Saturday, January 15, 2005
Latin American Cafeteria, Miami, FL
All the flights at the Miami airport were running late today from the rain, so while I waited for my rebooked flight, I had time for a late lunch. I found a Cuban place in the airport called Latin American Cafeteria and had arroz imperial, fried plantains, and a guava cheesecake. Arroz imperial is sort of a one-pot dish, being mostly yellow rice, along with peas, pimiento, parsley, onion, and big chunks of boned chicken all stewed together and then garnished with a sour cream sauce and more parsley and pimiento. It's good but filling, especially the huge serving the cafeteria lady gave me. It was the same with the big serving of plantain I got. The guava cheesecake was a great big huge slice of tall, New York style cheesecake with a layer of guava preserves on top.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Miccosukkee Gaming Center Restaurant, Miami, FL
For dinner tonight, I went to the Miccosukkee Gaming Center and Resort, out on the western edge of Miami. I won enough to be about $50 ahead of what I brought in, so I decided to celebrate and eat at their restaurant. The restaurant is on an elevated platform in the middle of the gaming area, so it's a little noisy, plus, they have a live pianist playing (or attempting thereof--I wanted to have him put out of his misery!). The waiters are all formally attired with the management in Miccosukkee/Seminole patchwork jackets and they have white cloths on the tables. My waiter was another of those people who seemed to struggle with English, but we managed to get the order straight.
My starter was the Italian wedding soup, which was a quite tasty bowl full of pieces of Italian sausage, vegetables, and lots of little round, barley-sized pasta. Next I had steak and lobster, with a palm sized piece of sirloin, medium rare, and a modest lobster tail with drawn butter, both resting on a large bed of al dente steamed green beans almondine. The plate was garnished with a deep rose sauce I never quite figured out, since it had no real discernable taste. I thought maybe it was a sauce made from lobster roe, but it would have had a lobster taste, so I'm not really sure what it was. For dessert, I ended up with a key lime pie, which actually quite good, largely because it was made with a pie dough crust, rather than graham cracker, and it was a very big piece!
The best part of dinner was the price--they were having a special tonight on the steak and lobster, so my whole dinner was only $13.95!
My starter was the Italian wedding soup, which was a quite tasty bowl full of pieces of Italian sausage, vegetables, and lots of little round, barley-sized pasta. Next I had steak and lobster, with a palm sized piece of sirloin, medium rare, and a modest lobster tail with drawn butter, both resting on a large bed of al dente steamed green beans almondine. The plate was garnished with a deep rose sauce I never quite figured out, since it had no real discernable taste. I thought maybe it was a sauce made from lobster roe, but it would have had a lobster taste, so I'm not really sure what it was. For dessert, I ended up with a key lime pie, which actually quite good, largely because it was made with a pie dough crust, rather than graham cracker, and it was a very big piece!
The best part of dinner was the price--they were having a special tonight on the steak and lobster, so my whole dinner was only $13.95!
La Carreta, Miami, FL
Does anyone speak English anymore in Miami? Everywhere I go, whether it's waiters or hotel staff or even sales staff at the malls, it seems the constant conversational language is Spanish, not English. I'm also running in to people at these places who seem to have limited English skills!
I popped over to Calle Ocho in Little Havana to have lunch at the original La Carreta, a popular Cuban restaurant which is now a small local chain. The hostess must have assumed that I was Cuban, so she gave me the Spanish menu. I struggled with it for a while, but I've forgotten too much Spanish these days, and I had to ask my waitress for the English menu. How embarrassing! Nevertheless, it was good to be back at La Carreta. I've always liked Cuban food. It's so interesting, different, and flavorful, and they do it without having to resort to a lot of jalapeno peppers a la Mexican food.
I had deep fried chunks of grouper fish with a special tartar sauce-type sauce which is herbed and has no pickle relish in it, with a large molded serving of yellow rice and a side of fried sweet plantain. The fish was so good! They deep fry quickly and at a higher temperature than what is typically used for fried catfish back home, so the grouper was just cooked, and it was golden without being brown or burned. The dinner came with a big basket of Cuban bread, which consists of slices of loaves of French-style bread which are then fried in oil and pressed.
For dessert I had flan con coco. Flan, of course, is the Spanish version of a French crème caramel, which is usually denser (more egg yolk) than the French version. The "con coco" means "with coconut," and grated fresh coconut preserved in a thick sugar syrup is piled atop the flan. That was followed by a cafe Cubano—Cuban coffee—which is very similar to an espresso, but made with a different bean and a different brewing technique (it is strong, but doesn't have the harshness or bite of many espressos), and which is also always very very sweet.
As you can tell, Cuban food is *not* diet food!
I popped over to Calle Ocho in Little Havana to have lunch at the original La Carreta, a popular Cuban restaurant which is now a small local chain. The hostess must have assumed that I was Cuban, so she gave me the Spanish menu. I struggled with it for a while, but I've forgotten too much Spanish these days, and I had to ask my waitress for the English menu. How embarrassing! Nevertheless, it was good to be back at La Carreta. I've always liked Cuban food. It's so interesting, different, and flavorful, and they do it without having to resort to a lot of jalapeno peppers a la Mexican food.
I had deep fried chunks of grouper fish with a special tartar sauce-type sauce which is herbed and has no pickle relish in it, with a large molded serving of yellow rice and a side of fried sweet plantain. The fish was so good! They deep fry quickly and at a higher temperature than what is typically used for fried catfish back home, so the grouper was just cooked, and it was golden without being brown or burned. The dinner came with a big basket of Cuban bread, which consists of slices of loaves of French-style bread which are then fried in oil and pressed.
For dessert I had flan con coco. Flan, of course, is the Spanish version of a French crème caramel, which is usually denser (more egg yolk) than the French version. The "con coco" means "with coconut," and grated fresh coconut preserved in a thick sugar syrup is piled atop the flan. That was followed by a cafe Cubano—Cuban coffee—which is very similar to an espresso, but made with a different bean and a different brewing technique (it is strong, but doesn't have the harshness or bite of many espressos), and which is also always very very sweet.
As you can tell, Cuban food is *not* diet food!
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach, FL
The UM alumni reception was tonight at the Fontainebleau. They're getting cheap on us.....we used to be fed an actual lunch, instead of a cocktail party. Anyway, I found the hors d'oeuvres service to be interestingly confused. A table in the center of the room was set with large trays of vegetable crudites and assortments of surprisingly unexciting canapes, cheese cubes, plus one baked brie en croute.
Then, waiters circulated, passing difficult to eat items such as beef satay, conch fritters, chicken and vegetable kebabs, and crab cakes. Wouldn't it have made more sense to put these items on the buffet table, and then pass the canapes? Open bar, of course, with the same set up as the other cocktail parties. I let myself indulge a little more tonight and got a bit tipsy. It's not too bad, though, cause so far it appears I am writing coherently! I knew very few people at the reception; none of my classmates were there.
Then, waiters circulated, passing difficult to eat items such as beef satay, conch fritters, chicken and vegetable kebabs, and crab cakes. Wouldn't it have made more sense to put these items on the buffet table, and then pass the canapes? Open bar, of course, with the same set up as the other cocktail parties. I let myself indulge a little more tonight and got a bit tipsy. It's not too bad, though, cause so far it appears I am writing coherently! I knew very few people at the reception; none of my classmates were there.
Meat Me K.M.
It would be a bit of an understatement to say that there's a large Jewish presence in Miami Beach. Yarmulkes are everywhere. The big church in Miami Beach isn't actually a church—it's a big Jewish temple. I've heard it said that English is a third language, behind Spanish and Yiddish. I opted to take advantage of the culture by eating today at a rather new restaurant called Meat Me K.M. (K.M. for "kosher Miami").
Meat Me is a small restaurant, very narrow and deep, with only twelve modern tables and sleek paneled walls displaying very modern art. The menu is surprisingly unremarkable--nothing "exotic" about it to make it seem like kosher food is anything really all that different from what we Gentiles normally eat. I started with their chicken soup. I thought maybe it would come with matzo balls, but it was a very traditional chicken soup with a rich broth, bits of potato, carrot, celery, parsley, and garlic, and a chicken wing served in a white quatrefoil bowl.
While I was eating my soup, the waiter brought a plate with three small bowls, each with a different salad. There was a very basic mayonnaise-based cole slaw. Another cabbage salad was made of long shreds of purple cabbage with lots of chopped fresh parsley, all marinated with a bit of salt in an olive oil dressing. And, there was a spicy, garlicky salad made of crinkle-cut carrot coins that packed quite a punch, which, when I asked the waiter what it was, he said "carrot."
Then my main course arrived. Some of the most scrumptious chunks of lamb shish-kebab were impaled on two long, metal, handle-less sword blades and presented atop a large white oval platter. The lamb was delicately spiced and roasted just to juicy perfection. On the platter was a large mound of intentionally-lumpy and very yummy mashed potatoes that were seasoned with chicken fat (remember, this is a kosher place, so butter can't be served with meat on the menu). A small triangular plate filled with a thoroughly sauteed melange of green and yellow squash shreds, onion, and julienned carrot was the side dish du jour. After all this food, I was way too stuffed to even think about dessert!
Meat Me is a small restaurant, very narrow and deep, with only twelve modern tables and sleek paneled walls displaying very modern art. The menu is surprisingly unremarkable--nothing "exotic" about it to make it seem like kosher food is anything really all that different from what we Gentiles normally eat. I started with their chicken soup. I thought maybe it would come with matzo balls, but it was a very traditional chicken soup with a rich broth, bits of potato, carrot, celery, parsley, and garlic, and a chicken wing served in a white quatrefoil bowl.
While I was eating my soup, the waiter brought a plate with three small bowls, each with a different salad. There was a very basic mayonnaise-based cole slaw. Another cabbage salad was made of long shreds of purple cabbage with lots of chopped fresh parsley, all marinated with a bit of salt in an olive oil dressing. And, there was a spicy, garlicky salad made of crinkle-cut carrot coins that packed quite a punch, which, when I asked the waiter what it was, he said "carrot."
Then my main course arrived. Some of the most scrumptious chunks of lamb shish-kebab were impaled on two long, metal, handle-less sword blades and presented atop a large white oval platter. The lamb was delicately spiced and roasted just to juicy perfection. On the platter was a large mound of intentionally-lumpy and very yummy mashed potatoes that were seasoned with chicken fat (remember, this is a kosher place, so butter can't be served with meat on the menu). A small triangular plate filled with a thoroughly sauteed melange of green and yellow squash shreds, onion, and julienned carrot was the side dish du jour. After all this food, I was way too stuffed to even think about dessert!
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Wines of the New World, Miami Beach, FL
Masterson Gurr Johns hosts an exclusive, invitation-only wine tasting party, limited to one hundred specifically invited guests. To preserve their privacy, they hold their tastings at the hotel next door, the Eden-Roc (Elizabeth Taylor used to come to this hotel all the time). MGJ is a private international firm based in London and New York which does art consulting and appraisals. Every year, they bring in their expert wine consultant and specialist, Alfredo Saurini, to conduct a series of wine tastings. As we approached the terrace of the tasting site, we were discreetly checked off the invitations list and ushered into the tasting room.
Upon entering, we were handed a flute of a Mionetto Prosecco Brut Spumante, actually an Italian wine (Old World??), but one which we were told was quite popular in Argentina. As we were sipping our prosecco, we were guided to a large round table laden with fruits, cheeses, and pates. These were the good cheeses, too—no cubes of cheddar or swiss!—and included several soft goat cheeses such as herbed chevre, a big wheel of fontina, three different types of French bleus, and several other wheels I couldn't quite identify due to the way they were cut and garnished. There were also at least two different types of pates, including a small plate of pate de fois gras neatly hidden up towards the top of the display. And, of course, there were water crackers and rounds of toast.
In the main tasting room, the tables were set with each seat having a large printed placemat with circles numbered from one to six and a large burgundy-style wine glass in each circle, each filled about one-third to one-half full of each of the featured wines. Each place setting also had a list of the wines with space for tasting notes, a map of each wine region featured, a corkscrew, and MGJ promotional literature, pens, pencils, and mousepad. I might also mention now that as we left the tasting, we were given _Food and Wine Magazine's Wine Guide 2005_ book, something which retails in bookstores for $11.95. And now for the wines.
The first wine was a Jacob's Creek Riesling Reserve, from the Barossa Valley area of southeastern Australia. It was actually quite good for a riesling, and not as sweet as most. I was particularly surprised at its pleasantness, since Australia is mostly known for its sturdy red shirazes, and rieslings generally come from the higher, mountainous regions of Europe. I should think this to be a good cocktail and hors d'oevres wine, since it had medium acidity and would be drinkable both by itself or with food. The most amusing thing about this wine is that it comes in a screw-top bottle! More and more fine wines are starting to come with screw-tops, though, since it's considered to be the most superior "corkage," allowing in just the right amount of oxygen to an aging wine without the problems of corks, which can dry out or degrade over time.
Next we moved to the Willamette Valley of Oregon for the Sokol Blosser Evolution #9, a blend of nine different white varietals. This was a much sweeter and fruitier wine, much sweeter than I prefer. Of course, if someone were serving really really spicy foods, such as Thai or Indian dishes, this might be a good foil for the heat. Meanwhile, when I drink wines from Oregons, I think I'll stick to their pinot noirs.
The first red was actually my favorite wine of the night. From Argentina, we had a 2003 Terrazas de los Andes Malbec. Malbecs, of course, are one of the five great grapes from the Bordeaux region of France, and this one has done particularly well in the high, dry wine growing area of Argentina. It was nicely round with hints of plum on the tongue, fairly low tannin, and enough acidity to be able to stand up to foods. It was a little on the oaky side, though, and I think it's a wine approaching its peak right now. It's definitely a "drink now" wine that would be popular with most dinner party crowds.
Tasted side by side with the malbec was Baron Phillipe de Rothschild Carmenere Reserva from the Maipo Valley of Chile. This was my least favorite wine (for some reason, I never like Rothschild wines, even the expensive Chateau Lafite French ones), and it evoked strong opinions, pro and con, from the tasters. The wine has an earthy, almost coffee-like smell to it, and a smoky taste with a hint of what I'd have to call green bell pepper. It is considerably more acidic than the malbec, and the tannins are beginning to be obviously present in this wine. I think perhaps because of the smokiness of this wine, one might pair it up with charbroiled steaks or something.
The final wine came from the Mendocino Valley of northern California. The Fife Petite Syrah 2000 is one of those wines which definitely must be corked well in advance of drinking. The wine expert said that he had corked and poured the petite syrah about an hour before the tasting, and yet two hours later, there were still many unusual smells emanating from the wine and the high tannin content was still mellowing. The limestone soil of Mendocino gives the wine a bit of a chalky feel, so it really should be drunk with some substantial food. It was actually quite a nice wine for what it was, though I do think that it needs to age for several more years before it's ready to drink.
And that was the tasting.
I've been invited to a wine tasting tomorrow night featuring big wines of the Italian Piedmont, but I don't know if I'll get to go or not, since the University of Miami Alumni reception is tomorrow night, and I anticipate running into a few old friends who'll no doubt want to brag about their accomplishments, and I'll hopefully be able to turn their braggadoccio into an invitation to Joe's Stone Crabs. ;-)
Upon entering, we were handed a flute of a Mionetto Prosecco Brut Spumante, actually an Italian wine (Old World??), but one which we were told was quite popular in Argentina. As we were sipping our prosecco, we were guided to a large round table laden with fruits, cheeses, and pates. These were the good cheeses, too—no cubes of cheddar or swiss!—and included several soft goat cheeses such as herbed chevre, a big wheel of fontina, three different types of French bleus, and several other wheels I couldn't quite identify due to the way they were cut and garnished. There were also at least two different types of pates, including a small plate of pate de fois gras neatly hidden up towards the top of the display. And, of course, there were water crackers and rounds of toast.
In the main tasting room, the tables were set with each seat having a large printed placemat with circles numbered from one to six and a large burgundy-style wine glass in each circle, each filled about one-third to one-half full of each of the featured wines. Each place setting also had a list of the wines with space for tasting notes, a map of each wine region featured, a corkscrew, and MGJ promotional literature, pens, pencils, and mousepad. I might also mention now that as we left the tasting, we were given _Food and Wine Magazine's Wine Guide 2005_ book, something which retails in bookstores for $11.95. And now for the wines.
The first wine was a Jacob's Creek Riesling Reserve, from the Barossa Valley area of southeastern Australia. It was actually quite good for a riesling, and not as sweet as most. I was particularly surprised at its pleasantness, since Australia is mostly known for its sturdy red shirazes, and rieslings generally come from the higher, mountainous regions of Europe. I should think this to be a good cocktail and hors d'oevres wine, since it had medium acidity and would be drinkable both by itself or with food. The most amusing thing about this wine is that it comes in a screw-top bottle! More and more fine wines are starting to come with screw-tops, though, since it's considered to be the most superior "corkage," allowing in just the right amount of oxygen to an aging wine without the problems of corks, which can dry out or degrade over time.
Next we moved to the Willamette Valley of Oregon for the Sokol Blosser Evolution #9, a blend of nine different white varietals. This was a much sweeter and fruitier wine, much sweeter than I prefer. Of course, if someone were serving really really spicy foods, such as Thai or Indian dishes, this might be a good foil for the heat. Meanwhile, when I drink wines from Oregons, I think I'll stick to their pinot noirs.
The first red was actually my favorite wine of the night. From Argentina, we had a 2003 Terrazas de los Andes Malbec. Malbecs, of course, are one of the five great grapes from the Bordeaux region of France, and this one has done particularly well in the high, dry wine growing area of Argentina. It was nicely round with hints of plum on the tongue, fairly low tannin, and enough acidity to be able to stand up to foods. It was a little on the oaky side, though, and I think it's a wine approaching its peak right now. It's definitely a "drink now" wine that would be popular with most dinner party crowds.
Tasted side by side with the malbec was Baron Phillipe de Rothschild Carmenere Reserva from the Maipo Valley of Chile. This was my least favorite wine (for some reason, I never like Rothschild wines, even the expensive Chateau Lafite French ones), and it evoked strong opinions, pro and con, from the tasters. The wine has an earthy, almost coffee-like smell to it, and a smoky taste with a hint of what I'd have to call green bell pepper. It is considerably more acidic than the malbec, and the tannins are beginning to be obviously present in this wine. I think perhaps because of the smokiness of this wine, one might pair it up with charbroiled steaks or something.
The final wine came from the Mendocino Valley of northern California. The Fife Petite Syrah 2000 is one of those wines which definitely must be corked well in advance of drinking. The wine expert said that he had corked and poured the petite syrah about an hour before the tasting, and yet two hours later, there were still many unusual smells emanating from the wine and the high tannin content was still mellowing. The limestone soil of Mendocino gives the wine a bit of a chalky feel, so it really should be drunk with some substantial food. It was actually quite a nice wine for what it was, though I do think that it needs to age for several more years before it's ready to drink.
And that was the tasting.
I've been invited to a wine tasting tomorrow night featuring big wines of the Italian Piedmont, but I don't know if I'll get to go or not, since the University of Miami Alumni reception is tomorrow night, and I anticipate running into a few old friends who'll no doubt want to brag about their accomplishments, and I'll hopefully be able to turn their braggadoccio into an invitation to Joe's Stone Crabs. ;-)
Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach, FL
One of the nice things about the Heckerling Institute Conference at the Fontainebleau Hotel is that with proper planning, networking, and contacts, one can get invited to enough private parties and receptions so as not to have to buy too many meals. The Institute provides a substantial complimentary continental breakfast every morning, plus the opening night reception we had last night. The rest of the evenings, various vendors in the exhibit hall host promotional cocktail parties and such for their select clients.
At the big welcoming reception in the exhibit hall the night before last, they had several tables set up with essentially the same things, with cheeses and crudites on the ends and down the sides heavy hors d'oeuvres like beef teriyaki and chicken satay (a/k/a beef and chicken strips on skewers), vegetarian egg rolls, coconut breaded shrimp, spinach spanikopitas, and mini beef empenadas, plus an open bar. I tried the white wine (always best for receptions, since it won't stain your teeth!), but it was nasty, harsh, and sweet, so I switched to the Woodbridge Merlot which is boring but drinkable. They also had beers and hard liquor, and I noticed an awful lot of people drinking doubles and triples.
Every year at the institute, the legal book publishers Thomson/West has a large "private" (it's a pretty open secret) theme party to tie in with the theme they have in their exhibits, and this year it has a football theme. So, last night we were herded outside onto the back "lawn" at the Fontainebleau for a tailgate party, where all the Thomson employees were clad in blue and white football jerseys and a DJ played peppy versions of "elevator"music. Prominently displayed was an autographed shirt from some pro football player named Joe Montana that was to be raffled off later in the evening, and which a lot of the party goers were just orgasming over. As we entered the yard, table after table was covered with pre-made margaritas, and there were more tables scattered all around with "bars" serving wines and beers. Since they weren't doing cocktails and highballs, I really had to search to find the non-alcoholic drinks so I could have my Perrier (I always get re-addicted to Perrier every time I come to this conference, especially now since it comes in nice plastic bottles!).
Near each of the wine/beer stations were tables offerring three different kinds of pizzas. Farther in, on either side of the lawn were big buffets with tossed green salad, potato salad, cole slaw, chicken strips, hamburgers, big hot dogs, steamed buns, spiced french fries, and a large selection of vegetables and condiments. Behind each buffet were two or three charcoal grills being manned by hotel staff, but judging from the size of the party and the speed with which they were cooking food, I think the grills were mostly just for show and that most of the food had been cooked in the hotel kitchen. On the backside of the yard was a big dessert buffet with assorted cookies, brownies, and cakes, and dozens and dozens of two-inch tartlet shells filled with creme patisserie and liberally topped with mixed fresh fruits, then glazed with apricot preserves. Since I had another engagement last night, I refrained from drinking their alcohol and only ate a little bit, mostly just sampling.
At the big welcoming reception in the exhibit hall the night before last, they had several tables set up with essentially the same things, with cheeses and crudites on the ends and down the sides heavy hors d'oeuvres like beef teriyaki and chicken satay (a/k/a beef and chicken strips on skewers), vegetarian egg rolls, coconut breaded shrimp, spinach spanikopitas, and mini beef empenadas, plus an open bar. I tried the white wine (always best for receptions, since it won't stain your teeth!), but it was nasty, harsh, and sweet, so I switched to the Woodbridge Merlot which is boring but drinkable. They also had beers and hard liquor, and I noticed an awful lot of people drinking doubles and triples.
Every year at the institute, the legal book publishers Thomson/West has a large "private" (it's a pretty open secret) theme party to tie in with the theme they have in their exhibits, and this year it has a football theme. So, last night we were herded outside onto the back "lawn" at the Fontainebleau for a tailgate party, where all the Thomson employees were clad in blue and white football jerseys and a DJ played peppy versions of "elevator"music. Prominently displayed was an autographed shirt from some pro football player named Joe Montana that was to be raffled off later in the evening, and which a lot of the party goers were just orgasming over. As we entered the yard, table after table was covered with pre-made margaritas, and there were more tables scattered all around with "bars" serving wines and beers. Since they weren't doing cocktails and highballs, I really had to search to find the non-alcoholic drinks so I could have my Perrier (I always get re-addicted to Perrier every time I come to this conference, especially now since it comes in nice plastic bottles!).
Near each of the wine/beer stations were tables offerring three different kinds of pizzas. Farther in, on either side of the lawn were big buffets with tossed green salad, potato salad, cole slaw, chicken strips, hamburgers, big hot dogs, steamed buns, spiced french fries, and a large selection of vegetables and condiments. Behind each buffet were two or three charcoal grills being manned by hotel staff, but judging from the size of the party and the speed with which they were cooking food, I think the grills were mostly just for show and that most of the food had been cooked in the hotel kitchen. On the backside of the yard was a big dessert buffet with assorted cookies, brownies, and cakes, and dozens and dozens of two-inch tartlet shells filled with creme patisserie and liberally topped with mixed fresh fruits, then glazed with apricot preserves. Since I had another engagement last night, I refrained from drinking their alcohol and only ate a little bit, mostly just sampling.
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