NYC Restaurants

dRicardo Barreras, chef/ owner of Pilar Cuban Eatery in Bed-Stuy, has opened a Cuban bakery serving savory and sweet Cuban treats. They include pastelitos, or pastries, filled with everything from ham and cheese to guava and cream cheese. Croquettes, tamales and empanadas (stuffed with cod or chorizo) are also on the menu. There's a traditional Cuban Sandwich with smoked bone-in ham and mojo-marinated slow cooked pork on a Cuban baguette baked in house. Sweets, at Pilar Cuban Bakery, include almond chocolate cake and key lime pie. Batidos, or Cuban milkshakes, are also available.

- Thomas Rafael