There are certain rules that I live by as a Cuban woman.
One very important one is that if I spend a Saturday morning at the Hair Salon (thanks, Kate!), I will not be cooking for anyone on Saturday night. And in fact, Husband should be prepared to actually take me out on a date. Seriously, Salon Hair should NOT be wasted.
He’s been married to me for almost 15 years now. He knows and is careful to abide by the Salon Hair rule.
But here is what separates the (happily married) Men from the (casually dating) Boys….
HE FOUND A NEW CUBAN RESTAURANT IN ORANGE COUNTY.
(insert wild cheering and applause here.)
It’s called Havana Mania and it’s in Brea.
A mere 30 minutes from Mission Viejo. (distance is measured in time here)
Havana MANIA?
Helpful definitions:
in English:
mania – [mey – nee – uh] noun. 1.excessive excitement or enthusiasm.
in Spanish (translation):
manía – [mah-nee-ah] noun.
1.a compulsive habit.
Cool. I’m bilingually covered. =D
WARNING: SERIOUS EXCESSIVE EXCITEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM COMING UP…
We were so impressed with the atmosphere, service and especially the food. Fabulous. Cuban. Food. (let’s have a moment of silence and show the proper respect, shall we?)
I ordered a combo of Ropa Vieja and Lechon Asado. Eric had a beautiful Bistec a la Criolla. All this with the mandatory black beans, white rice & maduros.
We got to meet Stefan, one of the owners and after we finished gushing about how delighted we were to be there, etc, he brought over a couple of shots of 15 year old Guatemalan rum.
"We don’t get it that often, and it’s too expensive to sell," he told us, "so when we get it, I give it away."
Well, ok. If we must. We’d hate to be impolite. =D
I confess that in spite of being Cuban I have never acquired a taste for rum. But this stuff was smooth and easy to sip. Just ask Eric how wonderful it was as a chaser to his mojitos. 😉
So… ok… maybe the rum went to his head just a little…
but remember…
technically he was celebrating a Salon Hair Day victory. =D
Good job, Honey! High fives all around.
P.S. there’s also a location in Redondo Beach, Ziva. (hint, hint)
I am guessing the end of the date was not appropriate for posting on your blog (which is a very good thing! :o) Glad you guys had a good time! You needed a hot date after your long weeks of late (if it wasn’t so late I would compose a whole poem for you but you will just have to be content with a nice little rhyme from a friend (to the end) I am being so darn witty tonight…
Marta,the Redondo location is also excellent. The last time I was there they had musicans, authentic live la música Cubana, they were great, and the best part was an elderly couple dancing the night away near the bar. Name your weekend amiga! Oh, and even more important, they have the best mojitos. 🙂