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Siboney Cuban Restaurant

Siboney Cuban Restaurant
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    Post #1 - June 20th, 2009, 7:43 pm
    Post #1 - June 20th, 2009, 7:43 pm Post #1 - June 20th, 2009, 7:43 pm
    Hi

    Made our first venture to Siboney tonight, which has been open all of 1 night so far :)

    They completely gutted the insides of what was last "Karma Krossing". It's beautiful, all dark wood, palm-frond ceiling fans, and pressed-tin-look ceilings. Very nice. All of the staff were very attentive, eager to please, to make sure we liked what we had and tried very had to ensure that we were not neglected. There were some things that could have been improved on, but I expect them to get better after they've been open a while. The staff are not necessarily experienced, but they are sweet.

    The food is very good, and we'll def. be back - big servings, not high cost.
    We particularly liked the stewed pork dish.

    Right now it is BYOB, they are working on getting a liquor license, and have a lovely bar area that looks like it will be lively. They also plan outdoor seating along Palmer, and have painted two murals along the building there (in one, the people have no hair, so I'm not sure if it's not done or they are intended to be bald?)

    They also have a room in back that can be closed off for parties.

    Go, have a good time, help out a bunch of nice people get their business off the ground :)

    Siboney Cuban Restaurant
    2165 N. Western Ave., Chicago
    (773) 904-7210
    Leek

    SAVING ONE DOG may not change the world,
    but it CHANGES THE WORLD for that one dog.
    American Brittany Rescue always needs foster homes. Please think about helping that one dog. http://www.americanbrittanyrescue.org
  • Post #2 - June 21st, 2009, 5:54 am
    Post #2 - June 21st, 2009, 5:54 am Post #2 - June 21st, 2009, 5:54 am
    How does it compare to Cafe Bolero down the street?
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #3 - June 21st, 2009, 12:22 pm
    Post #3 - June 21st, 2009, 12:22 pm Post #3 - June 21st, 2009, 12:22 pm
    Noticed it was open when I went to Danny's Liquors (across Western Ave.) for some beer last evening.

    Seems like Siboney is in something of a cursed location.
  • Post #4 - June 21st, 2009, 3:54 pm
    Post #4 - June 21st, 2009, 3:54 pm Post #4 - June 21st, 2009, 3:54 pm
    Thats funny because when Omar opened Think Cafe, he was told he was in a cursed location.
  • Post #5 - June 22nd, 2009, 1:31 pm
    Post #5 - June 22nd, 2009, 1:31 pm Post #5 - June 22nd, 2009, 1:31 pm
    Dave148 wrote:How does it compare to Cafe Bolero down the street?


    No Cevacippi (sp).

    ;)

    In theory, Siboney will have more higher end/fancy dishes. I didn't see any sandwiches yet. They are operating with a smaller menu until they get things operating well, as I understand it. We only tried 2 things so far, the Cuban steak and the stewed pork. :)

    They had a nice grilled veggie appetizer - though for some reason we got our side salads on our plates, with the main course, the grilled veggies that come with each meal as an appetizer, and no yuca or rice and beans - which was clearly an oversight, which the owner corrected, and brought us a big plate of the yuca - as I said they just opened ;)
    Leek

    SAVING ONE DOG may not change the world,
    but it CHANGES THE WORLD for that one dog.
    American Brittany Rescue always needs foster homes. Please think about helping that one dog. http://www.americanbrittanyrescue.org
  • Post #6 - June 26th, 2009, 11:46 am
    Post #6 - June 26th, 2009, 11:46 am Post #6 - June 26th, 2009, 11:46 am
    Higher end/fancy dishes?


    Fries were soft and greasy :evil:

    Three appetizers ordered, only one was served - but were charged for all three. Figure that one out. Server never acknowledged that two of the appetizers were never served.

    Oxtail dish was in a sauce with a pool of oil.

    Dishes were not impressive nor high end/fancy dishes. The only high end/fancy dishes that I saw were the dishes that were used to plate the food.

    Need to wait awhile before I go back again.

    :shock: :shock:
  • Post #7 - June 26th, 2009, 1:18 pm
    Post #7 - June 26th, 2009, 1:18 pm Post #7 - June 26th, 2009, 1:18 pm
    Pinche Brujo wrote:Three appetizers ordered, only one was served - but were charged for all three. Figure that one out. Server never acknowledged that two of the appetizers were never served.


    Did you bring this gross oversight to the server's attention and have the charges removed from your bill? I can't imagine you'd pay for something you never received. And if brought to the server's attention, you figure they would have tried to rectify the situation. That's just odd that they completely dropped the ball on 2/3 of your order.
  • Post #8 - June 27th, 2009, 10:58 am
    Post #8 - June 27th, 2009, 10:58 am Post #8 - June 27th, 2009, 10:58 am
    Right, no higher-end dishes yet, as they are operating on a smaller menu until they get their feet under them.

    We also didn't get everything that came with our meals. If we had really cared, we would have said something. The owner asked, we said we did want to try the yuca, and he brought some out right away, and asked us if we wanted rice and beans, because the dishes come with rice and beans? (as well as the yuca) We said no, it was OK.

    If we go back in a month and don't get our rice and beans, we'll complain :)
    Leek

    SAVING ONE DOG may not change the world,
    but it CHANGES THE WORLD for that one dog.
    American Brittany Rescue always needs foster homes. Please think about helping that one dog. http://www.americanbrittanyrescue.org
  • Post #9 - July 10th, 2009, 12:34 pm
    Post #9 - July 10th, 2009, 12:34 pm Post #9 - July 10th, 2009, 12:34 pm
    The restaurant Siboney, also popularly known as "Sibonese" (according to owners Julio and Jose Luis, pronounced "see-bone-easy"), is beautiful, but the food and service need some improvement.

    My service and food experience was very similar to Mr. Brujo's, only that instead of trying the ox tail dish, I tried the shrimp in red hot sauce. The dish itself cannot possibly be construed as "fine" by even the most liberal definition. Like Mr. Brujo said, the actual plates are nice, but the food isn't. This particular dish is equivalent to a hot (as in heat, not spice) Mexican-style shrimp cocktail. Surely, the shrimp were bountiful, but the sauce tasted very much like a heated ketchup and tabasco sauce concoction.

    Our server was a young and attractive Cuban lass. She was very nice but consistently had a surprised-look on her face, as though she was increasingly trying to figure out what was going on. I don't blame her since it was rather hectic in that place. Her and the other servers - all females - appeared to argue frequently about their mistakes. Nevertheless, I cannot stress enough how nice this server was. Unfortunately, she failed to bring out one of my appetizers, and she had a hard time describing the "pescado siboney" dish. That is why I opted to order the hot shrimp cocktail.

    The person I was with ordered the ropa vieja, which tasted very good. However, the rice and beans lacked flavor and seasoning. As for drinks, Sibonese is currently on BYOB status, and the owner Julio offered to run across the street and buy us a bottle of wine. That was very nice of him. The other owner was also nice, but not as gracious. He could often be heard yelling "coño" (not sure what it means, but it seemed like a friendly, endearing term) in the kitchen and bar area. This was a welcoming departure from other self-proclaimed fine dining establishments. The staff here weren't afraid to be themselves and yell randomly.

    This was my 2nd time at Sibonese, and while the service and food aren't quite up to par with "fine dining," they are certainly making strides. Good luck Julio and J.L.
  • Post #10 - July 10th, 2009, 2:07 pm
    Post #10 - July 10th, 2009, 2:07 pm Post #10 - July 10th, 2009, 2:07 pm
    I'll take a pass. Sounds like a hot mess, as a Southern friend recently remarked.

    Coño is slang for female genitailia, yet it somewhat inexplicitly does not have a particularly profane connotation, at least among Cubans. It's thrown pretty freely as an all-purpose expletive, but most frequently to express surprise, awe, or disappointment. Maybe like "damn" in US English. Still, it's a pretty coarse term to use around the guests, some of whom could easily be Spanish-speakers from other countries and might not take it the same way.
  • Post #11 - July 10th, 2009, 3:46 pm
    Post #11 - July 10th, 2009, 3:46 pm Post #11 - July 10th, 2009, 3:46 pm
    JeffB wrote:I'll take a pass. Sounds like a hot mess, as a Southern friend recently remarked.

    Coño is slang for female genitailia, yet it somewhat inexplicitly does not have a particularly profane connotation, at least among Cubans. It's thrown pretty freely as an all-purpose expletive, but most frequently to express surprise, awe, or disappointment. Maybe like "damn" in US English. Still, it's a pretty coarse term to use around the guests, some of whom could easily be Spanish-speakers from other countries and might not take it the same way.


    In Spain, it's used as "bro," very commonly, and I think that's bleeding into Latin America. It's a direct analog to malakas in Greece, as in "Pou sai re, malaka! Ela re malaka, what time are you hitting the clubs, malaka? Let's go, malakas!," which is also based on slang for genitalia, and used functionally like buey or vuey in northern Mexico, essentially: dude. Sounds just right for the kitchen (but agree that it has the potential for offending Spanish-speakers from some countries or generations).
  • Post #12 - July 15th, 2009, 12:34 pm
    Post #12 - July 15th, 2009, 12:34 pm Post #12 - July 15th, 2009, 12:34 pm
    The Wife and I are headed to Siboney tonight.

    Seems as though people are liking the stewed pork/grilled veggies (leek) and ropa vieja (braheev). I’m glad the “old clothes” are looking good, as this is a benchmark Cuban dish, and if they’re not doing right by this, there’s little hope for this place.

    Based on a review of their site, they’re aspiring to fancier stuff, but my guess is they want to get the basics down before they put higher end items out there.

    I’d be interested in any other menu recommendations folks might have.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #13 - July 15th, 2009, 4:35 pm
    Post #13 - July 15th, 2009, 4:35 pm Post #13 - July 15th, 2009, 4:35 pm
    Centerstage describes "Hershey kiss-shaped lamps floating above a granite bar where bartenders concentrate on flavored mojitos ($6-$8)."

    http://www.centerstagechicago.com/bars/siboney.html

    I talked to the manager last night; their liquor license is still weeks away. What could those bartenders have been concentrating on...or were there any bartenders outside of the imagination of the writer, David Anthony Gonzalez (whose bio page states that "he will throw his head out of a moving vehicle to admire an Empire State any day" -- I'd like to see that, I think)?
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins

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