El Cocinero

Climbing the stairs of an old smoke stack we arrived at a beautiful dining room with a patio.  The sophistication and quality of the food was unlike anything we experienced. The lettuce in my salad was sweet, and unexpectedly sprinkled with almonds and chunks of dried figs.  The dressing was creamy and well seasoned.  My entree, lobster, common on menus, was beautifully plated, and the tail was juicy, unlike the overcooked, and salty lobsters I had on the trip.  EM's food was equally inspired and delicious.  Piped in jazz music, and a full dining room added to the ambiance. After dinner, our curiosity beckoned us to climb the spiral staircase where we found a rocking outdoor patio. At 11pm on a Thursday, the space was packed with a sleek, cosmopolitan crowd.  This was a Cuba we had not experienced; it was an echo from the past and a glimpse into the future.  We ordered drinks, and sat at a table next to two Spanish businessmen who travel to Habana monthly selling paper products from a mill outside Barcelona.  They discreetly paid our tab and invited us to an after hours bar, Tocororo, in Miramar.  A favorite haunt of businessmen and women looking to meet them, the atmosphere was dark andclubby.  Cigar smoke filled the air, and a musician sang.  Dancing spontaneously occurred in pockets around the room.  Our penultimate night in Habana made me wonder how many other venues like El Cocinero existed, or if it was an anomaly.