Cuban Food, Mojitos, Calle Ocho and more Cuban Food

A visit to Miami won't be complete without a Cuban food feast. It was hard for me to get myself out of South Beach because that place was just too much fun. Thankfully, my love for food was greater than my love for the beach so I dragged myself out of South Beach and drove to Little Havana for some Cuban food trippin'.

Picture: Versailles Facebook Page

Located in the heart of Miami's Cuban community and along Calle Ocho, Versailles has been serving authentic Cuban dishes since 1971.

Ceviche Tropical for appetizer. Fresh fish cured in lime, cilantro and jalapenos served with diced avocado tomatoes and boniato chips.

Picadillo ala Cubana and Ropa Vieja afterwards. Each dish was of course paired with white rice and sweet plantains.

Cuban mojito to drink. Aaahh.. Life is good!

There was no room for dessert so I ordered Cafe Cortadito, an extremely rich and sweet coffee to finish of my hearty dinner.

Can't get enough of Cuban food so I visited Mojitos Cuban Cuisine located on the ground floor of the Dolphin Mall the next day.

Mango Mojito for starters.

Boliche Asado Con Arroz Blanco y Maduros. Pot roast with onion gravy with white rice and plantains.

And the best Cuban dish I've ever tasted so far... Palomilla Mojitos Suprema. Palomilla steak rolled with ham and Swiss cheese, sliced and served over Demi Glaze sauce. I've probably said this a thousand times but it's worth every calories! This dish still hunts me in my dreams. =)

Juice and Java in Miami

A lot of times I wish I live in Florida. Especially on January when the weather difference between Miami and Wisconsin Dells look like this.

I wish I run along South Beach every morning or practice yoga by the beach on January just like what they do on 3rd Street.

Picture: 3rd St. Beach Yoga

I also wish I could go to Juice and Java everyday.

Picture : Juice and Java Facebook Page

 One of my favorite food spot in Miami is the Juice and Java. Located along Washington Avenue, this little restaurant is flocked by health buffs, tourists and locals for their wide variety of healthy offerings.

They have the healthiest food selection. Last time I was there I feasted on grilled chicken breast, organic brown rice, a side of pesto and veggies. I paired this healthy dish with one of their all natural smoothies and a shot of wheatgrass. It  felt so refreshing to have this kind of breakfast after a night of alcohol abuse.  

For lunch, grilled salmon with organic brown rice, veggies and herb sauce. All their uber healthy platters comes with a choice of organic brown rice, organic quinoa, steamed veggies or baked sweet potato but I'm a true blue Asian so its rice all the way.

This was a food shot from my Miami 2010 trip. Tilapia platter with rice.

Picture: Juice and Java Facebook Page

Next time I want to try their Cranberry Spinach Salad with Grilled Tofu. Looks yummy! =)

Afternoon tea at Bosie

Just before we said goodbye to the Big Apple, I had to trick Peter into going to Bosie Tea Parlor.

I tried to stay away from Starbucks the whole time we were in New York because all the other coffee shops in NYC has something different to offer.

Maple and bacon and peanut butter and jelly macarons were so freakin awesome I want them all!

I almost died at the sight of this!

Aside from a wide array of delicious pastries they have, they also have lunch and dinner items like soups, salad, quiche, panini, cheese platters and tea sandwiches. They also have an afternoon tea service which has become my instant favorite. 

We picked a corner table at the back of the teahouse. The place was perfect for either a cozy chat with friends, and intimate afternoon tea date and even a relaxing 'alone' time with myself. 

Freshly brewed pot of oolong tea for me and a cup of cappucino for Peter.

We also got an afternoon tea tray for two. Happiness!

Everything  was so yummy! I couldn't believe one could fit heaven in a three tier afternoon tea tray!

First tier had three kinds of tea sandwiches which were all oh so delicious by the way...Made to order cucumber with cream cheese and dill on white toasts, smoked salmon with red onion, lemon zest and cream cheese on pumper nickel and my favorite chicken breast with golden raisins and curried mayonnaise on multi grain.

Second tier had four macarons of my choice. I picked salted caramel of course, peanut butter and jelly, vanilla cheesecake and coffee. It also had four mini loaves of European tea cakes. Lemon, matcha tea, candied fruit and chocolate. Carb overload!

Of course I saved the best for last. Four petite scones topped with crunchy sugar pearls served with cream and homemade raspberry jam. I ate all the scones of course. Oh I so loved it! <3

Peter didn't mind because he's got all the leftovers boxed up. Oh how cute! 

Food Porn Action in New York City continues..

I had to force myself to finish up this post. I've been awfully busy this past few weeks with graduation, house hunting, loan processing and all that. Anyway, I finally made the time to finish my NYC posts. 

Our second day in New York involved a lot of walking, map reading and more importantly.. eating. We got hungry while walking around East Village and I wanted to come back to Krystal's Cafe 81 to feast on Filipino foods. Unfortunately, it was closed that day. I can tell by the looks on Peter's face that he's rejoicing about it. He's not a fan of restaurant repetition. So we walked one block and saw Virage which serves French/ Italian/ Middle Eastern cuisine. 

I saw  Boeuf Bourguignon on the menu and instantly remembered Julia Child so I just had to get it. The beef was slowly cooked with shallots, mushroom, red wine, thyme and served with mashed potatoes and haricot vert. 

Peter got Spinach Fettuccine with grilled chicken, roasted tomato, cream and shaved ricotta. 

After a couple of drinks, we went on wandering around East Village, Soho, Little Italy, Chinatown and Wall Street. That was a hell lot of walking and subway. Subway system is horrible if you're not familiar with it.   I spent most of the time fumbling through my phone for directions. Good thing there were good NYC subway apps available. 

We then went to see Evita on Broadway. That was fun! I have not seen a play in awhile and I didn't even realize how I miss theater until I watched Evita. I loved every minute of it!

I loved our spill proof Jack and Coke and Malibu and Pineapple although we have to pay 30 bucks for 2 drinks. I also loved Ricky Martin's performance. He has this certain charisma that just captures you. Totally hot I'm not gonna lie. 

We had dinner at Mr. Robota Grill and Sushi Bar after the play. They have exceptional sushi menu which of course also comes with exceptional prices.

We ordered Mallard Duck Breasts and Foie Gras with caramelized apples and drizzled with warm strawberry sauce  for appetizer. Every bite screams calories but it's totally worth it!

We also tried out their special maki rolls. I got New York New York for myself. It has spicy tuna, macadamia nuts, toro scallion and avocado wrapped in seared tuna and topped with wasabi cream cheese, eel sauce and a rice cracker. 

Peter had Dreams Come True for himself. It has lobster tempura, caviar, coconut, mango and avocado, wrapped in orange soy-paper and topped with wasabi cream cheese, yuzo miso and sriracha. Dreams come  true indeed!

There was one item on the menu that caught my eye but I wasn't able to order it coz I won't have room for sushi if I did. They have a soup called Foie Gras Cappucino. It sound weird and intriguing. I'll have to try it next time.

At midnight we took out the car from the garage and drove around Manhattan. It's the only way you can drive around the city without losing your temper. We tried to see the Brooklyn Bridge Park but our GPS was having a dumb moment that time so we got lost in Brooklyn. on the way back, we stopped in at Gray's Papaya and ordered the Recession Special [two hotdogs and a 14oz drink] for our midnight snack.

I stopped counting calories and weighing myself for a few weeks after that. 

Disappointed in T Sushi

Last Sunday, we were wandering around State St. looking for a place to eat. A new sushi place called T Sushi caught our eye  and so we decided to try it out. WRONG MOVE. Aaahh.. 

I don't know how long this restaurant has been opened because I have not been to downtown in awhile but boy it's so disappointing. There were only five tables in the restaurant so anyone would think that they are capable of providing an acceptable customer service. There were two waitstaff, a hostess who also busses tables, a bartender, three sushi guys and a guy in the kitchen doing whatever it is he's doing. Pretty fine day huh?! 

So we ordered drinks. Even if we waited for our drinks by roughly 10 minutes after we ordered it, it was still the best part of our customer experience. Not because the drinks stood out but because it was less worse than everything else.

We ordered immediately when our waitress came back.  And then we waited.. and waited.. and waited.. and friggin waited! It's not even the worst part. Thew worst part was that the food was actually ready. It's sitting on the table waiting to be picked up by someone.

While the manager or owner or whoever was in charge was sipping his coffee by the bar. 

Oblivious to the fact that there were hungry people in the restaurant and tons of food waiting to be expedited. Unbelievable.

After 35 minutes of waiting, food finally came. I'm not gonna say a lot about it because it's mediocre. The 'volcano' (center) was too spicy that all you can taste were the sauces in it. It overpowered the flavors of everything else. The other two were bland. Period. 

It seems to me that you haven't quite figured it out just yet. I hope customer service improves soon. Takara, across the street has a very impressive menu and already has a local following. Sushi Muramoto which is a few blocks away has all you can eat sushi nights, an awesome menu and is frequented by all types of crowd even during Monday night. Sushi competition is tough in downtown. It takes more than fancy chandeliers to lure the crowd. 

Food Porn Action in New York City (part 1)

While everybody is busy working out to shred unwanted fats and achieve the perfect body for summer, I chose to defy the rules of society and packed on pounds. It was a four day feast in sugarland and calorie paradise. I don't regret it at all. I don't mind the extra five pounds. I don't mind my maxed-out credit cards. Oh well, not until the bill comes.

My first stop as soon as I got in NYC was a Krystal's Cafe 81, a little Filipino Restaurant in East Village. 

Photo credit: Google Images

Last time I was in New York, I had to go all the way to Queens to get a taste of some delicious Pinoy delicacies.

We finished up the Sizzling Sisig in seconds. Sisig is a staple in any drinking session in the Philippines. It's made up of pork's head and liver. It's broiled, fried with onions then served in a sizzling plate topped with raw egg, pork cracklings and chili. It's an appetizer best paired with beer but I ate it with rice. Hell, I eat everything with rice.

Peter tried Red Horse Beer. The only beer I like. He didn't care much about it though.

I also ordered Sinigang na Hipon for the main course. It's a shrimp dish boiled in sour broth with vegetables. The server brought it in a big bowl and two servings of rice in a separate plate to our table. With it also comes two small individual bowls and plates for both of us. While I immediately rolled my sleeves up and get down to business, Peter was more concerned about how much dishes are we using. I rolled my eyes in disbelief. He must have felt sorry for the dishwasher.

Since I don't come to New York very often, I didn't pass up the opportunity to visit Laduree. For those who aren't familiar with it, it's a popular macaron shop in Paris. They opened their first and only North American location in the Upper East Side last year.

Gazillions of macarons are displayed in the store window. I had to wait in line to even get into the store. Peter thought it was ridiculous to wait in line to get pastries. Not until he finished off most of my macarons.

I got two boxes. One with all the fifteen flavors and one with just salted caramels and pistachios.

I also bought financiers and madeleines. I overheard one guy asking one of the associates if they make it there fresh everyday. The lady said that everything is made in Paris and delivered to New York everyday.

We went to Sarabeth's Kitchen next. They have several locations all over Manhattan but we visited the one right next to Central Park.

Photo credit: sarabethspc.com

It was sunny and breezy so we sat outside.

Central Park Summer: vodka, watermelon liqour, sierra mist and grenadine

The cocktail menu was my favorite. They have an awesome list of drink concoction. I love their champagne cocktails too. I ordered Central Park Summer and Watermelon Crush (vodka, watermelon liqour, pineapple juice and OJ) for starters. Yes that's right. For starters.

Cream of tomato soup topped with cheddar chives and basil oil.

Peter had the Flat Iron Steak Frites served with bernaise sauce and french fries. He paired it with some local tap beers.

I had the Pan Roasted Salmon served with fingerling potatoes, crispy leeks and sundried tomato vinagrette. Oh so yummy!

We also shared the Creme Brulee for dessert. I don't have pictures because we finished the whole thing before we could take pictures.

We were bloated by the end of it. But we didn't stop there.