"Yuca's lunch menu is an underexplored bargain. It also wouldn't hurt to homestead undeclared territory. Odd that a restaurant like Yuca, which had shoreliners racing west on Julia Tuttle when it was in Coral Gables, should have dropped onto Lincoln Road with so little ripple effect.

Yuca is bustling. In fact, perhaps too much so, for the fascinating menu currently suffers from the kitchen's erratic swings-- one night it seems full of discovery, the next, halfway through your entree, you're ready for tres leches de chocolate. And for every waiter who happily takes on the role of guide and advisor is one whose heart is not in his zarzuela negro. Pity. Nice dish. But either its prices are too steep for locals to swallow as easily as its 'Two Soups on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown' or it's too entrenched as a must-visit in the guidebooks, but much of the restaurant's current clientele as leasing a Buick Park Avenue and has to get going. Consequently, the east end of Lincoln Road is as untrammeled as Sunday afternoon in front of salvation. (That's not to say Yuca should be avoided. On the contrary, their lunch menu is an underexplored bargain and the service during the day is more consistently Rosie O'Donnell than Katie Lee.)"

Chicago Tribune, Sunday, April 27, 1997

     "When Yuca first opened eight years ago in a posh setting in Coral Gables, it, too, was quite an experience. It seemed so different, so chic, so stylish compared to Miami's other Cuban restaurants.
     Its name really seemed to stand for young, upwardly mobile Cubans, rather that what its namesake (yucca, as it actually is spelled) is: a starchy root vegetable boiled or baked and served with garlic and onion seasoning.
     Since the beginning, the goal for the restaurant, says Cuban-born Efrain Vega, 45, was to take Cuban cooking and integrate it with California and French influences. The hope was also to bring more 'balance' to Cuban cooking and less filling, less starchy dishes.
     Thus was born a vibrant strand of Nuevo Blue Sky Eats. Take yucca stuffed with a picadilo (beef stew) of wild mushrooms on a bed of sautéed spinach with beef and carrot vinaigrette ($19). A version of the traditional Zarzuela here ($31) is fresh fish, lobster, shrimp and fresh mussels in a rich black bean broth, resting on strips of sweet plantain pasta.
     An intriguing way to begin is a $9 soup called 'two soups on the verge of a nervous breakdown.' It is chilled gazpacho and a 'yucassoise' along with a 'supporting cast of garnishes.'
     More than a year and a half ago, Yuca departed Coral Gables for Miami Beach's tourist-laden South Beach, which was a very gracious gift to those unfamiliar with its innovative Cuban cooking.
     Before, it had the feel of a white-washed trendy bistro. Now, it has more of the touch of a bustling, upscale restaurant with large windows that look out onto Lincoln Road, South Beach's latest outpost for gourmet dining. Popularity sometimes overwhelms the place, however, bringing crowds, a rushed feeling and a bubbling din.
     On Friday and Saturday nights, the din seems justifiable, since Albita, a Cuban singer, who emigrated several years ago, appears in a second floor room built essentially for her and her hand. It is a prelude therefore to Albita's powerful, riveting show. If you swivel enough in your seat, you can practically work off the grilled, marinated pork tenderloin over congri with green apple and mango chimichurri".

RESTAURANT REVIEWS, SEPTEMBER 1996

     "When Efrain Veiga opened his second Yuca restaurant on south beach, he had every intention of continuing to operate at his original and critically acclaimed Coral Gables location. But within weeks, the decision was made to keep only one of them, and it was to be the new venture on Lincoln Road.
However, the keys to Yuca's deceptively rapid success are not just geographic but rather the same creative cuisine and friendly staff that had turned Veiga's Gables site into a gem.
     I can't imagine anyone not finding something exquisite here.
The appetizers begin with traditional, richly flavored black bean soup served with rice cakes, a topping of sour cream and a sprinkle of green onions. A Cuban-American friend tells me that his grandmother never cooked like that - but he wished she would. Conch tamale (pronounced tah-mal in Cuban inflected Spanish) is made with traditional corn meal but then enlightened with tender ground conch, olives, tomato, and served with a spicy jalapeño and criolla cheese pesto.
     While each dish on Yuca's menu reflects a Hispanic heritage, the kitchen staff builds a new layer of creativity on top of it, resulting in a dining experience that is singular to Yuca. fresh dolphin is crusted with Plantain and served with fufu ( a white pure made from plantain) and tartar infused with tamarind. Grilled portobello mushrooms are generously filled with a vegetable paella, then dribbled with oil enhanced with scallions and finally toped with a rich smoked cheese made from sheep's milk. Even the usual "range fed" chicken is lifted to new heights with the addition of steamed yucca, corn fritters and a tangy buttermilk/cucumber dressing.
     In addition to a well-chosen if pricey wine list, you'll find a range of seductive desserts, and as distinctive as many of them are, my perennial favorite remains old fashioned rice pudding served in a basket-shaped pastry shell.
     Whatever your own preference, Yuca stands ready to satisfy from the moment you walk into the little entrance bar area until you depart. It didn't earn its reputation for excellence by forgetting any of the details that are part of fine dining. All those details have transferred very nicely to the restaurant's new locale".

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