Revolutionary taste

Who is Lili? And what is she doing holding court in the Albertson’s shopping center in Northeast Pasadena?

Whenever I think of Cuban food, my mind focuses on more westerly sites, mostly Glendale, where you find Porto’s and La Cubana and Baracoa and Mambo’s and Havana Beach Cafe and, well, you get the picture.

OK, there’s Xiomara, who first made haute Cuban popular in Old Pasadena before deserting us for Melrose, and there’s JLo, who added celebrity to Xiomara’s panache. Madre’s is a happening place. And, most recently, there’s Mojitos (in the old Xiomara space) with its rum bar and Cuban fusion cuisine.

But these places aren’t for those of us who are looking for simple (dare I say it) peasant fare, the everyday cooking of folks like Lili (if there is a Lili) and her ilk: tasty and filling like all good home cooking but without the frills and flourishes that add to the bill.

I’d heard of Lili’s from friends (especially friends from Upper Hastings). And I’d heard tell that its buffet was a high point. After all, the complete name of the restaurant is Lili’s Cuban Buffet. Doesn’t that say it all? So, eventually realizing the recession is getting close enough to endanger à la carte dining in the same way global warming is endangering the polar bear, I decided to check it out.
Lili’s, to say the least, is unpretentious, hidden away off of upper Rosemead Boulevard despite its Sierra Madre Boulevard address. The exterior blends into its block of retail neighbors, but there is a nice row of curtained windows along the front of the restaurant.

The interior is whitewashed, with a painted palm on one wall and a green and white tile floor. Pictures of Cuban life dot the walls behind a long steam table filled with tempting items, all carefully labeled for gringas like me. To the left is a display of salad and fruit, along with some cups of bread and rice pudding; to the right, a soft drink and water dispenser — light and airy and reminiscent of the islands, with a quiet backdrop of salsa music.

My friend had gotten a tip from her local source that the empanadas (only $1.25 each for chicken, beef or guava and cream cheese, but not on the buffet, alas) were the thing to try at Lili’s, along with the sautéed chicken with onions ($7.50), again not on the buffet. “What the hell,” said I. “We only go around once. Let’s go for it.”

While we were waiting for the arrival of these custom-ordered items, we loaded our plates with ropa vieja (shredded beef), picadillo (ground beef hash with olives and raisins), sautéed steak with onions, steak fricassee, tongue, chunks of roasted pork, tiny shrimp bathing in an oniony broth, fluffy white rice, sweet fried plantains, creamy casaba (yucca) with garlic sauce, roasted potatoes, black beans and sautéed pork chops.

In addition, we filled bowls with a wonderful chicken, noodle and vegetable soup that would easily have made a meal all by itself. I neglected to check out the drink list on the menu, so I settled for ice water. Had I looked, I would definitely have added a pineapple soda ($1.25), an iron beer (a Cuban soft drink invented around the turn of the last century — $1.25) or a mango or banana shake ($3) to my meal.

Or even better, a shake made with mamey (sapote), which tastes a little like pumpkin and is, according to Wikipedia, the cornerstone of Cuban holistic medicine, used extensively for gastro-intestinal ailments, headaches and even venereal diseases. I’ve been given a clean bill of health, but nevertheless, sapote shakes are not so easy to come by, and I would have liked to try one, if only as a preventative.

But trust me; the buffet alone ($8.75) was more than enough. I fell in love with the taro-like texture of the yucca and the crispy, slightly sweet sautéed pork. And everything else we tried was just dandy as well. Almost every dish had gravy and demanded a rice underpinning, so it wasn't long before we were completely sated.

When the empanada (chicken) arrived, we sampled its crimped flaky crust and tasty filling, but were too full to do it justice, even though it was fairly small. The à la carte chicken was delectable, but most of it went home in a box (somewhat denuded of the tender onions that had covered the boneless, skinless breast filet).

We finished off with the rice pudding, which had an unusual perfumy flavor. The bread pudding was less interesting but perfectly adequate as a finale. Then we toasted the increasing freedoms the Cuban people were enjoying under Raul Castro’s presidency. It had just been announced that morning that cell phones would now be allowed on the island. I wonder if islanders will soon be calling Lili’s to find out how far they deliver. 

Lili’s Cuban Buffet
3887 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Pasadena
(626) 351-1020
Cash only/No liquor