Guarapo Anyone? (Miami: food, yard, buildings)

[Eduardo983]

Originally Posted by vpcats

Churrasco and Chimichurri are not Cuban, or typical cuban food. Try Argentina.

Cubans eat palomilla, rice, black beans and sweet fried plaintains. Yes they do eat tostones also and we do eat churrasco but that's not "typical". For churrasco or carne asada, go to a nicaraguan place.

I know that "Churrasco" is from Argentina...

Rice and sweet fried plaintains are all Latin american food in general...

Churrasco is good for anyone...even locals must try it...

The one in "La Carreta restaurant" is excellent...the best in Miami.

I usually have dinner there .... the guy from MTV`s Jackass Manny Puig (the Cuban that swims with the sharks) eats there every week and he orders the Churrasco I am talking about.... Plus... many popular artists like Mana, Oscar de Leon, Emilio Estefan, etc.. go to La Carreta in Westchester. http://www.lacarreta.com/

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by Eduardo983

I know that "Churrasco" is from Argentina...

Rice and sweet fried plaintains are all Latin american food in general...

Churrasco is good for anyone...even locals must try it...

The one in "La Carreta restaurant" is excellent...the best in Miami.

I usually have dinner there .... the guy from MTV`s Jackass Manny Puig (the Cuban that swims with the sharks) eats there every week and he orders the Churrasco I am talking about.... Plus... many popular artists like Mana, Oscar de Leon, Emilio Estefan, etc.. go to La Carreta in Westchester. WELCOME TO LA CARRETA RESTAURANTS INTERNET SITE

Ay dios mio!

I didn't say you shouldn't eat churrasco. It's very good. I eat it a lot myself, even though you shouldn't eat red meat THAT much.

It doesn't matter to me who eats there. That doesn't make the place anything special. Now, if you want to show off your Harley........well, that's the spot.

[Leovigildo]

Vpcats

Churrasco is not Cuban.
Churrasco is cheap meat seasoned with sauce to make it appear tender.
I'd rather have a good Palomilla or Carne a la cazuela.
In Cuba, good meat is hard to find, much better at Miami Restaurants, but there are some restaurants, and a few "paladares" that are quite good, but again, Miami restaurants are better except in some places such as the "bufete" of Hotel Nacional or the "bufetes" of some hotels in Varadero.
You also find some good paladares, like Huron Azul, but as the place becomes important, the goverment closes them down

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by Leovigildo

Vpcats

Churrasco is not Cuban.
Churrasco is cheap meat seasoned with sauce to make it appear tender.
I'd rather have a good Palomilla or Carne a la cazuela.
In Cuba, good meat is hard to find, much better at Miami Restaurants, but there are some restaurants, and a few "paladares" that are quite good, but again, Miami restaurants are better except in some places such as the "bufete" of Hotel Nacional or the "bufetes" of some hotels in Varadero.
You also find some good paladares, like Huron Azul, but as the place becomes important, the goverment closes them down

Hello??? Knock Knock? Did you read what I had written earlier?
I KNOW Churrasco is not typical Cuban!

I'm outta here.

[goofykid]

Thanks everyone I will definitely take her to Versailles or La Carreta. Another quick question I got for you guys is what is a better outlet mall Dolphin or Sawgrass?

[Urbanize32]

La Casita on 8 street is authentic cuban w/out the hype. Highly recommend it.

[Eduardo983]

Originally Posted by goofykid

Thanks everyone I will definitely take her to Versailles or La Carreta. Another quick question I got for you guys is what is a better outlet mall Dolphin or Sawgrass?

Dolphin Mall

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by goofykid

Thanks everyone I will definitely take her to Versailles or La Carreta. Another quick question I got for you guys is what is a better outlet mall Dolphin or Sawgrass?

Sawgrass

[Dr_Rico]

But back to the original request...

By far the best place to take your gal-pal on calle ocho to experience some downhome Cuban culture, get your guarapo and a tasty tamale, is Los Pinarenos on 13th and calle ocho. There are chickens and ducks in the yard, fresh fruits, a coffee stand, some tropical plants out back, comfortable indoor/outdoor seating. It rocks. I go there all the time. The owners are exilitos from Pinar del Rio (the western part of Cuba that got slammed repeatably by last year's hurricanes). They used to serve a killer lunch for short green, but the City shut their lunch biz down (no permit) after serving lunch there for, oh, like 40 years...

Grab a guarapo and also a "juice" (not a batida, they don't use ice cream). My favorite is pineapple/papaya/guarapo and ginger. Wow! Then stroll down the boulevard at 13th to see the monuments, enjoy the Jacaranda and Royal Poinciana.

Another hilariously chaotic place to go, not on calle ocho, alas, is El Palacio De Los Jugos on 57th ave and Flagler. What a zoo! Fresh juices and produce, sure, but they also will cook roasted pork out in the parking lot in la caja chine and suchlike. I love to go there now and then when I want to be absolutely certain that I do not, after all, live in the USA.

Dolphin Mall and Sawgrass are not all that...you've seen one mall you've seen most. The Falls on SW 132nd st and US1 is not as big, but has a much cooler south florida vibe happening. Eat at Los Ranchos while you are there, assuming you like MEAT, because that is what they do.

It will not be difficult to show your gal-pal LOTS of Cuban culture here...calle ocho is the touristy end of it. Worth seeing, but still...

Have fun, DR

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by Dr_Rico

But back to the original request...

By far the best place to take your gal-pal on calle ocho to experience some downhome Cuban culture, get your guarapo and a tasty tamale, is Los Pinarenos on 13th and calle ocho. There are chickens and ducks in the yard, fresh fruits, a coffee stand, some tropical plants out back, comfortable indoor/outdoor seating. It rocks. I go there all the time. The owners are exilitos from Pinar del Rio (the western part of Cuba that got slammed repeatably by last year's hurricanes). They used to serve a killer lunch for short green, but the City shut their lunch biz down (no permit) after serving lunch there for, oh, like 40 years...

Grab a guarapo and also a "juice" (not a batida, they don't use ice cream). My favorite is pineapple/papaya/guarapo and ginger. Wow! Then stroll down the boulevard at 13th to see the monuments, enjoy the Jacaranda and Royal Poinciana.

Another hilariously chaotic place to go, not on calle ocho, alas, is El Palacio De Los Jugos on 57th ave and Flagler. What a zoo! Fresh juices and produce, sure, but they also will cook roasted pork out in the parking lot in la caja chine and suchlike. I love to go there now and then when I want to be absolutely certain that I do not, after all, live in the USA.

Dolphin Mall and Sawgrass are not all that...you've seen one mall you've seen most. The Falls on SW 132nd st and US1 is not as big, but has a much cooler south florida vibe happening. Eat at Los Ranchos while you are there, assuming you like MEAT, because that is what they do.

It will not be difficult to show your gal-pal LOTS of Cuban culture here...calle ocho is the touristy end of it. Worth seeing, but still...

Have fun, DR

I have never seen anyone making roast pork in a "caja china" at El Palacio de los Jugos on Flagler and, Cuban batidos, or "shakes" do not get ice cream in them. That's not the way to make them.
There's another Palacio de los Jugos now on 70th & Coral Way.

I'll have to check about that Pinareños place. I don't remember seeing that one.

The Falls is NOT an outlet mall, and there is a big difference between Dolphin and Sawgrass. To begin with, you'll have a hard time doing all of Sawgrass in one day. Sawgrass is shaped like an alligator whereas Dolphin is just rounded.

Oh and Los Ranchos is Nicaraguan and there are a few of them. I like El Novillo better.