South Beach Food Tour

I was able to escape the extreme cold and snow this weekend and tag along with my hubby to Miami, Florida on a business trip.  While he was in a meeting all day Friday, I jumped in a cab over to South Beach and went on a culinary tour. I had a similar experience in New York City several years ago so my expectations were high. Our tour guide, Grace, was super sweet and took us on a 2 hour walking food tour to 7 mom and pop (hole in the wall) restaurants that had the most amazing food! We also got to walk down Ocean Drive and get a bit of history along the way.

I took pictures of what we ate and drank along the way so I could share it with you all. Saying that I was stuffed afterwards is an understatement!

Our first stop was Bolivar Restaurant on Washington Avenue. They served us a traditional Columbian drink called Refajo.  It was a Aguila beer mixed with a Columbian soda.  It was sweet, refreshing, and quenched my thirst.  I was impressed already! :)

      

Next they brought out a plate with ceviche - diced fresh fish marinated in a citrus passionfruit juice, Columbian corn (a type of corn that never pops when you heat it up) that was crunchy and slightly resembles the consistency of peanuts.

The second stop we grabbed a churro at Manolo's and kept on walking.  This churro was the best I've ever had! They were made from scratch, still warm, and were filled with dulce de leche! Yum!!!!

Stop #3 was David's Cafe for a cafe Cubano.  These little shots of Cuban expresso are served in tiny cups and meant to be shared with groups of people.  The serving size was about the size of an individual coffee creamer container but has as much caffeine as a standard cup of American coffee. Anyone who knows me, knows that I can't stand even the smallest hint of coffee flavor but I did keep an open mind and tried a sip.  The entire group (except for me) loved it.

Next up was Polo Norte Cuban Restaurant for sweet plantains and a traditional Cuban sandwich. The sandwich was a mojo roasted pork with sauteed onions. Is your mouth watering yet?

Stop # 5 was featured on the Food Network. Charlotte Bakery is known for having the best empanadas. We were each given an Argentine empanada to try. It was served with an avocado/cilantro sauce and was so flaky and full of flavor!

By now I am getting so full but this food is some of the best I've ever had so I just keep on going! Our next place was Italian and called Block's Pizza Deli. They served a Sundried Hippie Panouzzo pocket that was stuffed full of sun dried tomatoes, feta, baby spinach, basil pesto, and kalamata olives. Oh my! This was to die for!

At this point, I am wondering if I can possibly swallow any more food. But...there is ALWAYS room for dessert and our last stop, Milani Gelateria, served an impressive display of gelatos.  It was in the coolest freezer display that I've ever seen. The different flavors of gelato inside rotated clockwise so you were able to get a good view of all the different flavors they offered. Once the employee opened the door, he stopped the rotation and was able to scoop out the gelato.  We were allowed to choose two flavors to try so I went with Cream Caramel and Banana.   Even though I was on the verge of a food coma, this was the perfect end to our tour! The banana gelato was my favorite but I'm sure they were all good!

What a fun tour! Spending two hours walking around South Beach in the 75 degree weather, taking in all the wonderful sights, and eating amazing food.  It was perfect! If anyone is in the South Beach area I highly recommend looking up Miami Culinary Food Tours. Grace was such a fun tour guide as well as all the people on my tour.  Some were from Phoenix, Arizona; Kansas; and even Sweden.

The only logical next thing to do was head back to the hotel room and take a much needed NAP!