| Cuban food dominates Miami menu
Cuban food is what Miami does best, and it's
not limited to the traditional haunts in Little Havana -- the hearty,
comfort food, notably rice and beans, fried plantains and shredded pork
sandwiches, is found in every neighborhood.
It is, however, complemented by sushi bars,
American home-style diners, Haitian restaurants, Italian eateries and Indian
venues, among a handful of other ethnic cuisines.
Coral Gables stakes its claim in upmarket
cafés and ethnic Italian and Greek restaurants, while Coconut Grove features
American, Spanish, New Floridian -- a mix of Caribbean spiciness and fruity
Florida sauces -- and even British.
Seafood is equally abundant; succulent
grouper, yellowfin tuna and wahoo, a local delicacy, are among 500 species
of fish thriving offshore. Stone crab claws, served from October to May, are
another regional specialty.
A tropical climate provides Florida with a
juicy assortment of standard orange and grapefruit citrus, as well as the
exotic flavors of the lychee, mango, papaya, tamarind and star fruits --
many of which are used in sauces and batidos (light milkshakes).
You'll also want to drink Cuban coffee:
choose between café cubano, strong, sweet and frothy, drunk like a
shot with a glass of water; café con leche, with steamed milk, and
particularly good at breakfast with pan cubano (thin, buttered
toast); or café cortadito, a smaller version of the con leche. |
