Eating In Translation

Cafe Versailles

Despite the sandwich's name and backdrop, my morning flight was delayed only till midafternoon, not midnight. The medianoche ($5.99), a subspecies of Cuban sandwich, swaps out the latter's crusty bread for a sometimes smaller but always sweeter loaf made from egg dough. Typical ingredients in both sandwiches are ham, mild cheese, roast pork, and — optional, but vital for crunch — pickles.

Also shown: the ventanita, or streetside "little window," at the Versailles Restaurant in Little Havana, a celebrated site for stand-up coffeehousing.

Cafe Versailles
North Terminal (near gate D5), Miami International Airport, Miami
Restaurant: 3555 S.W. 8th St. (S.W. 35th-S.W. 36th Aves.), Miami
305-444-0240
www.VersaillesRestaurant.com
(From visits in autumn 2012, and earlier)

Ice Box Cafe

Breakfast sandwich ($7.50). I hadn't planned to eat at the airport, but a faulty nosegear indication light is the sort of thing best taken care of before takeoff.

Ice Box Cafe
North Terminal (near gate D8), Miami International Airport, Miami
305-871-6882
Restaurant: 1657 Michigan Ave. (at Lincoln Rd.), Miami Beach
305-538-8448
www.IceBoxCafe.com
(From an autumn 2012 visit)

Joe's Stone Crab

Stone crab claws (large, market price, five for $48.95).

Joe's Stone Crab
11 Washington Ave. (1st St.-South Pointe Dr.), Miami Beach
305-673-4611
www.JoesStoneCrab.com
(From visits in autumn 2012, and earlier)

Enriqueta's

In the ideal Cuban sandwich, ham, cheese, pork, and pickles appear in ample, well-proportioned quantities.

El Mago de las Fritas

Superlative frita Cubana ($3.50), a piquant cousin to the hamburger featuring a loosely knit patty topped with grilled onions and a dense thatch of shoestring fries. These were properly crisp, the better to complement a moist, spicy patty made from beef, chorizo, and who knows what else. The patty was griddled with a sauce whose ingredients are likewise held secret by the chef-proprietor, El Mago. Call him The Magician, or call him The Wizard; either way, he's not telling.

El Mago de las Fritas
5828 S.W. 8th St. (S.W. 58th-S.W. 59th Aves.), Miami
305-266-8486
www.ElMagoDeLasFritas.com
(From an autumn 2012 visit)

El Rey de Chivito

Not pizza, fainá.

Puerto Sagua

Common in Venezuela and Colombia but at ease in a Cuban diner, too, perico resembles a Western omelet that's gone all to pieces.

Dogma Grill

Despite the throwback logo, the "frank philosophy," and the similarity of the menu, even to the availability of a poppy-seed bun, this Dogma Grill is under different ownership than the now-shuttered Miami mini-chain of the same name.

Canistels

Very small mangos, or very big dates, was my first impression of the mashed fruits on this Miami sidewalk. I recognized them only when I plucked several intact specimens from the verge, and when a fellow leaned out of the back of a slowly passing car and called out "Canistel!"

These were oblong, not heart-shaped, but once sliced open (after thorough washing), the color, texture, and rich, sweet flavor all evoked another common name of the canistel, eggfruit.

Canistels
Miami
(From an autumn 2012 visit)

Andiamo!

Though Andiamo's fare makes a nod to the pizza parlors of the Northeast — Philly cheesesteaks and Boylan's soda are also served — this meatball pie (personal size, $9.95) had more than a little Miami flash. Caramelized onions and roasted peppers, plus mozzarella and parmesan, almost totally outshined the very good housemade meatballs.

As for the pizzeria itself, its broad overhanging roof and wedge-shaped glass enclosure are well-adapted to a subtropical climate. The Modernist building, designed by Robert Law Weed and built in 1954 for General Tire, was later home to Leo's Car Wash.

Andiamo!
5600 Biscayne Blvd. (at N.E. 56th St.), Miami
305-762-5751
www.AndiamoPizzaMiami.com
(From an autumn 2012 visit)