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Don"t be fooled by the fancy digs. The dark Spanish ceramic floors are shiny and the huge paintings of pre-Castro tropics look great on the exposed-brick walls. But this is pretty much a Cuban lunch counter dressed in its Sunday best: From the ropa vieja and the smoky red beans to the never-changing daily specials listed in both Spanish and English, the only distinction is that here you actually have a little room to stretch out and relax. Trust the specials--Thursday"s is vaca frita, which is not "fried cow" (as your high-school Spanish might suggest), but rather tender chunks of beef marinated in citrus sauce. And don"t miss the coconut flan, which could convert even the most dedicated custard-haters.

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