Tata Cuban Cafe

     As you might already know, we are in Indianapolis via Florida about 6 months ago.  So, our tastes for food of the cuban variety have been shaped by that experience.  That's a lot to live up to, I expect!  I thought a little bit about that when trying out our first Cuban restaurant in Indy, but I also wanted to just live in the moment and think about what we really thought of the food at the Tata Cuban Cafe (cute name, huh?).
     Of course, I read some reviews about what to expect before even considering this restaurant.  The reviews looked promising, so we decided to try it out before the first IMA outdoor movie last Friday, which was Mommie Dearest and was pretty cool if you haven't been to one of these.  I love summer!!

The Place


     After finding a place to park downtown, something we are admittedly not too skilled at yet.  I always like to have the in on the free parking in a place...we'll get there :)  We had to walk a little bit to Tata, but no worries.  There was some not so pretty looking sidewalk construction right outside the restaurant (not pictured) and some tiny iron chairs and tables in front.

     We decided to sit inside since we would be outside for the movie and the atmosphere outside didn't seem too relaxing just then.  Inside, it was fancier than any cuban restaurant I have been to, not fancy on the fancy scale, but not a hole-in-the-wall cuban place.  I usually expect some little joint, kinda greasy, with a sandwich press and some latino tunes bumpin', but that is not the case here.  We were the only people there at first.  It was pretty dark, I almost forgot it was only like 6 PM!!  The waitstaff was very nice though, and patiently waited and brought drinks as we perused the menu.

The Chow


     Now, I mentioned that I did read some reviews, but I guess I didn't pay attention to the pricing very well, because Hubs and I were still pretty surprised by that.  For Cuban food, we thought this place was a little pricey.  I remembered I was not trying to have my preconceived notions about the place, but we just always think of it as being a really cheap and filling meal...it's hard to pay $16 for Ropa Vieja.  I would've liked to try that staple, it's always good to judge your first impressions of a place by the thing you usually love from that genre, right?  But, I just couldn't do it.  We both went for cuban sandwiches.  A good thing to judge by, and a little more reasonably priced, $9 for a sammy and fries.

Not the best picture of a cuban sandwich ever, you can't see what's in it!!  Don't worry, I will tell you :)  This was your typical cuban fare, a pressed ham, pork and swiss sandwich with mustard, hold the pickles for me.  I am aware this may alter the experience, and that pickles are probably an important part of a cuban, but I just can't do it.  Sorry.  Moving on.  Looks good from the appearance.  I was happy with my order.  I decided to try it out.  It was pretty dang good.  The bread was pressed perfectly, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  The whole combination tasted really good.  We liked our sandwiches and were glad we didn't spring for the expensive entrees.  My only, not so much a complaint, more of a craving and hoping for, was that my sandwich had pulled pork on it.  I expected the pork to be pulled, so that may have been my first mistake!  Okay, obviously, I am not doing very well with this no expectations thing!!  So, that ham and the pork were both sliced, pretty thickly and very tasty.  Without my preconceptions, this sandwich would've been perfect.  Very pleased.  The fries were on the side, but the sandwich was huge and I didn't want to spoil my appetite with them because they weren't my favorite.  They were a little soggy for my taste, although notably, Hubs liked them quite a bit and ate all of his.

Final Thoughts


     We liked it.  It was good to have some Cuban, although the experience did make me nostalgic for a few of my favorite Cuban spots in Gainesville.  My sandwich was so big, I actually was able to have an entire half of it for lunch another day.  So, I  guess that's 2 meals for $9...not so bad.  I wish the entrees were a little cheaper, but I think one of these days we will probably go back and spring for some ropa vieja just to give it a try.

Goose! The Market

Everytime I say Goose the Market, I think of goosing someone...is that weird?!?  Goosing someone has nothing to do with food, but it can be fun :)  I have gotten so many recommendations to go to Goose I was very excited to go while my mom was in town.  I had heard through the grapevine that they have the best sammies in Indy.  That's a big reputation to uphold, but I was up for the challenge of checking it out and determining for myself.

The PLace


This market / deli / enoteca is located on the corner of 25th and Delaware in a small little section of town we had driven around quite a few times, but never been to.  I love when little treasures pop out at you when you feel like you've discovered everything.  There's always some gem hiding away waiting to make you day.  That's what Goose the Market was for us.  It's a really cool little place.  They have all sorts of specialty items (coffees, breads, pastries, sauces, condiments) and a really diverse deli selection upstairs with local meats and cheeses galore...and then you go downstairs, where there are tons of wines and a wine and cheese tasting room as well as more specialty items neatly arranged on shelves for you to peruse and drool over.

The deli selection - fresh and local meats and cheeses...yum

Reclaimed barn wood tables...and a plethora of wine downstairs

The Foods

We went last week just for sandwiches, but they also had a small wine tasting and thai sausage street food event last night in the Enoteca that was pretty awesome.  I think they have tasting events every once in awhile, so I will be going back next time they do!  Check out their blog to find out about future events.

But, back to the sandwiches.  The place is busy so far as I have seen the two times I have been there.  Lots of people ordering meats, cheeses, gelato, drinks and sandwiches.  You just walk up to the side of the cold case and make your order.  I think the sandwich choices change from day to day with a couple of them staying more constant.  

I ordered The Cortez, which was made with a nice thick slice of pork shoulder, gruyere, lettuce, asparagus and mustard on razor bread.  I am not sure if it's actually called razor bread, but that's what they call it in deli's in New Jersey, and I think it's a fitting name.  It is my favorite kind of bread for a sandwich, but you do have to be careful...it sharp!!  This whole thing was just delicious.  I must say, not just the best sandwich in Indy, but the best sandwich I've has since New Jersey delis...and they can make a sandwich now!  Look at that pork shoulder slice, so juicy and great flavor...and local!  Does it get any better?  They had some really great choices and some yummy sodas to go along with them too.  I grabbed myself a Sprecher cherry cola that is made with Wisconsin cherry juice.  Pretty delectable.  I'm making myself hungry writing this! I'm such a dork.

So, after we were completely stuffed and done overanalyzing our lunches (my mom and I only ate half of our sandwiches, which made Hubs happy because he had a whole sandwich to himself to eat the next day at work!), we checked out their awesome little garden and compost setup on the south side of the building.  So cool Goose!

The Wrap

Run, skip, bike, walk, scoot, roll...whatever...just go.  

Taste Cafe and Marketplace

Erin's Rating: ★★★★★

Okay, first, I have NO PICTURES!!  Second, I am aware that this makes me the worst food blogger probably ever.  Normally if I didn't get any pictures, I just wouldn't review it, but I really want to review this place!!

The Place


It was my first time at Taste in SoBro, for lunch today.  Now, this place might not be for everyone, but let me tell you, it was for me, and it would be for you too if you know what's good for you.  It had the whole package really.  A spectacular outdoor seating area with lots of stylish people lunching.  Inside, it was modern and cute and HOLY MENU!  They had a huge board of daily specials and tons and tons of other menu items ranging from salads to sandwiches and so many delicious looking desserts I almost abandoned lunch all together.  While you wait in line to order, they entice you with all these very fresh foods, roasted beets and blueberry tarts, foods in all the colors of the rainbow.  Just pretty.

The Food (minus my attempt at pretty pictures)


As I mentioned before, the menu is pretty huge!  I only wish I could've gotten a better look at it.  It was pretty busy, the line to order was quite long, but you couldn't really see the menu until you got close to ordering.  And there was too much on the menu (I always have trouble with menus posted too high and far away for me too see them anyway) to have to be so rushed!  Despite this, I did my best.  I scanned the specials, because they were closest to me (you can't find them online, I don't think).  Wowsers, I went with the sundried tomato, broccoli and cheese quiche, but it was a hard choice.  I saw someone being served a beautiful piece of salmon on my way in and there and spied some really mouth watering salad and soup of the day choices as well.  But, since Hubs hates quiche and he wasn't there, I ordered the heck out of it.  My friend who suggested this place recommended we split the frites.  Yum.  Can you say, basil aioli dip??  Yeah, I can, and I can eat it too!  So good.  These frites were cooked perfectly and seasoned with just the right amount of salt and fresh herbs.  The quiche was also super tasty (haha, tasty quiche, at Taste...weird).  It was really creamy and the crust was flaky and buttery.  A nice portion too and served with fresh fruit or a salad, I opted for fruit.  Grapes and pineapple and granny smiths, oh my!

The Verdict


If you read the rest of this post, I think the verdict is probably obvious.  If you just jumped to this point...please get over to Taste immediately.  You won't be sorry and you will have a lunch or brunch from deliciously fresh foods and maybe you can convince yourself it's okay to have one of the amazing desserts.  I might just have to go for dessert next!  This little area of SoBro is so cute and I love the feeling.  It felt a little more grown up than BR and really tickled my foodie side.