In 2012, a minor controversy started between Miami and Tampa regarding the origins of the sandwich. Tampa’s City Council voted unanimously to name its authentic Cuban as the Tampa sandwich. “There’s no question of who came first. Tampa was serving Cuban sandwiches when Miami was still a rag-tag village of a couple hundred people. But a great sandwich is a great sandwich no matter where it’s made,” says Mount. Gonzmart also says it is no contest. “If you doubt that, have Miami’s 100-year-old continuously operating restaurant call us. They don’t have one,” he adds. One time Gonzmart asked his grandfather why the sandwich was a mixto, and not a Cuban. “In Cuba, all sandwiches are Cuban sandwiches,’’ he laughed. Some time ago a waiter grumbled about customers who ordered Cuban sandwiches for dinner because he worried about his tip. Those gentlemen wound up buying bottles of Dom Perignon to complete their sandwich dinner. That waiter learned a valuable lesson: don’t judge your guests by their clothes or their menu choices. When a “CBS Sunday Morning” television reporter interviewed Gonzmart for a segment on the sandwich the reporter’s first question was “so, what’s the big deal, it’s just a sandwich?” “Well, I got a little excited. I might have waved my arms a little. “It’s not JUST a sandwich,” he exclaimed. Right on the way to the Tampa airport for one last Cuban sandwich is a hot spot for the Numero Uno of sandwiches, The Floridian. The sandwiches are pressed to crispy yet soft perfection. “It is definitely our most popular sandwich and we probably sell close to 1,000 sandwiches a week, and that is without the catering,” says Teri Oleson, general manager. She plans on 1,200 or larger numbers during Gasparilla and other holiday events. Slightly different, theirs have a mixture of mustard with mayonnaise, cooked ham, smoked ham, mojo pork, salami, Swiss cheese, and dill pickle chips. Some “old timers” like them without the mayo as that is the “traditional way,” she agrees. The 7-inch sandwich sells for $5.49 and 10-inch is $7.99. The south Tampa eatery, here 7 years, has won a number of newspaper awards and placed first in the non-traditional category of the 2015 National Cuban Sandwich Festival. Cuban sandwiches don’t just nourish the body and mind; they are half meat and half mystique. SATISFY YOUR TASTE BUDS Columbia Restaurant 2117 E 7th Ave (and other locations), Tampa 813-248-4961 ColumbiaRestaurant.com The Floridian 4534 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa 813-287-6662 TampasBestCuban.com Wrights Gourmet House 1200 S. Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa 813-253-3838 WrightsGourmet.com “If a working man wants a Cuban sandwich and a glass of Tropical Ale, he enters Columbia’s corner door” Above: Jeff Mount, Wright’s Gourmet House owner, holds up a Cuban Sandwich with the help of store manager Tammy Lambert. Photo by Mary Scourtes Greacen. Columbia Restaurant Cuban Floridian Cuban MARCH/APRIL 2017 localsDISH 31
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