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The Columbia Restaurant & Cigar Factory
By Kevin Godbee, Tue Jan 10th
The Columbia Restaurant is the nation's largest Spanishrestaurant and Florida's oldest at 100 years old. Started in1905 by Cuban immigrant Casimiro Hernandez in the burgeoningcigar capitol of Ybor City Tampa, they now have 7 locations inFlorida as well as their own cigar factory and store, where theymake the "Gonzalez y Martinez" brand of cigars. I was on the West coast of Florida recently and decided to visittwo of The Columbia's locations. On my way driving up the coast,I stopped in at the Sarasota location on St. Armand's Circle andthen drove an hour North to the original location in Tampa'sYbor City. I have been to both locations to eat, drink and smokeseveral times throughout the years. The Columbia remains one ofmy favorite places. I even have their cookbook. In Sarasota, John Monetti, the General Manager was very graciousin granting me his time as my visit was impromptu and they wereright in the middle of preparations to open for the day'sbusiness. We picked out a couple of Gonzalez y Martinez cigarsfrom the humidor and browsed the gift shop.
In the gift shop, they sell the Columbia Restaurant SpanishCookbook, which not only has 178 recipes, but the history of TheColumbia as well. I've had the book for several years andfrequently use the recipes to recreate my favorite menu items. They still serve some of the original dishes from 1905, such as;Spanish Bean Soup, (which combines sausage, garbanzo beans, andpotatoes in beef stock); Arroz con Pollo, (the classic chickenand rice dish); an authentic Cuban Sandwich; and the 1905 Salad,dressed with the family's special blend of fresh garlic,oregano, wine vinegar, lemon juice, and Spanish olive oil. Two of my favorite dishes that I frequently make at home are;Lobster Columbia, which combines onion, green peppers, garlic,tomato, chopped ham, sliced mushrooms, lobster and shrimp; andPicadillo (Cuban Beef Hash) which includes ground beef, onions,garlic, green peppers, olives and raisins among otheringredients. In Sarasota, there is ample outdoor sidewalk seating, which isgreat for people watching. Or, if you'd like some eye-candywhile you sit at the bar,
bartender Stella is one of the bestreasons to get drunk during the day. The Columbia is also the place where I had my first "CubanManhattan". This one got left out of the book somehow, but it'seasy to make. It's just like a regular Manhattan, except yousubstitute rum for the bourbon. Next stop - The original Columbia Restaurant to check out thecigar factory and store. John paved the way for me with a phonecall to the store manager, Meylin Garcia, who gave me a heartywelcome with a big smile. (Everybody is super-nice at bothlocations I visited.) Meylin was kind enough to demonstrate how the in-store rollersmake the cigars. There is usually a cigar roller there Monday -Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. I think Meylin is cuter thanthe regular cigar roller though. As I write this, I am smoking the Gonzalez y Martinez TorpedoMaduro accompanied by a Starbucks Frappuccino. It's an excellentcombination of a sweet drink with a full-bodied cigar that burnsperfectly with a nice white ash. This shows that the cigar waswell-rolled with quality tobacco. The wrapper is nice and dark,and the cigar is dressed with a handsome red, black and goldband. The Gonzalez y Martinez brand made by The Columbia offers sixdifferent sizes, both in natural and maduro for 12 cigars tochoose from including; Churchill, Corona, Robusto, Perfecto #1,Perfecto #2 and Torpedo. They can be purchased in Bundles of 25,Boxes of 10, a sampler pack of 4, gift box of 3, or in singles. The Columbia is one of Florida's finest treasures and amust-experience for Spanish food lovers and cigar smokers.Different locations offer flamenco dance performances, cigar barcafé, live jazz, tapas, spirits and cigars. If you are in Sarasota or Tampa, be sure to visit The Columbiaand tell them Cigar-Review.com sent you. Visit their web site atwww.columbiarestaurant.com. About the author:Kevin Godbee is the editor and publisher of http://www.cigar-review.com, a web site dedicated to cigars and all the things that goalong with them including fine food and drink as well as thegorgeous women who smoke cigars. |
