Cuban eatery finds help on menu

One group of Cubans would arrive every morning around 7 for cafe Cubano and would stay for hours discussing the latest news from Miami or Cuba. Fidel Castro was a favorite topic, and those in the group would argue both for and against him, said owner Nobel Garcia.

Other Cubans would come in for the sandwiches and stews that reminded them of their homeland, he said. But El Oriental de Cuba in Jamaica Plain was much more than a restaurant serving emigres from the island; it was also the rare type of place where people of all backgrounds and nationalities comfortably gathered to talk, munch on plantain chips, and sip pineapple and coconut soda.

''Where am I going to get my sopa de mariscos now?" asked Benito Martinez, referring to Garcia's famed fish soup, after the Centre Street restaurant was gutted by a firebomb early Monday.

Fire officials said they have no suspects or motive for the blaze. Yesterday, the restaurant was a charred shell, with its windows boarded up and its interior covered in soot, after police say someone threw an incendiary device similar to a Molotov cocktail into the first floor about 3:30 a.m. Monday, setting the establishment and the four apartments above it on fire.

Despite the stench of spoiled food and the heat of the day, dozens of supporters gathered to watch and to help, as Garcia went through the scorched remains of his restaurant.

''It's the safe harbor where people come to meet their friends and bring their family for good food and a nice time," said state Representative Jeffrey Sanchez, Democrat of Boston, a longtime friend of Garcia's.

''Everybody from JP and around here who knew about this place would come here," said Robert Woodruff, 39, who lives next door to the restaurant and who was the one who called 911 to alert them to the fire. ''This is a real, real shame."

Woodruff said he was reading in bed when he heard a loud thump around 3:20 a.m. He looked out his window and saw a man running down the street but thought little of it. Then he heard his neighbors screaming ''fire," he said.

''There was smoke pouring from around the corner," said Woodruff. ''I can't believe anyone could do this. Nobel is a great guy. He is probably one of the friendliest guys around."

Woodruff said a neighbor who witnessed the attack described the culprit as a young man dressed in black with a red hat running from the fire.

Garcia had not heard from his insurance company yesterday afternoon and did not know when the restaurant would reopen. ''Everybody is being very supportive, but it's been a long day," he said.

Several local restaurants told Garcia that he could use their kitchens to continue El Oriental's catering services. The Beacon Group, a Jamaica Plain real estate company, offered their offices as a meeting site for El Oriental's rebuilding plans.

''This restaurant is an important part of the Jamaica Plain community," said Peter Phinney, co-owner of the Beacon Group. ''We feel it's our responsibility to help out."

Mayor Thomas M. Menino said the city would cover the difference between the insurance coverage and the restaurant's financial loss, either through loans or grants.

''We all have to help Nobel get back on his feet," Menino said.

Garcia and John Kariotis, the owner of the building, said they have no enemies and can't imagine what triggered the attack. While some described the arson blaze as a random, isolated event, other residents in the area wondered whether the bombing had anything to do with Cuban politics. Garcia said he recently sponsored an American artist's travel to Cuba, a gift he acknowledged some conservative Cubans might find fault with. But Garcia said he is apolitical and doubts the attack had political origins.

Cubans began arriving in the late 1960s in Boston. Attracted by low rents, they opened businesses on Centre Street, said Sanchez. As the population became wealthier, many Cubans moved to the suburbs or to Miami to be closer to family.

Gradually, Cuban stores gave away to shops owned by other Hispanics. El Oriental is one of a handful of Cuban-owned businesses left in the area today, Sanchez said.