Mima’s Cuban Cafe
It’s true, there’s no place like home. And for Abby Morales, home is Miami.
“So I grew up in Miami and I wanted everybody to see what Miami is all about. It’s a melting pot. You have cultures of every single Latin American country that you can think of. And that’s what I want we get as close as we can to the Miami culture.”
And you can find a taste of Miami and more at Mima’s Cuban Cafe.
Set in this unassuming spot next to a convenience store in Rockland, Massachusetts, Mima’s Cuban Cafe is a family run place bringing Latins flavors north to New England.
“Everything is cooked from scratch. Everything is homemade. I want people to feel relaxed. I want people to feel at home. That's how we are at home. We welcome everybody, we open up our doors, and this is what Mima is.”
When Abby and her family arrived in the US from Guatemala, her mom, Mima leaned on the local Cuban community for childcare; women Abby affectionately referred to as her “grannies”.
“I'm not Cuban. I am from Guatemala, and I learned the Cuban cuisine from my four grandmas. I was drawn to the kitchen ever since I was little. And I remember standing up next to them just watching them. And what I brought here with Mima, it's a little bit of each of every single four of them that took care of us.”
You’ll always find Abby’s husband Hector in the kitchen, bringing his own Puerto Rican background into the menu with his family recipes.
“He loves to cook. He loves to dance and sing. He's very happy. But people like that. Nobody wants to see a sad face or a mad facecooking their sandwiches.”
Actually- you’ll be quite glad when you see one of Hector’s sandwiches- especially his Cuban- This mouthwatering masterpiece is made with a housemade Cuban roll with slow braised pork, Serrano ham, Swiss, dill pickles and mustard, and is great whether you get one for yourself, or buy one of their 2 foot long versions to share.
“When you bite it, You have the crunchiness of the bread ..You have the juiciness of the pork. You have the saltiness of the ham, and then you have the Swiss cheese that is just melted. The Pickle gives it the acidity that you need, and the mustard just gives it the last punch.”
Hector’s Puerto Rican heritage makes it to the menu in the form of the deliciously unique Jibarito; a sandwich served on a flattened plantain.
“Instead of bread, we use a whole green plantain. So you have to fry that whole plantain. Then we smash itan d then we put it to fry again. That’s when it’s just crunchy to perfection. You get to choose your protein. We put lettuce, tomato, onions, and ..the Mima’s Special Sauce. You have to try the jibarito.“
Another fave from Hector’s homeland is the Tripleta. A classic stuffed with skirt steak, ham, pork, lettuce, tomato and potato sticks for one massive mouthful.
“You have the crunchiness of the potato sticks.You have a piece of steak and a piece of pork, you know, and a piece of ham. If you can even get all three at the same time into your mouth, because it's just so big. One bite.My mouth can’t handle it. But if you can get your mouth to open up that way, you get an explosion of all kinds of flavors.”
And for a little sweet and salty, try this tasty take on a Monte Cristo made on Cuban bread and drizzled with guava sauce.
“I think it tastes like a French toast stuffed with the saltiness of the pork, the turkey, the melted cheese, and then you just got the powdered sugar and the guava. It's salty and sweet at the same time.”
But before you get to all of those sandwiches, nothing gets you going quite like the Heart Attack Platter- loaded up with queso frito, empanadas, tostones, corn fritters, fried salami and more. Or try the crazy loaded tostones piled up with all of the good stuff.
“It's crunchy because it's fried green plantains. So it’s crunchy. And then you've got the juiciness of the whatever you know protein you get. And then you get the queso fresco on that. The crunchiness of the lettuce, the juicy of the tomatoes, and, of course, the sweetness of the sweet plantain. So it's just like a boom in your mouth.”
And an empanada is an absolute must. With over a dozen flavors, these hot grabbable apps are made by hand and fried to order.
“We do it old style. We do it by hand with a fork you know. We're pressing the dough, and then we fry them. They're golden brown. They're juicy inside the filling is what makes the empanada. And obviously you know made up with love.”
Mima’s also offers a variety of traditional entrees lke authentic mofongo with shrimp and Abby’s favorite- the Ropavieja.
“Ropa Vieja, it's a Cuban staple dish. It is top round that we pressure cook for hours and then we shred it. It's been marinated in wine and it just sits there and simmers for hours, which is what makes ropa vieja so soft and tender to eat. It’s amazing. You just gotta have to try it.”
And if you have any room left, you also have to try Mima’s Chocolate Tres Leches Cake.
“So It's moist, it's gooey, it's chocolatey. The chocolate tres leches at Mima’s is a chocolate lover’s dream.”
And while it’s a lot of hard work, Abby and her family truly feel like they’re living the dream at Mima’s Cuban Cafe.
“I love cooking. I like to see people smile you know.When I see them biting into the plates, or them telling me, oh my God, it was the best sandwich I've ever had, or it was the best plate that I've ever had, it makes me happy you know, I makes all the sacrifices slaving away in the hot kitchen worth it.”
