Foodinista

A Sunday Must

Aside from my Sunday bingo ritual, I have one more Sunday ritual that I hold even closer to my heart.  This is dim sum at Tropical Chinese Restaurant.  Whether you party like crazy the night before or not, this is the most fun you can have on a lazy Sunday morning.  They serve dim sum until 3:30 p.m. so there is no need to rush out of the house.  There also tends to be a bit of a wait on the weekends but it's never very long because they turn people over very quickly.  The only reason I like to get there on the earlier side (and when I say earlier I mean around noon) is because my favorite BBQ pork buns tend to be gone when I get there later than 2:00.  Which is always very upsetting to me.  But I always enjoy it because there are so many other wonderful things to choose from. 

If you are not familiar with dim sum, basically the way it works is that carts with a bunch of goodies are  pushed around the tables and you pick what you want from the cart.  In my opinion, it's a very efficient way of eating.  The food comes quick, you can pound it, and be out in less than 30 minutes if you want.  And its cheap!

Some things that I cannot go in there without getting are (as stated before) the BBQ pork buns, as well as the shrimp dumplings, shrimp egg rolls, shrimp and leak egg rolls, shrimp pasta (noticing a trend?) and the leak dumplings which are to die for.

Tropical Chinese is the most authentic Hong Kong style cuisine in Miami.  It doesn't look like much from the outside because it is located in an inconspicuous strip mall but when you walk in you feel like you are in the middle of China Town in New York.  It is pretty far west down Bird Road but don't get lazy!  It is totally worth the drive.

Top Chef Miami

Has officially moved to New York!  As usual, I was late in watching the newest episode but I wasn't surprised by the way this one ended.  I'm happy with the final four.  I think they are all incredibly talented chefs who earned their place in Aspen.  I can only imagine how intimidating it must have been to cook for the deans of the French Culinary Institute.

I ate dinner before I watched this episode but I was hungry again by the time it was over.  Most of the chefs went above and beyond this time.  We all know how I feel about Hung (devil), but I must say that I was drooling after seeing his butter poached chicken dish.  It looked incredible.  As did Brian's peasant pie.  But I'm still routing for Casey so we'll see how she does in Aspen!

Konichiwa Miami!

So I had a wonderful Japanese lunch at one of my favorite sushi places today and I thought to myself..hell, I'll just make a day of it. I couldn't be happier that I did because I discovered a great new place for dinner that I would love to recommend. But first, lunch.

Sushi Chef. I cannot get enough of this place and it's no exaggeration. I'm there at least 3 times a week. I freakin love it. It's a tiny little place on Coral Way (one of my fav food streets) and it doubles as a small Japanese market as well as restaurant. The menu is so big you can't help but to try new things and it is very user friendly with pictures to go along with the descriptions. They are a neighborhood sushi joint with all the family favorites but they are also as creative as any Nobuesque place on South Beach. The tuna diablo roll is out of this world if you like a little spice and the tuffic roll (hamachi, cilantro, and lemon juice) is amazing as well. As a matter of fact it's really hard to go wrong here. And did I mention the prices? By FAR hands down, best sushi for the money in Miami.

Dinner was awesome too. I was taken to place called Yuga (please don't judge them by their website). The food was so refreshing. I guess it would be unfair of me to call this place Japanese because they describe themselves as Pan-Asian. Which they are. But the main influence is definitley Japanese (they have a full sushi bar) so for the purpose of this post...Japanese it is. Which is funny because the entree that I ordered was a Chinese dish - lemon-black bean prawns. They were so yummy. The sauce (and this goes for everything I tried) was not thick and oily like you would expect. I would actually call it more of a broth. Anyway whatever it was it was delicious. For the spice lovers out there...the fiery spinach was shockingly fiery in a really good way. Long story short, I ate a lot and I didn't feel grossly full when I walked out. It was great! Like I said before...refreshing.

We Have a Winner!

After tonight's riveting bingo match and massively large cupcake I have finally made my decision.  Although my cupcake at the Standard was delicious, Morning Call Bakery wins the battle.  The white chocolate chips make all the difference in the world....the only word I can think of to properly describe these cupcakes is superb.  And amazing.  And heavenly.  Okay apparently I can think of a few words...

Anyway try them both out for yourself and tell me what you think!  And go ahead and stop by The Standard on Sundays...if not for the yummy cupcakes then definitely for some bingo fun.  Foodinista = granny at heart!

Top Chef Miami

So I finally got around to watching the Top Chef last night that I had on my Tivo and it was so sad. They left Miami AND I can't believe CJ got kicked off! I wanted him to make it New York because he said he had never been there. Poor CJ. What a crazy turn of events.

But I am happy that Casey won though..I really like her and I think she's really talented. She's winning all these awesome prizes...MacBook Pro, free business class tickets ANYWHERE..it's awesome! By the way...Hung is the devil....how mean is he? Now that Tray is gone I'm routing for Casey especially since so many girls got kicked off in the beginning rounds. It would be nice for a girl to finally win...Go Casey!

A Taste of Greece

If you blink you'll miss it...but it would be a huge shame. Maria's Greek Restaurant is by far my favorite Greek restaurant in Miami and I've been to a lot of them including its Coral Way counterpart Mykonos which is not nearly as good.

When you walk in you'll notice that this family owned resaurant is truly authentic right down to the tall, dark haired Greek waiters. The food is spectacular and if you are not on a diet like yours truly then definatley get the saganaki which is a cheese dish that is set on fire tableside and topped off with lemon juice. It's ridiculous. A few other things worth considering are the avgolemono soup, the chicken kebobs, and the mousaka which are all traditional Greek comfort food that will definatley satisfy. Go in with a big apetite becasue you'll need it here!

Ethiopian in Miami

Whenever I tell some of my friends that I'm going to eat Ethiopian food they usually make the same joke: They have food in Ethiopia? Well let me tell you my friends they DO have food in Ethiopia and its delicious.

Sheba is one of the best and most unique places to eat in Miami. The food is not like anything else I have tried but it is wonderful. Most entrees are served on top of a thin sourdough type of bread. The best way I can describe it is that it is a cross between a crepe and a pancake. The food itself is made with wonderful spices and sauces. The final product is declicious little sandwich combinations that are made by ripping the bread and mixing and matching the different meats and vegetables. I highly suggest the chicken dish, Doro Wat (boneless) and the Shrimp Alecha. Also a great accompaniment is the Sheba honey wine which goes perfectly with the spices in the food.

Sheba is in the heart of the design district and would be great place to go before the Wynwood art walk which takes place the second Saturday of every month. They also have great live music on the weekends. It's an all around fun place and definatley a one of a kind in Miami.

Spotlight on: Cupcakes

As you will quickly learn, your foodinista is OBSESSED with cupcakes. I think they are close to perfection in almost every way...cute, small, moist, cakes smothered in icing...perfect! Anyway back to the topic at hand. I am currently engaged in my own cupcake battle between two Miami locations.

The first- Morning Call Bakery. This place has cupcakes in two sizes, Regular and bite sized. How cool is that? (Foodinista=dork) They are so f-ing good you have no idea. The cake part is super moist, the icing is perfect, and the best part...they have white chocolate chips in the cake batter. If that doesn't convince you I don't know what will.

The second- The Standard Hotel. Now I have only recently tried this cupcake for the first time but was highly impressed. It happened at my weekly Sunday Bingo in the lobby routine when I saw a waitress bring out cupcakes for someones birthday and they looked so good. Long story short, I ordered one, it was huuge (I had to spilt it), good cake, good icing, all around solid cupcake.

As of now I think Morning Call is winning only because I have had it so many times and I am quite loyal to it. We'll see though..Next Sunday I'll get another cupcake and update on my decision. Yay cupcakes!

Welcome!

Hello everyone and welcome to foodinista! I am your foodinista who will bring you restaurant reviews from the Miami area and I will have spotlight reviews on places to eat wherever I travel. I enjoy everything from fine dining to underground hole in the wall establishments and I plan to reflect my ecclectic food tastes in this blog. There should be something for everyone so enjoy and bon apetite!