Please explain and recommend Cuban Chinese in New York
 

I vaguely remember that Chinese who had immigrated to Cuba and from there to the US had developed a parallel/fusion cuisine.

I also remember passing a Cuban Chinese restaurant on Upper Broadway probably somewhere near 90th Street.

What should I know to find and enjoy this food?

We have not had Chino Latino in many years. We used to have it in downscale places on 8th Avenue but never the expensive uptown fusion restaurants.

It depends on the restaurant and whether they stick to basic Comida Latina and separate Chinese dishes or fusion dishes.

There used to be dozens of these places up and down Broadway, but not anymore. Even one the most popular, La Caridad on Broadway and 78th street is about half the size it once was. That place is still popular with people I know, mostly young men who want large portions of hearty food at low prices. The food has never appealed to me, so I can't vouch for it directly

There used to be one on Broadway between 95 and 96th but I don;t recall seeing it in a long time. Burt i fyou go to menupages.com you can search for any still out there.

I went to such a place once in NYC, Flor de Mayo (the location at 484 Amsterdam Ave. -- there's apparently another at 2651 Broadway). I've seen suggestions to try the la brasa half chicken (this actually appears to be a dish most often associated with Peru), which is a mildly spiced and slow-roasted bird in this case paired with fried rice. I indeed tried this dish there once, and it was okay if not necessarily something I'd rush to get again. Like nyer suggests for this cuisine, the dish I had was generously portioned and the price was reasonable.

Their menu is here:

http://gotham2go.com/index.php/20/64/796

and it looks to include both Chinese and Latin American items.

This type of cuisine is common in most of Spanish speaking Latin America. In Peru, Colombia and Ecuador the restaurants are known as Chifas. There are also a lot in the Miami area, as you might expect.

The Chinese came to Cuba in the middle of the 19th Century to work on the cane plantations. So they adapted their food to the local ingredients and, after Castro arrived, many fled to the US bringing their own brand of cooking with them. Most of the Manhattan places are long gone (there were many in Chelsea and on the fringes of the garment center) but there are plenty in the Jackson Heights area. Pollo a la Brasa Mario is a local chain with good chicken.

Flor de Mayo, which is a chifa, was once lauded by the NYTimes as best in the area for its rotisserie chicken; I agree with Bachslunch; it was good but I would not make a special trip.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/dining/23rlis.html

You can get this dish, or a facsimile with the same spicing, for takeout at Fairway; I think they call it Latin chicken or something similar.

Thanks, everybody! It is one of those things that like Gray's Papaya is a complete mystery to out of towners until you try it!

There is a Latin chicken chain in and around Miami called Pollo Loco, which I find delicious. Now, if I could have something like their chicken and a couple of spring rolls, I might just think I had died and gone to heaven!

Thanks, everybody! It is one of those things that like Gray's Papaya is a complete mystery to out of towners until you try it!
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The only mystery at Gray's is what is in the franks and what is in the papaya drink. Their fruit drinks have never met a fruit. But that's it charm and that is why I go there.

Gray's is not a gourmet experience - but it is a real New York experience. And anyone who eats a hot dog already knows they are taking their life in their hands.

There is one on 77th street and broadway. It's a popular place and usually crowded on weekends. Don't know if it still there though.