tropical chicken grill

the last time i went to key west (back in december of 2011), i discovered a cuban restaurant called el siboney.  i had never eaten cuban cuisine before, but the locals assured me it would be well worth the walk.  after eating the succulent roast pork and the fried sweet plantains, it was clear that the locals knew what they were talking about.

since i now know that i had been missing out on cuban food for all these years, i keep an eye out for cuban restaurants in the area.  for the past year or so, periodic online searches have come up empty, but in the past month or so, i did see a listing for a place off pelham road called the tropical chicken grill.  although i am by no means an expert, it appeared to be more of a cuban-inspired place than a full-fledged cuban restaurant.  i did, however, have an opportunity to try it this afternoon.

i got the roast pork (served over rice and beans) and a side order of plantains.  first off, i will say that the portion sizes are very generous; the regular portion was almost too much food for me, so the large would definitely be enough for two meals.  the plantains were nicely cooked, and the pork was flavorful.  however, i was faintly disappointed that the pork didn't get served with any of the roasting juice.  as far as i can tell, the meat is dropped on the grill and chopped before serving, so maybe that's the reason for the lack of juice.

the long and short of it is that this restaurant serves very worthwhile food for reasonable prices (lots of meat, rice, and beans; fried plantains on the side; and a drink for less than ten dollars).  i'd go back again, but i'm not sure i'd go when i'm specifically looking for cuban food.  i guess i'll have to keep looking.