Palacio De Los Jugos in Pictures
June 28th, 2009 § 2 Comments
Exotic tropical fruits, slightly sweet and tangy chilled coconut water from a straw, hot Cuban dishes of every variety, a sandwich station, and of course its namesake juices… Part fruit market, part cafeteria, Palacio de Los Jugos on Flagler and Red Road was a zoo yesterday and oh so much fun. Here are some of the special things you’ll encounter on a visit.
Chilcano a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
June 21st, 2009 § Leave a Comment
Good to the last drop!
They say chicken soup is Jewish medicine, but I think I slurped down the next best thing for lunch last week, a Peruvian fish soup called chilcano.
I know. Fish sounds more stinky than comforting. But at Sabor a Peru, just a hop, skip and a jump across from the New Times office, not even a hint of fishyness exists in its fish broth – steamy hot and light with a hint of garlic, and slices of cooked red onion and cubes of corvina that settle to the bottom and beg for you to scoop them up. Just remember to catch the melted parsley leaves and scallions, and cancha (fried corn kernels) with your spoon on the way up.
When you go, the ceviche de mariscos is also really yummy and features limey leche de tigre-cured seafood with a slab of cooked sweet potato and nub of a hominy cob to cool your tongue down if you ask for it to come picante. The mussles, squid and shrimp are perfectly cooked by the citrus liquid. The octopus is a little tough.
Both come with a delictable green chile sauce on the side, aji verde. It’s a creamy emulsification of jalapenos and cilantro with a heat that sneaks up on you only after several seconds. It’s addictive. So a good thing that they give you as much as you want free of charge: It’s a table condiment and also available to go in little plastic containers.
2923 Biscayne Blvd
Miami, FL 33137-4121
(305) 573-6736
Jacob Katel, Video Dine-Amo, Shoots ‘Behind the Line’ for Short Order
June 12th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
Mayor Don Slesnick at Por Fin where they make his favorite dish in the Gables; credit: Jacob Katel
Jacob Katel has been shooting video and editing his own film since he was 11. He’s also my counterpart at the Miami New Times Short Order food blog, where he created a regular online feature called ‘Behind the Line.’ You probably have seen it — he goes into the back of the house and observes chefs as they turn out plate upon glorious plate from the kitchen.
To celebrate Coral Gables restaurant week (concluding on 7/14,) we had this crazy idea to dine out with Mayor Slesnick, ask him all sorts of questions about food (including a Top 10,) restaurants and The City Beautiful. When he mentioned that his favorite dish (his wife’s too) in the Gables was Huevos Por Fin at Por Fin restaurant, we had found our venue — and a perfect excuse to take him into the kitchen to get a crash course.
Here’s the hilarious video Jacob produced of a fun evening with the Mayor, antics and all, up on Short Order this morning. Who’s the next guinea pig!?
