Modest charm with great food best describes Casa Havana located at 190 8th in the Chelsea district. With newly painted warm beach murals and bar and table sitting, one could easily get used to the idea of sipping café con lech and nibbling on crusty Cubanos. Famed for their Cubano Especial con chorizo $6.50 comes w/all the usual fixings in the midst of chorizo to add to the already pork filled hero. Just so you get the idea – it’s pulled pork, ham and chorizo, which is coarsely chopped fatty pork and typically seasoned with chili, paprika and garlic.
If that doesn’t wet your palette try the Camarones al Ajillo (Shrimp Stew with Garlic Sauce) $10.95 that came with rice and beans (your choice of yellow/white rice and black/refried beans). The shrimps are jumbo-sized dressed in mellow yellow gravy, which I suspect is from achiote oil a bit of butter/olive oil and garlic.
So – good and even better are the portions of rice and beans but if you need a bit of cerveza with your meal be prepared to make a quick stop at the liquor store.

“Annatto seeds, known as achiote in Spanish, are small irregularly shaped, deep reddish colored seeds about the size of a lentil. They grow in pods but are sold loose in jars in the spice aisle. (Or see the "Sources" section above.) Steeping annatto (achiote) seeds in hot olive oil for a few minutes will do more than give the oil a brilliant orange-gold color; it will infuse it with a nutty, delicate aroma and add a quick kick to whatever you use it in. This incredibly simple technique will become part of your repertoire, not just for the many dishes that call for it in this book, but any time you want a splash of color and a hint of annatto flavor.” http://www.daisycooks.com/pages/recipes_detail.cfm?ID=2

Chelsea Cuban New York