New Cuban and Brazilian Sandwiches Hotspot Shakes Up Washington Avenue’s Restaurant Scene — Yuma Keeps It Cheeky

You could be forgiven for thinking the new Washington Avenue restaurant Yuma was inspired by the Arizona city of the same name. But actually, Yuma, or more precisely La Yuma, is cheeky Cuban slang coined from the 1957 Western action movie 3:10 to Yuma, a film so popular in Cuba that Yuma eventually became a Cuban symbol for all things American.

For married couple Mike Hartley and his wife and co-owner Miriam Leek-Meira, their very own Yuma (located at 4219 Washington Avenue) is a blend of the best of Cuban and Brazilian flavors. The duo met six years ago at Brasserie 19, where Hartley served as executive sous chef and Leek-Meira worked in the front of the house.

Later, the two launched MMH Provisions, baking breads, creating dipping sauces and making pickled goods. They sold their larder at local farmers markets. That’s also the very place (along with area pop-ups) where they began test driving the idea of reimagining the traditional pressed Cuban sandwich as a vehicle for ingredients hailing from Brazil, as well as places near and far that have made an impact on Houston’s culinary scene.

This new Yuma restaurant’s modest 1,400 square footprint in the former home of Ninja Ramen on Washington Avenue brings a casual vibe with a serious bar mainlining rums and cachaca from points all over the globe, as well as a thoughtful wine list with bubbles galore. Here cocktails and zero proof drinks, developed with Jamie Diaz of Nancy’s Hustle, are made with fresh pressed juices, house made cashew milk and even a non-alcohol rum that Leek-Meira, a former bartender, whips up.

That takes a starting role in tinctures such as the guarana libra ($8) with that n/a rum, lime and guarana, a small, bright red fruit that grows on a climbing vine in the Amazon and packs quite the caffeine punch. For those who wish to imbibe, the passionfruit cloud ($12) is fast becoming a favorite shaken up with that sugarcane spirit, cachaca, passionfruit puree, coconut and a honey syrup to balance its appealing sour profile.

Diving Into the Yuma Menu

Start with some bar bites (all $5 for five pieces) like the madurones, ripe plantains smooshed and fried until golden and served with a bright orange sofrito sauce — a blend of yellow, red and orange bell peppers, garlic and shallots. And of course, try the pao de queijo, aka the Brazilian cheese rolls. In this case, the warm orbs filled with melted cheese are fried rather than baked, while the pastel de bife, a delicate, crisp puff made with picanha, a popular beef cut in Brazil, otherwise known here as sirloin cap or culotte, that’s minced with gruyere and hearts of palm and bundled in house-made wonton wrappers.

Still hungry? Order up one of Yuma’s signature warm, pressed sandwiches, each of which is built on homemade Cuban-style bread. From the classic Cuban ($15) to the El Penny ($15), these are a take on the Vietnamese banh mi, layered with roasted pork, ham, gruyere, pate, garlic aioli, and pickled onionsand daikon.

“We like to take an idea, a dish, that’s rooted in tradition and flip it on its head,” Leek-Meira says.

Another example of that playing out on Yuma’s menu is their take on the Philly cheesesteak, here referred to as the Brazilian cheesesteak ($17). The steak is the aforementioned picanha cut, the cheeses a blend of their favorite French variety, gruyère, with catupiry, a creamy, mildly salty, spreadable Brazilian cheese. All of it is layered with sautéed onions and chimichurri sauce.

Despite the small size of its restaurant space, Yuma employs a pastry chef who serves up sweets that include maracuja cookies ($6) a brown butter shortbread with passionfruit glaze, a Basque cheesecake ($8), a bruléed banana pudding ($8) with sugared and torched fresh banana slices with coconut wafer cookies, pastry cream and topped with an olive oil whip, a lightly whipped cream folded with olive oil.

Yuma is open six days a week from 4 pm to midnight Wednesdays through Mondays. It is closed Tuesdays. For more information, go here.