Bit of Pre-Castro Cuba

When I was 8 years old my parents took me to Cuba. This is what I remember: the people seemed very poor, but life for us was very luxurious. When I ordered ice cream out at the swimming pool, a waiter in a tight uniform with very silly sleeves brought it out in an enormous coconut shell. We visited a lot of rum factories. And on our last day in the hotel, a bomb went off in the lobby.

But at the new El Mocambo, 8338 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, (213) 651-2113, the revolution never happened. The waiters waltz around in tight uniforms, and almost half the menu consists of designer drinks made of rum (and other intoxicants) that have names like “Bay of Pigs” and “Babaloo-Loo Loo.”

The menu is made up of dishes that will be familiar if you know the menu at Cha Cha Cha (chef Toribio Prado is consulting chef here) or at Cuban restaurants like Versailles. Of the dishes we tried, the corn chowder ($5) and tostones ($4.50) were very good, as was the grilled chicken marinated in garlic, lime and rum ($10.50). The Americano Loco steak ($18) was pretty respectable too. Paella, on the other hand, was a disappointment-- especially at $25.

Don’t skip dessert. If you order the coconut sorbet, a waiter with silly sleeves will bring it out in a coconut shell.