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The calendar says June, but here you are dying for a little summer heat.
Good news: a warm front's moving up from Havana.
Welcome to Siboney, slated to open Tuesday in Bucktown. Named after Cuba's pre-Columbian native
tribe, the place should remind you of a not-so-distant past, when an ice-cold daiquiri at the Havana Hilton
Trader Vic's was all the air-conditioning a gentleman needed.
First, you'll enter a handsome dining room with tin ceilings and dark mahogany trim as the alluring rhythm
of mambo plays in the background. Pick from staples like ropa vieja or Cuban sandwiches, or try one of the
more obscure dishes, like a traditional layered rice-and-chicken casserole called Arroz Imperial.
The chef is still tweaking the menu; expect a dash of Euro cuisine soon from items like small pizzettes with
Spanish ham.
After dinner, head over to the Polynesia-by-way-of-Miami lounge, where you'll sit under palm-frond ceiling
fans in rattan-style seats, while the last few innings of the Sox game—Siboney has already declared
allegiances—play on the flat-screen above the bar. (So, you know, exactly like a night at the Cell.)
In the coming weeks, look for a fully stocked bar featuring sangria, daiquiris and seasonal cocktails like
cherry mojitos.
Hemingway would have approved.
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