A warm embrace

Silver Spring restaurant Cubano’s brings its tasty Cuban food and flair to Bethesda

A seafood and rice casserole is served with a slice of country bread. Photo by Deb Lindsey

Cubano’s Authentic Cuban Cuisine and Beyond

4907 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, 301-347-7952, cubanosrestaurant.com

Overall Rating: B+

FAVORITE DISHES: Cuba pina colada; plantain chips with garlic oil; fried calamari and shrimp; Spanish tortilla; seafood and rice casserole; sea bass with garlic butter; flan with berries

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The sea bass Varadero entree includes two fillets in a sauce of butter, lemon, garlic and capers served alongside crispy plantain patties and sauteed spinach. Photo by Deb Lindsey

PRICES: Appetizers: $8 to $17; Entrees: $16 to $32; Desserts: $8 to $10

LIBATIONS: Cubano’s has a collection of 12 mostly rum-based craft cocktails ($8 to $14), plus 18 top-shelf rums to sip, such as El Dorado 15 year from Guyana ($24), Flor de Caña 18 year from Nicaragua and Haitian Barbancourt 5 year ($14). There are five white wines by the bottle ($35 to $65), 10 reds ($36 to $70) and seven wines by the glass ($8 to $9), mostly Spanish and Argentinian.

SERVICE: The friendly servers use small computers to take your order, place it and perform the credit card transaction right at your table, which is very efficient.

David Hagedorn is the restaurant critic for Bethesda Magazine.