Wednesday - September 1, 2010

Vilaggio Ristorante

305.447.8144

358 San Lorenzo Ave

Coral Gables, Fl 33146

Check out the Menu!

On the way home from My Yogurt Bliss, I realized that although I was not actually still hungry, I was in the mood to taste more delicious food. I had just enjoyed something sweet, cold, and creamy and now I was in the mood for something warm, salty, and cheesy...aka a savory pasta dish from Villagio! I was genuinely hoping that one of my friends would axe the idea of eating another meal (as I clearly have no self control when it comes to food), but nobody spoke up as we walked past my apartment door, heading in the direction of the little Italian restaurant that is underneath my building. It was some sort of a non-verbalized unanimous decision and when we finally got to the restaurant we all looked at each other like "hmmm...this is funny. How did we get here?!" Obviously, none of us have self control when it comes to food! We took our seats at an outside table and began scarfing down the incredible Villagio Bruschetta, which is worthy of 5 stars and better yet...it's complimentary! Thats right, FREE! As you can imagine, my friends and I totally abuse the free tomato privilege. We used to all take turns politely asking the waiter, "excuse me sir, but is it possible to please get just a few more tomatoes?" We would speak really softly and acknowledge how busy he was, apologizing for our inconvenient request...you know what I'm talking about. And this would happen about 3 or 4 times before the entrees were brought out. Now, we just start off the meal by saying, "yeah, we are going to need like a bowl of those tomatoes." They are really the highlight of this restaurant in my opinion. They are macerated in balsamic vinegar and oil, seasoned with scallions, garlic, and basil and they come served over top a thin, warm, foccacia bread. One word--delicious!

The entrees are also tasty at Villagio, but they are basic and definitely not authentic. Its kind of like fast food Italian, in an elegant atmosphere, that is quick and cheap. But there is no doubt that this place is a bargain--you can get a full pasta dinner for just $6! It's cheaper to eat pasta at Villagio than it would be to make at home. My favorite pasta is the Linguini Selvaggio, which is linguini in a light white wine sauce with 3 types of mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, fresh mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. I also really like the pasta dish that I had with the girls tonight, which was the Agnolotti Del Magnifico. It was homemade rounded pasta (like raviolis) filled with ricotta cheese and spinach, served in a pink cream sauce (basically, the epitome of comfort food). However, when I'm looking for a protein, I usually order the Balsamic Chicken, which is boneless chicken breast served in a balsamic demi-glaze with mushrooms, asparagus, and golden yukon potatoes. Its a huge portion and it always comes out piping hot! If your in the mood for something lighter, the Zucchini Broccoli soup is very good. It is a clear broth soup with delicate noodles and vegetables that will be sure to please.

The only thing that I would not order at Villagio are the salads. The greens often tend to be bitter, and the chicken that they put on the salad is tough...inedible actually. I've never been happy with ordering a salad here, so I wouldn't recommend that you do. Should you have room for dessert though, the Tiramisu is fabulous. Oddly, it is probably the best tiramisu that I have ever had. I'm not really much of a dessert person, but I always try to save room for a piece of this cake.

Overall, Villagio is a great bang for your buck. Perfect portion sizes at a ridiculously low price. It has a beautiful atmosphere with outdoor seating in the middle of Merrick Park, and the inside is also very spacious and elegant. It gets four stars for the value factor, the fast service, and of course, the tomatoes, which bumped it up a star!!

Wednesday - September 1, 2010

My Yogurt Bliss

305.667.0244

1554 S Dixie Hwy

Coral Gables, Fl 33146

Check out the Menu!

Anyone who says that boys can eat more than girls, obviously hasn't met me and my girlfriends. We will literally eat ourselves to a stomachache because we love the taste of food so much. And when we are hung over (like today), we basically turn into human garbage disposals that spend the day consuming just about anything in our paths. After a late night out, you can find us recovering at Bagel Emporium with a multiple course breakfast. Yes, courses. You know...several plates of food brought out sequentially. By the time I'm done with these "breakfasts" (mine always includes French onion soup, an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, a vegetable omelet, home-fries, and some Italian layer cookies for the road), I've already fulfilled my daily recommended calorie intake. And sadly, lingering post-breakfast until lunchtime is also not an uncommon occurrence for us.

By now you're probably envisioning that my friends and I each take up two seats with our fat asses, but luckily our metabolisms are still accommodating our binge eating lifestyle, and so we each fit comfortably on one chair...for now at least! After tonight, my metabolism might take revenge on me for how badly I abused it. I always test its limits when I'm premenstrual, but tonight it was like watch out Kobayashi becasue you've got some serious competition. The night began with an appetizer of roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella, followed by my main course of vegetarian lentil chili with corn tortillas. Still not feeling satisfied, I headed out to My Yogurt Bliss with my friends Kelsey and Sam. Eating is always a social thing for us--when one of us goes to get food, we all go, regardless of whether or not we are even hungry. And you can be sure that no one ever passes on a trip to My Yogurt Bliss, which is a little fro-yo place that opened up a couple of months ago near the UM campus. It is a brilliant business concept--serve yourself fro-yo that is charged according to weight. I think 1 ounce is like 49 cents. It is very very cheap, depending on the toppings you choose to add of course. But mine usually comes out to 3 dollars and change. Every day they have like 10 different fro-yo flavors to choose from. They always have the standard vanilla, chocolate, and original tart but the specialty flavors are the best. My personal favorites are the Cake Batter, Toasted Almond, Coconut, and Red Velvet but a few others include Nutella, Cookies and Cream, Cappuccino, and Pistachio. The cup you are given is one size so you can add as much and as many of the flavors as you want. And no worries, they are more than happy to provide sample cups so that you can try the yogurt before you commit to it! The toppings bar (which is also do-it-yourself) includes everything from fresh fruit to pieces of sugar cone, M&Ms, coconut flakes, brownie bites, and hot caramel syrup. You name it, they've got it. The place is great, and there are always a ton of people no matter the time of day or night...because it's open late! Till 11 pm on sunday - thursday and 12 am on friday and saturday.

Obviously, this was not the end of my indulgent night. I went on to have bruschetta and pasta at Villaggio on my way home--a decision which put me over the edge. But for the purposes of keeping my blog organized, I will make Villaggio a separate posting. See below....

Sunday - August 22, 2010

Beer and Burger Joint

305.523.2244

Mary Brickell Village

901 South Miami Ave

Miami, Fl 33130

Check out the Menu!

I discovered Beer and Burger Joint this past week, and I have already been three times! I attribute this both to my addictive personality and the incredible food that they serve. The concept is simple—massive burgers, with gourmet toppings, for a very reasonable price (average burger costing between $10 and $12). Of course there are also some specialty burgers on the menu that can get expensive, such as the Stairway to Heaven Burger, which costs about $39. But that burger comes loaded with 10 oz of kobe beef, 3 oz of foie gras, a black truffle demi, on a brioche bun, and is served with duck fat fries. It’s your 3 square meals for the day in just 1 sitting! My personal favorite however, is the vegetarian Dear Prudence burger, which is two thick portabella mushroom caps, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella, arugala, tomato, and garlic parmesan cheese, served on a ciabatta roll. It is the largest portabella burger that I have ever seen, and I love it particularly for all the fun condiments that it is served with (I might have mentioned in former blog posts, that foodies like myself are condiment people by nature). It comes a side of walnut-basil pesto, a roasted garlic bulb, and zucchini fries that are accompanied by a creamy dill dipping sauce. The whole plate is just an assortment of deliciousness.

For the most part, each burger is paired with its own unique variation on the french fry. Options include: onion rings, mushroom fries, skinny fries, zucchini fries, duck fat fries, and sweet potato fries. The skinny fries are by far my favorite, and the duck fat fries confuse me and scare me a little, to be quite honest. If you’re not feeling called by any of the suggested burgers on the menu, then there is always the option to create your own custom burger. You get to build it from scratch, choosing your meat, bun, sauce, and toppings, but this is definitely not the cost friendly option because it does get expensive. And for those of you who wish that you could be Adam Richman from Man v. Food, you can challenge your stomachs with Beer and Burger’s Mother Burger. I believe that they describe it best on their menu:

"The Mother Of All Burgers! A Ginormous Beast The Size Of A Manhole Cover And Sandwiched In A Bun That Resembles A Couch Cushion! Order One For The Table Or Finish It Yourself Within 2 Hours And It's Free! Serious Eaters Only Need Apply..." 10 Lb. Of Our Natural Freshly Ground Angus Beef Choose One Cheese-Two Topping-One Sauce-Two Sides. Please Allow 25 Minutes to cook.”

If you do decide to take on this epic food challenge, make sure that you’re hungry because if you don’t finish the whole thing in 2 hours, then you are responsible for the bill, which is a staggering $75. However, if you do complete the challenge, then Beer and Burger will pay for your tremendous stomachache…isn’t that nice?

Saturday - August 21, 2010

La Sandwicherie

305.532.893

229 14th Street

Miami Beach, FL 33139

Check out the Menu!

I’m now a senior in college—a fact that was confirmed tonight when my friends and I walked into a frat party and realized that we wanted to leave after just five minutes. We were waiting in some crowded little room, clutching our solo cups, hoping just to catch a glimpse of the keg (let alone an ounce of beer), when we decided that this wasn’t our idea of fun anymore. There we were, a group of 21 year old girls in jean shorts and flip flops, surrounded by the new freshman that were decked out in high heels and whorish smelling perfumes…one of these things just doesn’t belong here. So we headed to Brickell to mourn the end of our “fresh meat” status, over a round of Blue Moon beers at the Irish Pub. After attaining our much-needed buzz, we decided to move on to its late night counterpart—FOOD! When I go out with my girlfriends, I would say that we spend ½ the night talking about the drunk food we want to eat, and the other ½ of the night actually consuming that food. As you can imagine, there was a great deal of debate as to where our fourth meal would be enjoyed, but eventually we decided to make the trip to South Beach for La Sandwicherie—who can resist the “secret sauce”? If you haven’t tried this secret sauce that I speak of, well then you haven’t fully experienced life. The secret sauce is a flavorful, homemade, Dijon mustard kind of dressing that can make anything taste incredible, especially the Proscuitto Mozzarella Sandwich that has made La Sandwicherie so famous here in South Florida. The sandwich comes with thinly sliced proscuitto, fresh sliced tomato, red onion slivers, lettuce, and creamy mozzarella all on a French baguette. The flavors and textures balance each other perfectly; the proscuitto adds the perfect amount of saltiness to the mozzarella, the lettuce and red onion are crisp against the soft roll, and the secret sauce adds just the right amount of tang to this enormous sandwich. I must confess that my roommates and I seriously debated the proper term to describe this inexplicably delicious sauce as we inhaled our sandwiches in my car, and tang was the best that we could come up with. I’m not sure if it’s the best adjective, but words cannot possibly capture the amazing-ness of this stuff anyways.

Ohh, and the best part about La Sandwhicherie is that it is guilt free drunk food, unlike Taco Bell or pizza. I mean, no one likes to wake up in the morning and find Taco Bell hot sauce packets scattered around their car (we’ve all been there), but to wake up and find a little container of secret sauce in your console…well, that is like finding a precious gem. Although I go to La Sandwicherie for late night dining usually, it is equally as delicious mid-day sober too. Please, please, please, go to La Sandwicherie…but caution: it may be habit forming!

Monday - August 16th, 2010

Chocolate Mascarpone Cupcakes

Well, tonight my boyfriend and I ended our relationship. Ohhh, who am I kidding?!?...thats just a nice way to say that WE BROKE UP and I am currently experiencing a pain greater than the removal of my wisdom teeth, which one week ago I could not imagine possible. This is my first heartbreak, and I am so sorry for anyone whose heart I have broken in my past because it is just a terrible feeling. But being a foodie, and now a rather depressed foodie, I am finding consolation in (drum roll, please) FOOD...and lots of it. But, before my ex gets excited that I'll let myself get obese over him, let me state that I will not let myself go into full binge eating, weight gaining, break-up mode--I'm just splurging tonight!....and possibly tomorrow. It's not like I can get into too much trouble with these four holes in my mouth anyways! But right now I am polishing off a little piece of heaven--a Cocosette bar, which is a Venezuelan cookie bar with chocolate and coconut cream. Its divine and apparently has some sort of healing power because I honestly feel better after savoring every last bite of it. Cocosette, it's Advil for the heart! And now I'm gathering the ingredients to make one of my other favorite desserts, which is a Chocolate Chip and Mascarpone Cupcake. If you love chocolate, then you will love these cupcakes. They are a chocolate cupcake with chocolate chips in the batter and a velvety chocolate ganache on top. They are very simple to make and always a great crowd pleaser, or therapy regiment in my case! Hopefully I'll have some more time to blog now that I'm single, and for those of you who "Yelpers" who have only been commenting on my physical appearance (I'm talking to you Mr. "like a piece of bacon on an open fire, you're sizzlin'"), well, now would be the time to make me feel good and leave more of those comments!! Anyways, heres the recipe for the incredibly delicious chocolate cupcakes!

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 cup water

1/3 cup marscapone cheese, at room temp

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Ganache:

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the semisweetened chocolate and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate has melted, about 2 min. Cool for 2 min. Whisk in the mascarpone cheese until mixture is smooth.

Heat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl for 30 seconds. Stir in the mascarpone mixture. Which the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture. Stir until just blended.

Divide the batter among lined muffin pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely before dipping into ganache.

For the ganache:

Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Combine the heavy cream and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until small bubbles appear on the outside edge of the cream and remove immediately to pour over the chocolate chips. Using a fork, gently stir until all the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the mixture and transfer to baking sheet. Allow the cupcakes to set in refrigerator about 15 to 20 minutes to cool. Then allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Wednesday - August 5, 2010

Tomato Basil Soup

Tyler Florence

An all-liquid diet equates to hell for a serious foodie. It is even more miserable than I anticipated that it would be, if you can imagine that. For example, I went grocery shopping today and had to actually turn down free samples of food. I never turn down free things, let alone food! It was torture as these older women eagerly waved cubed of aged cheese and sliced salami on toothpicks at me. I had to say "no thank you," but I was thinking "I want to be fed. I want your samples, I really do, but I just physically cannot eat!" My mom can see my frustration (she caught me reading her cookbooks as literature earlier today) and she decided to make me a nice hearty soup for dinner--tomato basil.

I can't say that I helped, or even watched my mom make this soup because I was passed out from my pain killers, but it turned out great! She used fresh basil, thyme, and rosemary from our herb garden so the depth of flavor was intense and delicious. She then topped off the soup with some heavy cream and cracked black pepper, which balanced the acidity of the tomatoes perfectly. I ate this as a simple soup tonight, but I think it would also taste delicious over pasta as a faux vodka sauce (once I have teeth again, of course!). I will definitely be adding this to recipe to my own collection, hopefully you will enjoy it too!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (mix of heirloom, cherry, wine, and plum)

6 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 small yellow onions, sliced

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 quart chicken stock

2 bay leaves

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

5 fresh sprigs of thyme

Fresh Parsley

3/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Preheat the over the 450 degrees F.

Wash, core, and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic, and onions onto a baking tray. Tie up the rosemary and parsley with twin and add onto the tray. Drizzle with a 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.

Remove the roasted tomatoes, garlic, and onion from the onion and transfer to a large stock pot. Cut off the twin from herbs and add to the stock pot as well. Add 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutws or until liquid has reduced by a third.

Wash and dry basil leaves and add to stock pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Return soup to low heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken broth, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with drizzle of cream before serving.

Tuesday - August 4, 2010

Casa Larios

305.662.5656

5859 SW 73rd Street

South Miami, Fl 33143

Check out the Menu!

Today was the big day—my wisdom teeth have been removed and I have embarked on my depressing all-liquid diet, which equates to a permanent state of "fee-fi-fo-fum." But even doped up on Percocet, with swollen cheeks that resemble a chipmunk going into hibernation, I still managed to get my butt to the grocery store today. I'm a hardcore foodie. My dinner, consisting of plain vanilla yogurt (no granola, no fresh fruit, no nothing), has left me shockingly unsatisfied and so I'm hoping that blogging about delicious foods might help satiate my hunger!

So let's talk Cuban food! One of my favorite Cuban restaurants in Miami is called Casa Larios, which is located near Sunset Plaza. I'm usually the only English-speaking Gringa in the place, so its definitely authentic (and slightly intimidating, for me!). Look around the large indoor/outdoor restaurant and you will find tables of both older men and businessmen sitting around and smoking cigars over Corditos. As well as impeccably dressed women (most in pearls and sky high heels) sipping on white wine and gossiping with friends (it seems that no one in Miami works). You will also always undoubtedly find a group of Cuban policemen congregating around the door, drinking coffee and eating croquettas. It's a fun scene for people watching, but the food is also outrageous...in a good way!

I love to start my meal with a basket of Mariquitas and Mojo dipping sauce. For those of you who don't know, Mariquitas are fried plantain chips and mojo is a delicious blend of garlic, lemon, and vinegar (warning: be careful when consuming on date!). The combination of the sweet plantains with the contrasting acidic garlic sauce is perfection. And although it is not a low-cal appetizer, it's a totally pleasurable way to consume your calories. Ohhh, and I almost for about the bread that is brought to the table, which is absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. It is warm, and light, and fluffy on the inside, yet flakey and golden on the outside. Put it this way, there are only two restaurants in Miami where I have been wowed by the bread, and those restaurants are: (1) Le Bouchon in the Grove, and (2) Casa Larios. The bread is really the highlight of the meal for me, and it is brought out in abundance with room-temperature butter packets that practically spread themselves on the heavenly dough. As author Elizabeth Gilbert might say, you need to go to Casa Larios with a "no carb left behind" kind of mentality--this is not the place to be tallying your Weight Watcher's points!

For my entree, I usually order either the Pechuga La Plancha (simple chicken breast) or theRopa Vieja (shredded beef in a light tomato sauce), which is a special on Mondays. The Ropa Vieja is so incredible in my opinion, because I had never tried anything like it before coming to Miami. The meat is stewed with onions and other herbs in a flavorful tomato-based wine sauce, and then it is shredded to serve. The result is a very tender meat and pleasing rich dish. I put the meat over a mound of white rice and mix in some velvety black beans with a dash of Tabasco....Ooooo, it is so good! And Cubans make the best white rice...the grain is larger than Jasmine rice, which makes it pillowy and then they add butter (which makes everything better) and salt so that the rice has flavor when tasted on its own. It is something that I cannot replicate on my own at home, so I look forward to it every time that I go. The Pechuga La Plancha is a very simple pan seared chicken breast, but they cook it with butter (like everything else at this place) so it tastes like delicious comfort food. I always wondered why my chicken never tasted as good at home, but then I realized that butter was the secret ingredient and I'm too health conscious to prepare mine that way on my own. I always order my chicken with a side of black beans and rice, and usually Maduros too (fried plantains). It is a simple but classic Cuban meal that I have come to love and crave on a weekly basis.

The only thing that I did not like at Casa Larios were the Papas Rellenas , which are stuffed and then fried potatoes. When I ordered them they were brought out below room temperature, which reminded me of like the frozen Costco party appetizers...ewe. I'm pretty sure that they aren't made to order and it was a bad experience that put me off to them completely. Everything else that I have tried has been great though. Go to Casa Larios...just don't try to order a Cuabn coffee to blend in if you're not used to drinking them! Benn there, done that, and I'm pretty sure that it was unleaded. I can actually compare my first Cuban coffee to my first shot of Limoncello...both made hair grow on my chest.