Liborio. CBD: 321 Magazine. 504-581-9680.

Written by Tom Fitzmorris October 17, 2010 03:57 in

3 Fleur
Average check per person $15-$25
 BreakfastNo Breakfast SundayNo Breakfast MondayNo Breakfast TuesdayNo Breakfast WednesdayNo Breakfast ThursdayNo Breakfast FridayNo Breakfast Saturday
LunchNo Lunch SundayLunch MondayLunch TuesdayLunch WednesdayLunch ThursdayLunch FridayLunch Saturday
DinnerNo Dinner SundayNo Dinner MondayDinner TuesdayDinner WednesdayDinner ThursdayDinner FridayDinner Saturday

Liborio

CBD: 321 Magazine. 504-581-9680. Map.
Casual.
AE DC DS MC V
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
Cuban friends all say the same thing about Liborio: it's good, but not as good as the Cuban food their grandmothers make. To those of us without that resource, Liborio has been a good place to remember for decades. It cooks all the Cuban specialties, along with a scattering of Mexican and Spanish dishes. Some straightforward grilled items are here for those hesitant to try unfamiliar cuisines.

WHAT'S GOOD
Liborio is frequented mainly by people who work in the CBD and who have a taste for Mexican food (hence the tacos). The Cuban steak is the best I've had. Roast pork and congri, ropa vieja, and the other Cuban specialties are as good as they are filling--usually. (There's a little consistency problem.) At lunch, the various Cuban sandwiches (like a poor boy, with a different array of ingredients, and press-toasted bread) are wonderful.

BACKSTORY
Liborio opened in the French Quarter in 1969, and although it's moved a couple of times and had ownership changes, it has been in continuous operation. Yet, except for people who work in that part of the CBD or Cubans, it's not well known. Every time I eat there I wonder why that is--other than, perhaps, the long-running curse on any kind of restaurant attempting to serve dinner downtown.

DINING ROOM
A long room with an attractive tiled floor and draped ceiling. Despite those modern touches, it feels in some ways as venerable as Antoine's or Tujague's. The building predates the Civil War.

ESSENTIAL DISHES
Starters And Sides
Sauteed mixed vegetables
»Boiled or fried yuca with garlic mojo
Green plantain chips
»Sweet fried plantains
»Black beans
Brown rice
»Empanada (beef, chicken or shrimp pie)
»Cuban tamale corn and pork tamale
Chicken croquettes
Salads And Soups
Italian salad
»Mixed salad (lettuce, tomato, asparagus, beets, avocado (when available)
Grilled chicken, tuna, salmon or grilled shrimp salad
»Gazpacho
Shrimp and garlic soup
Chicken noodle soup
Entrees
(Most served with black beans, rice, and plantains)
Gambas al ajillo (sauteed shrimp, olive oil, garlic, white wine, black pepper sauce)
Grilled tuna or salmon, pepper, garlic, white wine
Angel hair pasta with shrimp, peppers, onions, garlic
»Ropa vieja (shredded beef brisket stewed with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, green pepper, onions, brown gravy)
»Lechon asado (Cuban roasted pork in chunks with garlic mojo sauce)
Arroz con pollo (chicken and saffron rice, tomato, olive oil)
»Pollo Cubano (spicy fried chicken, garlic, pepper, lemon
»Liborio steak (flank steak, tomato-seasoned gravy, topped with a fried egg)
»Bistec relleno de camarones (shrimp, tomato sauce, green peppers, onions stuffed between two steaks
Grilled pork loin
»Caldereta (stewed lamb, red wine, garlic, pepper, onions, rice)
Grilled pork loin, garlic, lemon, red wine, tangy sauce
»Bistec empanisado (thin-cut panneed steak, garlic, lime, herbs and onions)
»Cuban steak
Liborio combo plate (roast pork, beef brisket, baked chicken)
Grilled rack of lamb
Grilled chicken breast
Grilled, shrimp-stuffed chicken breast
»Spanish seafood paella (shrimp, chicken and fish)
Camarones ala criolla (shrimp Creole)
Sandwiches
»Cuban sandwich (roast pork, ham, cheese, pickles on French bread, heated on grill press)
Steak sandwich, grilled onions
»Medianoche (like a Cuban, but with sweet bread)
Pork sandwich, French bread
Grilled chicken sandwich, French bread
»Ropa vieja sandwich (beef brisket, French bread)
Grilled tuna, French bread
Desserts
»Flan (caramel custard)
Vanilla cheesecake
Guava shell
»Tres leches cake

FOR BEST RESULTS
The specials are the best bets. They include a good soup (particularly the black bean, and lentil soup's delicious, too) and two or three entrees.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Liborio has always had a consistency problem, mostly involving the occasional dish which tastes as if it were the last one from a batch made yesterday.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

  • Dining Environment +1
  • Consistency -1
  • Service
  • Value +2
  • Attitude +1
  • Wine & Bar
  • Hipness
  • Local Color +1

 

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
  • Sidewalk tables
  • Romantic
  • 8-25
  • Open Monday lunch
  • Unusually large servings
  • Quick, good meal