Friday, March 24, 2006

I met the Cuban "Soup Nazi"

I was in Las Vegas recently after visiting a few "too much food" buffets my friend and I decided to venture out and look for a local restaurant. We found "THE SPIRIT OF CUBA" absolutely delighted with out find after carefully reading their menu choices we decided this may be a good one for lunch. We were starving and actually anything would have sufficed at this point.

Located on the corner of Sahara and Decatur, with a nice friendly decor. As you walk in there is a dance floor and musical instruments including conga drums on the stage, one can just imagine the Cuban music and dancing at night. The granite tables and sturdy leather chairs, offset by framed photos depicting Cuba in the halcyon days before Fidel was just lovely.

Thinking that we may have to come back during the dinner hour and maybe enjoy some Cuban music and dancing. The prices seemed reasonable $8.95 for the Ensalada Mixta con Pollo. When my chicken salad Cuban style arrived I decided that there was just not enough chicken and I wanted a little more protein, so I ordered the Sopa de Frijoles Negros-I figured a nice black bean soup and the salad should be enough for my lunch.

The soup arrived and after tasting, it was just bland no taste at all, so I politely asked the lovely and very handsome young waiter to please bring me some salsa to spice up the soup a little. There is a Brazilian Restaurant that I frequent here in Los Angeles and they too have Sope de Frijoles Negros and Fatima the owner serves it with a lovely home made salsa. I was kind of hoping for that, when the waiter kind of looked at me with a "OH NO" expression and said that he would ask the chef, I kind of got worried. So my friend and I were laughing as I told her about an experience my son and I had once at a Japanese Restaurant on Ventura Blvd. in Encino. We wanted some soy sauce and the chef came running out and practically threw us out of the restaurant for not liking his creation. He told us that it did not need any more soy sauce it was just fine the way it was! Eat it the way it is or leave! So there! That was the Japanse Sushi Nazi.

We laughed and my friend said, that sounds like you're making it up. I said no that really happened to me. And no sooner do I get those words out of my mouth here comes a very angry woman with her hands on her hips, asking me "What is wrong with the soup?!!!!!????? Well if looks could kill I would have been dead. The Cuban Soup Nazi, she said THIS IS NOT A MEXICAN RESTAURANT! If you want salsa go to a Mexican Restaurant. There is nothing wrong with the soup!

She was dressed in beautiful gabardine slacks, with a button down shirt, lovely belt with a sterling silver buckle. Lovely silver bangle bracelets and a pair of glasses she must have gotten at the L.A. Eyeworks boutique. Where Elton John shops for his glasses! But she was pissed!

My friend was laughing so hard she could hardly contain herself, and me I folded. "I'm sorry I don't like your soup, could you find it in your hear to forgive me?" She said NO.


Oh yes we were charged $4.00 for the soup I didn't eat or didn't like! But at this point I was scared to confront the Cuban Soup Nazi. But it was worth $4.00 for the tale and the good laugh..... So if you are in Las Vegas be warned about the Soup Nazi.


http://www.thespiritofcuba.net

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a hysterical story! It reminds me of my favorite scene in "Big Night", when the chef refuses to serve a side of pasta with the risotto. (But your story is real)!

Kim (from Playa del Rey)

Anonymous said...

We often go to The Spirit of Cuba for dinner. Is a very elegant and nice place, the food, the music, the service and the atmosphere is unique.

Normally people go to ethnic restaurants for the experience in different cuisine. Never to impose, for that you have Burger King.

IRON(Ice)Chef

Ana Petrova said...

All of what you say is true and I never for one moment disrespected, I simply thought the soup was tasteless. Even an elegant and unique place can have tasteless soup.

The point was how arrogant and rude the owner was. At Burger King I would expect that but at a "family" restaurant it was shocking.