March 29, 2025 • 7 mins
Habana is a Cuban-inspired restaurant with two locations in Orange County, which offers multiple varieties of the beloved Latin American dish, including chicken, vegetable, shrimp, and more. Take a listen to what they're offering for National Empanada Day.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I want to introduce you to Chef Miguel he Is.
It comes from humble beginnings in the culinary industry, age fifteen,
left his native country of Mexico looking for the American dream.
We welcome him with open arms to what he brings
now to the Southland in Havana. This restaurant has two locations.
(00:24):
You can find them in Orange County. You have one
at the Irvine Spectrum and one in Costa Mesa. Chef,
welcome to the Forker Port.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
So you've got.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
National Impanada Day. They come up with these days all
the time. I think it's coming up a week from today,
and it's just an excuse to have you on and
chat with you. But to start when it comes to
Cuban flavors, what are some of the ingredients that come
to mind for you?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Well, I thinking when I arrived at Ravana, I saw
the recipits and I started searching about what Abana eat
and I come out with some of my specials. But
as they used they used to have a chicken and banaas,
but we work a little bit more and they get
very popular. So that's what we have so far. But
(01:21):
we have quite a few like four type of different Panadas.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Now im banadas have their origins in Spain, but they
have gone throughout Latin America and beyond as well, including
you know throughout Chile has their their own take Ecuador
and you can find them all over the place. What
do you think is so special about this this simple
(01:53):
but heavy on flavored dish.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
I think I think what you said about the flavor
and the vians we use. We use always fresh ingredients
like the chicken. I mean we make the chicken like
every other day because we sell a lot of chicken
and Panada. It's one of our best sellers.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
And what's what is in that chicken in Panada? If
somebody goes to Havana there in Costa Mesa or the
spectrum in Irvine.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
They have a grown chicken brown and white. They have
red and belt red and green belt peper. They have
onion kalapanio shopped gary. They have chopped cilantro. They have
a adroid oregano do I time, qumin yae salam pepper.
That's what they have. And we make our arond own
(02:45):
dough with flours, sugar, salt, paprika, butter, eggs and iced water.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Wow, and that rice water is really gonna be make
it nice and flaky.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Huh yes, And we used a lot about her. So
they are a very very their flavor.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
So I'm looking at this list the Inpanada de Queso,
what is it?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
They have a machano cheese, you have a sweet cheese
and they have a the a bell green in a
green and red pepper and onions.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Almost like uh tamal with the green pepper and the cheese.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
You know, simple but flavorful. You know.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Growing up across across the street from us was a
family we're very close to, and the mother was from
Chile and she would make these sweet cheese impanadas that
I've never had anywhere else. And it had a white
cheese in there and then there was a powdered sugar
coating on the outside.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
And I will tell you there are.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
So many variants of in Banada that it's it always
blows my mind that I come across something that's different,
which whichhi Banada at a restaurant Havana there in Irvine
and in Costa Mesa, do you find to be the
(04:24):
most standout, most unique?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
I think is the most popular on both the restaurant.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
M and that's all white meat.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
You say, yes, no, use who is some dark meat
in white meat?
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Gotcha a mix?
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Even thirty seventy or fifty fifty?
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Depend much do we have excellent?
Speaker 1 (04:49):
So today we have Chef Mcal from Havana. The restaurant
is obviously Cuban inspired. Two locations in Orange County. You've
got at the Spectrum there in Irvine. Also in Costa Mesa.
You can find out more restaurant Havana h A B
A n A dot com.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Chef popular right now?
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Are They've been popular for a while, but they always
come back and have a resurgence. Is brunches today being Saturday,
tomorrow obviously Sunday. What kind of brunches do you have
going on there at restaurant Havana.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
We have a is taking it, we have it. We
have our pancake, We have our prints, we have a
special print tost We have quite a few plates and
over there I need mine use almost the same thing.
(05:49):
They almost the same recipe the one do we use
any Costa Mesa. But tomorrow is the buffet style over
there in it wain so you guys can enjoy with
the whole fit I mean they have tea food, they
have pasta, they have salad, they have a lot of
food deserves and a lot of a lot of different
(06:14):
types of food.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
It sounds wonderful, explained Ropavier. Old clothes is u is
a dish that shows up in different Latin cuisines.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
What that dish is, that's the most popular dish. That's
our twitter beef with a green bell pepper, red bell paper, onion, tomato,
and we would cherry cooking wine and we slowly cooked
for like four hours. Then we sweater the beef and
(06:50):
that's that's the way they come out with our red,
green and an onion.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
I can taste it right now.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
It's such it's one of my favorite dishes, so delicious.
The textures of that shredded beef that has been low
and slow cooked for hours on and with those spices
and combinations are just terrific. Chef, what a pleasure it
is to talk with you, Chef Miguel Quintero. It started
(07:18):
in this industry, left his native country of Mexico, came
here for the American dream, and thank goodness, we are
lucky to have him now in Costa Mesa and in
Irvine at Havana Restaurant. I wish you much success and
again remind people to check out restaurant Havanna dot com,
(07:41):
restaurant Havana dot com and what a pleasure to have
you on chef.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Thanks for taking the time, Thank you very much. You
as well
I want to introduce you to Chef Miguel he Is.
It comes from humble beginnings in the culinary industry, age fifteen,
left his native country of Mexico looking for the American dream.
We welcome him with open arms to what he brings
now to the Southland in Havana. This restaurant has two locations.
(00:24):
You can find them in Orange County. You have one
at the Irvine Spectrum and one in Costa Mesa. Chef,
welcome to the Forker Port.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
So you've got.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
National Impanada Day. They come up with these days all
the time. I think it's coming up a week from today,
and it's just an excuse to have you on and
chat with you. But to start when it comes to
Cuban flavors, what are some of the ingredients that come
to mind for you?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Well, I thinking when I arrived at Ravana, I saw
the recipits and I started searching about what Abana eat
and I come out with some of my specials. But
as they used they used to have a chicken and banaas,
but we work a little bit more and they get
very popular. So that's what we have so far. But
(01:21):
we have quite a few like four type of different Panadas.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Now im banadas have their origins in Spain, but they
have gone throughout Latin America and beyond as well, including
you know throughout Chile has their their own take Ecuador
and you can find them all over the place. What
do you think is so special about this this simple
(01:53):
but heavy on flavored dish.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
I think I think what you said about the flavor
and the vians we use. We use always fresh ingredients
like the chicken. I mean we make the chicken like
every other day because we sell a lot of chicken
and Panada. It's one of our best sellers.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
And what's what is in that chicken in Panada? If
somebody goes to Havana there in Costa Mesa or the
spectrum in Irvine.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
They have a grown chicken brown and white. They have
red and belt red and green belt peper. They have
onion kalapanio shopped gary. They have chopped cilantro. They have
a adroid oregano do I time, qumin yae salam pepper.
That's what they have. And we make our arond own
(02:45):
dough with flours, sugar, salt, paprika, butter, eggs and iced water.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Wow, and that rice water is really gonna be make
it nice and flaky.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Huh yes, And we used a lot about her. So
they are a very very their flavor.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
So I'm looking at this list the Inpanada de Queso,
what is it?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
They have a machano cheese, you have a sweet cheese
and they have a the a bell green in a
green and red pepper and onions.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Almost like uh tamal with the green pepper and the cheese.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
You know, simple but flavorful. You know.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Growing up across across the street from us was a
family we're very close to, and the mother was from
Chile and she would make these sweet cheese impanadas that
I've never had anywhere else. And it had a white
cheese in there and then there was a powdered sugar
coating on the outside.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
And I will tell you there are.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
So many variants of in Banada that it's it always
blows my mind that I come across something that's different,
which whichhi Banada at a restaurant Havana there in Irvine
and in Costa Mesa, do you find to be the
(04:24):
most standout, most unique?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
I think is the most popular on both the restaurant.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
M and that's all white meat.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
You say, yes, no, use who is some dark meat
in white meat?
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Gotcha a mix?
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Even thirty seventy or fifty fifty?
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Depend much do we have excellent?
Speaker 1 (04:49):
So today we have Chef Mcal from Havana. The restaurant
is obviously Cuban inspired. Two locations in Orange County. You've
got at the Spectrum there in Irvine. Also in Costa Mesa.
You can find out more restaurant Havana h A B
A n A dot com.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Chef popular right now?
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Are They've been popular for a while, but they always
come back and have a resurgence. Is brunches today being Saturday,
tomorrow obviously Sunday. What kind of brunches do you have
going on there at restaurant Havana.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
We have a is taking it, we have it. We
have our pancake, We have our prints, we have a
special print tost We have quite a few plates and
over there I need mine use almost the same thing.
(05:49):
They almost the same recipe the one do we use
any Costa Mesa. But tomorrow is the buffet style over
there in it wain so you guys can enjoy with
the whole fit I mean they have tea food, they
have pasta, they have salad, they have a lot of
food deserves and a lot of a lot of different
(06:14):
types of food.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
It sounds wonderful, explained Ropavier. Old clothes is u is
a dish that shows up in different Latin cuisines.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
What that dish is, that's the most popular dish. That's
our twitter beef with a green bell pepper, red bell paper, onion, tomato,
and we would cherry cooking wine and we slowly cooked
for like four hours. Then we sweater the beef and
(06:50):
that's that's the way they come out with our red,
green and an onion.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
I can taste it right now.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
It's such it's one of my favorite dishes, so delicious.
The textures of that shredded beef that has been low
and slow cooked for hours on and with those spices
and combinations are just terrific. Chef, what a pleasure it
is to talk with you, Chef Miguel Quintero. It started
(07:18):
in this industry, left his native country of Mexico, came
here for the American dream, and thank goodness, we are
lucky to have him now in Costa Mesa and in
Irvine at Havana Restaurant. I wish you much success and
again remind people to check out restaurant Havanna dot com,
(07:41):
restaurant Havana dot com and what a pleasure to have
you on chef.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Thanks for taking the time, Thank you very much. You
as well
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