CUBA - Roast Chicken for Days

About half of the days in Cuba we had free time to walk around and photograph but we are art kids on a school trip so we did have meetings. One day before some art gallery visits our professors took us out to lunch. Excitedly, we all run onto the bus and ended up at this cool restaurant - 'El Aljibe'. (We really did get excited about these trips and things, we're all little kids on a field trip and we were having way too much seeing all the art and new places in Cuba). So when we pulled up next to the restaurant one of this guys on the trips with us quickly explained that Anthony Bourdain went to this place and it was really cool. Now, I'm kind of a foodie (why else would I dedicate time to a food blog...) so once he said that, I was pretty excited. 

El Aljibe is a really nice restaurant not far from Havana. Its a very open restaurant with very few walls and a solid roof of leaves. Turns out they're pretty famous for their roasted chicken which is exactly what we had for lunch served family style.  

Of course being in Cuba, we go another round of plantain chips (so good) and the best roast chicken and rice of the trip. They even have an awesome gravy they make from the chicken drippings that they pour on top of the rice. I need that again. Right now. Yummmmm

CUBA - Breakfast Time!

The hotel where we stayed offered complementary breakfast which at first was pretty cool, and then quickly became not so great. Oh Cuba, you tried. 

Of course being a broke college kid, I still did eat breakfast almost every day there.. free food is still free food so what does that say about me... 

Each morning we would go to the top floor (the 6th) and we would have this beautiful view of Cuba. We would sit down where a nice hotel attendant would ask us if we wanted an omelet, scrambled, or fried eggs. While we waited we would get a mystery meat plate with hot dogs, cheese, and a random assortment of vegetables. Bread and other pastries were up for grabs along with some pineapple and other fruits. Typically I would pour myself a glass of orange/guava juice and by then the eggs would be at the table. Unfortunately, a lot of the fruit and veggies were frozen before hand and bread in Cuba is not the same as bread in America. Really Cuba, thanks for trying. Food is food though so it did the job well enough to give us something to run on for the rest of the morning. 

Cuba Cuba Cuba!

This January a group of us went to Havana, Cuba for class for 10ish days. It was wonderful and warm and pretty and the Cuban people were so nice to us. They're such happy people and it's crazy to see colorful buildings and retro cars that are falling apart while everyone walks around with a smile. 

We got there pretty early in the day and three of us ended up walking around for a place to eat. 

We ended up in this little square and at first we walking into this Restaurant that Ernest Hemingway used to go to or something to do with him, I'm not awesome at history, I have no idea. But 'Floradita' was crazy packed and was full of tourist drinking and while we did take photos, we decided not to eat there. 

Instead we went right next door to 'La Pina De Plata' which had the cutest decorations. Our first taste of Cuba on our own, and it was great. This meal was when we realized that Cuba takes it easy. Meals are slow going and very social. Turns out you don't go to a restaurant when you're hungry, you go before you are because by the time the food gets to you, you're starving. 

La Pina De Plata was delicious and was such a great experience. Of course the food was relatively cheap for us and came with more than enough food. I ordered chicken and rice because...Cuba. It ended up coming with plantain chips which turned out to be a favorite with my friends and me. First meal in Cuba: Success! 

New Years in NYC - McDonald's Twist

This is a good story. Short but sweet. So pay attention! 

New Years Eve my two friends and I were walking around getting ready to meet our friend Ryan for dinner. We got to the sushi place a little early so we decided we would walk around a little to avoid being at the restaurant awkwardly waiting for him. What ended up happening was that it was freezing out, what with it being the last night of December in New York. So we were cold and decided to duck into a McDonalds because hey it's New York and we didn't see a Starbucks. 

So we go into this McDonalds and sit down close to the door hoping we don't get kicked back out into the cold. It's a little late so it's pretty empty and the workers didn't care that we were there. 

My friend Karie sits down facing the counter and Zoe and I sit across from her facing the door. Not long after we sit down a group a guys comes in. Maybe about 4-6 of them ranging in age from 16-25 looking. It was random I know. We notice they're kind of looking at us as they walk in and Karie almost immediately points out that some of them continue to stare as they sit down. We don't make a big deal about it and keep sitting there and talking. Not long after, the poor girl working behind the counter comes over with three Oreo McFlurrys and sets them on the table. Karie, being the outgoing one, quickly tells her we didn't order anything and that she must have the wrong table. She says she was told to bring them to us and quickly leaves like she doesn't want anything to do with the situation. Confused we stare at them. We just ate rice pudding and we're stalling before sushi dinner. Plus Karie is lactose and tolerate so none of us really want to eat them and are confused as to what to do. 

The small swarm of boys leaves the place quickly. Then three of them run back in. Two of them come up to our table and one stands close to the door with his phone clearly filming the situation. The two guys have german kind of accents and ask us if we have time, would we like to join them for a McFlurry later. Um bro? I think you already bough us McFlurry's now... I don't think we need another one later? Plus it's New Years and we already have plans. Sorry.. 

Smiling they both graciously leave. We're a little confused. Did we just get hit on with McFlurries at McDonalds? Apparently, Yes. Cute? Kind of?

Now we don't walk by a McDonalds without jokingly asking each other "Do you want to get a McFlurry with me?!?" 

It was a really cute try foreign boys! Thanks?! 

New Years in NYC - Rice Pudding

Sounds a little weird but my friend I drove to NYC with mentioned she went to a rice pudding place the last time she was in the city that was pretty good. She mentioned portion sizes were small but it's super filling. She was right. 

I've never really had a rice pudding before but it turned out to be really good. It's more of a snack/dessert-y thing but Rice To Riches has it done right. 

I almost ordered the cheesecake rice pudding (it literally tastes just like normal cheesecake) but I got a raspberry rice pudding instead (I'm telling you, I'm really into fruity flavors). It was such a good snack and I would go back here too.

The containers are also a really cool clam shell kind of shape that I'm in love with (packaging can make me want to buy things more than the actual thing a lot of the time.. whoops?). The spoons they have are super cool and being there is just fun and cute.  

I think I'm going to move to New York just for the food. Is that weird?