Cafe La Trova

Cafe La Trova isn't trying to recreate a Havana menu, and it shouldn't be judged like it is. This is Little Havana throwing itself a nightly party, with a band working through Celia Cruz and Tito Puente while the room eats and drinks around it. The shrimp scampi croquetas never existed on any Cuban menu and don't pretend to — they're good anyway. The masitas de puerco and empanadas land. The cocktail program is the real spine of the place, built with the same care as the music.

Not everything clears that bar. Some dishes simply do the job without distinguishing themselves, and a tourist walking in expecting a purely traditional Cuban kitchen will leave with a different experience than advertised. That's a fair complaint, but it misreads the restaurant's actual argument: this is the diaspora celebrating its own place in the city, not a museum piece.

Michelin has selected it, and the bar program has drawn James Beard Outstanding Bar Program semifinalist recognition two years running. Those are both earned on the same thing locals already knew — go for the room, the band, and the drinks, and let the food be very good company rather than the whole show.