Friday - June 4, 2010

Café Sambal

305.913.8358

500 Brickell Key Dr, Miami 33131

(In the Mandarin Oriental Hotel)

Check out the Menu!

My first time at Café Sambal was about 8 months ago with my boyfriend, and while we were driving there he said “baby, I’m taking you to a restaurant with one of the prettiest views in Miami.” He certainly wasn’t kidding because the outside of the restaurant is on the water, overlooking Brickell key and the rest of the city with a breathtaking view. Just make sure that you go on a warm night if you plan on sitting outside, because the water does create a breeze that can get rather chilly. If you end up sitting inside, you will find that the décor is very modern with clean lines, which seems fitting for the Japanese-inspired cuisine.

Tonight I went with my boyfriend and his family to Café Sambal for dinner, which was fun because as a group we ordered lots of appetizers and so I got to try a whole bunch of new things on the menu (I couldn’t wait to blog about it all!!). We started with the Steamed Edamame with Hawaiian sea salt (sounds fancy, but it was like the Edamame at every Japanese restaurant), the Lotus Chicken Wraps (really delicious, puts PF Chang’s version to shame), the Te Corvina Ceviche (not really my thing, but everyone else enjoyed it), and Dim Sum samples with chicken, vegetable, and beef (the beef was my favorite). For my entrée I ordered the Korean-Style Kobe Skirt Steak in spicy brown sauce, which is probably my favorite dish here to date. But I was disappointed that it wasn’t served with any sides…just steak on a plate. The brown sauce was good, but not even remotely spicy, so I asked for some type of hot sauce to put on my steak and they brought me a little dish of hot pepper heaven!! If you like spicy food then you have got to ask to try their hot sauce….it’s divine!

On other occasions I have also had the Chicken Pad Thai, which is very good and unusually light on oil (I can only imagine how god the hot sauce would be on this dish!!). I have also had the Crispy Tamarind Chicken, which good but very small. Although it did come with some mashed potatoes and string beans, the dish was not filling and I left the restaurant wanting to eat another meal. It’s not something I would ever order again.

Overall, I like this restaurant but I don’t love it. The menu is not inspiring or unique. The food is good, but not exceptional. There is no dish that I crave or feel that I can’t enjoy somewhere else. Basically, Café Sambal makes good Japanese food, but doesn’t take it to another level or create any signature dishes of flavors of their own. I think the restaurant is over priced for the rather average food that it serves, and I believe that there are many other Japanese restaurants more reasonably priced that offer a similar menu. I think that the beautiful view is the most inspiring thing about Café Sambal (the food certainly isn’t) and although I would eat there again, it isn’t a place that I’m dying to go back to.

Thursday - June 3, 2010

Greenstreet

305.444.0244

3468 Main Hwy, Coconut Grove 33133

Check out the Menu!

When I wake up hung-over, there are two things that I always crave: (1) a large glass of ice water; and (2) an omlette from Greenstreet. In my opinion, Greenstreet serves the best all around (and most reasonably priced) breakfast in the Miami area. Of course there are incredible brunches at the Biltmore and various South Beach hotels, but those are like $60 per person and unfeasible for every day (for a college kid no less!). Greenstreet on the other hand, will only cost you about $10 for breakfast and it is incredible…the omlettes especially! They are 3 egg omlettes cooked to perfection (not runny) served with your choice of grits, tomatoes, or home fries. I don’t care if you are on a diet or don’t normally order potatoes, but you MUST try these home fries because they are the best I have EVER tasted! You also get your choice of a toasted French baguette (my personal favorite), English muffin, rye toast, or bagel. It is a very substantial amount of food for the price. However, the best part about Greenstreet is that breakfast is conveniently served every day until 2:45 in the afternoon, which allows me some time to sleep off my hangover. But for those of you who can’t kick the hangover before getting there, Greenstreet supposedly makes some of the best Bloody Marys to help beat it. I wouldn’t know personally because I’m not a Bloody Mary fan, but look around on a Saturday or Sunday morning and almost everyone is sipping either a coffee or Bloody Mary so they are popular.

If you find yourself getting to Greenstreet past the breakfast hour, don’t worry because they also have delicious salads. My favorite is the Roman Salad with spring mix, feta, and cherry tomatoes, tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. I always ask for grilled jerk chicken on top too, which is really my favorite part of any salad I order there. The chicken is thinly sliced down on a diagonal and is always served warm. They have regular grilled chicken too, but I encourage you to get the jerk because the spice rub is so flavorful. Also, this is a restaurant that you don’t have to ask for dressing on the side because their salads are dressed to perfection…always.

Another one of my favorite things at Greenstreet are the chips with guacamole and salsa, which are great to start. The chips are homemade and lightly salted, and the guacamole has a terrific lemony flavor (there is always tension at the table when it comes down to who will eat the last few chips). For a hot entrée, the Mushroom Triangole is very good. It is mushroom filled ravoli served in a creamy porcini sauce...yumm! The Chicken Vegetable Tofu Stir-Fry is also awesome and a really unique spin on stir-fry because the sauce it not your typical brown soy based sauce, but instead a light curry flavored sauce. Make sure that your hungry though because the portion is huge!! Basically, the only thing that I would not order from Greenstreet is the Chicken Provencial because the tomato sauce is not very authentic or homemade tasting, but everything else that I have tried here has been great.

As for the atmosphere of the place, on a nice day it could not be better. Greenstreet has a lot of outdoor seating on a nice corner in Coconut Grove so it is prime for people watching and enjoying the weather. There are large umbrellas to provide shade and the tables are comfortable. The inside of the place is much smaller and feels more like a library or a study with the large bookcases that adorn the walls (its cozy), I prefer to sit outside so try to go on a nice day or night. If you do go at night you’ll find that Greenstreet also has a great bar scene, and they are known for the red velvet couches lining the sidewalk that bring the lounge atmosphere outdoors. The mojitos are great and all drinks are half off after 11, so it’s very cheap (like $5 a drink).

Overall, Greenstreet is one of my favorite places to go in Miami because you can stay all day there and have something going on (I once did stay for 8 hours straight with a group of friends, ordering breakfast, then drinks, and then lunch and it was a blast!!). Ohhh and on top of it all, the service is great so you cannot go wrong!!

Wednesday - June 2, 2010

Piola

305.374.0031

1250 South Miami Avenue, Miami 33131

(Corner of SW 13^th Street)

Check out the Menu!

Three years ago I left my hometown in Philadelphia and moved to Miami to start college. Besides the obvious differences between the two cities, there were also MAJOR differences in the food that took some getting adjusted to. However, as adapted as I have become to Miami cuisine, the inability to find good bagels and good pizza remains a serious frustration. So on the very rare occasion that I do finally come across a good slice of pizza, I get all sorts of excited and tell every one of my Northern friends about my new discovery (when I found Piola…I shouted it from the roof tops).

My boyfriend and I actually came across Piola by chance one night after a late flight back from Spring Break. We headed straight to Brickell from the airport to meet friends and decided to stop at the first open food place we saw. Thankfully, that place turned out to be Piola!! We sat up at the bar and each ordered our own pizza. Roberto got the Diavola, which is a standard plain pie with spicy salami…and let me tell you, their salami is spicy (we both loved it, but that’s a warning for all you spice haters). I ordered the Miami Beach, which is a plain pie topped with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and arugala (I also added garlic and kalamata olives to amp up the flavor). Both pizzas were incredible!! They are on a very thin crust, which is nice and crispy and the tomato sauce is great (not sweet, which is an odd new trend that my Italian side does not like). The pizzas are also large (about 12”) and really reasonably priced, even with the gourmet toppings (approx. $8-$10 per pie).

However, please note that I only give Piola’s PIZZA four stars, because tonight I ordered a couple salads for dinner and they were very disappointing. I asked for the dinner portion and they were as small as side salads!! Also, I added chicken to all of them and the chicken was so tough and clearly not freshly grilled, judging by the temperature…it was almost inedible. I have not ever tried the pasta dishes, but based on this experience tonight with the salads, I plan on sticking to pizza at Piola. Their tagline is “famosi per la pizza” for a reason, because pizza is what they do best. So order any one of their 40 or so pizza pie combinations and you will not be disappointed. I think that Piola is the best pizza in Miami along with Spris, which has locations on Lincoln Road and Miracle Mile.

Piola is open late and serves beer and wine. At the Brickell location that I go to, there is both outdoor and indoor seating…and plenty of it! Occasionally, they even have a live band or performer that is outside.

Tuesday - June 1, 2010

Vegetable Soup

By Alton Brown

After getting back to Miami from New York, I was craving some home cooked food. Don't get me wrong, I love going out to eat, but after a while I just start to crave something hearty, healthy, and homemade...and that describes Alton Brown’s garden vegetable soup perfectly. I have made this soup three or four times already and it is always delicious, although I do make some very minor modifications. The recipe below is my version, although you can find the original on the link at the bottom. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped leeks, white part only (from approximately 3 medium leeks)

2 tablespoons finely minced garlic

Kosher salt

2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds (approximately 2 medium)

2 cups peeled and diced Yukon potatoes (cubes)

2 cups fresh green beans, broken or cut into 3/4-inch pieces

2 quarts chicken broth

4 cups seeded, and chopped vine tomatoes (about 7)

½ cup frozen peas

1 ½ cups sliced baby bella mushrooms

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the leeks, garlic, and a pinch of salt and sweat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, and green beans and continue to cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the tomatoes, mushrooms, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Add the frozen peas and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. Season, to taste, with kosher salt. Serve immediately.

***I serve mine over ditalini pasta!

Check Out the Original Recipe

Tuesday - June 1, 2010

Corrado Bakeries

212.774.1904

They are located all over New York

Check out the Menu!

Before going to sleep on our last night in New York, I realized that I would want to pick up a quick breakfast before heading to the airport. I remembered that there was a great little bakery near the apartment and decided I would stop there in the morning to grab some food because as we all know, airport food is not only over priced but it is atrocious. So sure enough I got my butt out of bed extra early (which I would only do to satisfy my belly) and walked down to Corrado Bakery. I got an almond croissant, a ham and cheese croissant, and two fresh squeezed orange juices. The almond croissant was oddly disappointing, since I love their almond macaroon cookie (soooooo good). It didn’t have enough almond paste in the middle in my opinion so the almond flavor was lacking. The ham and cheese croissant was much better—I ended up eating it instead of my boyfriend. However, the best thing I have had from this bakery is the portobello and goat cheese sandwich, which sounds so simple but the foccacia bread that it is served on has a wonderful rosemary flavor and it is so much more flavorful than you would expect. If you like goat cheese as much as I do, then you have to try this sandwich. Also, the freshly squeezed orange juice is awesome…it just comes in the littlest cup so you have a couple of sips and it is sadly gone.

Monday - May 31, 2010

MXco

212.249.6080

1491 2nd Ave, New York 10075

(Corner of 78th St)

Check out the Menu!

It’s our last night in New York and after packing up the bags my boyfriend, Roberto, and I set out to find a late-night dinner spot. With no place in mind, we went walking around by his apartment basically looking for any place that was still serving dinner at the late hour of 11:30. We walked into one restaurant called Pil Pil (a Spanish tapas and wine bar) but it was so dark inside that we couldn’t read the menu. After using my blackberry as a flashlight, I discovered that I still couldn’t read the menu because well, it was in Spanish…with no translations! Although my boyfriend speaks Spanish, I wasn’t in the mood to hear him translate the entire menu and so the search continued. Next we found ourselves at a little Italian joint called Vero. Although they were running a great special—free Panini’s with the purchase of any drink (booze)—we were more in the mood for a real meal rather than a slice of bread to absorb our alcohol. The search finally ended when we sighted a couple munching on chips and salsa outside of a little place called Mxco. We decided to eat there since, as Roberto said, “you can never really go wrong with Mexican food!”

We ordered the Chicken Nachos to start and found ourselves pleasantly surprised by the combination of flavors. They used Chihuahua cheese (also sometimes called queso menonita) that was super rich and creamy, which kept all the nachos together nicely without making them soggy (soggy nachos are my pet peeve!). The nachos were topped with pico de gallo, a generous scoop of guacamole, and a drizzling of sour cream. But my favorite part of the nachos was the herb-pickled jalapeños, which had a really unique flavor when tasted on their own and added a great spicy kick to the dish overall (spice haters you’ve been warned). For our entree we decided to order two different types of tacos and share…we weren’t terribly hungry since our stomachs were still digesting our 5 O’clock breakfast. Each order came with two soft-shelled tacos so sharing was easy. First we had a Chorizo Taco, which had chipotle potatoes, salsa ranchera, queso blanco, and black beans. This one was undoubtedly our favorite of the two, and the flavors closely resembled those of Indian cuisine, almost like a samosa. It was unusual and unexpected but none-the-less delicious. Then we started on our Short Rib Tacos, which were simply prepared with pico de gallo and a tamarind-pasilla sauce. The meat was really tender and good, but not as interesting as the flavors of the chorizo taco. I must warn you though that the tacos were not, I repeat NOT, entrée-sized portions. They were more like tapas…I’m talking three bites and it’s gone!! Thankfully the nachos were rich and of a decent size so we left the restaurant satisfied, but we both agreed that the tacos, which ranged from $8-$10, were over priced for such a small amount of food.

As for the service at the restaurant...well it wasn’t that great. But I must remind you that we were seated at like 11:45 and they stopped serving at 12, and having been a waitress myself, I can understand that they were focused on closing the place. We did end up having to go inside to pay our check though because the waitress was MIA….annoying L

Overall, I would go back but only when I’m looking to have a light meal. I normally associate Mexican food with a full feeling afterwards thanks to Chipotle, which I love—I know it’s a chain, but I do love it—and Mxco did not have the portions to satisfy a hungry belly with just one entrée. However, the unique flavors were refreshing and all the ingredients were of high quality. I can only hope the service is better when they aren’t focused on closing at the end of the night.

Monday - May 31, 2010

The Coffee Shop



212.243.7969

29 Union Sq. West, New York 10003

(At 16th)

Check out the Menu!

This morning my boyfriend and I were supposed to go and see the Statue of Liberty, which he got tickets for as part of my birthday gift (note that I said supposed to). I have been wanting to go for a while and we thought it would be extra special since it was Memorial day and all. Well the tickets were for 12 O’clock in the afternoon, which is not early for the average person I suppose, but as we watched the sunrise that morning after my birthday celebration (in our going out clothes from the night before still drinking wine) we realized that waking up at 12 O’clock was just never going to happen…And it didn’t. It wasn’t until 5 O’clock in the evening that we finally found ourselves waking up and leaving the apartment to go grab our first meal. We headed to Union Square where we were meeting up with his brother again, and we decided to eat at a place called The Coffee Shop.

I had very low expectations for the food since the name of the place indicated that was more of a beverage spot, but I was very pleasantly surprised to enjoy a great meal. The place is decorated like a diner inside and there is some great outdoor sidewalk seating as well (so great that we couldn’t get a table!). My boyfriend was telling me that it is rumored that the waitresses are supposed to all be models or something…granted that many of them are anorexically thin, we did not think this rumor remains true there today, maybe just something of the past.

I ordered the Chicken Paillard, which was seasoned perfectly and enormous…I kid you not, it covered my entire plate (of course that didn’t stop me from finishing it all though!). It was topped with a very nice arugala salad with cherry tomatoes, tossed in a light red wine vinaigrette. My boyfriend had the Chicken Fajitas, which was also a huge portion and really good (a little oily though).

The food is pretty good here, nothing memorable or unique, but still good. You can tell from the menu that the place is definitely Brazilian because they serve Ropa Vieja, Tamales, Fajitas Rio Style, and Sopa De Piexe Bahia…so I would order that route. Ohh and the coffee is delicious!! I had one of the best cappuccinos ever after my lunch…now that was memorable! This place gets four stars because the food is so unassumingly delicious and the coffee is divine.