Deck on Cuban Sandwiches - Seattle Restaurant Comparison

Today I decided to take a new approach to my food reviews, the competitive comparison.  I think that in order to be fair, I need to try a couple different places that do the same type of food before I declare my loyalty to any one of them (this means that I'll have to try another gelato place at some time...).

So, my first comparison is Cuban Sandwiches, pitting Paseo against Paladar Cubano.  If you've read my blog before, you know that I'm a very big fan of Paseo, especially the Cuban Press.  But, I wanted to keep an open mind and see what Paladar Cubano had to offer.  Paladar Cubano is actually a restaurant on wheels, parked at the corner of Aurora and 90th.  When you walk up, the first thing you notice is the Latin Music playing.  This probably owes to the fact that the owner is also a local musician.  I placed my order of the classic Cubano Sandwich, a combination of roast pork, ham, cheese, pickles and mustard, pressed in between two halves of cuban bread.

At Paladar Cubano, all of the orders are made at the time you place them, so there is a little wait.  But you can sit at the picnic tables under the tent and listen to the music while savoring the aromas of melted cheese and roasted pork.  After about 5 minutes I received my sandwich, and headed home, excited to taste another Cuban sandwich and compare it to Paseo.

The first thing I noticed is the size.  The Paladar Cubano sandwich is contained, where as the Paseo press was heaping and overflowing.  When I took a bite, it was definitely a good sandwich.  The bread was great, crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside.  The ham was good, the cheese warm and melted, and everything was cut nicely with a little acidity from the pickles.  However, the mustard was a bit overpowering, and the pork was completely overshadowed by all of the other ingredients.

By contrast, the Paseo sandwich is stuffed full of roasted pork, and onions which are absolutely the star of the show.  The ham and the cheese are much more muted, and definitely an accompaniment.  Everything is set off by the delicious garlic aioli type sauce, and you get that little bit of acidity from some banana peppers.

When it comes to authenticity, I think that the Paladar Cubano sandwich is much more what you would expect when you think of a Cuban press.  But with Paseo, the pork is much more flavorful and pronounced.  The sauce balances it incredibly well, and isn't as overpowering as yellow mustard.  When I finished the Press from Paseo, I sat back on the couch and just savored it.  When I finished the Cubano, I was left wanting a little bit more.

Overall, the cubano is a very good sandwich, and there are definitely worse meals to spend $8 on.  But for my money, I'm going to Paseo.  My allegiance has officially been pledged.

Final Verdict:  Paseo by a landslide.   Paseo - 4.5 Stars, Paladar Cubano - 3 Stars.  

Deck On Paseo - A Return Trip That was Better than the Original

Alright, I'm hooked.  I'm a huge fan, a promoter, and borderlilne obsessive when it comes to Paseo.  This is without a doubt one of the greatest food finds I've made since moving to Seattle.   Not that Paseo is a huge secret, it's doors are covered with "Best of" awards.  I just obviously was not paying attention. 

After spending four days on the road, I decided that I would work from home rather than making the 17 mile trek into the office.  The morning started like any other, four hours of conference calls, ending with me trying to figure out what to do for lunch.  It was then that I remembered that I was only minutes from the Paseo in Ballard, and that I was really interested in giving the #8 Pressed Sandwich a try.  So, I headed out.

The first thing I noticed about the Ballard Paseo is that the line was shorter.  I think this owes more to the location away from the University, many businesses, etc. than anything else.  I'm sure it will be packed on the weekends this summer as people make their way to Golden Gardens.  After placing my order, I sat at the counter waiting, savoring the tantilizing aromas of onions and roasted pork (the pressed sandwich does require a few extra minutes of cooking time, so allow for that).  My mouth was watering within a few seconds.  When they called my number, I grabbed my sandwich, and headed back home so I could be properly comfortable, and properly enjoy my lunch.

As much as I enjoyed the #2 Cuban Roast, I think I may have eaten it for the last time.  The #8 managed to absolutely put it to shame.  The #8 incorporates the same crispy bread, wonderfully caramelized onions, juicy roasted pork and incredible special sauce that the Cuban Roast does, but then it gets taken to the next level.  On top of the all of that is added thinly sliced ham, melted cheese (provolone I think), and banana peppers.  It is then pressed together and toasted to perfection.  Biting into it, pieces of the overstuffed sandwich fall on to the plate, sauce drips onto my fingers, and I savor every bite. 

I am definitely looking forward to my next meal at Paseo, but before I make my fandom official, there is one thing I have left to do.  I just found out about Paladar Cubano, a similarly small Cuban style restaurant that boasts the "...only real-deal Cuban sandwich..." in Seattle.  I owe it to you my readers, and myself as a writer to give the competition a fighting chance before pledging my allegiance to Paseo. 

Deck on Paseo - Restaurant Review

Today was one of those random day off holidays, so I figured it was a great opportunity to try a new recipe and a new restaurant; a perfect food day for me!  I was going to try and get up this morning and check out a nice cafe or bakery, but that didn't happen.  One of these days it will, especially since there is coffee and cafe culture around here that I really have not taken advantage of.  So instead, I decided on lunch.

There were three places I was debating.  The first is Specialty's Cafe, quite possibly my most favorite sandwich place, at this point.  I haven't gone since I was an intern downtown nearly four years ago, but it's downtown, and I've been there before, and this is about new experiences.  That left two places, Salumi and Paseo.  I found out about both of these places from watching the Travel Channel, with Salumi appearing on No Reservations and Paseo on Chowdown Countdown.  I decided on Paseo mostly because it was closer (and because I fully intend on going to the Metropolitan Market in 15 minutes to buy some Salumi Salami, thanks Marnie!).

When I looked up the address for Paseo, I noticed that there are two locations, and that I have driven by both of them many times since I've lived in Seattle.  One is down on Shilshole, near Ray's Boathouse and Anthony's, and I drive past every time I go to Golden Gardens, at least a half dozen times every summer.  The other is on Fremont Ave.  I can't count how many times I've driven and even walked past that location.  When I arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon, there was a line out the door, and I wondered how I could have missed it so many times.

Paseo is a very non-descript restaurant.  In fact, there isn't even a sign.  And don't think about pulling out the credit card as Paseo is cash only.  The line wasn't exactly fast moving; it took about 20 minutes to get to the front to place my order.  But, based on the reviews, I figured it would be worth the wait.  When I finally got to the front, I simply defaulted to the most popular item, the #2 Cuban Roast, as simple combination of roast pork, caramelized onions, cilantro, and the Paseo sauce.  As I was waiting for my sandwich, I was wondering why anyone would want to stay and eat in the small dining room.  The place was packed, and I'm not one that really enjoys eating with a line of people bumping into me the entire time...

Ten minutes after I ordered, I left Paseo with sandwich in hand.  I was hurrying to my car, so I could make it to my appointment on the Eastside.  I had decided that I would wait until I got to the freeway before breaking into my sandwich.  Before I got halfway there, I couldn't take it anymore.  The smell of the pork was just overwhelming, and so, I had to unwrap it and take a bite.  The first bite was pretty good.  The bread was nice and crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.  The sauce was was excellent, and it had a nice hint of cilantro.  But I realized I didn't catch very much meat or onion.  So, I took another bite.  In the second bite the sandwich went from good to amazing.  The pork was so juicy and flavorful complimented perfectly by the caramelized onions, jalepenos and a sauce with it's hint of garlic (kind of like a garlic aioli).  I quickly took two more bites, and was absolutely in heaven.

I can't believe that I've lived in Seattle for 6 years, and this is my first trip to Paseo.  The sandwich was absolutely perfect, and I will definitely be going back.   I am already planning on doing the number 8, the Cuban pressed sandwich.  This is a spot that I definitely recommend to anyone that has not been there.  Just be sure to bring $10 in cash and your appetite.

And as to the question earlier as to why someone would dine in, I now get it...waiting to bite into that amazing sandwich (and I'm sure the other food) is pure torture.