There is a new restaurant in town bringing new flavors to Arcata. Havana, the only Cuban restaurant in Arcata, opened a couple of months back at the Jacoby Creek storehouse. Having moved into the space previously occupied by the well-known Plaza Grill gives it a sense of familiarity in terms of ambiance while spicing things up with all sorts of Cuban cuisine.
Walking up the steps to the 3rd floor of the historical Jacoby Creek Storehouse, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had heard both positive and negative things about the restaurant, so I had to go and try it myself.
The service at Havana was impressive; throughout the entire meal, I was cared for with near-perfect service.` My waiter was knowledgeable about the menu and checked in throughout the meal. The actual table setting was nothing too remarkable, with a simple electric candle in the center, with cutlery and napkins folded neatly on the sturdy wooden table.
From their appetizers, I decided on a red rockfish ceviche paired with a sweet potato puree and plantain chips. This appetizer was a beautiful meld of tart and tangy, with a relaxing sweetness from the sweet potato puree. The plantain chips were a perfect vessel for this dish, which added a nice crunch with a sprinkle of salt to make the flavors pop.
I then decided to order their Lechon Asado, which is a 48-hour marinated pork dish served with creamed broccoli, farmers market beans, and white rice. Any doubts about whether this dish would be tasty were silenced immediately after taking a bite. The creamed broccoli and beans were wonderfully flavorful and rich. The pork was tender and had a nice orangy flavor that I would have loved to taste more of, but even as the worst component of this dish, it was still very delicious.
What is a Cuban restaurant without a good Cubano? Nothing. So I knew I had to order it. The size of this sandwich was astonishing, loaded with pork shoulder, jamon, provolone cheese, balsamic caramelized onions, cuban pickles, red onion, lettuce, and poblano cilantro mayo. This beast of a sandwich came with a side of nicely cooked fries that were good, crisp, and well salted. I was very happy with the sandwich, except for the red onions, which ended up becoming the main flavor of the sandwich. After reducing the amount of red onions on the sandwich, it was an extremely good Cubano with a great crunch from the bread and savory juices from the pork and ham.
Finally, for dessert, I ordered their flan. It was nothing extraordinary, but delicious. The traditional custardy dessert was drizzled with dulce de leche and had a nice dousing of the sugary syrup that forms at the bottom of a flan pan.
Havana was an extremely positive experience for me. I enjoyed all of my dishes throughout the meal and was well taken care of by the staff. There was a pleasant atmosphere with a nice view of the plaza and plenty of tables. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a nice dinner date or a slightly more expensive lunch.
