D. Rodriguez Cuba at Hotel Astor Debuts Tonight

Photos courtesy of Diamond PR

Sofrito with Mariquitas (bread service)

​D-Rod Cuba, as we like to call it, opens in the Hotel Astor on South Beach tonight. Dinner starts at 6 p.m. daily, and through the month of December all first-time diners will get choice of mojito or daiquiri on the house.

Tapas encompass traditional bites such as ham croquetas and bacalao fritters with garlic aioli, as well as Nuevo Latino twists like pork chicharron tostada, oxtail empanadas, chorizo flavored fritta sliders, and casabe-crusted tuna pizza. Entrees include crispy skirt steak with tomato and avocado chimichurri, polenta with congrejo, and house specialty Bacalao Rodriguez (cod fish with sweet plantains, sliced avocado, and sunny-side egg). Roast chicken with bacon, lemon, and thyme sounds good too. Also expect handcrafted desserts like coconut ice cream lollipops, pistachio-crusted guava cheesecake, and sorbets with enticing flavors such as tamarind/vanilla, and passion fruit/sage.

Every Thursday through Sunday will bring live salsa music, and yes, mojitos, grapefruit daquiris, Cuba Libres and the like get poured.

D. Rodriguez Cuba 956 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-673-3763.