Very quick early assessment of Carteles, the tiny, retro Cuban sandwich shop that just opened on East 6th Street: It’s not quite ready for prime time. Give it another couple of weeks. Overheard a loud argument going on between the front-of-house (such as it is) and the kitchen. Took about 30 minutes to get my Cubano Christo, a house spin on the Cubano—a pressed sandwich of roast pork, ham, cheese, and pickles on a crunchy loaf that, in this version, gets dipped in sweetened egg batter and deep-fried. It’s sort of like a classic media noche (a Cubano made with sweeter bread) but battered and fried Monte Cristo-style. Sounds ingenious, but read on.
I’m not usually one to quibble when a sandwich goes heavy on garlic or mustard—I have an unreasonable love for both, and for the Cubano in general—but something about the mustardy aioli in my Cubano Christo gave an off-note to the entire sandwich. And somehow the deep-fried bread, the ham, the roast pork, the Swiss and provolone cheese, and the pickle added up to less than the sum of the parts. Mysteriously, they added up to a muddled-tasting, soppy sandwich. The plaintain chips were deadly boring: dry, flavorless, and in desperate need of hot sauce, which wasn’t there for the taking. On the semi-upside: The counter guys were trying out some chamomile tea for the drinks menu, and having no idea I’m one of those dreaded stealth-bloggers, they poured me a big hot mug of it for free, just for road-testing it. Ok, not quite as cool a buy-back at a bar, but I wasn’t complaining.
I’ll go back to eat through more of the menu. But for now, frankly, I’ll still be getting my quick-service Cubanos at Margon. Spotted Pig if I have time to wait and want a cheffed-up $17 version, and Cafe Habana only in a pinch—but Margon, no question, if I’m anywhere near midtown at lunchtime.
Still, Carteles gets serious style points: vintage comic strips on the walls, a counter that brings to mind a 50s soda shop or a spiffed-up Cuban cafe in Miami, and a sunny blue-and-yellow scheme that obliterates the winter blues.