Long time lurker..the new posts in this thread prompted me to register and post.

I went to 90 Miles on Saturday. They said the Hungry Hound was recently there. Not sure when the segment will air.

There's a new one slated to open soon at Armitage and Rockwell. Looks like its got a nice little patio on which to sip a cortadito.

The new location is now but have not eaten there yet. Looked like it was open when I rode my bike past the other day and their website confirms it.

2540 W. Armitage
Chicago, IL 60618
773-227-2822

Definitely open - with the same menu as the Clybourne location. I went for lunch today. They were doing a brisk business.

I ordered 'the usual' for me and the dude: cubano and bistec sandwiches along with tostones and croquettes. To go. I sat at the bar and watched the kitchen at work. ALOT of people in a small area and a bit chaotic.

In addition to the 6 or so barstools, there are a dozen 4-tops. Everyone orders at the counter and if you are eating in, take a number for table delivery. Similar decor - wallpaper of Cuban newspapers and photos of Cuban celebrities.

The food tasted the same as that from Clybourne. A couple of misteps that I'll chalk up to opening week: The Dude's bistec had the creole sauce - huh? And the garlic sauce was served on the tostones rather than on the side. This may be because they served my order as for table side eating and then they had to wrap it to go.

It is great that the new Armitage/Stave location is so close - I won't have to navigate the dreaded Target/Costco traffic to get my Cuban fix on.

90 mile, the new one on armitqge is closed today, sunday, for restocking. i found out the hard way by walking over for lunch. they claim they will be open 7 days a week, just not yet. justjoan

I got take out from the new location at Armitage and Stave on Friday night. They definitely seem to be working out a few kinks in getting everything to run smoothly. When I called my order in they said it would be ready in 20 minutes, it wasn't ready when I got there and I ended up spending about 40 minutes waiting for it. On the plus side, the staff was very friendly and apologetic, kept checking in with me and gave me free drinks while I waited. I was watching the kitchen the entire time and nothing seemed chaotic or out of control - they were just slammed with orders.

The most important thing to me was that the food was great - we got the Ropa Vieja and Frita Cubana sandwiches, and side orders of croquettes, plantain chips, and beef empanadas. All were great. After waiting for so long I was afraid half the order would be cold, or the order would be rushed and screwed up, but everything was close to perfect.

We're going to avoid it on Fridays and Saturdays, until they've had some time to get everything running smoothly, but we'll definitely be going back again.

They don't list a closing time for the new location on their website, but on Friday the closing time was 9. They were turning a lot of people away.

We went to the Armitage location on Thursday (effectively a Friday due to the holiday) and enjoyed our meal. We suggested they have a sign saying "Order at the counter" since with all the seats, and people bringing water around, it wasn't really clear what you were supposed to do. The food was good, the service fine, the hosts (owners) quite lovely. They did seem to have trouble finding the takeout people to match with the right order, and also which orders were outside and which were inside - we'd see someone wander around with an order looking lost, then wander outside with the food slowly cooling....

It was pretty crowded, but at 8, 8:30 people were able to get seats with no trouble, and there were plenty of bar seats for takeout customers.

We didn't get out to the patio, we are looking forward to eating out there! I agree that the ropa was stringy, though tasty, next time I think I'll stick with a Cubano or Steak Sandwich. I'm not a big fan of steak as prepared at any Cuban place - if eaten as steak. It seems very wet, I like a char on my steaks. But as sandwich filler it's just fine for me.

This place is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Stopped by yesterday for an order of Ropa Vieja and goat cheese empanada. The food was really tasty and the vibe was top notch. Great little patio with excellent energy from both staff and customers. Everyone around us was chatting with the tables next to them, sharing food and having a great time. The owner and staff mingled amongst the tables and were most welcoming and helpful. I think this is an excellent use of the former Calvin's space. As much as I wanted to like that place, they never seemed to pull it off. In just 3 weeks, this place has really developed into a fun little destination. They still need to work on their groove a tad. With the amount of people they have working there, having a waitstaff would make things flow a lot smoother and would enable them to actually sell more food. I dig the BYOB factor. We'll definitely be back to dig in a bit deeper to the menu.

Just FYI - they may still not be open at the Armitage location on Sundays - they certainly aren't open at the 9 am time their website indicates

They're closed on Sundays still, though the Web site says "Call."

my lunch today on the attractive patio also belongs in the thread, 'worst thing i've eaten lately'. i had the lechon sandwich and a side of delicious maduros(fried plantain). the sandwich was whitish pork with the texture of canned tuna, and no flavor. there were sweet maduros on the sandwich which completely buried any flavor the pork and sauteed onions might have had. the housemade hot sauce (kept on ice, for some reason) contained a little heat, but absolutely no flavor. what a disappointing meal. my friend's tamal. (pork) was acceptable-very different from a mexican tamal. it was softer, moister, with quite a bit of cumin in it. the patio was pretty full. but i doubt if i'll be back. i cant understand offering such a miserable sandwich. justjoan

well...as a follow up to my disappointing lunch at 90 mile, i went back today with my nephew, an enormous eater of 15 years of age. the maduros were excellent, again. the tamal didnt appeal to me, but it turns out, when talking to one of the owners after my meal, that there should have been garlic sauce to put on it, which would have boosted the flavor. the cubano sandwich is an excellent version; the passionfruit liquado was perfect-not too sweet; the goat cheese/creole sauce empanada had the flakiest and most dellcious crust i've ever had on an empanada. all in all, as long as i stay away from the lechon sandwich, a very satisfying place. the staff was as friendly as could be. i will be back. justjoan

in spite of what their website says... the second location on armitage is currently open 10-10, monday thru saturday. i was hoping for a breakfast shake today, no luck. and no sundays, yet. justjoan

The strawberry, banana and trigo combination shake is good.

been there a few times for cuban and steak sandwiches, both good. less hectic and better food than the busier place down on wabansia and milwaukee imo.

The sandwiches are fantastic, but the sides are awesome. Croquetas were perfectly cooked with a fantastic dipping sauce and the Empanadas have a gorgeous flaky crust well paired with a nice chimichurri sauce - nothing like the pizza puff imposters elsewhere.

i just received an email from 90 mile cafe letting me know that they've updated their website with new sunday hours starting september 13. this is for the armitage and stave location. good news for its many fans (including me). sunday will be 9 am -6pm. justjoan


http://www.90milescubancafe.com/

Pretty cool that even in sub-freezing weather, 90 Miles on Milwaukee had set up a live charcoal grill outside in the parking lot yesterday, and had indirect-cooked the lechon asado low and slow all day in the cold. We arrived about 20 minutes before it was ready to be pulled off, so we got to partake in the social gathering of cooks, owners and regulars who had gathered around the hot coals in anticipation, occasionally sneaking inside for a warm-up chug of byob beer. The piggy was as juicy and delicious as the gathering was fun.

The Armitage location has the patio still open. They have it completely covered by a tent, and have big heaters going. It's really pleasant, and the holiday decorations are pretty.

Kenny, considering Cuban isn't even a top-15 cuisine for you, that's high praise indeed.

leek wrote:The Armitage location has the patio still open. They have it completely covered by a tent, and have big heaters going. It's really pleasant, and the holiday decorations are pretty.

yeah, thats where we sat. I guess I meant Armitage, not Milwaukee.

JeffB wrote:Kenny, considering Cuban isn't even a top-15 cuisine for you, that's high praise indeed.

indeed. Jennifer Aniston might not make my Top 15 either, but I bet I could still enjoy an evening with her.

90 Miles' original location is walkable from my house but in one of those weird locations (the nowhere of Clybourn before it vanishes under the Western overpass) that I always forget about.

I did manage to remember it existed, yesterday, and swung by there after a morning shoot for Sky Full of Bacon. On that cold gray day, it was wonderful. I don't know from authentic Cuban, much, but the lechon sandwich with onions and plantains was gooey, hot, savory-porky wonderful. I also had a cup of the special soup, which they called grouper soup. Was it really grouper? Who knows, it did have chunks of firm white fish in it, but the main thing was that it was a hot, briny broth that was just exactly what I needed at that moment. Okay, so you'd get the same thing, basically, as a freebie at a south side mariscos joint like El Abuelo y Yo, but given the location, I had no problem paying a few bucks for it.

Hello all. I have not been to this place and my question is to those that have - which location do you think has the best food. Armitage St. or Clybourn St. ?

NOW, WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE THING THAT YOU ATE THERE? Recommendations please.

Thanks

This may not be helpful, but I haven't had anything I didn't like. It really depends on what you are in the mood for. I've only been to the Armitage location, because I can walk there from home but seriously, it's all good.

the armitage location has 2 terrific patios. the western one is completely covered, and the eastern one has quite a bit of shade from large umbrellas. i love this; can't stand big star type open spaces. the food is fine, i really like the messy ropa vieja sandwich. justjoan

Thanks for your replies

A bit of a late reply, but the other night I had one of the dinners that I guess are sort of "house specialties" - it was a roasted pork but not the lechon. It's marinated/infused with guyabana and roasted whole, so you potentially get more different parts than just shoulder. That was truly amazing and very delicious. Slightly sweet, and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to order anything else.

justjoan wrote:the armitage location has 2 terrific patios. the western one is completely covered, and the eastern one has quite a bit of shade from large umbrellas. i love this; can't stand big star type open spaces. the food is fine, i really like the messy ropa vieja sandwich. justjoan

The Ropa Vieja sandwich is my favorite too. I also always order the friend plantain chips. The come with a garlic sauce that is both lethal and addictive!

leek wrote: roasted pork but not the lechon. It's marinated/infused with guyabana and roasted whole

Not for nothing, but lechon literally refers to a suckling pig so it can properly refer to the whole animal, though the word is fairly generic and can refer to just a shoulder or butt (pierna o pernil) or a larger, weaned animal. The word has come to stand more for the style of prep (marinated in mojo and baked or BBQd) than the cut of pork.

I assume the marinade was guayaba (guava) which came into widespread use with Neuevo Latino in Miami in the 90's and not guanabana (soursop), though the latter might be good too.

The waitress said it was Guava marinade, yes, and also that their lechon is only shoulder.