The arrival of qba, the Cuban Kitchen, formerly a lunch truck, has invigorated a quiet corner lot at North Fullerton and Watchung Ave and excited residents in the area who have been keen for more dining options.
Open for the past month (and brought to you here by Baristanet), qba looks at home in its maroon and white space, dotted with its cheerful floral motif, naive folk-art graphics (place holders perhaps, for something more permanent) and long, canteen-style benches.
Owner, Lynna Martinez, who has a teenage daughter and was formerly an investment banker, spent most of her time in the kitchen training new staff when I visited recently.
She has lofty ambitions of using the inaugural Montclair brick-and-mortar as a springboard to launch a chain of quick-serve Cuban restaurants nationwide.
Over the weeks, the family and I have ordered a total of 12 meals. Mojito chicken, during the recent visit, was delicious – Martinez cooked it fresh that day – and came with black beans and pink, pickled onions. On previous occasions, it has been either chewy or too salty. The ropa vieja was smoky and well done. Guacomole and the trio of house sauces (see slideshow) do qba proud with their fresh, homemade touch. Lime spritzer, with mint, was refreshing and very sweet.
Certainly, there were reminders that the restaurant is yet a fledgling in the business – forgotten items in the takeaway bag, bisteck and chips regularly sold out, and a confident-looking male staffer, queried (by me) about opening hours and other details, directed all his responses to my silent husband.
Still, qba seems a viable alternative to burger joints and, well, cooking.
A couple sitting next to me, who were both relishing Cubano sandwiches, with sweet ham, Cuban pork, Swiss cheese and pickles, gave it two thumbs-ups.
Here’s what some others thought:
“We liked the chicken, the guacomole, the ropa vieja. They were nice-sized portions, not too big or small. The kids loved the lime spritzer, and we liked the sauces which were a little spicy. Loved the pickled onions.”
-Darin Wacs, designer, mother of two, Montclair resident
“I went recently. The food was great, but for atmosphere, it’s no Cuban Pete’s. ”
-Baristanet’s Debbie Galant
“We don’t eat at fast food restos, so for us it’s a nice option to have the low-service, relatively inexpensive and less time consuming alternative. I loved the plaintains — which were worth the extra dollar. The food was very good, I liked the simple graphic decor and counter service was friendly – she did know I was from Baristanet, but I observed same level of friendliness with other customers. Their special sauces were yummy. We’ll go back for sure.
-Baristanet’s Erika Bleiberg
“I liked the steak salad — but that’s all I tried – I like that it’s a casual grab and go post/train/bus place. The sauces were cool.” She added after ordering recently, “we picked up two dinners last night and they were great.”
-Baristanet’s Liz George
qba‘s Lynna Martinez talked to Baristanet about her new venture.
Q: How long have you been a Montclair resident?
A: 17 years now. It’s the one place I’ve lived the longest in all my life.
Q: What’s your vision for possibilities at qba? You have mentioned possibly expanding to breakfast. What ideas did you have for what you might serve?
A: To bring our guests high quality cuisine at affordable price points, we stay focused. Fewer items done very well, instead of pages upon pages of menu items. So expanding even from dinner to adding lunch in the very near term, will happen when I am confident that our new crew can prepare the best product and service for two shifts and not just one. Therefore, I’m afraid I cannot provide too much more on the possibility of breakfast, other than the best Cuban coffee drinks, and a few other Cuban favorites.
Q: What were you hoping to achieve with the upgrades to the layout (of the former Orbis bistro)?
A: My objective for qba’s ambience has always been one of entering a Cuban home or kitchen. The tables are specifically laid out as community tables so that our friends, family, and neighbors, dine together, as though they were all guests at someone’s home.
Q: How has the restaurant doing since opening?
A: I am so pleased with the feedback we’ve received to date from all of our guests. It’s a relief to finally be opened, and it has been so touching to hear so many well wishes and have so many truck followers who continue to support us now at the restaurant.
Q: Have you any immediate changes lined up for the new setup?
A: Thanks to our soft opening rehearsal, we’ve actually already changed the order in which guests place orders and receive their meals. It has helped speed things up, and minimize confusion for our crew in the execution of orders. I think it is morphing into a hybrid of my concept that works just right in Montclair. Guests seem happy – that’s the main thing!
Q: Will you expand the menu?
A: Not at the moment. but I do let everyone know that we are also BYO and they should feel free to bring their favorite spirits to mix with our specialty drinks – qba’s all natural Mint Mojito limeade, or our Guava-Cran Spritzer. I strongly recommend tequila for qba’s mojito, and proseco or champagne to our guava-cran for a fresh take on mimosa.
128 Watchung Ave
973 687 2000
(Disclosure: An appointment was made with qba’s owner for this visit, but the writer paid for all her orders. Martinez made the chicken mojito fresh for the slideshow above.)
I was pleased with my food but the place itself didn’t feel much like a restaurant. Maybe for carry out is fine but when I go out for a dinner I want a little more ambiance. Not sure what passes as a food truck is enough to carry an actual restaurant. Time will tell I guess.
This is not a restaurant in the traditional “going out to dinner” sense. I think this is what is called a limited-menu, quick-service restaurant, not unlike Chipotle.
In fact, from the photos and details above, and aside from obvious differences in menus, qba bears a remarkable similarity to the Chipotle concept. And just like Chipotle, it looks like one can get a quick, decent meal for about 10 bucks. I’ll have to get over there very soon to try the empanadas.
I think it’s a good idea and a good location for a quick bite to eat (probably more ideal for lunch). The food is very good, however, it suffers from the same problem the truck did in that 75% of the meal is rice and beans. The meat/protein portion is very small. I wouldn’t mind this as much if the price weren’t around $10. So either the protein portion really needs to be increased, or the price should be lowered.
I was going to say that this is nothing but a glorified hoity toity version of Chipolte but held back.
I walk by it every evening. Based on what I’ve seen I think they better add some more menu items and maybe do a little more with the place.
The guacamole is good, and the veggie dish (sofrito) is surprisingly filling and delicious. I am looking forward to the hours being more consistent and the wrinkles getting ironed out. I don’t think I’d use the words “hoity-toity” to describe it. My impression is that the dining room is intentionally low-key and well-lit. It’s comfortable, anyway, and the staff is friendly. The in-house drinks are way too tasty for my own good.
re: the mojito chicken – “Martinez cooked it fresh that day”. Gosh, I hope so. I wouldn’t want chicken that was cooked yesterday.
Tried their cuban sandwich – there was barely anything on it, ate the whole thing in 3 bites and was still hungry, a complete waste of $7. Will not be going back or recommending.
Chipotle is presumbaly a Mexican food establishment, n’est ce pas?
I ate here with a friend for the first time last week. Awesome place–the perfect solution when you want tasty, homemade Cuban food without the crowds of Cuban Pete’s, or just without going through the process of a full sit-down dinner.
I had the empanadas (beef)–three, big pockets of dough and beef that were more than enough for a light meal and were a great value for the price. The pastry was a bit flakier than I am used to, but overall the empanadas were soft and savory, and they totally hit the spot. I tried the garlic aioli dipping sauce with them–yum!
My friend had the bistec bowl with rice and beans, and we were both pleased with how much food it included for the price. And, it tasted fantastic. I stole a few bites, of course.
The owner also gave us each a sample shot of a new summer coffee drink, which was good but was suspiciously similar to the Starbucks frapuccinos you can buy bottled from supermarkets. Refreshing, nonetheless.
Will definitely be going back here (soon!) so I can get a bowl o’ something for myself, plus more empanadas. Very glad this place is in walking distance of the train station, as it makes a great place to stop off at after work for a satisfying, yet speedy meal.
Happen to drive by tonight and noticed a huge printed paper sign in the front window reading “Business Partner Wanted”. I wonder what that’s all about?