YUCA Awards

YUCA Restaurant Review:

Yuca stands for Young Upwardly mobile Cuban Americans, which describes the scene here better than we can. The dining experience was first-rate before the restaurant deserted its original location in refined Coral Gables for touristy South Beach. The upscale Cuban food is still appealing enough, however, to make this place a better-than-average choice for those who want to eat on the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall. Yucca stuffed with truffle oil-spiked wild mushroom picadillo (served with sautéed spinach plus two veggie salads) is a welcome innovation for vegetarians and, for carnivores, guava-glazed barbecued baby-back ribs, served with mojo-drenched crispy yucca fries and chayote slaw, are otherworldly. Tourists convene at YUCA year-round to glimpse Sobe’s glitzy version of Cuban culture, and the place is also a hub for the mushrooming Latin music industry’s movers-and-shakers, as well as a hotbed of racy Latin celebrities.