Orinoco

Orinoco isn’t a Cuban restaurant per se—instead, it’s a celebrated Venezuelan spot with sly nods to CUba. Lunch is the time to get your Cuban sandwich fix; here it’s a pepito medianoche, tweaked with a salsa rosa. Other classic dishes include fried plantains both ripe and green; empanadas; mixed rice; and, of course, mojitos aplenty. But as you work your way through the rest of the menu, remind yourself that Cuban food is itself a fluid hybrid of Spanish, African and Caribbean cuisines, and then try to ID the overlaps.