El Rinconcito de Santa Barbara

            Best Mofóngo

Historia de El Rinconcito de Santa Bárbara Restaurant

El Rinconcito de Santa Bárbara Restaurant fue fundado el 4 de abril de 1997 en la ciudad de Hialeah, en el Condado Miami-Dade, Florida, Estados Unidos.

Los fundadores son Rosa y Pedro Delgado.

Todo comenzó como una pequeña Cafetería Cubana, entre tostadas, coladas, café con leche y una pequeña Cantina de comida para llevar.

Dos años después, Rosa y Pedro viajaron a Puerto Rico en un pequeño descanso y en el Balneario de Guajajaca, y mientras comían Mofongo con Camarones, Rosa tuvo la idea de llevar el Mofongo y la comida Puertoriqueña, incluyendo el famoso Arroz con Gandules a Hialeah.

Sin duda alguna, esta idea fue un éxito y nuestra clientela lo aceptó como algo exquisito. Poco a poco se fueron creando nuevos platos en torno al Mofongo, para lo cual tuvimos que comprar más de 50 pilones en Bayamón, Puerto Rico.

Con el curso de los años, el Mofongo con Masas de Cerdo Fritas se ha convertido en nuestro principal plato. Con el tiempo, seguimos incluyendo delicias de la cocina Puertoriqueña, entre ellas los Pasteles, las Alcapurrias.

En 1999 comenzamos a ampliar nuestro local y con la ampliación introdujimos el Servicio de Entrega el cual ha jugado un importante papel en el crecimiento de nuestro negocio.

Hoy día nuestro restaurant tiene una capacidad de 100 personas, con un amplio menú, con gran variedad de platos Puertorriqueños y Cubanos, Cantina, Menú Corporativo y Comida para Fiestas.

Nuestro negocio familiar se precia de tener empleados que llevan con nosotros más de 10 años de servicio, tanto Cocineros como Administradores y gracias a ellos y a la familia, hemos logrado de este Restaurant un verdadero rincón de Puerto Rico y Cuba en Hialeah.

Chicharrón at El Palacio de los Jugos

By Gabriela Garcia 

Miami New Times

Does chicharrón count as a dish? It should, because this experience has never happened to me anywhere in Miami but at El Palacio de Los Jugos: I bite into a hot, chopped-before-my-eyes slab of crisp pork skin and think damn, this tastes exactly like that time on the side of the road in Soroa eating fat chunks of chicharrón with a bunch of guajiros who used palm leaves to dab mojo all over a lechon fresh out the pit. In my eyes, anything that triggers that kind of crazy nostalgia deserves to be on some kind of list.
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​So if you're wondering what on-the-side-of-the-road chicharrón tastes like, sidle up to one of Palacio's many counters, point to the pieces with the least globs of fat and the juiciest morsels of meat clinging to a layer of crackly, bubbly skin, and shamefully walk out with a grease-soaked paper bag full of bite-sized pieces that cost $9.99 a pound. Never mind if you've got a refrigerator full of fresh, organic greens and heart-healthy grape seed oil vinaigrette waiting for you at home. There's always tomorrow to get started on that pork fat-free diet.  

  Best Dim Sum in South Florida

         Kon Chau Restaurant 

Translated, dim sum means "touch the heart," meaning this is food that aims to please, by providing a great grab bag of variety; there's a little something for everyone seeking small bites of big flavors. And though this is not the only excellent dim sum establishment in town (or even on the block, as better-known Tropical Chinese confirms), its offerings are the most excitingly similar to those in the top dim sum parlors in the world. Though small, casual Kon Chau serves up over 60 selections, divided into four basic categories: sweet dessert items; deep-fried items; miscellaneous stir-fried, grilled, or stewed variety dishes; and most important, steamed savories such as stuffed breads, various root vegetable and cereal "cakes," and dumplings galore. There's har gau, small steamed cilantro-spiced pork and shrimp dumplings; fun gor, especially a steamed vegetable version filled with spiced shiitake mushrooms; andcheoung fun, tender but chewy rolled rice noodle crêpes filled with barbecued pork, beef, or shrimp, topped with a succulent salty/sweet sauce. Selections are made by menu, less festive than the rolling carts at some dim sum establishments (but, in smaller and slower-turnover tea houses, ensuring greater freshness). At any rate Kon Chau's large proportion of Asian diners confirms the quality.

Leek Dumplings at Tropical Chinese

By Lesley Elliott

Miami New Times 

They look just like any other dim sum upon first glance. Exception: they are supernaturally green, but don't let that deter you. After a quick blanching, the leeks are chopped up and combined with trace amounts of bread crumbs. This mixture then finds a home in the hands of professional dumpling makers, who provide just the right amount of pinch at the top. Not too thin or too chewy, the wrappers are made from scratch and taste just as good as the filling. Served with a side of hot chili oil and vinegar based sauce, these fried delights have a crispy skin on the bottom; a surprisingly inventive version of a classic take on the Chinese dumpling. 

Marcelo's Ceviche Truck: Who'd Have Guessed?

By John Zur

Miami New Times

Six years ago, Marcelo Florindez went on vacation from his restaurant job and was let go upon his return. He had two things going for him: the desire to own his own business and a knack for making fresh, flavorful ceviche. At first, Marcelo wanted to open his own restaurant. But that was expensive. So he turned his attention to making his ceviche mobile.

He had to build the vehicle first, outfitting it so he could set up shop and make ceviche from scratch at places such as Jimbo's on Key Biscayne, where I met up with him. Then he had to apply for the necessary license. Marcelo is quite proud of being, as far as he knows, the only licensed ceviche truck in Miami.

John Zur

Marcelo's Ceviche Truck

​The ingredients that Marcelo uses are from Peru, with the exception of the fish, which comes from Costa Rica and Panama. His fish ceviche is marinated in lime juice, cilantro, rocoto chilies, and red onions. The fish is fresh, marinated just right, and contain enough of a hint of spice. Because he makes the ceviche to order, you can request the combinations of fish, level of spice, and typical ceviche condiments.

Marcelo operates Wednesday through Sunday after 2 p.m. Usually, he can be found on Key Biscayne -- around the tennis center and then from house to house -- but on Thursdays, he is in Doral near Galloway Road and NW 28th Street. Call him anytime and he'll head your way. Or find him on Facebook. He makes house calls and caters parties.