We´ll put La Teresita´s Cuban coffee up against those sissy corporate concoctions Starbucks whips up any day. La Teresita´s is strong, thick and rich, like Cuban coffee should be. We like ours con leche with lots of sugar when we´ve got time to dawdle over a cup. But when we´re in a hurry and just need a stiff jolt, we´ll pound a hot, black shot of cafe solo. It´s like crack but legal and cheap, so you don´t have to rip off Grandma´s purse to get it. The yellow rice is a fluffy, flattened dome of unnatural orange-yellow garnished with pimento shards. The black beans come in a separate bowl, like soup, with just a hint of earthy comino and sofrito, that concoction of garlic, olive oil, and bell pepper that gives it a distinctive depth and body. You can also get the blander red beans or the tastiest bean and rice dish of all, moros cristianos, named for the Moors and the Christians. It features black beans (Moors) and white rice (Christians) with more garlic. Mmmm. Either way, you´re hard pressed to spend more than $5, even with a generous tip, and you´ll have enough left over for another meal. But the best thing about La Teresita is the place itself, the curvy counter where you can watch the servers bustle and the customers call out to each other in syncopated Spanish, laughing and taking the time to enjoy a moment. It´s a true Tampa institution.
La Teresita, 3248 W. Columbus Drive, Tampa, 813-872-8212.
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2004.
