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Since 2002, Geoff Fox has written about the offbeat and dynamic personalities that make Pasco County unique. He is now revisiting them, meeting new characters and sharing more stories. Email
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| Local News | Photos |
Enough With The Ray Romano; Or, A Taste Of Cuba—Right There On Gall Boulevard
Posted Apr 15, 2009 by Geoff Fox
Updated Apr 15, 2009 at 01:34 PM
Here we go again.
A jaded reporter walks into an interview and talks to several people for 30 minutes. At the end, they all point at him and laugh.
“You know who you remind me of?” asks one of the subjects.
Before he can provide the answer he’s heard for nearly 10 years, the name is blurted: “Ray Romano.”
“Yeah,” says another subject, then another.
A wince is mistaken for a grin. Chuckling ensues, and another small group has bonded.
In Everyday Peopleville, this happens at least several times a year, but sometimes multiple times a week.
This time it was at Flaco’s Café on Gall Boulevard in Zephyrhills, where owners Felix and Becky Borges have infused a needed dose of authentic Cuban cuisine in an area otherwise known for buffet-style, country eateries and fast-food chains.
The restaurant’s recipes come from Felix’s mother, Mercedes Borges, who moved to the United States from Cuba with husband Jose in the late 1960s.
In fact, Mercedes and Jose help oversee the operation, ensuring that the lechón asado (Cuban-style roasted pork), costilla de puerco (deep-fried pork chops) and traditional pressed Cuban sandwiches are as authentic as the food they were raised on. (That’s Becky on the left, Felix on the right, by the way)
I’m no more a restaurant reviewer than a theater critic. But I can tell you that I was a return customer at Flaco’s long before I ever wrote about the place, and their palomilla steak sandwich is better than most fare you’ll find almost anywhere else – even after being refrigerated 24 hours, then microwaved.
But really, the Ray Romano stuff needs to stop.
I don’t look like him, and I don’t have a New York accent. Having only seen flashes of his TV show while flipping through the stations, I couldn’t say whether I act like his character or not. But the program is titled “Everybody Loves Raymond,” and the guy in the mirror isn’t exactly adorable, charming, endearing or even friendly.
I’m a reporter. Hello?
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Reader Comments
Por (Joe P Myers) on April 16, 2009 (Suggest removal)
Hey Ray - nice article. Looking forward to tasting some Cuban cuisine next time we visit. And we still love you even if sometimes you do remind us of Geoff.
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