Chef David Creamer Loves Little Ricky's for Cuban

The DC area is home to a lot of restaurants, and among them are hidden gems that many Washingtonians aren't unearthing. To help guide us to these potential discoveries, we've enlisted some of our city's many food players to share with us their under-the-radar recommendations for Dining Confidential. Are you a chef with a suggestion? Shoot us an email.

For this latest edition of Dining Confidental, we checked in with David Creamer, chef at Socci over at the Renaissance Capital View in Arlington. Creamer is a lifelong Washingtonian, and thanks to a recommendation from one of his associates, he knows the best place to go in D.C. for Cuban food.

"I gotta be honest - I've done more drinking lately than eating in D.C. But the one place I've been going back to is Little Ricky's in Brookland.

"It's funny; anytime you talk to someone in D.C. about where to find good Cuban food, you hear the same thing — what they've been eating is not authentic. Little Ricky's is a great place. It's so laid back, and has a great atmosphere. The owners are always on site and the owner's mother is in the back, making empanadas. The chicharones are amazing. The ropa vieja. They cook everything with pork — I love it. You get your check in an old Cuban book. It feels like a take on the Paladar restaurants in Cuba. Very comfortable, very classic.

One of my associates had been there, and told me how much he loved the Cuban food and had finally found a place that tasted like home. He would always say he could never find black beans like his abuela's — and he said this stuff was good. It's just always fun to be there. The sangria is strong. Ham croquettes. Fried yucca. It's amazing."
· All Previous Editions of Dining Confidential [-EDC-]
· All Previous Little Ricky's Coverage [-EDC-]
· Socci [Official Site]

[Photo: Monroe St. Market]