Critic's Review
I haven't had Cuban in a while; I'd stopped here last week and there was no parking. There's more seats in the restaurant than parking spots, but this isn't the part of town to be parking in some side street. Today I went a bit later and I got a spot right out front.
Las Colinas is the standard South Florida latin cafe; a big rectangular room with a service counter and rows of tables. There's no hostess or decor theme. It's just a place to sit down and eat. Las Colinas means "The Hills"; not sure where they came up with that.
I grab a seat in the back; it's a loud place where nobody, and I mean nobody, speaks English. Servers nod in agreement but I can tell that they really don't understand. I order iced tea, Ropa Vieja with yellow rice and black beans. They have an extensive menu, all in Spanish, so I had to stay in my realm. Plus the Ropa is very good here. No reason to think out of the box here.
Tea comes silently with a lime wedge. No point in asking for lemon here. They just shake their head.
No music. Just loud Spanish banter. A women yelling across the room continuously; I assume she's barking out orders, but I can't really tell. Bread is dropped off at my table without a word. Ropa, rice and beans are all pre-made, so the food comes out in 5 minutes.
A pretty good load for $8.99. A "bowl" of rice, beans filled to the top and a tub of shredded beef. It looks like more once you get it all loaded up on the plate.
Not fantastic; its not bland but not spicy or really garlicky either. But it is the best that Fort Lauderdale has to offer with the possible exception of Don Arturo. Better than Jalisco or La Bamba or Latin Bohemia or Las Vegas Cuisine. There are onions and peppers. Probably enough for 2 lunches, but I ate it all.
Getting a refill is impossible. There's no real service here. Once they drop off your food, that's it. The girls just sit behind the counter looking for new customers. The empty glass is of no interest to them.
The beans here are good; again not extremely flavorful but good; the sauce is like 4 year old motor oil.
After sitting there with empty plates for a few minutes, a server approaches. I make the "check please" signal and I get the bill. Tip on the low end. How much can you leave on an $11 check with mechanical service?
Conclusion
Las Colinas is your typical Latin restaurant, a big room with cold, mechanical service and very good prices. I've had some average stuff here; the Ropa Vieja is the way to go.
Review 9/24/12
Today I was thinking about some latin food, and I was pressed for time, so Las Colinas isn't too far. They have no hostess; you just kind of sit down and hope someone notices you. It took a while for someone to come over with a menu, I ordered some iced tea and she dropped off some of their bread, which is sort of like garlic bread with is flattened in a press.
I think I'd like the bread better if it wasn't so thin; it's sort of like eating all crust. They have splenda but you may have to ask for it. The Churrasco here is described as "House Special" Flank steak, which is unusual. Usually, churrasco is a skirt steak, so I thought I'd try it. I ordered the yellow rice and black beans. It came out pretty quickly.
My first impression was that this didn't look like flank steak; it looked like a skirt. Ordered medium-rare, this was overdone and not particularly flavorful. The Chimichurri was too vinegary and didn't have enough garlic; it would have been better if there was olive oil to add to it, but the salad oil on the table was junk. The beans here are terrific; there's a bay leaf floating in the bowl, and I like the yellow rice as well. For $11.95 this is a fair price, but it wasn't a very good steak. The Argentinean places have nothing to worry about.
My server didn't return after dropping off the steak to check on anything or to refill my iced tea; I sat for awhile after I was done before I could get her attention to bring over the check. This was the second time in as many tries that getting my check was a project.
Review 11/18/10
If you thought you had to drive to Hialeah or Miami for good Cuban food the only explanation can be that you dont know about Las Colinas. You could drive by this place many times, as I have, and never consider going in for a second. But youd be missing out on something really good.
The place looks like a run down building in a run-down part of town, but when you go inside its much bigger than you expect. Theres a pretty sizable dining room, but also a pretty cheesy counter with big signs behind it and all over the wall. You can eat at the counter or at a table.
I heard that these guys know what theyre doing so I ordered up my favorite Cuban dish, Ropa Vieja, with yellow rice and black beans. It was ready in about 5 minutes; Ropa Vieja takes a long time to make so its not like theyre going to make it up from scratch for you. It smelled really good in the car, which is always a good sign.
It came in some very well sealed containers so I wouldnt have had to worry of a repeat of the debacle with Lauras and the black bean soup. But I arrived home unscathed. Before spooning it out I tasted the black beans; perfect. I set it down for the picture and I could hardly wait to dig in.
Man, is this good stuff. This is the way Ropa Vieja is supposed to be; so tender the meat just falls apart with delicate flavors. This is really good stuff.
Another time I decided I wanted a Cuban Breakfast and the dining room here is decent so I gave it a try. I ordered a Chorizo Omelet with comes with Cuban coffee and buttered cuban bread.
The omelet was pretty good; the coffee was great. But the service here is pretty bad. It took a while to get the coffee and they never did deliver my bill.