Opened in 2022, Elisa’s Cuban Coffee and Kitchen food truck has been a Baton Rouge staple, providing fresh coffee, Cuban sandwiches and more to downtown residents. Just last month, however, the people behind Elisa’s decided to expand their services to 2627 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd. with a full-service restaurant.
Taking over a former po-boy shop, the space is now home to beautiful Cuban murals, artificial grass ceilings and atmospheric Latin music. The interior is a comforting place, and the service is quite welcoming with servers eager to help you out and offer you plenty of suggestions.
Before my meal, I was treated to a complimentary basket of pork rinds to get me started. After ordering, the food came out before I even had a chance to open my notepad.
For the main course, my excellent waiter recommended the chuleta de cerdo. This meal consists of grilled pork chops topped with grilled onions, moros y cristianos and a side of sweet plantains.
The pork chops had a good flavor to them, the seasoning wasn’t overwhelming, and it worked especially well with the sweet yet sharp grilled onions. The meat was a bit overcooked for me, more chewy than tender. Yet, this did not take away too much from the umami experience.
On the side of the dish came a small cup of green sauce. I am always a huge fan of a green sauce; its use of tomatillos for a more tangy and bright flavor is unmatched. This one in particular caught me off guard, though.
While it still falls into the same flavor profile, Elisa’s green sauce goes all-in-on the zestier side of things. When I first tried the salsa, it sent a shock through my body, with the taste more like a sour candy than a salsa. This is not to say it is bad, however; it is just different. The sauce enhanced the richer and saltier flavors of the main parts of the dish.
It may sound weird, but the star of the show of this dish was undoubtedly the moros y cristianos. A recipe traditionally tied to Cuba, this side consists of white rice prepared in the liquid leftover from cooking black beans. I would go back to the restaurant just to eat this dish; it was seasoned and cooked to perfection and so jam-packed full of flavor. It was so good that my hand was loading up another bite before I even realized it.
You can’t go wrong with sweet plantains in a dish, and neither can Elisa’s. I like my plantains with a little bit of char on them, and they delivered on that front. Just the slightest bit of crispiness completes the rest of the delectable, melt-in-your-mouth experience.
I also decided to try one of Elisa’s Cuban tamales as well. What sets these tamales apart from others you might have had is that the fillings of the tamales are mixed into the corn dough rather than placed in the middle.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t as crazy about these. They have a good range of sweet and savory combined; however, the dough itself was almost gooey. As I chewed, instead of breaking apart, it would cling to the roof of my mouth. The mixing in of the meat also diminished its flavor, making it a quite maize-forward encounter. Although, it was quite good combined with the same green salsa from earlier.
To wash it all down, I supplemented my water with a guanavana milkshake. Guanavana, also known as a soursop, is a fruit native to the Americas that has a flavor similar to a creamy and citrusy pineapple. For this, it worked flawlessly in the milkshake setting, making the drink an all-around refreshing and smooth adventure.
7/10
For more information on their menu and hours, you can check out Elisa’s Cuban Cuisine on Instagram or Facebook.
