Miami Fun Guide » Reviews By Kids

Reviews by Kids: Islas Canarias

Anna Tuttle — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:33:59 +0000

This “authéntica cocina cubana” is a family-owned restaurant that has been in good business since 1977. And there’s a reason behind it: their amazing homemade food! This Sunday, I visited this restaurant for the first time. I had read on the internet that their dollar croquetas were delicious, so I decided to try the ones with ham. And they truly proved to be “the best croquetas in the world”. One of the benefits of going to restaurants with your family is that you get to try several dishes at one time. So I was also able to try my sister’s churrasco. My mom ordered a chicken salad; her only complaint was that the dish seemed to have been plated earlier in the day, drying out the tomato and pickle on the side. My dad’s favorite part of the meal was the delectable side of black beans and rice that has always been one of the stars of Cuban cooking.

This restaurant features a private room for banquets and business meetings, along with a few murals that I especially enjoyed studying. The largest and most prominent of these pays homage to several famous Latin music stars (including Celia Cruz, Willy Chirino, Israel “Cachao” Lopez, Gloria Stefan, and John Secada). Check out a picture of it on their website. The service was acceptable, although some of us were missed when water glasses were being refilled. In addition, the bathrooms were clean and neat. Overall, I would recommend Islas Canarias for its family environment and tasty food.

Important Info:

Address: 13695 SW 26 Street, Miami, Florida 33175

Phone number: (305) 559-6666

Website: http://islascanariasrestaurant.com/about_rest.html

Kid Review: Big Pink

Anna Tuttle — Sat, 07 May 2011 19:15:04 +0000

Trying to plan a special birthday? Why not try Big Pink, a restaurant in South Beach and a great place to go for breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner? Everything they serve is BIG, hence the name. My family went there recently for my 11th birthday, and we had an awesome experience. We tried a few of their milkshakes, which were very sweet, but appetizing. I got the 3 Egg Breakfast; which includes 3 eggs, any style, 2 slices of toast, homemade fries, and a choice of sausage or bacon. My sister tried the malted waffles. The waiter was very attentive to our requests, and the bathrooms weren’t dirty. You might say that the prices are a little high, but I’d say that it’s well worth it.

Extra Info:

Big Pink menu (not including breakfast menu): http://www.allmenus.com/fl/miami-beach/47912-big-pink-restaurant/menu/

Address: 157 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33139

Phone Number: (305) 532-4700

Kid Review: Boomers! Dania Beach

Paloma Tuttle — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:02:26 +0000

Looking for somewhere to take your family this weekend? I’d recommend trying out Boomers! located in Dania Beach. Complete with go karts, bumper boats, laser tag, mini golf, bowling, and batting cages, this theme park offers a wide variety of attractions for the whole family. In addition, Boomers! offers a variety of arcade games, and two thrill rides, the Flame Thrower, and the Side Winder. (The small Family ride Park offers a few kiddie rides for younger children.)

The Go Karts are exciting and fun, especially if you bring along a competative companion. The laser tag is the perfect interactive group activity (make sure to wear something black to hide from the ultraviolet light.).

Make sure to check out their website at http://www.boomersparks.com/site/dania/index.html to see the group rates and hours of operation.

(We had also gone on the Hurricane, the tallest wooden roller coaster in Florida, which was recently shut down. The ride is ten stories high with a 95 foot drop and speeds of 60 mph. This ride was the highlight of my family’s trip to Boomers!, and we were very disappointed to find that it has been closed. [Boomer Bummer!] Please ask the management to consider reopening.)

Kid Review: Yogurtland

Anna Tuttle — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 23:36:38 +0000

Just recently my cousin had come to visit us at our house, and she made a comment about this place called Yogurtland. Well, anyway, we decided to try it out. The next day that we were in the area, we went to the Dadeland location. We soon learned that we could get whatever flavor we wanted, however many kinds we wanted, however many toppings we wanted. Basically you pile all that you want in a bowl, and then weigh it. It’s very inexpensive, and be careful not to get too many things, because your stomach will fill up QUICKLY!! The time that we went I tried the Dutch Chocolate, New York Cheesecake, Peanut Butter, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Toasted Coconut, all of which I liked very much. I look forward to going again sometime.

There are other locations in Doral Plaza, Pembroke Pines East, and Weston, but here’s the directions for the one that we visited:

9455 S. Dixie Hwy.
Pinecrest, FL 33156

Phone: 305-668-3241

Hours Daily: 11am to 11pm

For more information go to http://www.yogurt-land.com/

Kid Review: Rickenbacker Fish Company

Anna Tuttle — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:25:59 +0000

Rickenbacker Fish Company is a fresh fish market and a restaurant with a menu that provides both surf and turf. My family and I recently visited this restaurant for lunch on Valentine’s Day weekend, and we loved our experience there. Some entrées from the menu include All Natural Cilantro Chicken (which was delicious), Danish Baby Back Ribs, Caribbean Mahi, and Linguini Clams. Some starters are Conch Fritters, Ceviche, and Coconut Shrimp. The menu also includes salads, sandwiches, and sides. I enjoyed the cheeseburger with fries from the kids menu, and it was higher quality and heartier than I expected.

The service there is excellent too. Our waiter was prompt to fulfill our resquests, and the hostess immediately noticed us and seated us. The restrooms were tidy and clean. Here’s a tip: If you make the drive all the way out to Key Biscayne, go to Rickenbacker Fish Company instead of the Rusty Pelican, because this restaurant is less crowded and inexpensive.

Address: 3301 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami FL 33149

Phone #: 305-361-0040

Kid Review: Yogenfrüz

Anna Tuttle — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 16:54:15 +0000

Either if you love yogurt or if you’re trying to eat healthy, Yogenfrüz is the place to go. With all the choices available, you might be a little overwhelmed at first, but once you find what suits you best, you’ll find it worth the trouble. You can mix all different kinds of fruits into your yogurt, or you can just add toppings. If you don’t like yogurt at all, they also offer fruit cups and smoothies.

If you’re not sure that you’ll like Yogenfrüz and you don’t want to go there and find out, then you can just visit them on the web by going to yogenfrüz.com. Once you visit the website, you’ll find that they also have nutritional facts on each topping.

Kid Review: Benny’s Seafood Restaurant

Anna Tuttle — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:08:15 +0000

Don’t be confused. Benny’s Seafood sells not only seafood, but also many home-made Puerto-Rican dishes, such as their famous Mofongo. When we went there, we ordered an assortment platter and Mofongo. We actually got the Mofongo with chicken, and the chicken was absolutely mouth-watering. But the Mofongo was a different matter– I dodn’t like it… I LOVED IT!!!! It came with a home-made broth, and it was like nothing I ever tasted before! My father also ordered some conch, which he informed me was delicious.

When you go to Benny’s make sure to order one of the desserts. They are awesome!

Info:

Address: 2500 S.W. 107 Ave. #1

Miami, Florida 33165

Tel: (305) 227-1232

E-mail Address: bennyseafood@gmail.com

Website: www.bennyseafood.com

Kid Review: Hiro’s Sushi Express

Anna Tuttle — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 11:49:19 +0000

If you’re looking for a place where you can have your fill of sushi, then Hiro’s Sushi Express is the place to go. This restaurant is only a few blocks south of Lincoln Road on Washington Avenue and may be easy to miss, but if you keep your eyes open you’ll find it soon. Once you get in, there will be a plentiful menu waiting for you, and I guarantee that you’ll have a hard time choosing what’s your pick. When my family went, we ordered the Egg Roll, Spinach & Shittake, Chicken Yakitori (this dish includes fish eggs, but my Dad chose to take them out), Dragon Roll, and Volcano Roll. I’m not a seafood person, so I did not taste all these dishes, but my sister and father heartily recommended all these dishes.

The bathroom was tidy and clean, and our food was brought to us promptly. Hiro’s Sushi Express’s phone number is (305) 531-6068, and they offer take out, delivery, and catering.

Hours of operation:

Mon-Fri: 11am-2am
Sat-Sun: 1pm-2am

Kid Review: Schakolad Chocolate Factory

Anna Tuttle — Sun, 09 May 2010 23:21:23 +0000

If you ever want a gratifying portion of delicious chocolate, then Schokolad Chocolate Factory is exactly the place to go. When you think about this, usually your first thought is that only a big portion is filling. But this “home-made” chocolate is able to satisfy. And to make your first visit special, they give you a taste from the very chocolate machine! All the chocolate is kosher, and they make different molds for holidays. Since my mom and my sister and I visited shortly before Mother’s Day, they had many beautiful molds made for celebrating that holiday. When we went to the back of the shop, we saw many other things. We saw a chocolate tool set, swan, and even a chocolate house that was labeled as My Chocolate House! But when we went this time, we had gelato. I had German Chocolate, my sister had Capuccino, and my mother had Mango. But that’s not all that they have to offer. They also make truffles, chocolate turtles, almond bark, chocolate-covered pretzels, cookies, cherries, and fruit dipped in chocolate!

Schakolad information:

Address: 456 41st Street

Miami Beach, FL 33140

Phone Number: (305) 532-4949

Email: miamibeach@schakolad.com

Website: www.schakolad.com/store41

Kid Review: Original Big Tomato

Paloma Tuttle — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 04:10:30 +0000

Wondering where to take your family (or friends) for a quick, yummy meal in Miami Springs? Well, if you’d like a new spin on pizza or salad, make sure to check out Original Big Tomato, voted “Best Healthy Fast Food” by Miami New Times.

Original Big Tomato is located right in the downtown circle. You may have difficulty choosing from the long menu, which includes a variety of gourmet pizzas, French “boule” salads (salad served in a bread bowl), wraps, panini sandwiches, and soups. Once you get past some of the “cheesy” names of menu items, you’ll find there’s something for every tastebud, including vegetarian, California-style , Jamaican jerk, Mexican, and of course Italian. You can even request whole wheat crust for an extra charge.

My personal favorites are the Big Tomato’s Most Popular pizza (#3 on the menu) and the Greek Salad (#27). We bought a 10-inch pizza pie and a salad, and had more than enough food for three persons. The dining area is a bit small, but those who prefer more room can always take-out and eat at the grassy circle across the street. There’s even a quaint, white gazebo for you romantics! And if you have a sweet tooth, don’t forget to try one of Hope’s delicious cookies; my mom says Hope’s Royale is the bomb!

The bathrooms and dining area are kept clean and the employees are polite. Check the website bigtomatopizza.net for discounts. Catering is available if you’re planning a party, and there’s also the “original” location in Pinecrest.

Enjoy!!!!!!