Albert Cabrera / Bread + Butter

Yes, South Florida does need another Cuban joint. That is, if it’s delivered by chef and owner Albert Cabrera. Luckily, Cabrera is cooking up a new twist on Miami’s most ubiquitous recipes at Bread & Butter in Coral Gables. Chat Chow TV saddled up to Bread & Butter’s counter with the culinary genius for a second time (because he’s just that good) to discuss what he’s up to. Having coined the phrase “gastro counter” (a homey hybrid of a gastro pub and a Cuban cafeteria), Cabrera thinks Miami’s ready for a new take on Cuban food. “Cubans, you know, we’re very traditional when it comes to our food,” he reflects. “But what I think I set out to do was create something that had a base of the traditional in it. Everything that we create—for instance, our flan mágico de queso, we use harina tierna, and we make sure that we use a very authentic recipe. We just give it a different look, a different take, by using things like oxtail instead of pork in it—things like that. So, we’re trying to keep the foundation there, so we can bring both the old and the new together, in peace, love, and harmony, at Bread and Butter.” Watch the video above to see why you should order the pan con lechón (and why it can easily be described as funkadelic). As if the dinner dishes didn’t blow your mind, lunch is revolutionary. “The idea here is that lunch is more of a sandwich shop,” explains Cabrera. “When I hired my kitchen staff, I tell them, this is a think tank. It’s not about me, it’s about coming in and being creative as a team. Everybody has a little bit of say in what we’re doing.” Join in the fun. Shake it up with a nitrogen-infused cortadito (Cuban coffee) concoction topped with sea salt, or choose from other sweet treats like the deliciously dulce merenguitos. You’ll be adicto in no time.