El Platano (Troy, NY)

We had originally planned on eating at El Platano a couple of weeks ago. On Superbowl Sunday to be exact. Needless to say those plans fell through. We had another free Sunday and off we went with M's friends.

I had this place on my must eat list, when it was still known as Carmen's. The new menu follows in the same Latin American style, and according to one of M's friends, they've added a few more dishes.

The dining area was dimly lit and felt very welcoming. We were seated by the door and sadly I was the only person in the dinner party that would get the full brunt of cold air whenever the door opened. Perhaps they should put up a divider up on that side?

We ordered the lemon mint iced tea, which was wonderfully addictive. For starters, M an J ordered the black bean soup and I decided on the Cuban chicken soup. We agreed that our soups were good, but I wasn't sure what in my soup was Cuban. Potatoes? Bay leaf?

For dinner both M and J ordered the Yam cakes, H had the Cuban fried chicken, and I had the Starving Artist plate with pork. The meat was not tough, but it could have been more flavorful. The rice and beans were just that, and perhaps the best item on my plate were the plantains. I am just a sucker for ripe bananas covered in sugar. H and J liked their meals, and M's comments below summarizes what he thought about the food.

M and I split the flan for dessert. The taste was right for the most part, but it was clumpy- a flan no-no. It's supposed to be creamy, and this flan was not at all like that. I still don't know what would cause that. Anyone have an idea?

Dinner was not that memorable. It was good, but I was more concerned with catching up with my friends. The yam cakes could have used some sort of sauce or dip, but were pretty tasty without. The grilled veggies, rice, and black beans were just that. They give you plenty, and by the time I finished I was (I thought) too full for dessert. But out came a jiggly loaf of flan, which R thought was overcooked, but I thought was delicious.