The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

Common myth: Cuban food is spicy. Wrong! Savory and flavorful? Right! The Cuban culture is certainly spicy; the people, the music, the politics, you name it. But when it comes to cooking we leave the hot peppers for other cultures. We stick to the sweet peppers, fried plantains, meat dishes with salsita, and plates of rich frijoles negros con arroz (black beans and rice). Savory and flavorful, but not spicy hot. We spice it up with other flavors...

At times during his monthly performances at the Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis, Cuban-born Nachito Herrera seems less intent on playing the piano than on consuming it—greedily, octave after octave—his thick, muscular fingers tenderizing the keys under a barrage of powerful yet precise blows, his stocky frame bouncing up and down on the bench like a little boy waiting to rip open presents on Christmas morning. This is the Nachito described as “Explosive.