Cuba through Hollywood’s lens

Ibrahim Ferrer of the Buena Vista Social Club just released a new album, and as I listened to his tender, age-roughened voice, it reminded me how much the group had to do with America rediscovering Cuba -- warts and all. The sentiment is bittersweet, tinged with nostalgia for pre-Castro Cuba and the days when Hemingway haunted the Floridita in Havana.

Now embroidered guayabera shirts, big vintage automobiles in jellybean colors and sugary mojitos are part of the vocabulary of L.A. hip, along with those deliciously messy sandwiches called medianoche. So it’s not surprising that two young South African entrepreneurs with a successful club background came up with the idea of a Cuban boite in the heart of Hollywood, right next door to their sizzling club, Nacional.

Paladar Bistro Cubano, though named for the paladars, or home restaurants, in Cuba, is more city chic than homey, a Modernist spin on the idea of Cuba complete with red star stenciled on the front window. You won’t hear the voice of Ferrer soar over the bleat of the trumpets and pulse of the drum. The soundtrack here is more techno-driven. And the Cuban theme is simply an exotic backdrop for the social rites of a young Hollywood crowd.

A parade of mojitos, tradicional or especial (one has bruised mint, the other, not), along with Paladar’s signature mojitos infused with key lime, pineapple, coconut or banana, issue from the tiny bar at the back of the shadowy room. The bartender also stirs up rum with various fruit juices, and makes a mean caipirinha, the lethal Brazilian mix of lime, mint and cachaca, a fiery white spirit.

The wine list suffers in comparison. A perfunctory list of a dozen bottlings, it includes wines from Argentina, Chile and Spain, even South Africa, most of which come in under $30. Anybody intent on showing off can order a bottle of Roederer Cristal for $380 though. Service is friendly but scattered, and the runners hardly ever seem to get straight which plate goes where.

Latin sophistication

Paladar’s menu is Cuban fare reinterpreted by a chef well versed in contemporary restaurant idiom. It’s nothing like the simple food served at paladars. In fact, it’s probably much better. The chef, Joe Herreros, is Chilean but grew up in New York City and trained at the French Culinary Institute. His is a sophisticated take on Cuban cuisine with a few dishes from other Latin cuisines thrown in for good measure. His cooking is vibrant and delicious, and quite a bit lighter than traditional Cuban cuisine. It’s also very affordable: All the entrees are less than $20, and half of those are $15 and below.

Paladar’s design features a room within a room framed in see-through geometric ironwork screens. Giant unfurled tobacco leaves are lacquered in cascades along one long wall. They’re used to cover lampshades too, casting the room in the amber light of a sepia photograph. The only reference to old Cuba are a few arty photos on the wall. One depicts a bulbous turquoise car, another an image of Che Guevara.

The best strategy at Paladar is to order a lot of appetizers to share. They’re all pretty good. Among the best, though, is the rock shrimp sofrito. That’s rosy little rock shrimp sauteed just till they change from translucent to opaque, served in a smart garlic and wine sauce with a plantain cake. A dead-ripe avocado is finely sliced, fanned out on the plate and topped with red onions and tiny pear-shaped tomatoes, and a punchy whole-grain mustard dressing runs circles around the plate. Sometimes Herreros makes empanadas filled with a nicely seasoned picadillo (usually ground beef) in a tender half-moon crust. A recent creation with a filling of mushrooms and brie is more doubtful.

If you like octopus, try Herreros’ slightly charred cephalopod served with a meaty cranberry bean and roasted squash salsa spiked with plenty of cilantro. He’s taken the tropical salad idiom and done some interesting things with it. Crisp, marinated hearts of palm gain interest when they’re combined with baby artichokes, garbanzos and designer greens in a “seville” -- read orange -- dressing. Another winning combination is his perky watercress salad with sliced yellow beets, shaved fennel and tomato drizzled with a coconut dressing that’s restrained in its sweetness.

The great thing at Paladar is that you can have a classic Cuban sandwich of ham, shredded pork and melted Swiss cheese on a buttered bun with sweet pickles for $10 ($8 at lunch). And that’s with fries. Great fries -- hot and crisp, with a slow burn of spice. This may be the best $10 entree in town.

But there’s more

If I had to name one or two other entrees to order, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the grilled marinated skirt steak, a piece of meat for steak lovers who go for flavor over tenderness every time. This is one delicious piece of meat that tastes even better with a little chimichurri sauce. Herreros’ is a bit unconventional: It has cilantro in addition to parsley and also some diced papaya. Rabo encendido is completely satisfying too, a hearty dish of oxtails braised in red wine and served with a mess of vegetables. Grilled pork chop, though, tends to be dry. And I’ve had better ropa vieja at much less ambitious Cuban dives. Maybe it’s just not a recipe you can improve or elevate.

Bouillabaisse and cioppino fans should check out his congrio, a Caribbean seafood stew in a savory broth full of mussels, clams, shrimp and sea bass with some potato. Sides like sweet fried plantains or the spiced tostones (fried smashed green plantains) are irresistible, especially if they’re accompanied by a mojito or cerveza.

By the time you finish, you may not have room for dessert, which is a good thing, at least right now. Dulce de leche ice cream may be the best choice. It’s very sweet, but seductive in its way. A gluey tres leches rice pudding is less than stellar and coconut rum creme brulee won’t win many fans either.

As the evening wears on, the noise level cranks louder, fueled no doubt by mojitos and Havana sidecars. So be warned. This place pulses with life, and with food this good and this inexpensive, small wonder. With Paladar, Herreros and his partners, Alan Nathan and Anton Posniak, have created a new genre, a smart, contemporary Cuban bistro.

*

Paladar Bistro Cubano

Rating: **

Location: 1651 Wilcox Ave., Hollywood; (323) 465-7500.

Ambience: Chic Cuban boite with one wall lacquered in tobacco leaves and an inner room framed by a geometric ironwork grill. Next door is the club Nacional. Lively and fun, and incredibly loud.

Service: Friendly but scattered.

Price: Dinner appetizers, $7 to $14; sandwiches, $10 to $12; main courses $13 to $19. Lunch is slightly less.

Best dishes: Empanadas, rock shrimp sofrito, grilled octopus, marinated hearts of palm, ham and shredded pork sandwich, skirt steak, braised oxtail, spicy frites.

Wine list: Small list of bottles from Argentina, Chile, Spain and other wine regions. Great cocktail list, however. Corkage: $20.

Best table: A corner table inside the see-through ironwork walls that create an inner room.

Details: Open Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight; Saturday, 5 p.m. to midnight; and Sunday, 5 to 11 p.m. Full bar. Lot parking next door. Valet on the weekends.

Rating is based on food, service and ambience, with price taken into account in relation to quality. ****: Outstanding on every level. ***: Excellent. **: Very good. *: Good. No star: Poor to satisfactory.