I like to stay traditional with my jibarito, and Cafe Central makes a steak version that’s as classic as it gets. It’s a mom-and-pop spot, in business since 1952, where teapot-print drapes hang in the window and mosaics made of multicolored beans adorn the walls. Older Puerto Rican couples slurp pigeon-pea soup in the front booths, while extended families gab over platters of rotisserie chicken and yellow rice at the tables in back.
Regarding the jibarito: It arrives by its lonesome on a white plate. There are jibaritos in this world piled so high your jaw unhinges to take a bite, and jibaritos so greasy a river runs down your hand, and jibaritos so garlicky you can’t speak to anyone for three days after eating. Cafe Central’s sandwich is none of those things. Compact and subtle in sauces, it’s easy to devour.
Each bite crunches through the plantain and into melted American cheese, two thin slices of steak, and cool tomato and lettuce. The meat is tender and juicy, the ingredients balanced so they don’t slop all over the place. Other cities have discovered the allure, but the jibarito remains best munched here, in a humble hometown restaurante.
