And also, this is my list! Being in Miami, I am exposed to everything. I think I can locate a restaurant representative of every country in the Western Hemisphere except for Canada. But as I am writing this, I'm reminded that there are so many Canadians down here part of the year, that there has to be a place serving up poutine. But it's an understatement to say that Miami has a lot of good Latin America restaurants. I do find myself gravitating toward a lot of the same ones over and over (I have a "if it ain't broke" mentality when it comes to my dining habits). So below you will see my list of my top Latin American Cuisines. Also included are why I chose that particular country/region. And to all of my Latino friends who I have spent hours with talking about food, I am going to apologize in advance. Because none of your Country's made the top spot.
As I mentioned before, there are several country's that did not make the list, but probably should. I don't think that if/where I included them on my list, that it would be anywhere close to accurate. Before I begin the official list the countries that didn't make the list ( in no particular order).
- Colombia- Right now there is a Colombian in Australia getting mad at me. ( I just haven't had that much Colombian food.
- Venezuela- See above reason
- Ok, for the sake of brevity, I don't know much about Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Brazil as far as food goes other than it has a lot of red meat.
- Uruguay- It can be lumped with the list above, but I do want to mention the chivito, the national dish of the country. It's a sandwich that usually contains, you guessed it, steak. There are about as many variations as you can think of. The one that I had was a thin steak, with ham on top of the steak and then a fried egg on top of that, all on top of french fries. But I want include it in the list just from that one dish.
- Finally, many of the Central American countries are left off the list. But to find out why, you are going to have to read the rest of the post.
THE LIST! (in ascending order)
No. 7. Costa Rica
Ha! Costa Rica doesn't have a food cuisine. But they made the list because they have the most underrated rum in Central America and the Caribbean. Nicaragua may have Flor de Caña, which is still an exceptional choice. But Costa Rica has Ron Centenario. Odly, it was cheaper to buy in the US than in Costa Rica itself. But you can't go wrong with this rum. It's good with Coke, and it makes a really good mojito. And it also is good by itself.
No. 6. Dominican Republic
Mofongo is the dish here. Essentially it is mashed green plantains as a base with something on top. What is so great about it, is that you can do almost anything you want with it. Add shrimp, chicken, beef. IT doesn't matter. I feel that I could easily live off of mofongo for any length of time.
This really is a simple dish, but to me this is comfort food. Technically the origin of mofongo is Puerto Rico and if you travel throughout the island, you will have no shortage of chances to try it out. I feel that in the right hands this dish could bump the Dominican up a few spots. But since my Dominican friend has yet to provide me with some more versions, it will remain right here.
Bonus: The Dominican Republic makes a really good beach beer called Presidente. It's one of those beers you put a lime in and drink on a hot day. And since it is always hot here, you have a good excuse to have a six pack around.
No. 5. Peru
By most accounts and opinions, this country should be higher on the list. If there ever was a Latin American country with a proud food culture, it's Peru. Peruvian cuisine is extremely diverse because it has had so many influences on it (Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and German). They have an enormous variety of potatoes and this is where quinoa comes from. It's a good chance that with more time and more dining, Peru will move up the list. It seems like every other new restaurant that opens in Miami is Peruvian, and with good reason. It's good food.
My two favorite dishes are aji de gallina and of course ceviche. Peru is home to some of the most bountiful seafood harvests on the planet and they put it to good use. Ceviche is not hard to make either. You can do it a number of ways. But if you're looking for a unique recipe, try this .
No. 4. Nicaragua
Many of my Latino friends are scratching their heads at this one. Nicaraguan food is not very storied as Peruvian food or as celebrated outside of Miami or Southern California like Cuban food is. But it makes the list and comes in at number four for one specific reason.....the fritanga. When I was in grad school, I lived off of the fritanga by my apartment (Fritanga Monimbo). For my non-Latino friends who live in or went to Troy, you wouldn't necessarily call the fritanga your favorite place to eat, much the same way that you would not call IGA (The Pig) Cafe your favorite restaurant. But on a Thursday, you know where you are going to get lunch.
Like I mentioned the fritanga by my grad school apartment holds a special place in my heart. Not only was it a cheap and really good place to get good food and quick, the women who worked their loved me. They used each one of my visits as an opportunity to teach me knew Spanish. So much so that I was afraid that the Spanish accent I was picking up was that of a Nicaraguan Woman. But like so many of our fondest memories in life, I tie Nicaraguan food to some very special memories. To me it became comfort food. I would pick up a plate on my way home from class and sit on my balcony and watch the airplanes land at MIA. If you read many of my previous posts, you will not that I wrote a lot of them out there. Nicaragua was the first country I visited outside of the US. Before, I went the ladies at the fritanga desperately tried to tell me where to go and what to see. Most of it was Spanish and their excitement while describing their country seem to make them forget that the range of my Spanish was limited to ordering food.
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| Carne Desmenuzada |
As nostalgic as I am getting explaining why I hold Nicaraguan food so dear, I can't neglect how good it is. Aside from the usual gallo pinto (rice and beans) and maduros (fried sweet plantains), my absolute favorite dish from the fritanga is carne demenuzada. This is a shredded beef dish with a onions and peppers in a tomato broth. For those familiar with Cuban food, it is the Nicaraguan version of ropa vieja. To my utter dissatisfaction, this is one dish that I cannot come close to getting right on my own. Yes it's edible and people don't complain, but it just isn't the same as those sweet old ladies at Monimbo make it. Finally, if you do happen to find yourself in a fritanga either here or abroad, you have to add the fired cheese to it. I don't really know what the cheese is made from, but doesn't seem to melt. It's not breaded but it is deep fried. When you combine the carne desmenuzada with the queso frito, you simply can't go wrong.
Bonus: As I mentioned earlier, Nicaragua makes one of the finest rums you can find, Flor de Caña. Named from the flower of the sugar can plant, it is delicious. And if you are in Nicaragua, cheap. a bottle of 7 year old Flor de Caña is only $8. The bottles that I brought back somehow survived crammed into my board bag through three airports, thankfully. It goes well in anything, anything can be made better with Flor de Caña.
No. 3. Argentina
Simply put, Argentina has the best beef in the world. The big dish for Argentinians is asado. Every Argentinian I've ever met swears that their father, uncle, abuelo etc. makes the best asado. And so far everyone has been right. Maybe it's the pride of the country toward their cuisine, but I just have never found a reputable churrascaria that serves a bad asado. Just like soccer, it seems to be something that the whole country is good at.
Furthermore, Argentina has created the very best steak "sauce" you will ever eat, chimichurri. I'ts a blend of parsley, onion, red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar and a few other ingredients and it is the absolute best. I cannot imagine Latin food without it. I had no idea what chimichurri was when I first had it (in a Nicaraguan restaurant none the less. And on a side note, Nicaraguans make a pretty good steak as well). After asking around what that green stuff I just put on my steak was, I was hooked. So much so that I have attempted numerous times to make it myself. All of which have come up way short of what I was hoping for. I have recipe that was given to me by one of my Argentinian students. But she just gave me a list of ingredients, no measurements. So I haven't gotten it quite right. She made up for it by bringing in a large jar of homemade chimichurri. It didn't last long.
No. 2. Cuban
I can't write a post about Latin food in Miami and omit Cuban food. It is by far the most abundant cuisine in Miami. Not that I'm complaining. But just because it is everywhere, doesn't mean that every Cuban place is worth a visit. But as a whole, this is one of my favorite food Latin cultures.
Let's start off with some of my favorite dishes:
- Ropa Vieja- The Cuban version of the Nicaraguan carne desmenuzada. Or is the Nicaraguan version the copy? Either way, es la mejor!
- Best place for this- Still searching, but Versailles or la Carreta is a good start
- Palomilla- Thinly sliced round steak pan seared and best if you include chimichurri. Goes best with black beans and rice, sweet plantains, and a tall glass of sangria.
- Best place for this- The Palomilla Grill on Flagler.
- Vaca Frita de Pollo- Literally translated as fried cow of chicken. This is shredded chicken cooked like vaca frita....but with chicken. This has been my go to quick meal at home as of late.
- Best place for this- la cocina de Patricio
- Pork Fricasse- best with yellow rice and plantains
- Best place for this- los Palacio de los Jugos
- Media Noche- This is essentially a Cuban sandwich on a sweet roll instead of a Cuban bread. Load up on fries and order a cortadito to end the meal and you're set.
- Best place for this- el Pub on 8th Street. For the atmosphere as much as the food. I'm sure there are some of other great places as well.
The food is good, but I want to recognize the most influential Cuban import, coffee. I am convinced that Miami runs on Cuban Coffee. When there is a long line at the bank, an employee will make cafecitos for everyone, no one turns it down. I wrote an entire chapter of my thesis on one colada. Gas stations and grocery stores have people making it fresh everywhere in Miami. And the the good thing is that you can get good Cuban coffee nearly everywhere. But if I had to go to one place to get a cafe con leche, it would be el Pub on 8th Street. Sitting at the bar with tostada and coffee is a fond memory I will always have of Miami. But like I said, take your pick of any place and your likely to get some good coffee.
No. 1. Mexico
Are you really surprised? Let's be honest, all other countries are just competing for second. Good Mexican food is by far my favorite of all of the Latin American cuisines. It's just so robust and there are so many ways to prepare Mexican food, and like most great food cultures, it's regionally influenced. Since all of us have experienced Mexican food, I'm really not going to get to much into other than I could live off of it along with any number of their beers, Tecate, Modelo, and Dos Equis being my very favorite beer. Corona is the worst beer in the world.
I've had two really good Mexican food experiences. The latter being at a place here in Miami. Los Maguayes is probably the most authentic Mexican food I've had outside of the other time, which is when Edgar Ramirez's family came to Troy. I was hoping to go to Oaxaca to have a big food experience but unfortunately my recipe didn't win the contest I entered. You can read about that above.
Miami- On a side note, I am more than willing to take anyone of you on a food tour of Miami, you won't have to ask twice. And with my new sleeper sofa from Ikea, I even have a place for you to stay, right across the street from the Atlantic Ocean. So just say the word.
~B
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