Review: Little Havana- New London, Conn. (20 out of 25)

After eagerly awaiting the opening of two new restaurants on the rising Bank Street for nearly 2 years the wait is over. Crosby Restaurant Group of New London has opened two new restaurants on Bank Street in New London showing the continued change (for the better) on one of the areas most important historic streets.

Located below Lobster on the River, Little Havana has it's very own private deck (ground floor) dining area and bar filled with warm tropical colors and music with views of Ft.Trumbull and the Thames River in SE Conn. When entering Little Havana and having spent considerable time in Miami and Tampa and having become a big fan of Cuban food I was excited to head toward Little Havana for dinner on a recent trip (last week) to New London.

Entering and having been told by a friendly waiter to sit where I would like I opted to sit outside. Surrounded by handsome railing and a number of other guests and Cuban music I wanted to try out the Mojito that everyone else had ordered. When arriving in a large glass (qt) my first taste was of disappointment... too much alcohol (luxury problem?) and nice blended well enough with the mint leaves and sugar. I mixed, squished and mixed again the mint leaves added sugar and eventually the drink came around. The menu  featured a nice mix of cuban specialties from Chicken Pollo Pallomino (with beans) to the Cuban Sandwich and so forth.

I opted to be boring and ordered my old time favorite the Cuban Sandwich. I asked the waiter if the sandwich was hot pressed and he looked puzzled but then said "yeah..." I opted for a side of rice and beans as "mashed" potatos did not sound appropriate. However my order along with a second Mojito (more sugar and mint leaves) and more customers arrived. The Cuban sandwich was none like I had ever seen before in Tampa, Miami or Atlanta and was in a tortilla, but pressed. I took my first bite and it was heaven... although not like the sandwiches I had known (cuban bread) this one had a lot of flavor thanks to the fresh pork (ropa vieja), mustard and pickles. The ham was not the deli type but from a large smoked ham most likely! Excellent flavor and a very healthy portion.

As the music blared (to my happiness), the beans and rice (black beans) went down easily.. freshly made and not of the over salted variety I smiled in enjoyment. I opted to order some fried plantains and this is where things went south. The plantains, a handful in a basket came slightly breaded and without any flavor. Either they were green/not ripened or they just did not know how to make them. Disappointed I moved on to finishing my drink.

I was then told by the waitstaff that they have large salsa events and live music which I would truly like to come back to. With their interest in working with the customer (on my mojito) it shows a staff that is geared to help keep this place in business for a long long time.

RATINGS KEY:

SCALE:1-POOR/Check out other places, 3 "ok" to 5-Highly Recommended
Price: (1)up to 15.00 person, (2) 15.01 - 25.00 person, (3) 25.01-35.00 person, (4)- 35.01-50.00 person
(5) Over 50.00 person

Price: Includes Main Course, tax & tip. (drinks, appetizers, deserts not included).

Dining  (20 out 0f 25)

                                                                

Food (quality & presentation)	4
Variety	4
Service	4
Beverage Selection & Quality	3
Atmosphere	5
Price (not factored into scoring)	2

Summary:

All in all Havana brings new life to Bank Street and offers relatively authentic fare to the dining options in SE CT. With some extra effort the small kinks could be ironed out. I for one will defintely give this place another shot!

 (Click to visit their site)