Puerto Sagua Restaurant - Miami Beach, FL

Having only a day in Miami and the opportunity to visit only one restaurant, I knew I had to have Cuban food at Puerto Sagua.

The restaurant isn't fancy and although the location caters to tourist, they have really great Cuban food and for South Beach just great food in general. Beyond the food though, the people and casual atmosphere makes you feel right at home. It is the type of restaurant that locals frequent too.

On this visit I ordered the Chuletas De Cerdo Frita (fried pork chops). This is one of my favorite dishes at this restaurant and words can't describe how much I love it. The outside has a thin crust yet it is moist on the inside. Cuban food doesn't have strong flavors (like the Jamaican and Cajun food i am used to), but the marinated onions and lime juice make your taste buds think otherwise.

My boyfriend ordered the Churrasco (skirt steak). The steak is a strip of tender delicious meat that satisfies any appetite and the Chimichurri sauce contributes to that.

The rice and beans were pretty standard. The rice was well-prepared. The beans had some flavor and praise Jesus weren't salty.

I was stuffed after eating all that food, but being the glutton I am, I still had to order dessert but I smartly took my Quatro Leches to go. The dessert was good (sweet as hell), but I found the cake to be a little over soaked and mushy. I usually ordered the Dulce de Leche cookies which are amazing, so I probably wouldn't order the cake again, but it was worth the try.

Puerto Sagua is one of the better and more affordable restaurants on the beach and a SoBe experience not to be missed.


Puerto Sagua Restaurant
700 Collins Ave Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 673-1115

Churros Cafe Cuban Restaurant - Metairie, LA

Since I am from South Florida, Cuban cuisine is just a part of my culture. Being in Metairie I was starting to feel a little deprived and so I sought out a place to fill that void in my life. With a little searching, I discovered Churros Cafe and headed to the small restaurant to get some food.

Located in a strip mall, visually it left much to be desired so I found it best to just grab my food and go, although next time I will probably dine in. It seems that they specialize in Cuban sandwiches but offer Empanadas and simply things like soups and salads. In addition to that, they also have daily lunch specials. I happened to go when the special for the day was Cuban Steak with Red Beans and Rice. I was surprised that they did not have black beans and instead red beans but since red beans are such a staple in New Orleans, I wasn't too surprised. The food was good and met my expectations. The steak was tender and the flavor of the food overall was on point.

I also ordered a side of plantains. They were tasty and sweet, I just don't like when they are cut so thick.

I finished off my meal with Churros. These were some really amazing Churros! They claim to make them from scratch and my mouth agreed. They were great and would have been even greater had I had some chocolate to go with it.

Although the food isn't what I would call "authentic" Cuban food, with the Southern twist, it created a nice take on Cuban Cuisine that I enjoyed. I cannot wait to go back.


UPDATE - 5/13/13

I went back to Churros Cafe and tried another one of their lunch specials, the Roast Pork, Congri & Yuca. Overall it was another good meal. The rice was amazing and the yuca had great flavor (although a little overcooked). The pork was delish!

Churros Cafe
3100 Kingman St Metairie, LA 70006
(504) 885-6516

Mojitos Rum Bar & Grill - French Quarter New Orleans, LA

Although only a short distance from the French Quarter, Frenchman Street is like stepping into a different realm. It's only two-blocks long but full of life and non-stop entertainment and on any given day of the week, you can hear the live sounds of reggae to Latin to blues.

Frenchman Street Art Market

To kick off a night on Frenchman Street, it's best to do so on a full stomach so stopped into Mojitos Rum Bar and Grill on the edge of Frenchman Street for dinner and a warm up to a night out on the town.

Just like a lot of the other places in the area, Mojitos has their own live entertainment and if u stay late enough on Saturdays a Latin music party. All of this takes place on their beautiful patio but you also do have the option of indoor dining but I highly recommend that you do not do that. Even consider sitting at their large outdoor bar before doing that.

Going to a place called Mojitos means you have to get a Mojito. Due to their namesake, they have plenty of options from specialty drinks to the typical fruit flavor kind. I started off with The Frenchman which was amazing and thank fully strong.

Later on, I decided to get another drink and selected the Ultimate Mojito. I know it said mint syrup and I don't know what I was thinking but it was the ultimate fail. It tasted just like syrup, medicine syrup. If you 'bout that sizzrup, this may be the drink for you.

We order the Jerk Chicken Skewer as a starter and it was so unbelievable delicious! Do you know how hard it is to go to a place that doesn't specialize in Jamaican food and for them to actually get it right? The flavors were on point and the spice level was beyond expectations. To offset the spicy factor, the blackberry brandy sauce added just the right touch.

There are only four choices for main dishes, but they all sounded so good, I still had a hard time deciding. I ended up ordering the Aruba Scallop. It came with grits and I am actually NOT a fan of grits but these were well flavored and a great compliment to the delicate and well cooked and prepared scallops. A dish like this has potential to lack flavor, but it was really good and had a nice kick to it.

My boyfriend ordered the Lechon Asado or as the menu states, citrus marinated roasted Kurobota pork belly. The meal was served with rice and beans. He thought it was really good taste wise, but was disappointed in the portion size which I guess was a little small but I was full after eating my meal.

I was very satisfied with the food, service, atmosphere and entertainment. It is a great place to hang out, to drink or eat food. It's a great place period. I will be back.



Mojitos Rum Bar & Grill
437 Esplanade Ave New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 252-4800
www.mojitosnola.com