Rye bagel with lox and cream cheese spread

with potato salad and Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray Tonic - what else?

at Spring Water Cafe, 14520 Memorial (fronts on Tully, behind Burger King)

Picadillo and Congrio

Cuban ground beef with potatoes, onions and pimiento, slow-cooked in a wine sauce, with black beans and rice cooked with ham bits, plus a small salad and dressing,

with complimentary lightly toasted Pan Cubano and whipped butter

at Cafe Piquet, 5757 Bissonnet

Bianco Gourmet Pizza

Roasted chicken, tomatoes, red onions and peppers, creamy garlic sauce and cheese

from La Fresca Pizza, Meyerland

Kimchi Dog

Officially the K Dog - grilled, all-beef, jumbo wiener, toasted baguette, mild, chilled cucumber kimchi, slaw and spicy mayonnaise,

From Koagie Hots

Choripan and Empanada

Uruguayan style split, grilled sausage on a roll with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise with french fries and salsa verde

Seasoned ground beef with minced green, red and yellow bell peppers, onions and cheese

at Gram's Empanadas, 1410 N. Gessner

Papa Rellena, Tamal, Media Noche

Papa Rellena - stuffed, deep-fried mashed potato ball, with fried plantain strips

Tamal Cubano con mojo - homemade corn tamale with chicharron and a citrus/garlic sauce,

Media Noche - a variation on a Cubano sandwich, served on pan dulce, a sweetened version of pan Cubano, with roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, butter, mustard and pickles

at Rincon Criollo Cuban Restaurante, 2150 Highway 6 South

More Tacos

Pastor on the left, chorizo (the best of the two) on the right, thicker than store-bought hand-made corn tortillas, onions (not raw) and mass quantities of cilantro plus a fiery salsa,

from

Taqueria Vega, currently parked in front of Joe V's Smart Shop, 7755 W. Bellfort