Glenn: ...yes, it was a big factor! In any case, the La Teresita restaurant caught my eye. I was soon sitting at the counter, surrounded by the sounds of Cuban conversation and enjoying my first Cuban restaurant meal. Here I had my first taste of real Cuban bread, lightly toasted and smeared with butter, and I ate my way through several platefuls. As it happens, I did get the blue plate special of the day, lechón asado with a huge serving of rice, creamy frijoles negros, and the sweetest plátanos maduros I have ever had.

Jorge: You never had any before!

Glenn: That's because we only made tostones at Jorge's house in Iowa. In any case, I had a great meal and I brought plenty of leftovers back to the beach house. Well, just as you always remember the first girl you ever kissed, I have never forgotten that first great Cuban meal I had at La Terisita.

Raúl: And look at you now! The result of many, many, many Cuban meals!

Glenn: Yes, my brief love affair with La Terisita was just one starting point of my life-long love affair with Cuban food and culture.

Jorge: The restaurant has changed a lot since you were there 20 years ago!

Glenn: I almost didn't recognize it. The restaurant is now a complex that covers an entire block.

Jorge: They still have the same great food and great prices.

Glenn: Yes, the lunch counter is still there, but now if you want to go a little upscale, you can eat at Capdevila's at La Teresita, a more formal restaurant than the one I remember. They still turn out some great chicken and yellow rice and one of the most tender palomilla steaksI've ever had.

Raúl: The fish is great too. They have one stuffed with camarones that is muy delicioso! I also like the garlic shrimp.

Jorge: They have one of my favorites, a plate-covering Milanesa filet that is rich with Italian spiced sauce. Everything comes with your choice of two sides and toasted Cuban bread. You'll have plenty of food to take home.

Glenn: Jorge's cousin told us that La Terisita provides the food for hundreds of Noche Buena parties each year.

Jorge: With so many locals counting on them for this important feast, you know the food is great.

Glenn: If you are staying at the beach in Tampa-St. Pete, get off the beach and experience some Cuban culture and some GREAT Cuban food!

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