Palmas

At first it never seems that this restaurant even exists, it is hidden behind many shops. From the outside Los Dos Palmas looks like any ordinary Cuban cafÐ"©. Once you step inside there are many tables and friendly faces that greet you. Choose a table, sit down, glance through the menu, and order. The many paintings on the walls and the, "At home," feeling helps draw in many customers. A person could be waiting up to half an hour for a table, not only is the food excellent but the price and service are equally magnificent.

Patrons enjoy the fact that this is a family run business and has been running this way for the past twenty years. The restaurant owner, Hector Gonzalez, inherited the restaurant from his father. The late Julio Gonzalez came to this country from Cuba forty years ago. He struggled for many years and was finally able to open this restaurant and support his family, who are now in charge of the restaurant. The waiters, chefs, hostesses, and bus boys are all family or reliable friends of the family. Hector jokes around by saying, "Sure we have our days. Sometimes I feel like strangling some of them, but we're family, I have to love them." Walking into the restaurant you can feel the love and dedication that they put in their service. Everyone is always kind, smiling, and willing to crack a joke or two. One waitress, Maria, likes to believe that everyone that walks in the door is a part of this one big family, that has been building itself slowly throughout the years. Like every family, there are the occasional times when arguments arise, but they never let it interfere with their work.

This restaurant serves many Cuban cuisines and desserts. Breakfast consists of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and cuban bread and butter. Like any Cuban restaurant, what would it be without Cuban coffee and espresso? If breakfast is not what you are craving the chef is willing to make anything else on the menu. Like pan con bisteque, ox tail, or rice and beans. Dessert is always a delight, tres leche, croquetas, and pastelitos. Hector has fixed the menu so that there is something for everyone to fall in love with. He likes the smell of everything that is being cooked, "It reminds me of when my grandmother used to cook when I was little." From the looks of things Hector is not the only person who seems to enjoy the smells of the kitchen, one customer had said, "The food reminds me of when I used to visit my grandparents, when I come here it just brings back so many memories." The food is so sought after that people have waited from twenty to forty five minutes for a table. While speaking to one family that happened to walk in and had to wait, they were asked why they would wait so long and they said, "When we get a craving for Cuban food and don't feel like cooking we come here. The service is great and we just love the food here." One customer said, "The food here is made with such love and passion for the culture and the memory of the late Julio."

The customers are from all different walks of life and different ages. During the school year you can find many high school students skipping their