Cuban-Thai Restaurant Fails To Make Arroz Con Mango Connection
Here's a new one to add to the long list of South Florida mixed cuisines: Izzy's Cubi Thai, which offers both Cuban and Thai food in one spot. I have to admit, I was a little excited when I learned of the restaurant, because to be honest, that's kind of how I cook at home: lots of Latin and Asian ingredients all mixed up. A restaurant that would play with flavors from both cuisines? Awesome.
Then I saw the menu. Huge disappointment. It's divided right down the middle; there's a Cuban section and a Thai section, and the two do not intersect. And it's encyclopedic too: all of the Cuban and Thai standards are well represented. I guarantee that the same kitchen cannot put out good versions of both a lechón asado and a panang curry.
Why not have fun with it and mix the two cuisines? Think empanadas filled with chicken that's cooked with lemongrass, ginger, and chiles. Or maybe black beans cooked with coconut milk. A pan con lechón could be Cuban bread with minced pork laced with garlic, onions, and chiles. Vaca frita could be re-styled as a northern Thai meat salad. And arroz con mango! A dessert of sticky rice and mango should absolutely be on the menu, but it must be labeled as arroz con mango.*
Sure it sounds bizarre, but the two cuisines share many tropical flavors; mix the two together and you might end up with something pretty interesting.
Izzy's Cubi Thai [MenuPages]
Izzy's Cubi Thai [Official Site]
* A note for those of you unfamiliar with the expression: Cubans use the phrase "arroz con mango," literally "rice with mango," to describe something that's a mess. The idea is that rice and mangoes don't belong together. The Thai disagree; sticky rice and mango is a popular (and might I say tasty) dessert.
