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Got a craving for a Cuban sandwich? How about a Jibarito?
Those and more sandwiches, as well as soups, entrees and desserts, are on the menu at Caribbean Corner, a restaurant that is bringing Latin cuisine to Downers Grove.
The storefront at 4948 Main St., which has limited seating, was opened eight months ago by Raquel Black, and her husband, Dave Black, who live in Aurora. She said sales have increased by about 30 percent each month since they opened.
“People are coming back, and they are telling other people about it,” Raquel Black said.
The colorful space is a realization of a dream to feature the cuisine of her homeland. She also wanted to make all the food on-site, use quality ingredients and tap some family recipes, such as her mother’s for bread pudding.
Raquel Black was born in the Dominican Republic, grew up in New York, and later lived in Miami. She worked as a manager in the billing department at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora, but was ready to make a change.
“I got the bug to open a restaurant,” she said. “It became all we ever talked about when we talked about ‘If we ever could.'”
She took a step toward the goal by attending College of DuPage and studying culinary arts. After earning her degree, she chose Downers Grove for the restaurant.
“I really thought that Downers Grove was a good opportunity,” she said. “It needed something different as far as the food. I like the demographics, the location and it had the need for this type of food.”
She said the food she serves, such as the Jibarito, which is a sandwich made from fried plantains, is tasty rather than hot.
“It’s full of flavor. It’s not spicy, necessarily,” she said.
She also serves empanadas that, like other sandwiches, can be filled with a choice of steak, chicken or pork, and entrees such as Ropa Vieja, which literally means old clothes and features braised flank steak in a tomato sauce.
One of her loyal diners is Sergio Diaz, of Calumet City, who works as a barber at Main Street Barbershop in Downers Grove. He makes a point to eat lunch at least once every two weeks at Caribbean Corner.
“I like the authenticity of it,” he said. “It’s not bland. It’s not spicy. It’s got a lot of Latin flavors.”
Black said people who are trying to eat gluten-free are drawn to such items as the Jibarito, which uses plantains instead of bread. But it’s not necessarily low calorie.
“Our food is Latin comfort food,” she said. “Comfort food and low calorie do not necessarily go together.”
She also caters parties and events. She has been hired to provide the food for a 150-guest wedding this summer.
Eventually, she’d like to have a restaurant that could seat 30 to 35, which probably would mean finding a different space.
“I’m not going to do that on a whim. You can grow too fast,” she said.
