Miami!

We rolled into to town late on Sunday afternoon, and after being greeted by Pat and Ed at our next home away from home, the Thompson Park, which is adjacent to the Miami Zoo, we almost immediately took off for Versailles. No, we're not crossing the big pond with Harvey and Smarty to end up at the French palace. This time, it's the iconic restaurant on Miami's Calle Ocho (8th St in Little Havana), which typifies Cuban cuisine for us (and a lot of other people!). It's become a tradition for our first meal when visiting to be here. Kinda sets the tone, if you know what we mean. My favorite Cuban dish is the traditional Arroz con Pollo, Chicken and Yellow Rice, and Mary Ann alternates between that and Ropa Vieja, which is like a Cuban pot roast. We always savor one item that comes on most plates...the fried plantains...total YUM, and no meal is complete there without a Cafe con Leche, strong Cuban coffee with steamed milk...Double YUM!! Are you asking yet when we're getting back to the healthy eating? Answer, not sure. Versailles is a great way to break yourself into the pace of Miami. It's like going back in time to the 60's. The pace is fast, the place is always busy and buzzing, but the food! That's the best reason to head there. It's all fun.

We also visited an eatery in Miami's Mary Brickell Village, next to downtown, that's worth a mention too. It's a Japanese Pan Latin Sushi restaurant called Abokado. A smart looking space, with thumping ambient or discoey music and really interesting food. Mary Ann ordered a Temptation, shrimp/avocado/cucumber roll, topped with spicy tuna and tempura flakes. I had Udon noodles with a teriyaki sauce.Many Latin flavors and spices are combined with Japanese food, and interesting combination indeed. More to come as experienced in Mi-am-i!