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Ample Cuban Fare at the World Bakery

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The World Bakery’s name is slightly confusing – do they only serve baked goods? Can you sample treats from different continents? But the sign on the restaurant’s door tells a first-time visitor everything they need to know. "Bringing a Taste of Cuba to Naples," reads its inscription, and that is exactly what this restaurant does.

I found out about the World Bakery, located in a small collection of stores at the corner of Pine Ridge Road and Collier Boulevard, from a coworker who raved about its great flavors, big portions and low prices. It seemed the restaurant would be a worthy destination for the $15 and under crew.

Arriving at the restaurant, my friend and I found were greeted by two large deli-style cases, which line two sides of the store and display most of the menu options. An additional sandwich board lists a few other choices. We labored briefly over what to eat, but once the decisions were made our food arrived immediately.

I chose a fish filet with black beans and rice (filete de pescado, arroz y moros - $9.00). The filet was thick and tender with a lightly fried outside. The woman who plated my dish offered me some fresh lime slices, which brought out the flavors of the fish when I squeezed them over it a few minutes later. The rice was a dark, hearty grain that was mixed with the beans, but managed not to be excessively oily. Though I couldn't identify the spices in the rice, its unique flavors made the side stand out as a one of our favorite parts of the meal. Another exceptional part of our lunch was the sweet fried plantains (plátanos fritos) that I ordered on the side. They were exactly what I wanted: soft but not mushy, sweet but not overbearing - the perfect compliment to the savory flavors of the rice and fish.

My friend ordered a pork sandwich (sandwich de puerco $5.89), which reflected its name a little too well. When the sandwich arrived it consisted of only two ingredients: pork and bread. The bread, which was in fact Cuban bread and sort of resembled a very wide, flat baguette, was the highlight of the oversimplified dish. It flaked deliciously in your mouth, but the pork was a little too dry to be served without sauce.

The larger of the two deli-style cases at the World Bakery is filled with tempting, delicious looking desserts, which are a definite must for any visit. Options range from flan to tiramisu to elephant ears.

My friend and I decided to share two sweets: flan ($1.25) and a señorita ($1.50). Flan has always been one of my favorite desserts, and the World Bakery’s version was no exception. Despite being much thicker and less gelatinous than I was expecting, the flan was soft and sweet. Our slice was wonderfully rich and came with a tasty caramel top. Our other dessert, the señorita, was new to both my friend and I. Thin, flaky, phyllo-like dough was layered with caramel and coconut, producing an unusual combination of textures and a delicious blending of flavors.

In addition to sodas, juices and a free cooler of water, the World Bakery offers a Mexican soft drink called Botella (soda de Botella $1.50) in three flavors. My friend had the orange-flavored variety (Mandarin), and I chose the more exotic sounding tamarind. Neither flavor really stood out to me. The orange drink was overpoweringly sweet, as most orange sodas are and the tamarind drink had a softer flavor, but was generally unexceptional.

Curious about the drink and its odd brown coloring, I did a little research after our meal. The tamarind, I learned, is a tropical fruit that's actually part of the legume family. The bean is a brown pod with seeds inside surrounded by a juicy pulp. It is this pulp that is often used in Latin American cooking to add flavor to food and drinks.

With almost half the food remaining on the table, my friend and I were completely full. We packaged our leftovers to take home, and marveled at the low number on the bottom of our bill. Our meal, including drinks, dessert and leftovers, had cost a grand total of $21.88.

Comments

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Oh crap, now everyone is gonna know about this great joint. Way to spill the BEANS!

I love the World Bakery... it's the bomb.

Posted by lackofintellect on July 29, 2007 at 12:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

it is great that u found that place,!u should try (cafe con leche ))in the morning),.its just like my grandmas.back in cuba.

Posted by les on September 7, 2007 at 1:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)



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