We recently had the opportunity to get away for a brief vacation and some much needed sunshine in South Florida. While down there we got to spend some time being the guest on someone else's tour. Namely, Miami Culinary Tours, a company that does several different food walking tours of different parts of Miami. We grabbed our parents and headed to South Beach for their South Beach Food Tour.
In addition to the food there was a lot of information about the history of the neighborhood and the preservation effort that helped ensure that the beautiful Art Deco architecture was preserved and that this would be one of the most attractive neighborhoods in all of Miami. That info and the tour itself was masterfully delivered by our guide Mirka who made the tour so much more enjoyable and took great care of us. If you find your self in South Florida definitely check out a Miami Culinary Tour.
It turned out to be an outstanding exploration of the food scene in a neighborhood known mostly for Art Deco architecture and bikini parties. Turns out that they have a vibrant food scene and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and left stuffed.
Some highlights of the tour included an amazing pepper spiced pasta that led off the tour at the Angler's Hotel. The hotel, which used to be the room of choice for people like Ernest Hemingway has had a makeover, as has much of the area, and is now a very attractive boutique hotel with it's own restaurant. If all the food is as delicious as that pasta then I recommend eating as well as staying there.
Another item that we really liked was a stop at a place called Polo Norte. Feeling like we were at the North Pole in NYC this winter was a big part of the reason that we took this trip so we weren't in a hurry to go back. However, Polo Norte turned out to be a great Cuban restaurant where we got a dish called Vaca Frita. Despite the name, this was not a chicken fried steak, and wasn't even fried at all. Rather it was grilled, shredded meat that we topped off with a Chimichurri sauce and savored along with fried plantains.
Some highlights of the tour included an amazing pepper spiced pasta that led off the tour at the Angler's Hotel. The hotel, which used to be the room of choice for people like Ernest Hemingway has had a makeover, as has much of the area, and is now a very attractive boutique hotel with it's own restaurant. If all the food is as delicious as that pasta then I recommend eating as well as staying there.
Another item that we really liked was a stop at a place called Polo Norte. Feeling like we were at the North Pole in NYC this winter was a big part of the reason that we took this trip so we weren't in a hurry to go back. However, Polo Norte turned out to be a great Cuban restaurant where we got a dish called Vaca Frita. Despite the name, this was not a chicken fried steak, and wasn't even fried at all. Rather it was grilled, shredded meat that we topped off with a Chimichurri sauce and savored along with fried plantains.