WILL RIDE TO EAT
SMOKIES CUBAN CAFÉ
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By Ron Giddis
s you drive through Pigeon Forge, TN along the Parkway, you may not notice this café. Owner Carlos Gutierrez has been here for the past 10 years serving some truly authentic Cuban food. Having eaten authentic Cuban food before and really liking it, once I learned of Carlo’s café, I had to go and see for myself. Now, what you must not do is compare Cuban food to Mexican food. Cuban food is prepared with its own unique seasonings with a touch of passion. To start, I had a “Papa Rellena Stuffed Potato”; its mashed potato’s stuffed with seasoned ground beef and fried golden brown. For my entre I had the “Picadillo”, ground beef marinated in Cuban spices and cooked in a tomato base with peppers and onions. All entrees are served with rice, black beans and your choice of sweet plantains, tostones or boiled yucca with mojo. If you’re a sandwich person, you might try the Pan Con Lechon Pork sandwich served on a Cuban bread, succulent roasted pork with sautéed onions. One other dish that was really good was the Milanesa de Pollo, breaded chicken breast marinated Cuban style and deep fried and served with marinara sauce, ham and mozzarella. For dessert, Flan con Caramelo, Cuban style vanilla custard cooked with caramel sauce. The Smokies Cuban café can do private parties and they also do catering. After talking with Carlos, it’s clear to me he takes a lot of pride in the Cuban dishes he serves at his café. I asked where he learned to cook, and he said he learned by watching his Mother. So the next time you’re in the area and you want to try it for yourself, they are located at 3526 Parkway Suite #4, Pigeon Forge, TN and their phone number is (865) 365-1700. Check them out at smokiescubancafe.net and on Facebook. If you are out riding to eat and see us, please come up and tell us your favorite places to go when you’re hungry and thirsty. “Will Ride to Eat” will be an ongoing article in Thunder Roads® Magazine of Tennessee and we want to put the spotlight on the great history and variety of Tennessee’s biker friendly establishments. NOVEMBER 2020
ThunderRoadsTennessee.com
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