Top: Kudos to everyone at Mambo Fateegz (Choco) and Team NYSC (Edwin Harrell) for honoring the legacy of David Melendez with a triumphant NYC Salsa Congress ’07. Willie Sánchez and the NJN Latino Youth Showcase and Orquesta Lucena, featuring David Colón, helped Adalberto López and the Hispanic Alliance of Atlantic County celebrate Festival Latino-Americano. Nelson González, Joe Ayala, Bobby Allende, and Marc Quiñones (Photos by Louis Laffitte) * * * * * Latin Salsa Fest (featuring the great Andy Montaņez) took place on September 30, 2007 at the Hollywood Park Casino in Los Angeles, produced by Latin Fire Productions’ JC Ospina (pictured seated) (Photos by Ricky Richardson) L-R: Nelson Rodriguez, Luis Muñoz and Raul Rico at Oxnard, California's KCLU 88.3 FM radio * * * * * La Bodeguita del Medio Another Cuban restaurant in Los Angeles, you say? Yes, but as Cuban restaurants go, this one is indeed special, with a personal history that goes back to 1940s Havana. And in a city better known for Mexican cuisine, Cuban eateries are still a pleasure to experience without getting jaded on this island's unique flavors. Couple that with a great atmosphere and live music, and you have a winner! The first impression you get when you enter La Bodeguita de Pico is its geenormous space, Spanish tiles, dark wood, long tables and, leaning on the stage, this beautiful close-up photograph of a young, Cuban woman, who, it turns out, is Danay Garcia (Sophie on the television program Prison Break) who is one of the owners, along with her husband, Blake Yoon. The menu consists of typical Cuban dishes such as yuquita frita (tender deep fried yucca served with a cilantro sauce); black beans; mariquitas con mojo (plantain chips served with special mojo sauce); pollo salteado con piña (cubed chicken sautéed in white wine, served with a tangy pineapple sauce); camarones borrachitos (sautéed shrimp finished in a rum reduction; and my dinner companion’s favorite, masas de puerco fritas (morsels of fresh pork marinated and fried, served with Cuban sauce). To top it all off, ambience is very important when you go out to dine and want to forget the workday's stress. La Bodeguita del Medio features live music, and on the night we visited, Tamayo y Su Son de Cuba made all the stress take a back seat to rhythmic rumba and swaying hips. Put this one on your list of favorite eateries!-Becky Burkeen La Bodeguita de Pico/5047 W. Pico Boulevard/Los Angeles, CA 90015 (323) 937-CUBA www.labodeguitadepico.com * * * * *