la casa de las garnachas & beer

world class food and service. casa don rolando's has great food, service and decor. my only gripe is its location. it is hidden so unless you are actually trying to locate its address because you would like to eat there you won't be able to find it (like if you were just driving around the valley).
entering the restaurant no one would expect it to be so beautiful inside. nice heavy dark wooden chairs and tables, black and white photography, wrought iron, and salsa music. very old world spain (or maybe cuban). it is very elegant inside.
food is to die for. my personal recommendation is to try their special aroz imperial! it is made of soft yellow rice, boiled plantains, eggs, cheese and chicken. yummy!!!!!! it is a big serving so two people can probably split the entree. i also suggest trying the mame' shake and the flan but if you have a very sweet tooth then i say go for the guava dessert.
service is an a+. my fiance' and i love to tryrestaurantsfrom the most expensive ones like jean-georgesrestaurantsto hole-in-the-wall eateries and i'd have to say casa don rolando has world class service. usually we are ignored because we are young (they probably think we can't afford it) but this restaurant is different. our waiter was very attentive and made sure we were comfortable and enjoyed the culinary experience. chef gonzales even came out and talked to us for a little bit. he was very nice and gracious. it is rare to see a celebrity chef talking to normal non a-list people like us. it truly shows why the chef has a very successful career.
try this restaurant and i guarantee you won't regret it!

i went to casa don rolando almost by chance...
it was my birthday, and my children wanted to treat me to a genuine cuban cuisine.
being a cuban myself and having tried all otherrestaurantsaround many places including las vegas and miami, i was really not very enthusiastic about the idea, but, how can i refuse my kids?
so we went, sat down at a very authentic spanish meson styled chairs and tables, the place looked clean and very well adorned with a mixture of spanish motifs and old cuban memorabilia that brought back nice memories. i liked the place, so far....
there were 11 of us including my grand daughters, my sons and their wives and my "querida mery" (my wife of 46 years). each ordered their food to their likings and i ordered the fish plate which is served accompanied by "yuca en su mojo" and "congri" ( kong-ree) which is a mixture of black beans and rice cooked together.
i left cuba in 1961 and since then all my experiences with cubanrestaurantshad been negative until, god bless my children, that birthday lunch. when i tasted that "congri" and its flavor hit my palate i was transported back in time and place some 48 years, pretty much like the critic in rattatuille.
i started tasting all the other plates aroun the table and i was not disappointed with any of them. the desserts are magnifficent and very cuban, the coffe, excellent and the service and atmosphere, supperb.
i do not recommend this restaurant to anyone, please dont go there..... i want it all for my self. sincerely
jaime bitton