Miami Fun Guide » Food

Holiday Celebration for Families with Little Ones

Mary Tuttle — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:51:43 +0000

Our family always enjoys visiting Downtown Miami for Macy’s Thanksgiving lunch at the Royal Palm Restaurant. Now you can reserve your spot for a Santa Claus treat, complete with Mrs. Santa and the Elves.

Check out Macy’s Breakfast with Santa!

Shake Shack in Miami Beach

Mary Tuttle — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 22:33:15 +0000

A new craze in burgers and shakes has hit Lincoln Road, but this MFG food critic isn’t going to join the bandwagon too quickly. The food tastes good, but the prices range a bit high for a “fast food” place.

Speaking of fast, don’t go if you have a 30-minute lunch break or need a quick bite, because you’ll easily wait 15 minutes to get your food. They hand out pagers and wheedle you to ‘grab a seat…. relax’.

If you don’t mind the wait, you’ll find the ShackBurgers small, the fries average, and the custard Concretes (thick frozen custard shakes) too rich. I shared a Shark Attack Concrete with my daughter and we both felt bloated afterward. I will say they get points for originality; they feature some interesting flavors for their shakes. When I visited, they were offering free samples of basil-flavored frozen custard. It tasted cool and refreshing, but my 10-year old daughter protested that it was too weird to put herbs in a shake . It’s a SoBe thing…

Shake Shack is located at 1111 Lincoln Road, just around the corner from the movies at Lincoln Center. Five Guys, on the other hand, is clear across the beach on Washington and 15th Street, but better worth the trek for burger fare.

Joe’s Stone Crab on the Cheap

Mary Tuttle — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:21:47 +0000

Believe it or not, you can enjoy the circuses of the famous South Beach landmark, without having to break the bank. Granted, you won’t be able to dine on a bucket of the signature stone crabs, but you can have very tasty fried chicken and a side for less than $15 per person. But if you can, do splurge on dessert! Either the chocolate pecan pie or the key lime pie will do! Oh, and come early or you won’t get in. For those who can’t make in time to get on the list (there are no advance reservations, unless you’re the President of the United States or some other VIP!), there’s always the option of takeout. Now that South Point Park has it’s re-do, it’s the perfect place to sit down, enjoy some good food and take in the wonderful scenery that’s unique to this part of the country. Bon appetit!

Morton’s Steakhouse in Miami Beach

Mary Tuttle — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:36:27 +0000

Last October, Morton’s Steakhouse opened in Miami Beach. While their steak is not bad, it is definitely not worth the $15 valet parking, even if their motto is “the best steak anywhere.” The famous “onion bread” wasn’t bad either, but it isn’t anything to write home about. Do I sound like I ‘m complaining? In honesty I expected more. It’s hard for this restaurant chain to compete here when the public can get just as good for less or the same at other restaurants. Our server was great– prompt, friendly and knowledgeable; Morton’s gets high marks for training their staff well. The presentation of the menu was too cool; especially the live lobster on a platter! We were also entertained by the unexpected fire from the oven in the open kitchen. The black leather seats were comfortable, but I thought it odd that they provided no butter knife (and expected us to use the steak knife to butter our bread?!).

Overall, the food was not necessarily better than the high-end competition. Smith & Wollensky, The Forge, Joe’s Stone Crab, Houston’s– these places don’t have anything to worry about. We tried some other things on Morton’s menu. The steamed asparagus were a bit stringy, and the broiled sea scallops wrapped in bacon were acceptable. The culinary highlight of the evening was the sauteed button mushrooms which were absolutely fabulous. The baked five-onion soup tasted all right, again nothing spectacular. The raspberry souffle was a letdown, baked well on top but slightly undercooked in the middle. So this restaurant gets a mixed review.

Balans in Brickell

Mary Tuttle — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:27:11 +0000

For those who like the outdoor café atmosphere without the crowds of South Beach, checkout Balans Restaurant in Brickell. A quick walk from the Miami Metromover, the Brickell area has recently expanded to include many quaint stores, art galleries and a number of yummy eateries. The cuisine at Balans is international modern, including luscious breakfast selections served until 5pm and fresh eclectic entrees for every palate. For lunch I ate a colorful African chicken salad that was full of curry flavor paired with light and fluffy taboule. My kids loved the burgers and fries, but careful: the portions are substantial. Newcomers will get a kick out of the bathrooms with glass walls that transform from clear to opaque when in use. Afterward, you can enjoy strolling around to see some beautiful sculptures, including a gigantic depiction of Samson Agonistes.

Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival 2008

Rick Tuttle, Publisher — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 19:17:22 +0000

Enjoy colorful costumed junkanoo groups dancing to Caribbean rhythms, with rake ‘n scrape instruments.

Features entertainment on three stages and more than 300 vendors selling a variety of arts, crafts and food.

Two of Miami’s Best Cuban Restaurants

Rick Tuttle, Publisher — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 01:34:30 +0000

We know and have been to the Cuban restaurants that are featured in all the tourist marketing: Versailles, La Carreta, Latin Cafe.

But we want to clue you in on a couple of Cuban restaurants that are not as well known to outsiders but are favorites to the locals.

Molina’s Ranch Restaurant

Hialeah, is labeled as the City of Progress (La Ciudad Que Progresa), but we know it as the home of Molina’s. The locally famous Cuban restaurant recently opened a larger space which includes a salon for business meetings. Located on Le Jeune Road (42nd Ave) just north of 79th St.

Beware, street numbers change in Hialeah, 42nd Ave becomes 8th Ave and 79th St. becomes 25th St. or something like that. After all, it is the City of Progress, so they may as well have different street numbers.

Molina’s Ranch Restaurant
4100 E 8th Ave
Hialeah, FL
(305) 687-0008

Little Havana Restaurant

Over on the north east side of town is Little Havana Restaurant (La Pequeña Habana). Another excellent place for authentic cuban cuisine. Try any of the fish dishes which are delicious.

Little Havana Restaurant
12727 Biscayne Blvd
North Miami, FL
(305) 899-9069

What to Order

Don’t know what to order? Check out The Miami Fun Guide Cuban Food Recommendations.

Cuban Food Recommendations

Rick Tuttle, Publisher — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 01:34:31 +0000

Here are some simple suggestions on what to order at a Cuban Restaurant.

WARNING: Cubans are not known for their heart healthy cuisine so don’t be surprised if you find a lack of variety in salads, vegetables and other “light” fare. We’ve heard it said that Cuban food is either smashed, fried or both.

Appetizers (Aperitivos)

Tamal – seasoned cornmeal with bits of ham or pork wrapped in a corn husk
Croqueta – breaded ham croquette
Frituritas de Malanga – like hush puppies made from Malanga, a grey root vegetable similar to a yam
Mariquitas – fried plantain chips. Make sure they serve them sliced lengthwise and served with garlic sauce.

Soups (Sopas)

Sopa de Pollo – chicken soup
Sopa de Platanos – plantain soup. Surprisingly good.
Caldo Gallego – a white bean soup from Spain.

Main Course

Fricase de Pollo – chicken fricasee
Bistec de Pollo a la Plancha – grilled chicken breast
Pollo Milanesa – grilled chicken breast, breaded, fried and topped with Spanish sause, ham and mozarella cheese (also done with steak, Bistec Milanesa)
Bistec Empanizado – breaded, pan fried flat beef steak
Ropa Vieja – shredded beef in a seasoned sauce (ropa vieja means “old clothes”)
Vaca Frita – flank steak fried with onions (vaca frita means “fried cow”)
Picadillo – seasoned ground beef in a tomato sause
Lechon Asado – roast pork served with onions
Cordero – lamb shank

Side Dishes

Frijoles Negros y Arroz Blanco – black beans and rice served separately. The staple of Cuban cuisine.
Moros – black beans and rice cooked together
Maduros – sweet (ripe) plantains, fried
Tostones – green (not ripe) plantains, smashed and fried (we told you so)
Yuca en Mojo – boiled yuca (casava) served in a garlic sauce

Deserts (Postres)

Flan – caramel custard, also served in different variations such as with cream cheese added (Flan de Queso)
Arroz con Leche – rice pudding with cinnamon
Tres Leches – white cake drenched in fresh milk, evaporated milk and condensed milk (three milks cake)

Drinks (Bebidas)

Sangria – red wine with fresh fruit added
Materva – a mate soft drink
Cafe – cuban coffee, so strong it is served in a shot-glass sized cup
Cafe con Leche – cuban coffee with steamed milk (like a latte but cheaper)
Cortadito – half a serving of cafe con leche

We hope you enjoy.

The Frieze – Ice Cream Factory

Rick Tuttle, Publisher — Mon, 07 May 2007 21:09:34 +0000

If you are near Lincoln Road check out The Frieze, located at 1626 Michigan Ave, (305) 538-0207.

Your brain might freeze before you are able to decide which flavor of ice cream or sorbet to pick.

Our favorite ice cream flavors:

Soylent Green Tea
Key Lime Pie (with bits of crust!)
Baci
Vanilla Toffee Cashew Crunch
Dulce de Frieze
Get Down Boogie Oogie Cookie

and our favorite sorbets:

Mango Ginger Lime
Papaya
Mamey
Coconut
Guanabana
Champaigne.

Enjoy and tell ‘em that Miami Fun Guide sent you!

The Frieze Ice Cream Factory
1626 Michigan Avenue
Miami Beach, FL
(305) 538-0207