From our friends at Cuba Libre...
Chef-Partner Guillermo Pernot and Executive Chef Matt Zagorski are pleased to announce numerous new and enhanced dishes on Cuba Libre’s summer menu. Influenced by Spanish, African, Creole and Asian flavors, the menu at Cuba Libre highlights traditional cooking techniques with modern dishes reflective of the current innovative culinary happenings in Old Havana. Guests can also savor three new variations of the classic Rum & Coke cocktail, which is said to have originated in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.
Tempting newcomers on the lunch menu include the Naked Burger Salad, hand-chopped all natural black angus skirt steak burger with pickle frita sauce, chipotle-onion marmalade, cheddar cheese, watercress, baby spinach, romaine, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, red onions and a red wine vinaigrette; Ropa Vieja Ravioles, house-made raviolis filled with classic Cuban shredded beef brisket, onions, peppers, Cortez chorizo and fresh shelled clams, served with a diced maduro butter sauce, as well as the Rancho Luna Chicken Salad, a favorite dish from years past, made with citrus marinated pulled chicken, Napa cabbage, romaine lettuce, organic grape tomatoes, red onion, seedless cucumbers and crispy wontons, served with a chinita mustard dressing. Lunch items are priced from $13 to $19.
New additions onto the dinner menu include Bruschettas de Tostones, a trio of tostones topped with pineapple guacamole Cubano, bay scallop ceviche, and beef picadillo, served with a Dijon-mojo; Coconut Crab Fritters, jumbo lump crabmeat, fresh grated coconut, peppers and fresh herbs, served with a sweet chili dipping sauce; Bay Scallop Ceviche, Baja bay scallops, tomato, Bermuda onions, cilantro, jalapeño salsa, fresh lime juice and extra virgin olive oil, served with saltines; Chinita Chop-Chop Salad with romaine hearts, avocado, shaved breakfast radishes, carrots, served with a mustard sesame vinaigrette and rice tuile, as well as the addition of baby Brazilian lobster tails to the Seafood Plancha Mixta, yellowfin tuna steak, mahi-mahi pinchos, jumbo shrimp, Baja bay scallops and baby octopus, served with a “mojito” salsa verde, red curry-mango sauce and salsa criolla. To complete the meal on a sweet note, guests can enjoy a summer favorite, Key Lime Tart with pistachio crust and burnt meringue priced at $7.50. Dinner items are priced from $6.75 to $36.
Cuba Libre’s bountiful “Unlimited Tapas Brunch,” served on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 AM until 3 PM (with seating available up to 1:30 PM), also affords guest the opportunity to experience unlimited small plates for $28 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. There is also an a la carte brunch, which is served until 3 PM. Guests can order all they can eat at Cuba Libre, excluding carry home leftovers, and the unlimited brunch must be ordered for the whole table. The summer menu features new brunch dishes such as the Huevo Roto, the Cuban version of poutine made with house-cut double blanched French fries, crispy Spanish chorizo, poached egg, and a tomato hollandaise drizzle, as well as the Hibiscus-Blood Orange-Mango Agua Fresca with hibiscus flower infused blood orange, mango juice and mango chunks served by the glass for $5.50 or by the pitcher for $20. An Unlimited Brunch Cocktails pairing is also available for just $16 when ordered with the all-you-can-eat tapas brunch and includes bottomless coffee, tea, agua frescas, mimosas, Cuban Marys, sangrias and mojitos.
To pair with the summer menu, Cuba Libre’s beverage team has created three variations of the classic Rum & Coke cocktail, a highball made of cola, lime and dark or light rum. The drink is said to have originated at the turn of the century during the Spanish-American War when Teddy Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and Americans traveled to Cuba. The story goes that “one afternoon, a group of off-duty soldiers from the U.S. Signal Corps were gathered in a bar in Old Havana when they witnessed Captain Russell ordering Bacardi (Gold) rum and Coca-Cola on ice with a wedge of lime. The captain drank the concoction with such pleasure that it sparked the interest of the soldiers around him, and the Rum & Coke cocktail became an instant hit.” At Cuba Libre, guests can enjoy three variations of the classic cocktail including The “Original” Cuba Libre, Bacardi Gold, Coca-Cola and lime; the Cherry Cuba Libre with Bacardi Torched Cherry, Coca-Cola and lime, and the Coconut Spiced Cuba Libre, Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced Rum, Coca-Cola and lime. Cuba Libre also offers an expansive rum menu includes over 95 premium and flavored varieties along with the restaurant’s own brand of the liquor.
Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar is located at 801 9th Street (corner of H Street), NW Suite A in Washington, D.C. Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar serves lunch weekdays, brunch on Saturdays and Sundays and dinner nightly. For more information please call (202) 408-1600 or visit www.CubaLibreRestaurant.com.
About Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar:
Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar opened in Philadelphia in 2000, Atlantic City in 2004, Orlando in 2009 and Washington DC in 2010 to much acclaim, giving guests a passport to Cuba's intriguing flavors and culture. The restaurant’s name, which translates to “a free Cuba,” signifies a hope for the future of the treasured island nation. Two-time James Beard Award-winning Chef-Partner Guillermo Pernot’s menus feature tantalizing tastes that reflect Cuba’s culinary traditions, as well as the emerging modern cuisine he is experiencing during his continuing travels to Cuba. Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar is poised for expansion into other new markets. The restaurant is an affiliate of GuestCounts Hospitality which operates a diverse portfolio of restaurant, and catering concepts in Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Orlando and Washington, DC including, Brûlée Catering by Chef Jean-Marie Lacroix, and Gourmetro Catering. Principals Barry Gutin and Lawrence Cohen bring a unique combination of expertise to each of their projects and have been partners in the hospitality business since 1995. For more information about Cuba Libre, please visit www.CubaLibreRestaurant.com. For more information on GuestCounts Hospitality please visit www.GuestCounts.com or call (215) 922-3200 x101.
