Cubana Cafe   

110 Thompson St
New York, NY 10012
212-966-5366

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With Cubana Cafe, chef-owner Dan Houlel, who still runs Banania Cafe in Brooklyn, has somehow managed to re-create the sunny ambience of a vintage Cuban snack bar in the heart of Soho. (Somewhere, Desi Arnaz is smiling.) At tiny tables covered with printed oilcloth, local types such as shopkeepers, ad execs and other creative folk, not to mention shopping-weary tourists, sip fruit-and-milk shakes known as "batidas," or Jarritos Mexican soda. The food is also rich with exotic flavor: pounded chicken breast with mango-citrus salsa, garlic-lime-marinated hanger steak "palomillas," and whipped plaintain puree. It's a tropical oasis where the welcome is as warm as the Cuban espresso.