The Smells of Sol

Driving down Court Street the other day with the windows down in the car, I commented to Tuti what a wonderful smell that was that was filling the street, and I wondered what it was.

"That's our black beans cooking." she said.
"Nuh-uh"
"Yeah, it is."
"Wow."

I've smelled our food cooking before, various things, sometimes the black beans, sometimes the Guava Honey BBQ sauce, it usually does flow into the alley from the vents in the kitchen, but I was really surprised how far it reached that day. All the way into the street, detectable even inside the car as you drove through uptown.

There are several stages of smell associated with the cooking of black beans, each is a unique and enjoyable experience. First comes the smells from the fresh veggies that must be chopped, there is a bit of sting from the onion, a mild peppery freshness from the green bell peppers. These are then sauteed in olive oil with garlic, this creates the "sofrito" the base for many Cuban dishes. To this is added white wine, cumin, paprika, oregano and salt and our locally sourced Shagbark black turtle beans. It is then that the magic begins. Without fail, the aroma of black beans begins to flow into the alley. Our signage is not ready yet, but should be ready for installation no later than next week, at which point we will hopefully start to get acknowledged credit for the source of good smells. After only a few short minutes, the spices begin to meld with the wine and sofrito, the beans soften and begin to release their starches, some eventually turning into sugar, giving a slightly sweet, almost banana-like quality to the overall uniquely Cuban aroma being generated. Enjoying these smells, I can sometimes imagine myself sitting near the ocean in Havana, A traditional meal of black beans and rice with maybe pork or some other main course in front of me, a gentle tropical breeze swirling the elements of cuisine and salt ocean air together for an experience like no other.

We only have an alley, and there's no ocean, but the wonderful aroma is here. Come to Sol, linger outside a bit even before coming in if you like, then be transported. To Havana. Maybe to Little Havana. But you will definitely feel like you are somewhere else. And that's part of the magic of Sol.