Lunch Menu: El Che

El Che - roasted pork loin, ham, swiss, malagueta mayo, yellow mustard, pickles.

It seems like there’s always some controversy surrounding the origin of a particular cocktail or dish. And if there isn’t an argument about origin, then someone’s nose is out of joint about the correct preparation. What can we say? There’s a lot of passionate feelings about food and drink swirling around outside the mermaid shack—and inside, too—but we’d rather spend our time perfecting a drink or dish than grilling each other about it.

Famed sandwich historian, The Internet, spends a lot of time raising inflammatory questions: Was the Cuban Sandwich born in Cuba or did it evolve into its current state within the Cuban immigrant culture of 1880's Tampa? Is the addition of salami required (Tampa) or a sacrilege (Miami)?

Well, we don’t get into territorial disputes and we don’t get too involved with ‘historically accurate’ preparation. None of our offerings come with a detailed provenance. We’re interested in taste and authentic experiences. Which is why our take on the Cuban Sandwich, featured on our lunch and brunch menus, isn’t even called a Cuban Sandwich on our menu. It’s the El Che, named after you know who—whose Argentine birth didn’t stop him from being a real player in the Cuban Revolution.