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Listen to this articleCuban by birth or by blood, the trio grew up eating their motherland’s cuisine thanks to traditional recipes passed down by family members. But to find a restaurant that specialized in it, they had to travel to Philadelphia, New York or New Jersey, Manjon said.
That changed last July when the three colleagues opened Los Tres Cubanos — “The Three Cubans” — in Harrisburg’s Shipoke neighborhood.
A urogynecologist with the PinnacleHealth System, Manjon has had a second career as a restaurateur in the midstate for more than 20 years, most recently at Bistro 19 in York. His partners — Dr. Jose Misas, a Pinnacle gynecologist, and Dr. Alfred Leal, an oncologist and hematologist with a private practice on the West Shore — weren’t so experienced.
“This is their first rodeo,” Manjon said with a laugh. “They had faith in me, and they said, ‘Let’s do it.’”
Manjon said they bought the corner building at 540 Race St. from friend and fellow restaurant owner Char Magaro, who’d operated Char’s Bella Mundo there. Today, the eatery’s cozy interior sports wide red banquettes; a bar that, legend has it, once served Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine; photos of Cuban celebrities; and a bust of Ernest Hemingway.
As for Los Tres Cubanos’ main attraction — its food — Manjon said patron favorites include lechon asado, a slow-roasted pork dish; ropa vieja, shredded beef brisket with rice and beans; and pargo entero frito, fried snapper with a mango salsa. His wife, Patricia, who serves as executive manager, also makes the restaurant’s desserts, including a Cuban-style flan and tres leches, a three-milk cake topped with whipped cream and a cherry.
Manjon said the bistro will soon expand its hours (currently 4-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday) to include lunch and will add a second-floor dining room to handle weekend crowds and special events.
If all goes as planned, the Hershey and Lancaster areas might get their own Los Tres Cubanos locations as well, Manjon hinted.<
