Cubana Café (CLOSED)

Bright blue outside, pink and yellow inside, this cheap and cheery Mexi-Cuban café (owned by Jean-Claude Iacovelli of Jean Claude and Soho Steak) is a kaleidoscope of aquamarine tiles, colorful soft-drink bottles and plastic tablecloths in tropical-fruit patterns. The starters are the crowd-pleasers: They offer cheese-sprinkled corn on the cob and eight kinds of quesadillas, including a terrific chicken, avocado and tomato version slathered with chipotle sauce. The entrées—like moist chunks of roasted pork, tangy picadillo (ground beef stewed with olives, yuca and raisins) and cumin-tinged black beans—should make diners glad there’s no embargo on recipes.