Cuban Comfort Food At Pilar

About:
“The name “Pilar” comes from an icon of both Miami and Cuban history, Ernest Hemingway. Pilar was the name of Hemingway’s boat when he lived and fished in Havana. Pilar is a very common name in Spain and Hemingway used that name for some of the protagonists in some of his novels. His wife actually adopted the name for herself.
The name of the boat for the restaurant is particularly fitting given that she was built in Brooklyn in 1936, a fact we learned after deciding on the name. Shortly after we opened, a book was published, appropriately named, “Hemingway’s Boat: Everything he loves and Lost.” We learned about the book because the editor was a customer of ours. Our food gets its award-winning flavor by combining traditional recipes with locally sourced ingredients. Everything in our kitchen is made from scratch to ensure you get a fresh and colorful dining experience.

Our Cuban Paella, for example, uses imported Spanish Saffron and Spanish paprika (Pimenton), and is served with local Striped Bass and shellfish from the South Shore of Long Island, as well as gulf shrimp and Chicken. It also includes our own house-smoked Spanish chorizo, which is flavored liberally with Pimenton and garlic, and gently smoked for eight hours (chorizo appears in several other dishes as well, such as Garbanzo Frito – sautéed chickpeas). The dough for our Empanadas is made from scratch, we make our own mayonnaise and all our stocks, and roast our own red peppers (a common ingredient across many dishes.)

The food at Pilar is the type of Cuban cuisine one can get at many of Miami’s well-know Cuban restaurants, its many open-air markets, or family kitchens. In other words, we aim to bring the full spectrum of Miami Cuban food to the city.

In addition to the dishes most people are familiar with – Cuban sandwiches, roast pork or (Pernil) and ropa Vieja (shredded skirt stake) – we offer food much less common outside of south Florida: ham and cod croquettes, Tamal en Cazuela – the stew version of the Cuban Tamal, which is made with fresh corn, Boliche, a type of Cuban pot roast stuffed with Spanish chorizo and carrots, and served with a rich, dark gravy, and various Potajes (bean stews typically flavored with a combination of smoked pork, chorizo, and vegetables).

Cuban food typically does not have many vegetarian options, but we’ve included at least one vegetarian item in each food category on the menu. We have vegetarian empandas and croquettes, vegetarian soups and sandwiches (our Pilar grilled cheese, with fried plantains, Vermont Cheddar, served with and espresso mustard sauce on the side), and some vegetarian main dishes, (a vegetarian Paella and Garbanzo frito).

There’s the vegetarian special (white rice and black beans, plantains, and a tomato and avocado salad). In addition, we offer several salads that reflect the ingredients and tastes typical of Cuban cuisine, including our signature salad of field greens, orange segments, butter beans cooked in paprika and garlic, pickled red onions, and Spanish Manchego cheese. Our traditional Spanish omelet or “Tortilla Espanola” is an excellent item for our vegetarian patrons. It’s made of potatoes and onions cooked in extra virgin olive oil.”

Address:
393 Classon Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238

Hours:
Monday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday Closed
Sunday 11:00 am – 6:00 pm

Click here to view the menu!

Image via http://pilarcubaneatery.com/