Dish and Drink KC: The grand opening of El Café Cubano and a solo lunch at T’ÄHÄ

Iced Fanguito from El Café Cubano Mobile Café // Photo by Tiffany Watts

The Grand Opening of El Café Cubano Mobile Café

Sundays are typically the days of the week when I clean, relax, and catch up on Netflix shows. However, this past Sunday, June 2nd, El Café Cubano held its grand opening at Berkley River Front so I spent my Sunday afternoon eagerly waiting in line for an espresso shot with my family. 

The new food truck was a vendor at Art Garden KC, a free outdoor street fair celebrating art in all its forms. As we made our way around the fair to find El Café Cubano, we saw vendor booths offering handcrafted jewelry, homemade seasonings, and an artist painting a butterfly. It was a beautiful sight.

Just minutes later we spotted the bright pink food truck and an eye-catching array of pink, teal, and gold balloons marked the spot. We joined the long line of excited patrons also willing to brave the heat for the El Café Cubano experience.

After 45 minutes of waiting in line and seeing tasty-looking drinks and treats pass us by, we reached the ordering window and decided to snag more than espresso. We ordered a Patria Y Vida ($4) which is a single Cuban espresso shot, an iced Fanguito ($7.25), and a Chicken Empanada ($4.50). 

The Cuban espresso shot was dangerously sweet and delicious, a welcome change of flavor from my usual bitter Americano. Had the line been shorter, I would’ve happily purchased a second.

The iced Fanguito was a popular order and seemed to be the drink of the day. Luckily, it did not disappoint! It was creamy with a subtle coffee taste and extremely refreshing after standing around in the hot sun. The empanada just added to our joy as it was rich and savory, and the meat inside was well-seasoned and tender. 

It was truly touching to see how the city showed up to support this new local business. It was also a delight to see how Racquel Rodriguez, the owner of El Café Cubano, and her team went above and beyond to make their little slice of the riverfront vibrant and welcoming.  Their customer service alone put smiles on customer’s faces! Kudos to El Café Cubano and good luck on your journey.

To find out where El Café Cubano will be next, check out their website or follow along on their social media accounts. 

Tulum Tide at T’ÄHÄ // Photo by Tiffany Watts

Experiencing the new T’ÄHÄ Kansas City

In other exciting news, a new family-owned upscale Mexican restaurant just opened its doors on the Country Club Plaza. After hearing so many raving reviews of T’ÄHÄ from my circle, I took some mid-day me time and popped in for a solo date. 

When I’m dining alone, I typically like to be seated at the bar so that I can easily eat in peace or chat it up with the bartenders or my neighbors. On this Monday mid-day, the bar was empty, so I made friends with the bartender. He suggested a cocktail to start my lunch off right. 

After I shared my sugar and alcohol preferences, he brought me a Tulum Tide ($15). It’s a Mexican rum-based drink mixed with Tepache de Pina, a pineapple beer, plus lime and mint oleo. Immediately impressed, I sipped happily as I browsed the menu for a lunch option that would appease my hunger.

I had the pleasure of meeting more of T’ÄHÄ’s high-spirited bartenders as well as the notable Manny Gomez, the cocktail craftsman who’s building T’ÄHÄ’s already amazing drink menu. I mentioned not seeing mocktails on their drink menu for our sober community and he assured me that when they officially open on June 19th, their expanded menu will have delicious non-alcoholic offerings. Cheers to that!

Minutes later, a server popped out with a basket of oven-baked tostadas and a salsa flight. Honestly, one of my favorite things about Mexican restaurants is the free salsa starter so I was thrilled that although they were offering an elevated experience, they didn’t do away with the free salsa. It held me over while I perused the menu for my main course. 

I decided on the Guacamole ($14) and the Shrimp Tacos ($12). 

Shrimp Tacos at T’ÄHÄ // Photo by Tiffany Watts

The Guacamole came out first and was just as I expected: fresh, creamy, bright, and delicious. I added in a bit more onions and cilantro as the flavors weren’t as intense as I would’ve liked, but the guacamole was a hit all the same. 

Next, I received two tacos filled with beer-battered shrimp, cabbage, pico de gallo, and chipotle sauce. The flavors were well married and was a perfect pairing for my tiki-inspired cocktail. 

Just as I thought I ordered the tastiest thing in the restaurant my new bar neighbors assured me that the Barbacoa Lamb Tacos would make me forget all about my shrimp dish. Tempted to order more, I got a call that required me to end lunch. I guess you could say my stomach was saved by the bell. However, I’m looking forward to another visit after their grand opening to check out the new menu and taste more cocktails and dishes!

T’ÄHÄ Kansas City is at 4814 Roanoke Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64112.