Our First Cuban Bite of Miami

Puerto Sagua
700 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, Florida
April 5, 2010
7ish pm

Now I know many Miami-ites will argue that you can't get good Cuban in South Beach.  For that you need to venture to Little Havana, and believe me I would have loved to make the trip and judged for myself.  But the fact of the matter was that our trip time was short and we chose not to rent a car.  Therefore, we had to localize our eating adventures to places quickly accessible from our hotel, which centered us around South Beach food.  We had also heard that if you want traditional Cuban in South Beach, Puerto Sagua was the place to go.

Puerto Sagua ended up being one of these lovely mom and pop restaurants that have so much character because haven't changed there decor since they opened and they know there popularity isn't based on a restaurant "concept" as we call it now, but is simply based on comfort and good food.  I'm also fairly sure some patriarch in the family (likely the guy who nodded us to our seats) also has the mantra "if it aint' broke don't fix it".  This place is definitely not one of the uber-trendy, see and be seen restaurants that generally gets featured when writing about South Beach.  In fact, it's just the opposite.  As you walk up to the restaurant it looks a little dingy on the outside and the lower wall is covered in these "colorful" tiles reminiscent of the 1960's.  If I hadn't done my research, I'm pretty sure I would have missed this great experience. 

From my research, I found  out that this place has been open since 1968 and was one of the first Cuban restaurants to open in the Miami area.  Currently, this place is popular with locals and tourists alike and is generally pretty busy when entering.  It would best be described as a Cuban diner.  Locals tend to sit at the counter and talk over a great cup of Cuban coffee, while tourists tend to come in groups and gravitate more towards the tables.  Spanish is the first language spoken, but there is always enough English to get an order in or get your point across. 

Now that I reflect back, I think this language piece was one of my favorite things about Miami.  Throughout our stay I definitely heard more Spanish than English, which gave a feel of being in another country and often in another culture without the international vacation price tag! 

Anyway, back to Puerto Sagua.  As we entered we saw the place was packed and wondered if we'd get a spot anytime soon.  As we were looking around the man behind the corner (who looked like he was likely in charge of the place) gave us a curt nod towards two spots at the counter.  His mannerisms reminded us very much of the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld.  Because of this we quickly and obediently sat down and took a no nonsense approach to looking over the menu. 

Because of our counter seats we got a good view of how the kitchen worked around us.  The sandwich press was right in front of us and it seemed to have a non-stop 1-2 Cuban sandwiches crisping up in it.  I would love to know how much Cuban bread they go through in a day.  They keep long loves of the bread in a trash can beside the press and just pull it out as they need it.  It was funny to see this because, at first glance, we thought they were taking bread out of the trash for the sandwich!  But just in the short time it took us to order and eat our dinner the bread can needed to be refilled.  I would have taken a picture of this process, but I was slightly afraid (likely an unfounded fear, but a fear nonetheless) that the man behind the counter might take my camera.  :)

Another lady came around to serve us and she seemed to speak more English and was a bit more hospitable.  She likely had spent many years at Puerto Sagua and was no stranger to the non-Spanish speaking tourist.  For once, Erik and I ordered the same thing.  We shared a tamale and both went with the roasted half chicken, rice and beans, and sweet fried plantains. 

Honestly, I could have done without the tamale.  It was okay, but nothing spectacular.  It was a little dry in the center and the flavors a little bland for my taste.  It did look pretty good though.  But in this case, unfortunately, looks were deceiving. 

However, the chicken dish was very good.  Now I must say that this chicken is not unique in any way; but it is your classic moist, fall of the bone, roast chicken that is surprisingly hard to find done well.  And oh was this one done well!  The rice and beans were also flavorful and perfectly spiced with garlic and other traditional Cuban ingredients.  The plantains were buttery sweet with a wonderful caramelized coating. 

Overall, I loved the familiar diner feel of the place, but at the same time feeling a bit like I was in another country.  The food was heartily good. 

Bill Total:  Again, so sorry.  We paid cash and I can't find the receipt.  I definitely need to get better organized for this blog!  For South Beach, the prices were very reasonable.  I'm thinking it was around $10 for the chicken, but that's only a guess. 

Overall Rating: 3 1/2 buckeyes

Welcome to Miami

Eleventh Street Diner
South Beach, Florida
April 4, 2010
8ish pm

For spring break this year my husband and I debated a number of places, but ended up picking the one with great food, a great beach, and the cheapest airfare from Columbus!  Miami, South Beach, in particular was the winner.  I had been reading for years about the wonderful food scene in South Beach, but really Miami's Cuban vibe (in addition to a great beach, of course) was what really sold me on the spot. 

We landed late in the afternoon and after checking into our hotel we immediately ran out to the beach to allow our pasty white, Ohio winter ridden and chapped skin to feel the early evening sun.  After we were sure we had exposed ourselves to the last ray of the day we headed back to our hotel to enjoy a happy hour drink and debate where we should head for dinner.  I ordered a mojito from the Mariott South Beach's outside bar, Deco Blue, and while it was expensive at $11 a drink, it was the best mojito I have ever had!  The mint was freshly muddled and there was lots of it.  It had just the right mix of rum to simple syrup.  But the best part was the raw sugar cane swizzle stick garnish (like this).  After I had finished my drink I loved chewing on this and getting an extra bite of sweetness. 

I wish I would have thought to take a good picture of this drink, but my description will just have to do.  If it's any indication of how much I enjoyed this drink, despite it's price, I made this drink a daily addition to my vacation menu.

After a brief happy hour we decided to head to the Eleventh Street Diner for dinner.  At first I was going to try and make this trip exclusively Cuban since we don't have many opportunities in Columbus to have authentic Cuban food and our stay in Miami was relatively short.  But then I read so much about how good this place was, it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and Erik and I had always wanted to eat in an authentic old-school dining car.  So how could we pass it up?

We arrived in South Beach on Easter and were missing our home style family Easter dinner.  Because of this we opted for diner fair for our dinner this evening instead of running straight to a Cuban joint. 

Now this diner is definitely hip and happening with some history.  As was mentioned on the restaurant's web site, the dining car was originally built in 1948 in New Jersey in the typical art deco style of its time.  After the construction in New Jersey it then served diners for 44 years in Pennsylvania before being dismantled and brought to South Beach in the early 1990's.  Its this art deco style allows it to now blend seamlessly into the current South Beach architecture.   It then opened for business in South Beach in 1992 and has been serving South beach late night partiers and early risers alike since.  Their menu is extensive, features your typical American fare, and has a full bar to boot (my guess is that the bar set up was not a part of the original design)! 

Inside, the car has retained its classic look with chrome and red vinyl seats.  You can sit at the counter, but the place also opens up to the sides with booths. 

Since I was missing my family's traditional Honeybaked Ham I opted for the ham with a sweet cherry-pineapple glaze served with a vegetable medley of yellow squash and green beans and mashed potatoes.  This was a very good and filling dish (and definitely did not help me fit into my bathing suit the next day).  The ham was sweet and flavorful, the veggies were well cooked, and the mashed potatoes had homemade lumps and flavor.  I ate every single bite!

Erik went with the French Dip Sub and French fries.  The roast beef was shaved thin, just like Erik likes it.  There was also lots of gooey Swiss cheese and the au jus was flavorful.  Erik was also happy he could enjoy his sub with a Yuengling, his favorite beer that is unable to be had in Ohio. 

The serving of fries was generous and they were cooked perfectly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. 

Overall, we were pleased with the diner and its food! 

Bill Total:  Not sure.  We paid cash and I can't find the receipt.  However, most sandwiches are in the $8-9 range and home style dinners are in the $13-15 range. 

Overall Rating:  3 buckeyes