From Alaska to Cuba, our huge Christmas dinner will be global

A butterflied whole roasted pig at La Pola in West New York, a Cuban-sandwich shop that is a magnet for pork lovers at the holidays, below. A whole pig is $300.

Belarmino Rico named his shop after La Pola, the town in Spain where he was born. Few would argue with his claim that he is "The King of the Cuban Sandwich," which he learned to make in Havana after emigrating to Cuba.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I've lost count of how many courses we are planning for our Christmas dinner.

We've been gathering food since Monday, and this afternoon, my wife went to the ShopRite in Paramus for four live lobsters ($8.99 a pound).

Meanwhile, I brought home more than a pound of fresh spinach, which we plan to cook with extra-virgin olive and garlic.

Earlier, my wife visited a family friend who prepared five whole fish for our dinner on Thursday.

They will join king crab legs from Alaska ($17.99 a pound at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack), and Cuban-style roast pork with all the trimmings from La Pola in West New York.

The tip jar at La Pola.

Tortilla Espanola is a Spanish potato omelet.

A tray of steaming Cuban tamales.

We join the pork pilgrimage 

Every year on the day before Christmas, hundreds of Cuban-Americans and lovers of their garlic-rich cooking make the pilgrimage to La Pola, a Cuban-sandwich shop at 54th Street and Palisade Avenue in West New York.

Proprietor Belarmino Rico -- with the help of sons Tony and Joe, his wife and his loyal employees -- does a 24-hour marathon of preparing roast pork and side dishes for customers who stream into the small shop to pick up what they pre-ordered.

The day before Christmas is the busiest, but Rico also prepares Cuban holiday dishes for Thanksgiving and the new year.

This morning, my son joined me for the drive to La Pola, where he had a crispy Cuban sandwich and I sipped cafe con leche as I caught up with the Ricos.

We took home a roasted pork leg, a small Tortilla Espanola, a tray of Yuca with Garlic and another of Aroz Morro or congris, which is white rice cooked with black beans.

A couple of bags of Plantain Chips and a small plate of Chicharones or fried pork rinds completed our order.

Yuca with garlic is true comfort food.

The classic Cuban Black Beans.

A glazed ham.

The Ricos and their employees work tirelessly to fill Christmas orders.

Today, Belarmino Rico, center, waited on a steady stream of customers who had pre-ordered roast pork and side dishes for Christmas.

All of the legs, shoulders and whole pigs are roasted in a pizza oven, above.

La Pola's Cuban Sandwich ($7) is prepared in a heated press or plancha: The classic ingredients are roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles.

Joe Rico.

The six provinces of Cuba, above, and the Spanish flag, below, are painted on La Pola's plate-glass windows.

If you missed ordering roast pork for Christmas, La Pola will be taking orders for New Year's Eve.

La Pola, 5400 Palisade Ave., West New York; 1-201-867-6028. Closed Christmas Day. Closed Sundays. Cash only.

A slice of sunny Cuba chases away winter

Straight from a heated press, a classic Cuban sandwich -- layered ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard -- is $6 at La Pola Restaurant in West New York, "El Rey de Sandwich Cubano."

Joe Rico, who has been working in his father's shop since he was 5 years old, builds a sandwich with Cuban water bread, hand-sliced roast pork and other ingredients.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

You'll forget the bone-chilling weather after just a few minutes inside La Pola in West New York, listening to the machine-gun Spanish and sipping a cup of freshly pressed sugar-cane juice.

Belarmino Rico, the owner of La Pola, calls himself "The King of the Cuban Sandwich," and it's no idle boast.

He roasts the pork in a pizza oven, and sells hundreds of the freshly made sandwiches each day, along with a limited menu of Cuban and Spanish dishes, cafe con leche and sugar-cane juice.

A friend loved his Cuban sandwich, but as someone who doesn't eat meat, I was happy with coffee and the delightfully sweet juice.

La Pola is named after the small town in Spain where the elder Rico was born before he emigrated to Cuba, where he learned to make Cubanos at his uncle's bodega in Havana.

A heated press or plancha compresses the sandwich and turns it crispy.

Rico's hands are a blur as he assembles the sandwich, above and below, before spinning around to put it into the heated press.

Sugar cane is pressed to order, producing a pure, sweet drink that is a powerful reminder of the sunny island of Cuba. The split cane is kept on ice, below.

A big cup of sugar-cane juice or jugo de cana is $4.50 without ice.

The Ricos offer more than a dozen sandwiches.

La Pola Restaurant, 5400 Palisade Ave., West New York; 201-867-6028. Open 5 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed Sundays. Small parking lot. Cash only.

'Feliz Navidad' from a Cuban sandwich master

Cuban sandwich master Belarmino Rico of La Pola in West New York.

Editor's note: The original post said "On Saturday afternoon" and "Saturday" in places, but it was written today, the day before Christmas, and I've corrected it.

This afternoon, Belarmino Rico, wife Maria, their children, grandchildren and the employees of the Cuban sandwich shop known as La Pola were in the final lap of their annual holiday marathon.

"Rico," as everyone calls him, had taken orders for hundreds of hams, ribs, whole pigs and all the tradtional Cuban side dishes, and customers were coming by to say hello and pick up their Christmas dinners.
  
Rico had a big smile on his face as he wished everyone, "Feliz Navidad."

When the shop closes late this afternoon or evening, the entire Rico family and their employees will collapse into bed after nearly a week of frantic preparations.

The small shop at Palisade Avenue and 54th Street echoes with holiday greetings.

Hams were prepared on the bone, above, and glazed, below.

Whole butterflied pigs.

Cuban tamales, front, are among holiday side dishes.

Joe Rico made the Cuban sandwiches today.

The regular breakfast special.

A Cuban sandwich or Cubano at La Pola.

Related article

• A Cuban Christmas

A Cuban sandwich for everyone

The classic Cubano at the 32-year-old La Pola in West New York. 

El Nuevo Cubano was made with smoked wild salmon I supplied.

One of the things I've missed since I stopped eating meat is the warm, crusty classic from the Caribbean's biggest island -- the Cuban Sandwich or Cubano.

There's no need to go to Miami. You'll find one of the best at La Pola Restaurant in West New York.

"The King of the Cuban Sandwich" is no idle boast.

La Pola's plate-glass windows are beautifully decorated.

Since he opened in 1980, Belarmino Rico has sold more than 2 million Cuban sandwiches at La Pola, his corner storefront -- and that is a conservative estimate.

All of the sandwiches go into a heated press called la plancha.

We jumped in the car this past Thursday to visit the owner of La Pola, Belarmino Rico, who everyone calls "Rico," which happens to be the Spanish word for "delicious."

Rico was born in a village called La Pola in Spain, but spent formative years in Havana, where he learned how to make the sandwiches at his uncle's bodega.

My teenage son also missed the classic sandwich, and I had found a possible solution to ending my craving: substituting smoked wild Alaskan salmon for two of the main ingredients, roast pork and Virginia ham.

At La Pola, ham and pork are roasted starting at 4 a..m., then hand sliced for sandwiches.

In addition to Cubanos, Rico offers daily Cuban creole specials and such Spanish dishes as tortilla Espanola, a potato omelet, and a meat-filled empanada.

But we went for the sandwiches, and my son grabbed a half of the $6 classic hot from the clam-shell grill, and started eating before I could take a photo.

  

A glass of fresh sugar-cane juice is $4-- 50 cents more without ice.

Rico was a whirlwind -- heating sandwiches in the press, moistening them with his own dressing, then turning around to his cutting board to slice and wrap up sandwiches to go. 

Here is the link to a short video of him in action:
"Para llevar, Alfredo?" 

Rico was patient with me when I asked him to make my sandwich with slices of the smoked wild Alaskan sockeye salmon I buy at Costco Wholesale.

He "held" the pork and ham, but made the sandwich as he normally would with sliced Swiss cheese, mustard, pickles and his own mojito -- Spanish olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and a little salt.

The Cubano with salmon was everything this great sandwich could be: 

First, your teeth breaks through the toasted crust of Cuban water bread to the melted cheese below, then you taste the salty salmon, mustard, pickles and mojito -- a delicious combination you won't find in any other sandwich.

Next time, I'll order a cafe con leche to wash it down.

Daily specials are listed on the tiled wall.

Cuban sandwiches ready for the heated press.

Cicharrones or pork rinds also are available.

La Pola Restaurant, 5400 Palisade Ave., West New York; 201-867-6028; open 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays. Closed Sundays. No credit cards.