Cocina Cubana

Before Marta Ines Quintana opened Havana Road Cuban Café (8 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Towson 410-494-8222), she had a line of products in stores offering a taste of her native land—from savory mojo to sweet dulce crema. Now, she’s taken another step in sharing her authentic cuisine. She recently introduced refrigerated packaged meals to area Whole Foods Markets. Of the nine microwavable dinners available, including vegetarian options, we sampled two and were pleased with the results. The ropa vieja features shreds of melt-in-your-mouth beef brisket simmered in Cuban salsa accompanied by black beans, rice, and tender baked plantains. The chicken & rice has fat chunks of white meat in sofrito (a traditional herb-olive-oil mixture) with yellow rice and plantains. (Each is $7.99.) Seduced by the intriguing flavors, we are persuaded by Quintana’s comments on the box: “Havana Road Artisanal Foods are made with love, and all from the heart.”