Alhambra, a City with Pacific and Latin Flavors

The first thing I noticed about Cuban Bistro was that it was a little fancier than I thought it was going to be. There were wine glasses and crisp white tablecloths on the tables. There was even a sign that proclaimed that all gentlemen must be wearing proper attire. I wasn’t sure if they were going to complain about my flip-flops, but they didn’t say anything. They are probably stricter during dinner than during lunch.

Two of us decided to order the house mojitos. There were a whole variety of drinks and types of mojitos. I almost ordered a mango mojito, but wanted to order a regular one. I like the mint and citrus flavors of a regular mojito. I ordered the tostones rellenos, which were shrimp-stuffed plantains. They were excellent. We decided to split a salad. That was also very good. I was pleased after eating just the appetizers, so I was looking forward to the entrée.

My friend ordered one of the pork dishes that I was eying, lechón asado. His friend ordered the lamb dish. I ordered a dish that I have never seen in a Cuban restaurant before, pollo con salsa de guayaba, or chicken with guava sauce. It was marinated and covered in a barbecue sauce that definitely had guava fruit in it. It was fantastic. I tasted morsels from my friend’s dishes as well, and their dishes were great, too. I could only get through about a quarter of my half chicken, so I took the rest home. I actually got two more meals from my dish. Portions are HUGE.

I was disappointed that I was so stuffed that I couldn’t even take in any dessert or coffee. Given how good the rest of the food was, I had no doubt that the desserts would be just as good. Our food came out to be about $80 among the three of us. With tax and tip, it was just over $30 per person. Service was excellent, and the atmosphere was very nice. I’m sure it’s a wonderful place on the weekends. I can imagine Cuban music and dancing. Ahh… this is the place to take someone on a date. Good food, drink, and atmosphere. What more can you ask for?

Nucleus is a graphic-arts store and gallery. You can find all kinds of books on graphic arts in here, especially stuff on Japanese graphic art. We browsed the different kinds of merchandise the store was selling. Lots of comic figures were on T-shirts. It seemed like the store specialized in Japanese anime or something. There were plastic figures in a case that had a Japanese style of a hip-hop urban feel to them. There is also a two-story gallery, so my friends looked at the artwork.

I was looking at the artwork, but I was not as impressed by it as my friends were. I don’t think I get the point of graphic art. Or perhaps it just wasn’t a style that I liked. I did, however, think that some of the work was mislabeled. It appeared that the tags had been switched on two pieces. I was amazed to see that pieces were going for $500, and people were buying them. I wondered if other local graphic artists could submit their work as well. When I got home, I checked to see if there was a submissions page on their website. There was. I told my sister about it so that she could inform her artist friends.

As I continued to look through the gift shop, I saw a journal that I knew my sister would love. It was a Tim Burton Tragic Thoughts Journal with a cartoon character that lit up. When I presented my sister with the journal, she loved it. At least the trip wasn’t for naught. There were several items that were definitely great gifts for those who love graphic arts.