Local Flavor: West Tampa Sandwich Shop

I discovered this place when Son of Hubmeister went to nearby Tampa Catholic High School. A  modest, stand-alone, homey establishment, West Tampa Sandwich Shop is on Armenia Ave. near MLK and it's easy to miss. The parking lot closest to the front door is always full but they have an overflow lot just south on Armenia. This is a quintessential Tampa haunt where you're just as likely to spy prominent local politicians as you are Spanish-speaking grandmas.

Yup, plastic covers are on the tables.  

This bustling place is on my list of culinary rarities I will miss if I ever move out of Tampa. The photos of family, friends and random diners papering the walls of the little house, the bizarre food-service carts rolled through the tiny dining area by ladies who look as if they've worked there for decades, the incessant grinding of coffee beans, the crowded, old-fashioned food counter overlooking women crafting Cuban sandwiches on bread that is 10 feet long, old Cuban guys meeting for a meal or simply getting a cup of Cuban coffee and reading the paper - it all adds to a certain retro Latin charm. I can best describe it as the Cuban version of the American diner.

Empty seats are uncommon. I was here at an off hour.

Breakfast and lunch are the meals I've enjoyed, but they serve dinner as well. I recommend the ropa vieja sandwich, but I usually can't resist ordering half a Cuban and a cup of black bean soup with a cafe con leche.

Half a Cuban and a cup of soup: Find a better meal for $5.50!

The Cuban sandwich offered here doesn't get enough media attention. It's one of the best in the city.

With prices so affordable, I don't know how they make a profit, but after 30 years in business, I think they've got it figured out. And the people watching is free!

Just a note: After a visit to WTSS, head south on Armenia to Cacciatore Bros., a family-run Italian market and butcher shop that also stocks Spanish products. Be sure to take home some homemade sausage. They also have terrific olive salad in their deli area.


Verdict: Local favorite

http://www.westtampasandwichshop.com/

El Puerto: Primo Latin Fare

Flying below the Tampa radar on Ybor City's 5th Avenue,  El Puerto Restaurant goes about its business serving up some of the finest Latin cuisine in town. 



The corner of 5th and 17th, now on my list of favorite places.

 
This spot is another example of a solid Tampa restaurant that gets lost in the foodie buzz created by new kids on the culinary block.  That is the only reason I can come up with to explain why I have missed it.  I should say missed out on it because this is one good restaurant - in all respects.



Shrimp guaranteed to make your taste buds tango.


On a recent lunch visit, I savored the best shrimp dish I have experienced in ages.  Picante de Camarones ($13, available for lunch but listed on the dinner menu) consisted of eight or nine perfectly sauteed colossal fresh shrimp swimming in a spicy orange-colored cream sauce.  I could have eaten eight more.  They were far superior in taste and size to the shrimp that I recently had in a shrimp and grits dish at the much-ballyhooed Datz  - and these were more plentiful and less expensive. 

Two sides are offered with each entree and I selected maduros (sweet plantains) and a house salad.  Other choices included white or yellow rice, black beans, tostones and fried cassava.  The soft, caramelized plantains were a sweet complement to the giant, peppery shrimp.  Although the house salad, which consisted of iceberg lettuce, fresh sliced tomato and wilted red onion, was fine, I hated to see that incredible creamy shrimp sauce go to waste.  I should have ordered rice or another starchy carb to sop it all up.  The warm, yeasty dinner rolls would have done the trick, but I resisted the temptation to scarf down a second.

True to her Brazilian roots, Blame It on Rio zeroed in on the meat. 

The juices were flowing as Rio dove into that Grilled Churrasco.

Her medium-rare skirt steak ($12) blanketed the plate.  The family-sized portion was tender and juicy, made even more flavorful by the condiments sitting on the table - a mustard-colored hot sauce and an herbaceous chimichurri.   The yellow aji sauce was thrillingly hot. I witnessed the guilty red pepper flakes but I suspect some other fiery culprits contributed heat, too.  The green chimichurri sauce, however, was our preference; it yielded an agreeable sweetness that partnered well with the beef. 

Rio's sides were fried cassava (yucca) and yellow rice.   This was my first foray into yucca territory.  It reminded me of potato and this preparation resembled french fries in both taste and texture. 

Due to the impressive lunch crowd - predominately business folks - we dined at the bar.   A muted flat-screen television flickered with CNN talking heads, while pleasant Latin music played in the background.  Enhancing the tropical Argentinean-Peruvian vibe were exotic hand-painted murals and abundant sunlight streaming through the eatery's many windows.  I loved the breezy Latin atmosphere and the smiling servers who happily translated menu items and stopped by numerous times to refill our tea. 

Set in an understated brick building that fuses with the rest of the neighborhood, this place is easy to overlook.  But with its white tablecloths, cool Ybor setting, cheerful service and excellent food, El Puerto is a sparkling diamond in a land rife with cubic zirconias.

Verdict:  Affordable gem.

Restaurant Info:
El Puerto Restaurant and Grill
1623 E. 5th Avenue
Tampa
813-248-8222
http://www.elpuertoybor.com/menu.html