As I've noted earlier, I haven't had a good Cuban sandwich since the closing of Churros Cafe in Allentown. When I visited The Rock in January, chef David Arroyo said he makes the best Cuban sandwiches. How could I pass up the chance to try one?
Luckily, The Rock is less than a mile from my office at Spark, the Lehigh Valley advertising agency. So it didn't take me long to make it back.
For Cuban sandwich newbies, you can't find a simpler combination of ingredients that taste so delicious together. The general recipe consists of thinly sliced marinated pork, shaved ham, swiss cheese, pickles and yellow mustard on a fresh baguette that's spent several minutes in a sandwich press to warm and compress it. (More here.)
The Rock's version lived up to my past experiences. I detected faint hints of rosemary in the marinated pork. The ham and cheese were quite fresh. The pickles were thick and crunchy, providing a nice tang in concert with the mustard. No single ingredient overpowered the others. Without a doubt, it's the Cuban sandwich to beat in the Lehigh Valley. Even with an appetite, I could only finish half of the sandwich along with the rippled potato logs.
Four days earlier, I tried a Cuban sandwich at Billy's Downtown Diner on Broad and New streets. Way too much ham for my taste. (Though I do give Billy's points for trying to top load my food pyramid for the whole week.) And it was served on grilled sliced bread. I'm nitpicking. It was good, just not traditional. Don't judge Billy's on its Cuban sandwich. It's still the best diner in Bethlehem -- solid food, good service, a friendly smile.
But for a Cuban sandwich that would get Castro off his death bed, head to the Rock.
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3 comments:
for excellent cuban sandwiches try El Punto (Puento) on Tilghman St across from the supermarket on the corner of Tilghman and 3rd st. it's kinda across from the supermarket and movie theatre. every sanwich i've had is amazing. loved the 3 meat sandwich. chicken sandwich was a tad dry. steak was probably the best though. get everything on it. they only sell cuban sandwiches and a variety of juices. that's it.
I'm trying to find a cuban sandwich around here and I was considering going to the rock. I called their phone number and says they closed. Any idea if that's true?
Yeah - the Rock closed a while ago. I've not been to El Punto that Scott describes, but that might be the only legit Cuban sandwich left in the Valley.
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