Let me preface this review with one small, but necessary fact: I am the pickiest eater in the entire world. I'm careful to not allow certain items on my plate touch others. Specific smells and textures can't (nor should) be mixed in the same meal. Friends, family members and co-workers who know me, love me and put up with me at lunch or dinner can verify this. Asking me to step outside my food boxes and try various delicacies and what not is like, well ... not. No one asks because they usually know better.

However, for the sake of this week's staff lunch review, I traipsed over to Little Havana Restaurant (1210 Main St., Over-the-Rhine) where I was forced out of my comfort zone and lived to talk about it.

From the brightly colored walls to the Salsa music piping in overhead and on the street, the ambiance of the restaurant definitely maintains the authenticity of a Cuban Mommy-and-Poppie-owned café. The scent of cilantro and peppers of every kind gently lifted me, nose first, and carried me straight to the counter where I was pleasantly greeted by Boris Salazar, owner and the responsible party of those delicious odors.

After a round of very essential questioning (What is served on top of what? Remember, I'm affected as hell) I decide upon the Fried Shrimp ($6.50) and substituted the traditional Beans and Rice side dish with Tostones ($2), sweet fried plaintains. Since I was already walking on the wild side, I also tried the Papas Rellenas ($3), a mashed potato ball, breaded, stuffed with chicken, beef or veggie, then deep-fried.

The very tangy and well-seasoned shrimp was smaller than I had expected. The crunchy popcorn shrimp turned more into shrimp pellets as I dug further and further into my plate. However, dipping the crunchy bites into Boris' Secret Sauce, made up for everything.

The fried, sweet plantains were of a rich, chewy and firm texture and stewed in a delightfully distinctive honey and herb sauce. I could easily see having my way with a bowl of this marvelous dish on a regular basis.

The coup de grace of the total Cuban experience was the Papas Rellenas. Mind you, in my brain, the idea of a stuffed, albeit, mashed, battered and fried potato did not compute. It was way too much to do to a potato in one dish. However, defying my logic, the end result of the three-part process was fantabulous. The exterior of the potato ball was surrounded by a crisp, pepper-seasoned coating, while the inside contained a blend of mashed chunks of potatoes, jalapeno peppers, spinach, cheese and I suspect, a tad bit of Boris' Secret Sauce.

Little Havana is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. During the summer months, the restaurant will also be open 8 p.m.-4 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.