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Texas Cuban
The Scoop: The Texas Cuban is part history, part heritage, and whole lotta Hector Ward, co-owner and Cubano culinary crackerjack. In other words, it’s dang good. Of course it is. You cook Cuban the right way when you’re the son of Cuban refugees and grandson of man who started his own Cuban joint after fleeing Castro’s revolution on a sun-baked flotilla to Florida — when your family home was burned down by the guy on t-shirts of clueless college kids everywhere. “Che Guevara was an asshole. Write that down,” Hector says. “Ranches, sugarcane farms — their heritage was just taken from them. So I just watched what my grandfather did in the kitchen, and inherited his passion for good food.” But Hector also added his own twists: local, organic, high-end ingredients. 200 pounds of pork tenderloin smoked each Monday, and creatively worked into a half-dozen dishes. It’s the “only place in Austin that’s doing what we’re doing” — a ham-and-swiss heritage all his own.
Scout Notes: It’s hotter than a Cohiba when I arrive at The Texas Cuban, an unlikely time to be craving anything heavy. But it’s Saturday, which means the Lone Stars in the cooler are ice cold and free, and everyone’s happily huddled around picnic tables, buzzing about about a big show last night and snacking on hot-pressed hangover cures. “Have a seat,” Hector says. “Meet the family.”
That’s the vibe at The Texas Cuban: customers who could just as easily be family as strangers are welcomed with equal warmth by Hector. Some know him from his regular gig down nearby at the iconic Saxon Pub, where his growling nine-piece Latin funk band (Hector Ward and the Big Time) just recorded a live DVD. Over mariquitas (fried plantain chips) and “my mama’s black beans,” conversation ranges from food trailer rent (it’s too damn high) to the merits of bacon as a vegetable to Fidel Castro’s choice of mall-walking suita. Phil — the band’s guitarist and drummer — is serving croquettas (spicy balls of shredded ham and pork tenderloin). Nick — brass, strings, and just about everything else — is whipping up papa rellenas (deep-fried mashed potatoes stuffed with beef picadillo). Co-owner and local sax legend Mark Wilson rolls up red-eyed and sleepless after driving all night from a show in Little Rock, Arkansas (with three more gigs scheduled for tonight). He met Hector through music, started eating here, and, well, joined the fam for good. “This the best Cubano I’ve ever had, and I’m a plantain freak," he says. “This is all you need."
Menu:
The Texas Cuban (feeds two), $13
El Cubano, $8
South Austin Veggie Soul, $7
Cuban Croquettas, $3
Cuban Black Beans, $3.50
Hours:
Monday - Wednesday, 11 a.m to 7 p.m.
Thursday - Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Closed Sunday
Scout Notes: It’s hotter than a Cohiba when I arrive at The Texas Cuban, an unlikely time to be craving anything heavy. But it’s Saturday, which means the Lone Stars in the cooler are ice cold and free, and everyone’s happily huddled around picnic tables, buzzing about about a big show last night and snacking on hot-pressed hangover cures. “Have a seat,” Hector says. “Meet the family.”
That’s the vibe at The Texas Cuban: customers who could just as easily be family as strangers are welcomed with equal warmth by Hector. Some know him from his regular gig down nearby at the iconic Saxon Pub, where his growling nine-piece Latin funk band (Hector Ward and the Big Time) just recorded a live DVD. Over mariquitas (fried plantain chips) and “my mama’s black beans,” conversation ranges from food trailer rent (it’s too damn high) to the merits of bacon as a vegetable to Fidel Castro’s choice of mall-walking suita. Phil — the band’s guitarist and drummer — is serving croquettas (spicy balls of shredded ham and pork tenderloin). Nick — brass, strings, and just about everything else — is whipping up papa rellenas (deep-fried mashed potatoes stuffed with beef picadillo). Co-owner and local sax legend Mark Wilson rolls up red-eyed and sleepless after driving all night from a show in Little Rock, Arkansas (with three more gigs scheduled for tonight). He met Hector through music, started eating here, and, well, joined the fam for good. “This the best Cubano I’ve ever had, and I’m a plantain freak," he says. “This is all you need."
Menu:
The Texas Cuban (feeds two), $13
El Cubano, $8
South Austin Veggie Soul, $7
Cuban Croquettas, $3
Cuban Black Beans, $3.50
Hours:
Monday - Wednesday, 11 a.m to 7 p.m.
Thursday - Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Closed Sunday
