Cafe Piquet

Chalk another one up to Groupon. I passed Cafe Piquet many times on my way to work, and I'm glad we bought a Groupon and got the chance to try it. This is not the nicest area of town, but the outside patio provides shelter from the street and a very pleasant atmosphere. And the waitstaff could NOT be more pleasant. This is a family run place, and you can tell that the people working there take pride in sharing their heritage with others.

I had never had Cuban food before. We started with a large pitcher of (slightly overpriced) Sangria and grilled calamari. This dish isn't on the menu, but it should be. It was salty and satisfying -- like eating the ocean, but in a delightful way.



The Cuban Shrimp Creole came highly recommended. The spices and tomato sauce were right on -- this reminded me of a delicious Cajun alligator dish that I make, but with (perfectly cooked, large) shrimp. And although I don't really liked plaintains, I did enjoy the green plaintain fritters on the side. Mostly because they were tasteless, and perfect for sopping up the delicious sauce.



We didn't try dessert, but the options looked good. I don't know how anyone gets to it though -- portions are generous and the food is almost impossible to stop eating.

Cafe Piquet offers a fun, authentic alternative to typical tex-mex fare. Try it -- you'll probably like it.