Review: Romeu's Cuban Restaurant, Southwest Ranches
Important: This article was last updated on October 2, 2009. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
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First impression: With a large menu that offers a culinary tour of Cuba, it can be hard to know what to order. Focus on the mainstays and daily specials.
Ambience: It feels like a dining room in someone's home. Expect lots of children.
Starters: Our Cuban tortilla or omelet ($3.50-$15.95) came with sweet fried plantains. Shrimp in the rustic shrimp chowder ($14.95) were perfectly cooked, added just as the dish was ordered. The chowder was seasoned with cilantro and sliced olives. This dish seems expensive, but is big enough for four.
Entree excellence: Check out the Cuban version of Milanese. A lightly breaded and fried steak or flattened chicken breast is so big it spans the length of the platter. The tender chicken version ($14.95) is topped with Creole sauce that's filled with bits of ham. A top layer of melted queso blanco (white cheese) completes this satisfying dish. Vaca frita ($11.95) is a standout. Marinated and dried, shredded beef is splashed with mojo and capped with hunks of gently cooked white onion. The beef gets a quick saute over high heat so some stays soft and some takes on a gentle crust. Less expensive eating is available in Cuban sandwiches ($4.95-$5.95).
Sides: My benchmark of a good Cuban restaurant is black beans and here they're flawless with just the right balance of cumin, garlic and bay leaves. Happily, they accompany almost everything on the menu.
Sweet!: Want something cold and creamy? Try housemade cheese flan ($3.95), a dense delicious version of traditional flan made with cream cheese for extra richness.
Service: Congenial. Our server not only knew the menu, but shared our excitement about everything that came out of the kitchen. A team of industrious dining room helpers kept the pace steady and tables cleared.
6800 Dykes Road, Southwest Ranches
954-252-9788
Cuisine: Latin
Cost: moderate
Hours: lunch, dinner daily; Sunday brunch
Reservations: accepted but not necessary
Credit cards: all major
Bar: full service
Sound level: moderate
Outside smoking: no
For kids: boosters, high chairs, menu
Wheelchair accessible: yes
— Judith Stocks
Contact dining correspondent Judith Stocks at Judithstocksreviews@yahoo.com