A2 Restaurant Review: Frita Batidos

For lunch on New Year’s Eve, the huz and I decided to try a new restaurant in town – Frita Batidos! This new Cuban-inspired establishment (though if you read the restaurant’s philosophy, posted on their website and also inside the actual establishment, the owner is adamant that “this is not a Cuban restaurant,” but rather Cuban-inspired, with a menu that is “all its own”) was opened by local foodie celebrity Eve Aronoff, owner of Ann Arbor’s “eve” restaurant, who was also a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef.

Upon entering Frita Batidos, I was immediately struck by the stark white – everywhere! Everything was WHITE. Well good morning to you too! It was a very clean (both literally and in terms of the design), crisp, and casual, non-fussy atmosphere. Seating consisted of long white picnic tables, and a few stool seats along the front window and a rear wall.

I love reading menus. This menu threw me a bit. It’s not the most straightforward menu I’ve seen in terms of layout and piecing a meal together, but I did appreciate the “glossary” posted beside the front counter. Having already perused the menu online before visiting, something I tend to do before visiting a restaurant since I am known to stew over menus, I had an idea about what I wanted to order. The person taking our order was helpful and offered suggestions. After ordering, we had a seat at the end of one of the picnic tables for 5-10 minutes, and were brought out our food, shown below. During our brief wait, our picnic-table neighbors, two delightful women, kindly offered us their leftover Churros with chocolate sauce, which we gladly accepted, especially after their promise that no double-dipping had taken place. There are still nice people out there!

Tom and I both ordered a “Frita,” which is basically a Cuban burger. I ordered the Fish Frita, served with “lemon-scented mayo” and topped with fries on a buttery brioche bun, and also added Cilantro Lime Salsa on top (sometimes I get crazy and order cilantro-containing foods… cilantro and I have a complicated relationship).  The Chorizo Frita was the hub’s choice – again on a brioche bun with “sweet chili mayo,” and topped with fries. His was delicious, and if I were to order a Frita again, I would probably get the Chorizo one. It was super spicy and packed with flavor.

The Fish Frita, shown below, was delicious – it was evident all the ingredients were of high quality and combined to create a rather delicious sandwich. The fish was rather mild, but enhanced by some herb action and the bright lemon mayo. The fries on top were tasty, but I didn’t feel they added a whole lot to the sandwich. I took several out and ate them on their own!

On the side, we split an order of “Twice Fried Ripe Plantains,” which were “tossed with cilantro-garlic butter, served with sweet chili mayo.” These were bangin’!! And by “bangin’”, I mean incredible! So utterly flavorful. The outside was crisp and savory, while the interior was creamy with a subtle sweetness. I will be coming back for more of these!!

All in all, we really enjoyed Frita Batidos. We received good service, met nice people, and had delicious food. The prices were a tad high in relation to the portion sizes, but we didn’t mind paying the price since the food was clearly of high-quality (and delicious). I already know what I want to order next time we go – and I must try one of the beverages, either a batido, a tropical milkshake, or else one of the intriguing coffee drinks.

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UPDATE: Read about my second visit to Frita Baditos HERE.