Eating In Translation

Tamarind Thai

For a last lunch before I caught my flight back to New York, I had my eye on the hot and sour trout salad with ginger and pineapple, until my waitress dismissed it as American-style. Instead I started with one of her recommendations, mee krop goong ($8.95), crispy noodles with shrimp and tofu, mixed with tamarind sauce and a touch of picked garlic. Needed a little help from the the tabletop hot sauce, but very good even without.

The crispy skin on my bamee ped (lunch size; $7.95) set off moist, fatty, boneless duck meat; with egg noodles, sprouts, peanuts, and scallions.

Tamarind Thai
946 Normandy Dr., Miami Beach
305-861-6222

Hy Vong

When I arrived here two minutes after this little restaurant opened for dinner, at 6:00, it was already more than half-full of regulars. No one seemed to mind that Hy Vong's small staff was a little stretched — it was 20 minutes till a waiter took my order — perhaps because everyone knows they'll be well-fed. Indeed, after I ordered the dolphin with mango special ($16.95), I passed the time with a light soup (included), a soft summer roll (an apology for the delay?) and tastes of roasted duck with currant sauce as well as barbecued pork (courtesy of friendly diners on either side of me). My entrée, even if it was a little lacking in complexity, was more than pleasant (though another time I might lean toward the duck). Very good beer selection, too — and except for the lambics, they're all just $3.

Hy Vong
3458 S.W. 8th St., Miami
305-446-3674

La Carreta

From the immense diner menu, I snacked on an ensalada de aguacate (avocado salad; $3.95) with onion and lettuce, dressed with oil and vinegar.

La Carreta
3632 S.W. 8th St., Miami
(one of many locations)
305-444-7501

King's Cream

Although this strip-mall storefront employs a hand-cranked churros machine, up by the front door, I passed that by in favor of a frozen treat. A cup of almendro ice cream ($1.40) was creamy, with toasted specks of the namesake almonds. Lucuma, mamey, tamarindo, and a number of unfamiliar combos will have to wait for another visit.

King's Cream
1831 S.W. 8th St., Miami
305-643-1842

Nuevo Siglo

Before settling down to a dessert at the lunch counter, I took a tour of Nuevo Siglo's well-stocked shelves (five-pound tins of membrillo!); there's also a good selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as a meat counter and a baked-goods section. Back at the counter, it turned out that my tres leches ($1.50) was not immediately at hand; a clerk retrieved one labeled "Lila's Desserts" from the refrigerator case of the market itself. Good, but I'd passed up fresher versions elsewhere.

Nuevo Siglo
1305 S.W. 8th St., Miami

El Rey de las Fritas

A burger and fries on the same bun? Gotta be a frita, a spiced Cuban patty covered in dry "Juliana-style potatos" and moistened with a savory secret sauce. Guarapo (sugarcane juice; $2.25) was one of many tasty ways to wash it down at this friendly joint.

El Rey de las Fritas
1177 S.W. 8th St., Miami
(one of several locations)
305-858-4223

Sol de Miami

It's half cafeteria, half market, but almost all the business here is conducted in Spanish. (A sign at the checkout insists that you "apriete al coco, no al aguacate" — squeeze the coconut, not the avocado.) La Cubanita brand napolitano (that's one slice; 15 oz.; $2.19), which layers mango jelly, milk cream, and guava paste, is sweet, sweet, sweet.

Sol de Miami
800 S.W. 8th St., Miami

Cedars Grocery & Bakery

There's not a large selection of baked goods to accompany the well-stocked grocery shelves, but on Calle Ocho, who would've expected any Middle Eastern food at all? Cortas brand jellab drink (10 fl. oz.; $1) — like the store owners, from Lebanon — bulks up its date flavor with a little molasses.

Cedars Grocery & Bakery
440 S.W. 8th St., Miami
305-854-6381

Northside Meat Market

The nearby Royal Castle had the look and feel of a greasy spoon, and the birch beer I'd read about was no more, but this budget-conscious market offered a few oddities that salvaged the trip. JCS brand Irish moss drink (10 fl. oz.; $1.39), from Jamaica, takes its name from a type of seaweed and its predominant flavor from nutmeg; it tastes much like a smooth, mild eggnog.

Northside Meat Market
2720 N.W. 79th St., Miami

Blue Sky

In addition to an upscale market, Blue Sky offers an Argentinian version of the Filipino turo-turo, heavy on the meat and with a huge number of choices. It being late evening, I had just a square of very moist bread pudding ($2.50) with peaches, raisins, and slivered almonds.

Blue Sky
1250 Normandy Dr., Miami Beach
(one of several locations)
305-865-5723

Dolce Vita

A small cup ($3) of fig-walnut-cream gelato seemed an interesting choice, but the figs were too tough, especially contrasted with the gelato. The tropical-leaning choice of flavors reveals Dolce Vita's Argentinian birthright; wish I had occasion to sample more.

Dolce Vita
954 Normandy Dr., Miami Beach
(one of several locations)
305-865-2523

Benihana

For my first visit to a Benihana, with my friend Abby and her daughter Greta, I tried the hibachi tuna steak ($21), served with onion soup, salad, a shrimp appetizer, vegetables, and rice.

All theatrics aside, that last item (shown above) was the star of the show. No secret, special ingredients, just steamed rice freshly mixed with the usual cast of characters.

The tuna itself, cooked medium rare and crusted with sesame, was unfortunately flavorless.

Benihana
1665 N.E. 79th St. Causeway, Miami
(one of many locations)
305-866-2768

Moises Bakery

Good selection of sweets and some savories in this friendly, very relaxing store. I sat down to a prune "hamentash" (their name; $1), a buttery basket with a rich, very dense filling.

Moises Bakery
7310 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
305-868-0548

Mr. Pasta

Time your visit right and you can watch housemade ravioli roll off the vintage machine up front; you can also find the standard ribbon shapes in a trio of pastels, plus all the fixings. San Benedetto lemon iced tea (500 ml.; $1.25) is very good, for a bottled version.

Mr. Pasta
7311 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
305-866-8020

Buenos Aires Market

Interesting variety of Uruguayan and Brazilian as well as Argentinian products — there's a sandwich counter, too — though I got not a word of greeting or parting from the two staffers. El Trisol brand vanilla wafers (80 g.; 35 cents) were nothing special.

Buenos Aires Market
7315 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
305-864-7745

Abraham's Bakery

Companion store to Goldstein & Sons. A cherry hamentash ($1) came across as a bready cookie with preserves on top.

Abraham's Bakery
7423 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
305-861-0291

Goldstein & Sons

Nice-looking spinach kugel, though a small selection overall at this kosher butcher. Today I was satisfied with a Cel-Ray (12 fl. oz. can; $1).

Goldstein & Sons
7443 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
305-865-4961

M&L Food Market

Indifferent grocery, but El Almendro brand turron blando (200 g.; $2.49) is a real find. It's a "traditional soft turron with roasted almonds and honey"; in texture, more of a chunky honey-almond halvah.

M&L Food Market
7440 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
305-865-2649

El Kiosko

A warm, flaky guava pastry (70 cents) was a very nice bite.

El Kiosko
13290 West Dixie Highway, North Miami
305-981-2838

Cayard's Bakery

I'm not sure if "Compa Direct Mamba" (18 oz.; $4.50) is a brand or a Creole name for spicy peanut butter. Going by sight or smell, you wouldn't suspect it contains anything more than finely ground nuts, but the taste of hot pepper builds to a slow comfortable burn. Given another visit, I might skip the baked goods a second time for a taste-off between cachiman and corosol ice cream — that is, between sweetsop and soursop.

Cayard's Bakery
12801 West Dixie Highway, North Miami
305-893-1800

Captain Jim's Seafood

This market not only offers up "seafood from our boats to you," they'll cook it any number of ways or serve it up to you raw at the sushi bar. After the chewy, canned-tasting conch I'd sampled a few days earlier at another restaurant, the sight of fresh conch meat was too enticing to ignore. I eventually settled on a combo ($12.95) of grilled dolphin, grilled shrimp, and (at my waitress' suggestion) fried rather than grilled conch.

This is the most amazingly tender fried shellfish you'll ever try, and it's wonderful without any sauce or further seasoning. The dolphin and shrimp weren't bad, and the creamed spinach was excellent, as was the pink lemonade ($1.25), but if all I had in front of me was a plate of that fried conch, I'd be in seafood heaven.

Captain Jim's Seafood
12950 West Dixie Highway, North Miami
305-892-2812

Madiba Miami

I've never visited Madiba's older, sister restaurant, on DeKalb Ave. in Brooklyn, but frankly the warmer weather in Miami suits it better. Bobotie ($17), a "traditional Cape Malay curried mince bake with egg custard topping," refers to that small but dense square of minced tenderloin with a crusty (not custardy) top. The meat itself is ordinary, but it mixes well with the raisin-studded yellow rice and the four Malay sambals: banana-coconut and cucumber-yogurt to the left, tomato-onion-parsley and mango chutney to the right. A pale straw Windhoek (12 fl. oz. bottle; $8) offered a gently balanced hop aroma and flavor, but that's too expensive for a lager.

Madiba Miami
1766 Bay Rd., Miami Beach
305-695-1566

Key Lime Pie Factory

For a prepackaged dessert, the chocolate-dipped Blond Giraffe key lime pie on a stick (4.5 oz.; $3.95) is pretty amazing, crust and all.

Key Lime Pie Factory
6022 South Dixie Highway, South Miami
(one of several locations)
305-661-2744

Origin

I was excited to come across a Miami Herald review that promised Cambodian fish amok ($15.95), a dish I can't find in New York. When I first tried amok (in San Francisco, as ah monk, or perhaps ah mawk), it was described as "curry fish mousse," and that described the lovely texture very well. Tonight the fish was snapper, said my waiter — though on other nights it might be grouper or another "white" fish — steamed in a banana leaf with cabbage, bell peppers, lime leaves, basil, lemongrass, and coconut milk. A healthy portion and a very pleasant texture, but not the sublime consistency I'd hoped for; the flounder mentioned in the Herald review, which might have softened up better, seems much harder to find on South Florida menus. Good complimentary edamame, by the way, well-sprinkled with coarse salt.

Origin
5920 South Dixie Highway, South Miami
305-668-8205

Versailles

I last ate here more than a dozen years ago, and since all the write-ups I've seen have stressed that these days Versailles is worth a look but not a taste, I stayed at the outside counter and recharged with a colada ($1.35). Very smooth, and topped with a nice crema. Also very potent, as you'll know if you've ever had a double espresso.

Versailles
3555 S.W. 8th St., Miami
305-445-7614