ronnie_suburban wrote:'Gross and wrong' . . . not really the kind of background I was hoping might be out there.

On no level could the sandwiches I had at La Teresita be described as gross. Of course, I didn't eat there with 4th graders, either.

=R=

Sorry, I'll blame my 4th grade vocabulary on the influence of the Republican debates. I wasn't saying I thought it was gross, or questioning your tastes. That was how I interpreted the opinions from the FL locals in the links I posted. I'm sure I'll try one with lettuce, tomato and mayo next time I come across one, may even add bacon if it's an option!

laikom wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:'Gross and wrong' . . . not really the kind of background I was hoping might be out there.

On no level could the sandwiches I had at La Teresita be described as gross. Of course, I didn't eat there with 4th graders, either.

=R=

Sorry, I'll blame my 4th grade vocabulary on the influence of the Republican debates. I wasn't saying I thought it was gross, or questioning your tastes. That was how I interpreted the opinions from the FL locals in the links I posted. I'm sure I'll try one with lettuce, tomato and mayo next time I come across one, may even add bacon if it's an option!

Oh no! I knew you were just the messenger on this. I wasn't directing this at you in any way. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear.

=R=

Don't remember The Family. Look, lettuce and tomato can be OK on a Cuban, but you'd better eat it right away (or have a purveyor as thoughtful as Graziano here, who gives you a takeout container with the "salad" items and some extra oil & vinegar, so you can self-dress later). In Philly they offer lettuce and tomato, too, and call it a steak hoagie. But it's quite a different sandwich for it.

Cubans in Tampa and Miami are like tacos or beefs here (or steaks in Philly). They are everywhere, the locals seems to have a natural feel for what can and can't go, many are mediocre or bad, some are great, and on any given Sunday you might walk in and get a taste of heaven that is tough to replicate. In my view, it has the essential elements of a great American sandwich - great, very specific, local bread, and at least one meat that requires something more than a slicer and the Sysco truck. In the Cuban's case, that's roast pork. Cf., Italian beef, Philly roast pork, NOLA debris poboy, etc.

JeffB wrote:Don't remember The Family. Look, lettuce and tomato can be OK on a Cuban, but you'd better eat it right away (or have a purveyor as thoughtful as Graziano here, who gives you a takeout container with the "salad" items and some extra oil & vinegar, so you can self-dress later).

Yeah, I've always eaten them there. And this style certainly didn't line up with with my default preferences, or what I knew or expected going in. But still, it was very tasty I don't recall seeing a single one of them being served without lettuce and tomato . . . at least at La Teresita. I'll be back down there again soon and I may ask a few questions next time.

=R=

Ronnie- best time to hit Teresita is about 3:00 am. Hard to imagine a better late night scene anywhere. Often guys with bongos and guitars serenade. And get the carne con papas. The long stewed dishes really shine there.

As good a place as any to post this link about West Tampa's version of the bakery pizza slice, schiacciata (various mis-spellings in Tampa, with a fave being escachata), likely evolved from Sicilian (mostly from Alessandria Della Rocca) foundations, but with the typical hybrid Gallego/Asturiano/Cubano Tampa spin. This short article is particularly well-done and sensitive to the complex character of the place. Not surprisingly, the author finds the best slice at La Segunda, the oldest, best baker of Cuban bread, probably in the world. http://www.saveur.com/scachatta-italian ... pa-florida However, most from Tampa would associate the cold slices with weddings and graduations catered by Alessi, the Sicilio-Cubano bakery, boxing promotion, and import family (Alessi and Vigo products). Around the dawn of the board, when the taxonomy and genealogy of pizza styles were hotly and intelligently debated, I brought this one up a few times.

Now that Devil crabs and "Scachata" are covered in national print, Tampa's regional secrets are out.