Cuban Pete's, Charlotte Squawks and a winter wonderland

So, here I am sitting on my couch with a lovely glass of port staring out the window as the town is blanketed with quiet. It is a great way to unwind from an evening of too much food and a healthy helping of laughter.

We started the evening, as the snow was just starting, at Cuban Pete's in Plaza-Midwood. They opened Wednesday and normally I like to wait a week or two before checking out a new restaurant. But, since the sign went up the Mrs. and I have been ravenously craving Cuban food so we had to go.

I will start by saying, as I spent the vast majority of my youth in South Florida, I feel uniquely qualified to judge a Cuban restaurant. It is located in a spot previously occupied by a slew of contenders that fell by the wayside including Joe's Raw Bar, The Graduate and most recently The Nook. I had not been to any of these establishments so I had no frame of reference for which to judge the new interior. I am guessing though that it is quite a drastic change. It's a little gimmicky for my taste but fun none the less. There are beach cabanas in most of the corners and tables here and there. After being warmly greeted and seated quickly we got our menus and knew immediately what we wanted to start with. Ham croquettes when done right are a magnificent pairing of crunch and soft and sweet and savory. Cuban Pete's did not disappoint. As we were munching, the owner came by to check on us and chat a bit. And as we were talking a second order of croquettes showed up. Who am I to turn down free food. Our waitress came by often to check on us and refill water. She was a bit on the chatty side but sweet as could be. With ham goodness only so satisfying we moved to our main courses. The Mrs. ordered the thing she came for, a Cuban sandwich. I did get a bite of it and it was pretty spot on; very delicious. On the side of the sandwich was an odd pile of potato sticks. I myself ordered Picadillo, which is a beef hash. It came with a side of rice and Cuban black beans. The hash was just a tad dry but very tasty and easily moistened with a splash of bean juice. Ahh the beans. They were fantastic. For dessert we had a flan. I am not the biggest flan fan but the Mrs. had just had a tres leche cake the day before. The custard was fine; but the topping was odd; it was hard; like peanut brittle without the peanuts. With dessert we ordered a pair of Cuban coffees, which came in the traditional tiny cups and were just the right blend of bitter and sweet. All in all definitely worth the visit.

After our meal we trudge back out into the snow and moved on to spirit square for Charlotte Squawks, where we met up with Mr. and Mrs Whiskey. We got there a little early so we could catch up with them and then moved into the theater. For those unfamiliar, Charlotte Squawks, is a musical sketch satire based on local and national current events. This is the third time we had been and we were quite glad to see an almost entirely new program. The basic gist is that they re-write universally known songs with topical lyrics. The highlight of the night was the "Thriller" skit done as "Twitter". Other highlights included "Que Cera Cera" done as "Oh Sarah Sarah" about Sarah Palin as well as a good "Take it easy" as "Take it Easley". A good time was had by all. We bid adieu and made our way home in the winter wonderland.

Cuban Pete's - is located in Plaza-Midwood at 1308 The Plaza