This is the vegan Cuban sandwich from Made in Havana. Weβll get here in a minute, but first, we have to talk about the journey.
Iβve been talking about this movie for ten years. Chef with Jon Favreau is a go-to feel-good movie. I love watching him go at it with the food critic. Anyone who has worked in a creative capacity understands that clawing feeling of having an idea for a project, but then having a higher-up that forces you to take the more traditional path. You know itβs a mess walking in, but your hands are tied. He does exactly what we all do, we retreat and create the project we want.
Aside from watching him create his comeback dishes, seeing that truck come together and then travel across the country is one of the best things in film. Favreau used Lucas Films for post-production. Listen to the sounds when that grilled cheese sandwich is made. Every crunch and sizzle is on point. Also, when theyβre driving across the California desert back to Los Angeles, the saturation used for that open road shot is exactly what it looks like when youβre driving across Highway 5 right after sunrise.
Like all great happy endings, this film ends with the opening of a lucrative restaurant in Los Angeles. Every time I finish this movie I want a grilled cheese sandwich. After watching it last night, I wanted a Cuban. More accurately, I wanted a vegan Cuban sandwich to materialize because Iβm not a fan of ham. Naturally, Google found the vegan Cuban sandwich in West Hollywood.
Made in Havana is off Beverly Blvd. Parking is pretty easy. I was surprised that West Hollywood was so peaceful on a Sunday afternoon, and then I realized when I sat down that the Peopleβs Choice Awards were happening on the other side of town, which is why I lucked out to zero crowds.
I started with the Cuban coffee with oat milk. I forgot how strong Cubans were. I liked it. I wish I had remembered my smokes from the car. There was no one else there, I would have gotten away with it today.
The packaging is perfect. I took their recommendations and I went with:
Yucca fries with spicy aioli sauce
Vegan Cuban sandwich which had jack fruit, vegan cheese, vegan pepperoni, mustard, and pickles
The sandwich was perfect. I ordered an additional one to go and asked for real cheese. I can handle small amounts of dairy, itβs the ham I donβt want from the original Cuban.
The yucca fries are crispy and soft at the same time. Itβs a perfect compliment to the sandwich.
Iβve added another spot in West Hollywood for places I enjoy eating, but everyone needs a place to eat the perfect Cuban.
Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
This afternoon excursion happened because I watched that food truck drive west in that movie last night.