Morro Castle

"Here’s the thing about Morro Castle: the vaca frita is good on its own, but it has the potential to be excellent if you know what side to order. And that side is yuca in mojo. You’re going to take your vaca frita, dip it in the mojo sauce, and enjoy it with a piece of boiled yuca in one bite. Once you’ve tasted that combination, you won’t be able to eat their vaca frita without ordering a side of yuca ever again—and you may have to forever resist the urge to tackle anyone who does." - virginia otazo

"There are tons of great Cuban restaurants in Hialeah, and this is one of them. Morro Castle is known for their fritas and churros, which are good, but we really love their vaca frita and elena ruz. You just have to know how to order here, because your choice of side makes all the difference. Order the vaca frita with yuca and mojo. Then dip that fried flank steak in the mojo sauce and enjoy it with a piece of yuca in one bite. And if you order the elena ruz, ask for it with ham instead of turkey. Is it still technically an elena ruz? We bet its namesake (a fan of making up sandwiches) would say so." - mariana trabanino, virginia otazo, ryan pfeffer

"Inspired by Elena Ruz (the person), we like to customize Morro Castle’s elena ruz (the sandwich) and make up our own rules. So we substitute the turkey for ham. Let the purists judge, but sometimes turkey is kind of boring, and flavorless. Ham has a saltier, smoky flavor that balances out the tangy cream cheese and sweet jam—and Morro Castle thankfully lets us put our theory to the test. Our hope is to keep ordering it this way until they decide to name it after us. " - virginia otazo, mariana trabanino

"There are tons of great Cuban restaurants in Hialeah, and this is one of them. Morro castle is known for their fritas and churros, which are good, but we really love their vaca frita and elena ruz. You just have to know how to order here, because your choice of side makes all the difference. Order the vaca frita with yuca and mojo. Then dip that fried flank steak in the mojo sauce and enjoy it with a piece of yuca in one bite. And if you order the elena ruz, ask for it with ham instead of turkey. Is it still technically an elena ruz? We bet its namesake (a fan of making up sandwiches) would say so. Plus, the ham is saltier than turkey, which goes great with sweet medianoche bread and strawberry jam. " - virginia otazo

"There are tons of great Cuban restaurants in Hialeah, and this is one of them. Morro castle is known for their fritas and churros, which are good, but we really love their vaca frita and elena ruz. You just have to know how to order here, because your choice of side makes all the difference. Order the vaca frita with yuca and mojo. Then dip that fried flank steak in the mojo sauce and enjoy it with a piece of yuca in one bite. And if you order the elena ruz, ask for it with ham instead of turkey. Is it still technically an elena ruz? We bet its namesake (a fan of making up sandwiches) would say so. Plus, the ham is saltier than turkey, which goes great with sweet medianoche bread and strawberry jam." - yuliet llanes