"Croqueta de jaiba" as they were known during the Great Depression. These four simple croquettes made from seasoned cooked blue crab meat, paprika and garlic then breaded with Cuban bread crumbs and fried. These two crab croquettes are always served with a side of Columbia hot sauce.

Shrimp sautéed in extra-virgin olive oil, fresh garlic and chili peppers.

Tender calamari seasoned and lightly fried.

Fresh sea scallops baked in a clay casserole with lemon butter and topped with seasoned bread crumbs and white wine

Baked casserole of shrimp, crabmeat and artichoke hearts topped with grated Romano cheese. Served with Cuban crackers.

Sunday dinner always would begin with our grandmother and great-grandmother Carmen Hernandez’s special recipe for chicken croquettes. Six fried croquettes made with chicken and Cuban cracker crumbs. Served with Columbia hot sauce.

A favorite tapa selection of vegetarians and lovers of black beans. Served with guacamole and sour cream.

Baked silver dollar mushrooms with baby spinach, artichoke hearts, fresh garlic and Romano cheese. Drizzled with Spanish extra-virgin olive oil and lemon.

Fried sweet plantains

Known back at the turn of the 20th century as Sopa de Garbanzo, the soup helped make the Columbia famous. The founder of the Columbia, Casimiro Hernandez, Sr., adapted his version of hearty multi-course meal known in Spain as Cocido Madrileño. Instead of serving different ingredients separately, he combined them all together creating an original version of garbanzo beans, ham, chorizo and potato cooked in a hearty chicken and ham stock seasoned with saffron, garlic and onions. By the 1920s, newspapers boasted of Tampa's three great delights, "sunshine, cigars and soup."

Frijoles Negros prepared exactly as our great-grandmother, Carmen Hernandez, did. Served over a bed of white rice and topped with diced raw Spanish onion.

A favorite of our father and grandfather, César Gonzmart. Florida tomatoes, tossed with julienne sweet onions and '1905" dressing.

Choice of two, one half of a Cuban sandwich, one half order of Columbia's "1905" Salad or a cup of soup.

The Cuban Sandwich is Tampa treasure. The "Mixto," was created in the late 1890s for the cigar workers. The sandwich underwent changes as immigrants from different countries came to Ybor City. The Spanish brought the ham, the Sicilians Genoa salami, the Cubans mojo-marinated roast pork, the Germans and Jewish Swiss cheese, pickle and mustard. Layer together in between Cuban bread from La Segunda Central Bakery and life is great. Today we are using the original 1915 recipe of Casimiro Hernandez, Sr., using the same proportions of meat with the Cuban bread brushed with butter on top, pressed to a crispy finish.

Meatloaf topped with Swiss cheese, yellow mustard, pickles and pressed on Cuban bread.

The best fish sandwich north of Havana. Grilled fresh mahi-mahi seasoned and topped with sautéed onions, mushrooms, green peppers and smothered with Swiss cheese on Cuban bread.

Grilled breast of chicken, melted Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and garlic alioli sauce on Cuban bread.

Cuban-style slowly roasted pork, pulled from the bone, served on Cuban bread brushed with mojo, topped with sautéed onions

Grouper fillet topped with lettuce, tomato and garlic alioli sauce on Cuban bread. Grilled, blackened or fried.

This burger features a tomato-based sauce that uses a recipe nearly a century old. When you add diced onion and a specific number of pickles, it combines for a one-of-a-kind, slightly messy, delicious meal! Served with fries.

Lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and mayo. With fries.

Named for Richard’s favorite paella from Casa Benigna in Madrid, this classic dish is cooked in a traditional paella pan with mussels, shrimp, scallops, calamares, chicken and pork. It features Molino Roca’s Dinamita Rice, cultivated in Spain since 1903, and is simmered with Spanish onions, green peppers, tomatoes, garlic and a splash of white wine

The traditional dish from Tampa's Ybor City, one quarter chicken baked with yellow rice, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, spices and extra-virgin olive oil.

Cuba's most popular blue plate special. Finely ground beef braised with onions, peppers, raisins and olives and served with white rice.

Garlic and citrus marinated roasted pulled pork, topped with sautéed onions. Served with white rice and topped with black beans and platanos.

Originally introduced to Cuba by Spanish sailors. The name means "old clothes" because the choice beef is shredded, sautéed and simmered with onions, green peppers and tomatoes until tender. Served with platanos and white rice.

Fresh boneless fillet of mahi-mahi marinated in citrus juice and grilled. Served with mojo-marinated onions, yellow rice and platanos.

Sliced eggplant breaded with ground plantain crumbs, smothered in our rich Rioja sauce of tomatoes, garlic, capers, olives and red wine. Topped with melted imported white cheese.

The classic Cuban steak: marinated top sirloin, cut very thin and quickly grilled, topped with mojo crudo (chopped onion, parsley and lime juice). Served with yellow rice and platanos.

Our grandfather's favorite, made with Cuban bread, white chocolate and topped with a rich Bacardi rum sauce

Our great-grandmother's special recipe

Honoring Tampa's nickname as "The Big Guava," this New York-style cheesecake is topped with tropical fruit.

Golden brown Spanish pastry dusted with cinnamon sugar. Served with three sauces of rich, warm chocolate, caramel and guava.

The classic Goody Goody recipe. Slice ..... 8, Whole Pie ..... 34