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.

Monday - August 3, 2010

Dos Segundos

305.629.0500

931 N 2nd Street

Philadelphia, Pa 19123


Check out the Menu!

This afternoon, my family and I spent the day in center city Philadelphia viewing the Cleopatra exhibit at the Franklin Institute. The exhibit was really great, but in all honesty, I was just excited to eat at my favorite Philly restaurant, North Third, on our way home. You see, tonight was a “last supper” of sorts for me because I am having my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow. Thus, I have spent my entire day trying to enjoy all of my favorite foods before being sentenced to a week’s diet of apple sauce and ice cream...the very thought of which I find depressing. When I asked my friend Jennifer if she had any advice for my impending tooth extraction, she replied, “sure, if there is anything at all that you really want to eat…eat it, and eat it NOW!” So for my final meal, I knew that I wanted the succulent roasted chicken breast with rosemary jus and garlic mashed potatoes from North Third restaurant and bar. However, when we arrived at the eclectic gastropub located in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia, we were told—much to my dismay—that the kitchen didn’t open until 5 O’clock. We had to come up with a new game plan for our early dinner, and so we headed down the block to a popular little Mexican spot my mom noticed on her last trip to Northern Liberties. For those of you who don’t regularly follow my blog (shame on you!), my plan B is always Mexican. I am just infatuated with the spicy and bold flavors that Mexican food has to offer, and I find that it is often a pretty safe bet. I mean, it’s rather difficult to screw up fried, spicy, cheesy, salty food…those adjectives alone make my mouth water.

We found our way to Cantina Dos Segundos and after just a brief look at the menu, I had completely forgot about my dreamy roast chicken dish and was now looking forward to some crispy nachos and salsa verde! To drink, we ordered a large pitcher of Red Sangria, which was only 5 dollars! That’s right, a pitcher of Sangria for a staggering $5. I guess the perk to eating dinner at senior hour, is that it is usually also still happy hour! The Sangria was so good that we actually asked for the recipe, which was sadly kept from us. We then ordered Chicken Nachos as an appetizer, which were served with roasted corn, pickled jalapenos, black beans, pico de gallo, crema, and melted cheese. I am not kidding when I say that these were the best nachos that I have ever tasted. The chicken, which was all white meat, was shredded and stewed in a spicy tomato sauce that had incredible flavor, and there was plenty of it on the nachos. One thing is for sure, Dos Segundos is not stingy on their nachos toppings, and every nacho has equal topping opportunity (a.k.a you don’t get 5 delicious topped nachos on top and then a bunch of plain, soggy, nachos underneath...is that not the worst?!). Best of all, this huge and beautiful nacho platter (elegantly drizzled with crema) is only $6 for a small and $10 for a large. You have the option to top it with chicken, steak, or vegan beef. I’m not really sure what vegan beef is—it sounds like an oxy moron in my opinion, but I highly recommend the chicken!!

For the main course, I ordered the Chicken Quesadilla, with achiote chicken, poblano peppers, roasted corn, queso fresco, and guacamole. It was a little salty for my liking, but none-the-less delicious and a perfect portion size. I topped it with the incredible Salsa Verde that was brought out at the beginning of the meal with the starter chips, and the flavor combinations were just awesome.

My father ordered the Puerco en Salsa Verde, which was braised pork shoulder, tomatillo, avocado leaf, and epazote salsa served with a side of pinto beans, white rice, and stewed zucchini topped with queso fresco. We all agreed that this unique dish was the best at the table. The pork was so tender and the zucchini tasted like it was stewed in the same amazing tomato sauce as the nacho chicken.

In fact, my mom loved the chicken nachos so much that she ordered them as her entrée too! My sister on-the-other-hand, ordered the Alas de Pollo, which were fried chicken wings coated in a red chile and bacon pipian salsa, served with celery sticks and a homemade blue cheese ranch dipping sauce! I’m not a big fan of wings because of the bones, but everyone seemed to enjoy them.

Overall, this place was fabulous and a great value. The appetizers were huge portions sizes that were suitable as entrees and all of the food was flavorful, fresh, and homemade. You can absolutely tell that there are Mexican’s cooking the food in the kitchen because it is so authentic. I wish that this place was in Miami so that I could enjoy it more often, but I will definitely be back when I am in the Philly area again. It is a must try place.

Wednesday - July 28, 2010

Taco Rico

305.663.3200

473 South Dixie Hwy

Coral Gables, FL 33146

Check out the Menu!

In my previous post I was pretty rough on La Taqueria Mexicano, and I mentioned the incredibly delicious Taco Rico as a better alternative for Mexican food. I think now would be a good time to tell you why Taco Rico is without doubt my favorite place for Mexican food, and there are several reasons including; the value, the portions, the simplicity, and the mouth-watering food, of course! The only thing Taco Rico doesn’t have is décor—but fine dining and Mexican food seem like a contradiction, so the vinyl table cloths don’t bother me one bit.

Taco Rico is nothing to look at from the road— in fact, I drove past it for 2 years without it ever catching my eye. It was my boyfriend who noticed the place one day (on our way to Chipotle) and suggested that we give it a try. But I had my sights set on a chicken burrito from Chipotle, and since I was in hungry monster mode (a.k.a. fee-fi-fo-fum) I contested the idea and put up a fight. However, he was driving and so he had the final say…you know how this ends. He swung a quick U-turn and told me that we needed to try something new for a change, and thus that was the day that I lost my Taco Rico virginity.

We walked in, placed our order, and then helped ourselves to a basket of homemade tortilla chips and the salsa bar. That’s right, a salsa bar! For those of you who don’t know, “foodies” are by nature condiment people—people who love to dip, spread, dallop, and drizzle their food with all sorts of sauces and toppings. I am a “foodie,” so when I saw this salsa bar, my heart literally skipped a beat. Of course, I felt the need to sample every salsa, but I sampled no further after discovering the Chipotle Salsa. One taste of this smoky, spicy, flavorful sauce and I was literally fantasizing about all of the things I could put it on. I kept thinking on burgers…on chicken…on steak…on veggies…on a spoon…heck, on anything!!! I was like a little kid who has just discovered ketchup and wants to put it on everything imaginable. This chipotle salsa is just ridiculous, and could make anything taste delicious in my opinion. As I was still moaning over the salsa, our appetizer was brought to the table—Loaded Chicken Nachos, which were topped with chicken, refried beans, jack cheese, guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos, and diced tomatoes. I poured some chipotle salsa over the top and got to work on the mountain of spicy, salty, bliss. About half way through the nachos (which were amazing), the waiter came over to our table and informed us that we had ordered more food than could fit on a two-top table. He suggested that my boyfriend and I move to a four-top table to accommodate all of the plates. In this situation, a normal person would feel embarrassed. I, on the other hand, got so excited for the feast that was apparently coming to our table! Within just a few minutes plates were piled up on our table. I had ordered the Chicken Fajitas and my boyfriend ordered the Steak Quesadilla. My chicken came out on a sizzling iron skillet with sautéed green peppers, caramelized onions, and tomatoes. I was also given a basket of warm flour tortillas and platter with all the fixin’s, which included; Spanish rice, refried beans, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, and jack cheese. The chicken was all white meat and seasoned to perfection, not to mention sizzling hot! The fajitas are still my favorite thing on the menu so far. My boyfriend’s quesadilla took up the circumference of the entire plate, and was filled with not just meat and cheese, but veggies too. It was then topped with guacamole, sour cream, and tomatoes. It was toasted to perfection with crisp golden edges, and the cheese was smooth and melted.

The food at Taco Rico is delicious, not too oily, and a great value. You pay $10 for a super satisfying, made-to-order, meal. You must try this place, if you are not already a loyal customer. I must admit that my boyfriend and I pass on Chipotle for Taco Rico all the time now…and you will too!

Wednesday - July 21, 2010

Taqueria El Mexicano

305.858.1160

521 SW 8^th Street

Miami, FL 33130

Check out the Menu!

In keeping with my gypsy lifestyle, I am off again! I packed my little green suitcase (that is to say I tossed in my makeup bag and a few clean shirts, since I never bother to fully unpack it anymore) and headed to Miami for the week. When I arrived, I was itching for some good Mexican or South American food—anything spicy and caloric. The North may have great bagels and pizza, but good luck finding authentic empanadas and flautas outside of the city. For three nights I asked my boyfriend to take me for some Mexican comida and finally he indulged my craving, suggesting a new place that we had never been to—Taqueria El Mexicano.

When we pulled up to the little storefront, we both looked at each other thinking, “this place certainly looks authentic!” There were piñatas hanging over the registers and rows of Spanish cooking products and snacks for sale. The place looked more like a tienda than a restaurant, but the tables were full and so we were hopeful.

We took a seat and began munching on our chips and salsa. The salsa was homemade and delicious with chunks of fresh tomato and cilantro, but the chips, I must admit, were more like a cross between a fried wonton and a Stacy’s pita chip…probably could have gone just as well with duck sauce as it did the salsa. They were not your typical corn chips and they packed a lot, I mean A LOT, of oil. I actually felt like I needed to swish around some Dawn dish soap in my mouth to break up the grease afterwards.

Now I was getting nervous for the entrees because it’s common knowledge that you can tell a lot about a restaurant by the bread they serve, and naturally, at a Mexican place this means by the chips. But, just as my panic set in, the Guacamole that we ordered as an appetizer was brought to the table and it was delicious! It had the perfect amount of lemon and salt, the cilantro was very fragrant, and it was incredibly fresh. This tasty guacamole helped me finish the rest of oil-ridden wonton-pita-tortilla chips with ease.

For my entrée I ordered the Flautas De Pollo, which are crispy rolled up tacos filled with chicken that are garnished with guacamole, sour cream, and lettuce. I ordered these prior to tasting the fried chips, so it was a bit of an unexpected oil over-load, but the flautas were surprisingly pretty good. The only thing that took away from the dish (other than the oil of course) was that they used dark meat chicken. Why is it so difficult to use all white meat chicken?!? I mean Chipotle is a fast food chain and they serve all white meat chicken…for less than (drum roll, please) $6!!! I think it is unacceptable that any restaurant serve dark meat chicken, with the exception of Taco Bell maybe...you can’t be picky when you’re paying less than a buck! But then again, McDonald’s manages to serve white meat chicken. Sure, its mystery meat…but it’s white! Anyways, I am finished with my digressing chicken tantrum so let me get back to my review!

My boyfriend ordered the Quesadilla Gringa for his entrée, which should probably just be called the Quesadilla Gorda, considering it is a cheese quesadilla packed with both beef steak and the ever-fattening chorizo (aka Mexican sausage). To reduce the likelihood of his arteries clogging after the first few forkfuls, he substituted chicken for the beef steak, which made the dish a little lighter. Although I did not try his dish, my boyfriend described it as “good but nothing special.”

Overall, I wasn’t terribly disappointed but I was certainly unimpressed. There were reviews online claiming that this place was “the best kept secret” in Miami, but I beg to differ and propose instead that Taco Rico is the Mexican restaurant in Miami. If you are looking for great, cheap, authentic, Mexican food, then go Taco Rico! It doesn’t look like much from the outside, and it is no fine dining experience, but you will have a delicious and filling meal.

Don’t waste your time on Taqueria El Mexicano, its just average.

Wednesday - July 14, 2010

Roman-Style Chicken Fettuccini

Adapted from Giada De Laurentis

All week my mother has been pestering me to cook dinner for the family. She knows how often I cook for my boyfriend in Miami, and she gets jealous that I don’t cook as often here at home. What

she doesn’t seem to realize is that she is the reason I don’t cook at home. Why should I have any motivation to make a meal when she makes some of the most incredible food that I have ever tasted? If she was serving up Kraft Mac&Cheese every night, I might be more inclined to offer up my culinary services. But when her idea of a Greek dinner includes Kafta, tabouli, hummus, tahini sauce, cucumber salad, tzatziki, and fresh pita all made from scratch…well, I just step aside and play taste tester. However, tonight I was in the mood to cook and so I decided to make one of my favorite pasta dishes, which is Roman-Style Chicken Fettuccini. I got the original recipe from Giada De Laurentis, but I made many of my own modifications to simplify the recipe without compromising the flavor (the recipe below is my version). This dish is incredible and tastes even better on the second day, so if you are making it for company then I would make it the night before. It is very similar in flavor to a chicken cacciatore, but without all the time and work. I don’t like working with chicken on the bone so I used chicken breasts in my version, but for extra flavor you could use a couple of chicken thighs, as the original recipe calls for. If you are eating this the same day that you make it, one of my favorite aspects of this meal is that it is so quick yet tastes like it has been cooking for hours. Everyone can’t help but love this dish, so definitely try it….it’s one of my all time favorites.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ pound chicken (I use chicken breasts)

¼ cup olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

3 ounces prosciutto, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28-ounce) can of diced tomatoes

½ cup dry white wine

½ cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme

1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons capers

Directions:

Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is ot, cook the chicken until golden on both sides; about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the prosciutto and the peppers and cook until the prosciutto is crisp and the peppers browned (about 5 minutes). Then add the garlic and continue t cook for an additional minute, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the wine, and herbs, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Shred the chicken using two forks, and return the shredded chicken to the pan. Then add the chicken stock and capers and bring mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Serve over fettuccini pasta and sprinkle with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

Sunday - July 11, 2010

UNO Chicago Bar & Grill

Unfortunately all over the country

The biggest difference between going to New York with my girlfriends and going to New York with my boyfriend, all comes down to FOOD. When it comes to what and where to eat, my boyfriend and I are on the exact same page…mom-and-pop place over chain restaurants, fine food over fast food, and filling food over low-cal “chick food.” However, as I unfortunately learned this weekend, my friends are slightly more optimistic about the quality of chain restaurants than I am—I avoid them like the plaque—and they literally dragged me into Uno’s Chicago Bar & Grill after the World Cup Finals (VIVA ESPANA!!), while I made every last ditch attempt to avoid the greasy booths and smelly plastic cups of the chain restaurant. It came down to sheer strength in numbers…three against one and thus I walked (still waving my Spanish flag) into the meal from hell.

First off, when we sit down and open the menu we notice that every dish has the calorie count posted next to it. I went from not wanting to eat at Unos, to not wanting to eat EVER!! Is there no bigger food turn off?!? I mean I know that restaurants have to post their nutrition information somewhere, but normally they make it so small and hard to find that it never really stops us from shoving down the Big Mac or Chipotle burrito. But here it was in right in my face, and since I wasn’t drunk (I was actually wearing more beer than I could afford to consume that day, as pitchers of beer at the bar were $18 each) I couldn’t ignore the four-digit number next to the fully loaded nachos. Instead, I opted for the healthier option (and by healthy I mean practically the only food option under 1,000 calories), which was the Chili. I’m not even going to bother telling you what everyone else ordered because all of it was horrible and served cold. They actually brought my friend’s French Onion Soup with an un-melted slice of deli cheese on top. She said to the waiter, “isn’t this supposed to be hot and bubbly?” My chili was served below room temperature—it was actually almost chilled...odd. The food was so bad that my friend, Ariana, leaned over to the table with the only hot food in the place (they had four pizza pies) and asked for a slice. Again, I remind you we were not drunk. They made fun of us for not ordering pizza at a pizza place and then gave her a slice of piping hot pizza, which she divided among the four of us at the table. The pizza was actually not half bad, but I think we just automatically thought it was good because it was hot.

Moral of the story; DON’T EAT AT UNOS!! It is gross.

Wednesday - July 7, 2010

Berries in the Grove

305.448.2111

2884 SW 27^th Ave

Coconut Grove, Fl 33133

Check out the Menu!

In addition to keeping this blog, I also post my restaurant reviews on Yelp.com (note the pretty new map to your right!). I got so excited tonight when my phone went off and it was an E-mail from Yelp telling me that I had received a message from another user. I started thinking maybe some magazine editor read my reviews and wants to offer me an internship, or at the very least someone is taking the time to comment on my posts. But no, instead I log in and see that it’s a message from a guy (using a photo of TI as his profile picture might I add) just trying to pick me up. I was so disappointed. I mean doesn’t he know that there are online dating sites for that type of thing? Newsflash…Yelp isn’t one of them. So now I am in a bad mood and feel that this would be an appropriate time for me to give my first 1 star review (and no, this isn’t just me taking out my anger on the restaurant…the restaurant, Berries, is actually terrible).

When you first get to Berries in the Grove you will be fooled (as I was) by the seemingly good menu, which offers a wide variety of healthy salads and sandwiches, in addition to homemade pastas. The problem is that they have confused healthy food with flavorless food. Nothing at this restaurant is seasoned—no herbs, no pepper, no salt, no flavor! I ordered the Berries House Salad, which has mixed greens with grilled chicken breast, tomatoes, avocado, portabello mushrooms, and manchego cheese all tossed in a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. This salad has all of my favorite ingredients, but somehow I found myself having to force each bland forkful into my mouth. The chicken was not seasoned with salt or pepper or garlic, and so it had zero flavor. The three paper-thin slivers of manchego cheese went undetected in the huge salad (shouldn’t even be listed as an ingredient in my opinion). Even the dressing was somehow bland. It tasted like olive oil with the faintest hint of balsamic vinegar. A good robust balsamic should have Dijon mustard, garlic, oregano, and a little honey.

My boyfriend’s Chicken Club Sandwich was no better either. I mean swiss cheese and bacon are two of the most flavorful ingredients I can think of (other than garlic, of course) but somehow even their flavors went unnoticed in his sandwich. Worst of all, there were a couple areas in his chicken that looked pinkish and inedible. So he just ate his fries, which of course had no salt, and left his sandwich on the plate.

Now let me state that I’m not at all a person who over seasons their food (in fact, I hardly ever pick up a salt or pepper shaker at restaurant), but I do believe that herbs and spices should be used to enhance and bring out the natural flavors of vegetables and meats. There are occasions when the flavors of a raw vegetable are so delicate and fresh that they don’t require any additional ingredients (such as a just picked ripe tomato, or crunchy firm asparagus) but the produce served at Berries is not fresh and is tasteless.

Don’t bother going to Berries, I honestly think that plain tofu may have more flavor than their food (it only receives 1 star because I don’t know how to make a half of a star).