Florida
Miami Dining
EATING
Cuban food is what Miami does best, and it’s not limited to the traditional haunts in Little Havana – the hearty, comfort food, notably rice and beans, fried plantains and shredded pork sandwiches, is found in every neighborhood. It is, however, complemented by sushi bars, American home-style diners, Haitian restaurants, Italian eateries and Indian venues, among a handful of other ethnic cuisines. Coral Gables stakes its claim in upmarket cafes and ethnic Italian and Greek restaurants, while Coconut Grove features American, Spanish, New Floridian – a mix of Caribbean spiciness and fruity Florida sauces – and even British. Seafood is equally abundant; succulent grouper, yellowfin tuna and wahoo, a local delicacy, are among five hundred species of fish thriving offshore. Stone crab claws , served from October to May, are another regional specialty. A tropical climate provides Florida with a juicy assortment of standard orange and grapefruit citrus, as well as the exotic flavors of the lychee, mango, papaya, tamarind and star fruits – many of which are used in sauces and batidos (light milkshakes). You’ll also want to drink Cuban coffee: choose between cafe cubano , strong, sweet and frothy, drunk like a shot with a glass of water; cafe con leche , with steamed milk, and particularly good at breakfast with pan cubano (thin, buttered toast); or cafe cortadito , a smaller version of the con leche .