A good lunch on Wednesday 22nd April 2015

This  morning my friend and former colleague, Fred Emrich and I  enjoyed lunch  at the Columbia Restaurant on St. Armand's Circle,  Sarasota, FL.

The "Columbia", founded in Ybor City, Tampa FL  has a great history, see:

http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/fl_oldestrest.asp

I have twice been to the Ybor City restaurant  (it  takes up a whole City block)  and is gorgeous.

See this:

http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/gallery_ybor.asp

How wonderful that it has not been "improved"

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Fred and I enjoy each others' company.  His wife Diana  (who is blessed to be English!), stayed at home so that the guys could natter.


Fred and I each ordered the same lunch: a half Cuban sandwich, and a cup of  Gazpacho:
 
The menu describes them thus: 

Gazpacho Andalucia Spain’s famous cold soup of puree of ripe tomatoes, green peppers, onions, cucumbers and garlic. Topped tableside with finely diced vegetables and toasted Cuban croutons.

The Original Cuban Sandwich A Tampa treasure! The “Mixto,” as it was known in the beginning, was created in the 1890’s for the cigar workers as they walked to and from work. The sandwiches underwent changes as immigrants from different countries came to Ybor City. The City of Tampa was like the sandwich, a mixture of cultures and food. The Spanish brought the fine ham, the Sicilians the Genoa salami, the Cubans the mojo-marinated roast pork, the Germans and Jews the Swiss cheese, pickle and mustard. Put it all together between sliced, freshly baked Tampa Cuban bread from La Segunda Central Bakery and life is great. Today we are using the original 1915 recipe of Casimiro Hernandez, Sr., with the same proportions of meat and each ingredient layed on top of one another, placed on Cuban bread brushed with butter on top and pressed to a crispy finish.

Food fit for the gods, and for two old fart priests

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