Restaurateur offers the flavors of Cuba

LINDON — In a state overflowing with Chinese, Mexican and Italian restaurant choices, Samuel De La Cruz is offering Utah County a taste of the Cuban cuisine.

A native of the Dominican Republic and former resident of Key West, De La Cruz just opened El Siboney Cuban Restaurant in Lindon — the only Cuban restaurant in Utah County and a mirror image of the popular eatery his brother, Julio, runs in Key West, Fla.

"Nobody goes to Key West without going to that restaurant," De La Cruz said with a smile. The exact replica at 135 S. State in Lindon offers nearly 40 different Cuban specials with beef, chicken, pork and seafood, plus sandwiches, salads and desserts.

De La Cruz came to Utah about 13 years ago to visit a friend and work and fell in love with the state that actually had different seasons, unlike Florida. So, he stuck around and has been working with food ever since.

"I'm a cooker since I was born, I think," he says with a laugh.

It's a bit different cooking in Utah though, he adds. Food costs are higher, and it's a lot more difficult to get fresh seafood and produce here than in tropical Key West.

Plus, in Key West, everyone already understands Cuban food and loves it. Here's, it's a matter of educating palates.

El Siboney — the name of the American Indians who inhabited Florida and the Caribbean Islands before Christopher Columbus arrived — opened three weeks ago, and it's already been swamped by customers with an average of 100 people each dinner, De La Cruz said. He's also hoping to open a restaurant in Orlando, and possibly Salt Lake City.

"It's wonderful that in Utah County we have the dining options that we do," said Joel Racker, president and CEO of the Utah Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau. "I'm thrilled that we're getting this Cuban restaurant. It will complement what we have in the valley."

De La Cruz is happy with the response thus far.

"There are very good reactions," De La Cruz said. "People like it. I've seen people three, four times already. Repeat customers are a good thing."

Mike Clark's already been twice, having seen the store under construction.

"I've been waiting for it to open forever," he said. Clark spent some time in Miami and developed a love of Cuban food.

"For me, it's the flavor of the meat," he said. This lunch visit he had the steak sandwich — thin cuts of seasoned beef with lettuce, onion and tomato on Cuban bread, grilled like a panini.

De La Cruz has also realized he's catering to an LDS population who served missions in areas where Cuban food was popular, like Florida or Key West.