Having annihilated half of a chicken a few days earlier at Medieval Times, my insatiable desire for meat drew me towards another half-chicken. This time it was at Versailles, a Cuban restaurant in Palms. (I really have no idea how a Cuban place is named after a French Palace…)
The menu at Versailles is an unvegan dream. Sure, there is a “Vegetarian Plates” section, but it seems to be placed as an afterthought, just to appease the poor vegetarian crowd. Otherwise, Versailles is essentially all meat, all the time. Because of this, it took me a really long time to decide what I wanted. In the end, I went with what seemed the safest and had the most catchy name, Versailles Famous Garlic Chicken. This is an entire half-chicken, with fried plantains and my choice of rice and beans or moro (a combination of rice and beans that makes me wonder why the distinction exists). It also comes with onions, but I ordered mine without.
When it arrived, it was nothing short of huge. I knew even an experienced meat eater like myself wouldn’t be able to eat everything brought to me. I started eating the chicken, which wasn’t as garlicky as the name suggested. It had a lot of citrus flavor and salt instead. There was definitely garlic, but that was actually the weakest flavor. The fried plantains were good, but much more oily than I expected. Finally, the moro was good, but an unnecessary addition to my meal. I could hardly make a dent in that as I ate my chicken.
My meal was great for a meat fix, but the chicken could have used a bit less salt and more garlic instead. If meat is the true food of Cuba, then sign me up to end the embargo.
