TASTE - A Guide to Food & Fun in Lakewood

Happy Hour usually means slapping down a buck or two on drafts and pints while munching on a side of cheese fries.  Not at this place.  The only standard concoction on Cuba Libre Cafe's drink menu is the house margarita, and even that is gussied up with Sauza gold and fresh limejuice.  The restaurant's most popular cocktail is, of course, the mojito, made with fresh mint leaves and limes crushed in a mortar-and-pestle fashion right before it's delivered to your table.  "It's delicious," says John Kinch, who oversees the restaurant's operations, but he suggests trying an updated version--the frozen mojito.  "We just developed a new recipe, and it's killer," Kinch insists.  Another favorite is the namesake Cuba Libre, a frozen blend of rum, Coca Cola and fresh limejuice (essentially the adult version of a Coke slushy).  The seared chorizo queso is an oft-requested appetizer, and the ceviche DJ--salmon, tilapia and shrimp tossed in a sauce du jour - is growing in popularity, but we suggest the sweet chile shrimp.  Lightly breaded and topped with a mango chile sweet sauce and pineapple salsa, it could rival anything on the menu.  Happy hour lasts from 3:00pm to 7:00pm daily and features $5 mojitos and frozen drinks and $20 pitchers.  (Keri Mitchell, Lakewood Advocate)