User Favorite: Lechon Asado in Orlando

When I fly to Orlando to visit my brother and his family, I may be the only passenger on my American Airlines flight thinking about a pig and not a mouse.

We discovered Oasis Cuban Cafe about five years ago; it looked out of place on busy four-lane Ronald Reagan Blvd.  in Longwood. A plain Cuban country diner on a stretch of road that has become home to block upon block of chain restaurants and mini-malls and tire shops. Now, Oasis is my Stop No. 1 when I visit central Florida. The food is fresh, flavorful and simple.

At this point, we've pretty much eaten through the menu, which is universally  tasty and reasonably priced (my niece Ali likes the football-sized potato croquette appetizers). But most of the family keeps returning to the pork category, to our favorite dish, Lechon Asado--roast pork.

This is meat at its simplest: slow-roasted with garlic, onion and spice. For a while we were disappointed after Oasis upgraded to a better cut of pig--that "other white meat," which tends to be leaner but less flavorful. Fellow  customers must have had similar concerns, because the fattier, less perfect pork has returned.

I prefer  the long-cooked, nearly carmelized bits and pieces that come heaped with onion and garlic. Perfect on its  own, the meat is accompanied by white rice, good beans and meduros--savory fried plantains (another favorite).

In fact, Oasis, next time you can hold the rice and beans. Lechon y meduros are all I need. And a couple cold cervezas. --Greg from Chicago

Oasis Cuban Cafe, 295 Ronald Regan Blvd. Longwood, FL 32750. (407) 260.6672