![If you think the best Cuban is found outside of Tampa Bay, St. Pete and Tampa will come for you. - Zeng8r [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons](https://media2.cltampa.com/cltampa/imager/u/original/12069134/tampa_cuban_sandwich.5c25032feeda6.png)
New Jersey food dude and author Pete Genovese obviously didn't get the memo. Or maybe he did and wanted to stir the pot anyway, because Tampa and St. Petersburg have something to say about the photo of a Cuban sandwich he's shared on Twitter.
They usually always do.
"Is this the country's best Cuban sandwich? @carlruiz thinks so. I'm at La Pola, West New York with the Food Network personality," Genovese tweeted Wednesday, Dec. 26.
Yeah, St. Pete and Tampa didn't like that very much. Both cities — including St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman — were quick to shoot down the declaration from Carl Ruiz, a chef and restaurant consultant who makes frequent appearances on the Food Network.
Nope. The best Cuban Sandwiches all reside in #Tampa. 😉 pic.twitter.com/YBcjkJKkk8
— City of Tampa (@CityofTampa) December 26, 2018
@carlruiz hasn't been to St. Pete, I guess.
— Rick Kriseman (@Kriseman) December 26, 2018
What a ridiculous statement. Come to Tampa
— Tampa Troll (@busbaysnbeers) December 27, 2018
Probably never even heard of the Silver Ring or Michelle Fado...
— Knowvaks🏳️🌈🇺🇸🇫🇷🇩🇪🌊💉🤦♀️ (@breton59er) December 27, 2018
One Twitter user hilariously compared the passionate sandwich debate to Jersey's ongoing Taylor ham vs. pork roll battle. Miami even tried to get in on the convo, but, well, it's Miami.
Ruiz was a good sport about Tampa and St. Pete's clapbacks, agreeing with most of their "what about this Cuban sandwich" comments and urging them to try the one at La Pola. He also said, "Tampa is the king of Cuban bread" — and called the Cuban that Ybor City's Columbia Restaurant serves up "one of the best."
Now those are proclamations we can get behind.
