Cubans Be Like, Fort Myers, Florida

Nancy and I had an afternoon flight home and, having missed our beloved stop at the Rumba Cafe in Naples, decided on a Cuban place for lunch. After studying the options, we selected Cubans Be Like.

Cubans Be Like is set in a nice new shopping center on the east side of Fort Myers, just off US 41. It was conveniently located on the way to the airport, highly rated, and I liked the name. I get a fair amount of “Puerto Ricans Be Like” and “Mexican Mothers Be Like” on Facebook, so it had the ring of authenticity.

Nancy and I sat outside in the shade at a high top overlooking the regular tables and the shopping center greenery. 

I thought the servers’ standard outfit — black pants, white shirt, and snappy fedora — was a nice little touch.

Nancy ordered the Gambas al Ajillo with yellow rice and plantains.  It was delicious. The shrimp were fresh and cooked just so, and the garlicky sauce was superb. I managed to try some with a taste of the rice, and I was impressed.

I ordered some of their homemade lemonade — excellent — and, of course, their Famous Cuban sandwich. 

The sandwich was good. It was well balanced in terms of equal amounts of ham and pork, and of mustard and mayonnaise. The Swiss Cheese had melted and was a good counterpoint to the meat, as were the pickles. The    pork wanted more mojo, which is pretty common, but I enjoyed it. I normally would have ordered rice and beans as well, but I was in end-of-vacation-trying-not-to-eat-much mode.   

My end-of-vacation-trying-not-to-eat-much mode had the structural integrity of a house of cards. Nancy decided to order flan,

so, like a good husband, I ordered the Tres Leches cake.   

Nancy was thrilled — thrilled — by the flan, and that’s saying something. Nancy is the nation’s leading expert in all things custard. She said it was “better than any I’ve ever made. Maybe the best ever.” I managed a small bite, and while I dispute the idea that it was better than Nancy’s, it was delicious.

My cake also was good. Interestingly, much of its signature moistness was in the sauce (and in the whipped cream) rather than baked in the cake itself, as in Liza’s incredibly moist and delicious coconut cake (see the very simple recipe) and the tres leches at, say, Havana in West Palm. It worked, it was just different. Oh, and the red lattice had a strawberry flavor.

It was a good meal in a pleasant setting. As we were eating, I overheard a lot about the seafood at Cubans Be Like, especially the snapper. With Nancy’s experience with the shrimp, I think that next time I get there, I’ll go for dinner and get the whole fried snapper. Or maybe the shrimp.

***

Click “follow” on our front page to receive blog posts in your email box.  Or bookmark us and check in from time to time.  If you’re planning a trip, you can “Search” the name of the destination city, state, or country for good restaurants (in Europe, often close to sites, like the Louvre or the Van Gogh Museum, that you’ll want to visit in any event). And stick around for news, all manner of recipes, hotel reviews, the odd book or movie review, and occasional fine arts and architecture commentary.  Comments, questions, and suggestions of places to eat or stories to cover are very welcome.  And check out our Instagram page, johntannerbbq.

Advertisement