There’s no confusion over the star of the show here: The Cubano’s crusty bread is toasted just right, its roast pork juicy, its pickles thick, and its mustard and gooey cheese plentiful.
Pot stickers are fine; better to go with the Thai curry-chicken rice bowl with its yellow curry. Or just stick with the bao, steamed buns stuffed with fillings such as slightly spicy kung pao chicken.
There's a fiercely enforced policy of no cell phones. The wait is rewarded with deli classics, like egg salad sandwiches and “Perry’s Favorite”—corned beef, Jack cheese, coleslaw and Russian dressing.
The food is rich and flavorful, from the perfect-for-snacking Scotch egg to the Gage burger, served a juicy medium-rare and dripping with melted onion marmalade and gobs of Midwestern Camembert.
Burgers are cooked to a nice medium. Opt for aged cheddar, bacon and egg toppings, and be sure to add the rustic, skin-on fries. Try the Lemon Squeeze, a blend of fro-yo, strawberries and lemonade.
There's tortas, huaraches, quesadillas and tamales, all of which counter most fast-food notions. But we’re big fans of the torta Cubana, and all of its smoked pork loin and applewood bacon glory.
Healthy options—try the quinoa chili—are the rule, rather than the exception at this quickie spot
Don’t bother with pseudo-fresh and flimsy maki—stick to creative combos like miso-glazed scallops over beet risotto, a standout item amid pedestrian pot stickers, crab rangoon and seaweed salad.
