Havana on the Levee: New restaurant brings Cuban flair to NKY
Amador is a fun, crowd-pleasing restaurant that serves approachable Cuban American-style fare that is very solid and very good. The tostones are fried to a golden brown, perfectly salted and served with a bright cilantro sauce. The cigar-shaped croquettes, stuffed with applewood-smoked ham, are gooey and smoky enough that you'll likely finish them off and want some more. The lechon asado (roasted pork) in garlic-citrus mojo sauce is both tangy and tender.
The restaurant opened in early May at Newport on the Levee inside a cavernous space most recently occupied by Claddagh Irish Pub, which poured its pints here for about 15 years.
Note that I used the word approachable above. By that, I mean that most of the dishes at Amador are slightly Americanized riffs on authentic Cuban – as well as Puerto Rican and Dominican – cuisine. For instance, in South Florida, the lechon asado I mentioned is usually served as a humble hunk of tender roasted pork. At Amador, it is technicolored with bright red bell peppers and served in an earthy black bowl. Cuba’s national dish, ropa vieja, which translates to “old clothes,” is dressed to the nines with toppings of sweet plantains and chimichurri. In short, despite its humble origins, Amador's versions of Cuban food are Instagrammable as hell.
What's also approachable about Amador is the type of restaurant it is: casual fine dining. That's one of my favorite categories as it usually denotes comfort, reliability and at least a mild dose of sophistication. While Amador also falls under the category of a Cuban-theme restaurant, it takes that theme seriously, respecting the food and the culture it's representing without resorting to Disneyfication.
That said, the island vibe is strong here – the dining room awash in a palate of weathered, Crockett-and-Tubbs-era island pinks, sea-foam greens and enough indoor flora to raise your serotonin to vacation levels. An outdoor seating area – where, on the night I visited, diners watched the sunset while sipping Cuba Libres and Old Havanas – is particularly relaxing. One person I talked to recently hit the nail on the head by describing Amador like this, “You get a feel that you're in a downtown Tampa office building.” And he meant that in the best way possible.
A milkman goes Miami
Amador marks an entirely new direction for Nick Pesola, who started his fledgling Pesola Hospitality Group selling roasted chicken sandwiches at a Findlay Market stand before opening two brick-and-mortar locations of Revolution Rotisserie, in Pleasant Ridge and Over-the-Rhine. That latter location was reincarnated as a burger and shake joint called Milkman last year.
Pesola says his love affair with Cuban cuisine began with his frequent visits to Tampa and Miami, where he would spend his days checking out family-owned Cuban restaurants with friends, and his nights frequenting clubs featuring live music and dancing. As much as he wanted to recreate something similar back home, he doubted that a Cuban spot could work in Greater Cincinnati. It was only when he visited La Bodequita de Mima, a 250-seat Cuban restaurant in Louisville, that he decided it very well could.
“They had this incredible modern interpretation of Cuban cuisine, with live music on multiple floors and hour-and-a-half waits,” Pesola said. “And this was Louisville. I think Cincinnati is cooler than Louisville, no offense.”
No offense taken at all. Like La Bodequita, Amador will soon offer live music and dancing as well. It should make for a fun addition to Newport on the Levee. And by the time Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Resort opens next door in 2025, Newport might be the go-to spot for Cincinnatians to visit our own little Cuba or Key West with just a short little journey beyond the Purple People Bridge.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Amador restaurant brings Cuban-style flair to Northern Kentucky
