cuban bread.

I saw people carrying them out along with their orders. We got in line and reviewed the menu as we waited. I bravely ignored a case full of gorgeous pastries for several minutes, my resolve strengthened by the thought that I would soon have a nine-inch Cuban sandwich. I duly ordered one.

Oh, that bread! A crunchy crust and a fine flavor. It was top notch in texture and flavor, just right for the sandwich. Let’s take a look at the filling.

That bread contained a lot of treasures, Genoa salami ham, mojo-marinated pork, cheese, pickle, and mustard. It had much more meat than the other Cubans I tried in the Tampa area, Wright’s and Quiquiriki. It also had the best pork.   The mojo kicks it up several notches, and it had been slow roasted and pulled and chopped rather than sliced. The ham was good quality, but I would rather have had more balance — less ham, more pork, and maybe another layer of salami. Still, I enjoyed it a lot.

Nancy ordered the avocado sandwich, a three-egg breakfast sandwich.

Nancy agreed that the bread was first class. The filling was a bit of a surprise. It was dominated by the egg, as you can see, with some avocado hiding under the bread, crushed red pepper, and sun-dried tomato paste. Nancy considered the tomato paste odd and a bit off-putting. The eggs were on the dry side, and Nancy thought it could use a touch of olive oil for more fat. I think that’s the only time in my life that Nancy has said that a food needed more fat. Still, that bread…

La Segunda shows just how important the bread is as an element of a sandwich. Their bread was made to be pressed, and you could put just about anything in there and sell sandwiches. And despite my caviling, I was impressed by the quality of the fillings. I’d definitely go back, although I do want to try a Cubano at La Teresita’s counter, and check out a few others. Go to La Segunda. It’s a Tampa area must visit.

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