Bite Size

By far one of Miami’s favorite finger foods.

A staple of Cuban cuisine, this rolled up flour mix in a cylinder-like shape – usually made with ham, chicken, beef and sometimes fish (try bacalao (cod) croquettes) – is fried and served. The delight Cubans have for croquettes is equivalent to Americans’ fascination with cheese sticks.

Sergio’s Restaurant, with locations in Coral Way and Bird Road, is a good place for Cuban comfort food and my favorite for chunky, homemade-style croquetas.

The Mecca of the Cuban exile, Miami is a hard place to judge Cuban cuisine.

While most Miamians are experts by birth, upbringing or association on Cuban food, so are most of the cooks serving up ropa viejas, palomilla steaks and vaca fritas all over this county.

But Sergio’s croquetas have a soft place in my palate.

They are crunchy, not too salty and filled with bits of ham.

But since everything is better with Cuban bread, I like to order the “Croqueta Preparada” ($6.95) – pressed Cuban bread with croquettes, ham, pork and Swiss cheese and a sprinkle of potato sticks.

With my own spin – no ham or pork. All my attention is on the croquettes, so I keep the Swiss cheese and just add tomato and lettuce.

Sergio’s – on Coral Way close to 32nd Avenue – has been a local favorite for years.

Now with cozy outdoor seating and a fresh new look, it continues to attract loyal locals and Coral Way-Gables new condo community. The place for a casual lunch during the workweek or a yummy breakfast on weekends.

Also, find tasty croquetas at Ricky’s Bakery, El Brazo Fuerte and Gilbert’s Bakery and other Cuban eateries in town such as Versailles, La Carreta and Las Culebrinas.

Restaurant: Sergio’s Restaurant

Address: 3252 Coral Way

Phone: (305) 529-0047

Price range: $4-$15

Hours: Open late

Web site: www.sergios.com

At the border where pretentious Brickell meets down-to-earth Coral Way, there’s one restaurant that serves as neutral ground: Tutto Pasta.

It’s beloved by Gucci purses and knockoffs, alike. Ed Hardy-wearing dudes and those with China-made prototypes. Both sides of the town can share this cozy eatery – for the love of pasta. The family-owned Italian establishment is the creation of Brazilian chef Joao Carlos Oliveira.

A café-style locale with dark furniture and white table linens that gives its faithful diners the feeling they’re in a gallery – with edible creations. Tutto Pasta’s secret: the freshly-made pasta and sauces. Chef Oliveira, who also owns a pasta factory and nearby sister restaurant Tutto Pizza, serves what he preaches: On-the-spot made pasta. In the open kitchen, an inviting backdrop for diners, flavors sizzling on the hot pans make their way to your table and flirt with your senses. Take a whiff, you know what’s coming.

With the Pilgrims close to anchoring the Mayflower, I went for an Italian favorite with a holiday twist: pumpkin-stuffed ravioli. The warm Pumpkin Ravioli ($ 14.95) plate arrived at my barely-for-two table. Raviolis filled with pumpkin and ricotta bathed in a pink sauce that dripped from the sides. It was delicate and sweet.  The pink sauce had a mild flavor not upstaging the soft pasta and the smashed pumpkin. In every bite, I got a good taste of the dish.

Also, recommend tasting the Risotto Seafood ($16.95) a flavorful risotto with scallops, shrimp and calamari all blended in a red marinara sauce. Nibble on rosemary focaccia, the complimentary bread, while you wait for dinner to arrive. But don’t get carried away or you may find yourself ordering a second basket.  Try the wines, while at Tutto Pasta is all about, well, pasta. The wines have a special place.

The staff was welcoming and charming. Our waiter visited the table multiple times through out the evening to make sure we were enjoying dinner. But like any restaurant in Miami with a great reputation, weekends are busy. Be prepared to enjoy your dining experience at this tiny place with a full house. And of course, in close proximity to fellow diners, but don’t worry the crowd is discrete and everyone seems to mind their own…table.

I passed on one temptation that night: dessert. The sinful meal of creamy-carbs left no room for sweet delights. But just because you’re not tasting the menu, doesn’t mean you can’t look. And I looked: mousses, crème brulées and coconut flans ($6 each) were all promising. 

But when you come, don’t forget: Here, it’s all about the pasta.

Restaurant: Tutto Pasta

Address: 1751 SW 3rd Ave. Miami, FL  33129

Hours: 11:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. Sundays closed.

Phone: (305) 857-0709

Prices: $7- $19

Website: www.tuttopasta.com

And I am not talking about the NBA player – this is about the Japanese restaurant at Dolphin Mall. I am all about sushi. I was enjoying it before it infiltrated every Asian-type restaurant in Miami. It was something about the sticky rice and sashimi that just did it for me. But when sushi went mainstream – the Southeast Asia-originated culinary concept was misused by some.

But let’s get back to Kobe. The sushi wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t memorable or distinct, either. Especially for the price, the sushi creations are pricey. I expected a culinary delight. The restaurant welcomed me with an Asian-inspired decor, a staff clad in kimono-resembling attire and Asian-born sushi chefs hard at work. It looked authentic. – and then, the sushi arrived.

It was bland, the fish didn’t taste fresh, the rice was mushy rather than sticky, and there is a difference between those two. It was an average eight-piece roll. I expect more flavor and better presentation – both absent from my place.

Also absent, this time from my table, was a napkin and chopsticks. The sushi arrived before both of these two. I was a little irritated. Imagine, a just-prepared roll starring at you and no chopsticks to dive in. Finally, when the chopsticks arrived, followed by a napkin, I devoured the first piece. Joining disappointment with irritation makes one an unhappy diner. So Kobe makes me wait for utensils only to then realize there was nothing worth waiting for?

The Japanese steakhouse was full, but so is every other establishment at Dolphin Mall on a Saturday night. You walk in there and it seems people forgot the nation is in an economic recession. It’s a spacious place, waiters bang on a drum if it’s your birthday and I’ve heard their chef-manned hibachi grill is fun and tasty.

But I couldn’t forget the bad Eel roll (eel, cucumber, avocado). With a name like Kobe, I was expecting gourmet.

Address: 11401 NW 12th St. (Doral)

Phone: (305) 591-1414

Price range: $10 - $60

Hours: 11:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.

When I walked into this eatery, tucked among the many commercial establishments of tree-lined Coral Way, the red-and-black decor caught my eye. But my palate felt in love with the burger. Where do I start? The Hawaiian burger comes with a charcoal-grilled meat patty, lettuce, Swiss cheese, ketchup and mustard topped with a slice of caramelized pineapple.

The hint of smoke from the burger and the sweet fruit balanced this American invention with a tropical twist. I shared the burger with a friend, and after the second bite regretted it. Wanting to grab her piece and devour it. I contained myself — but it was that good.  The place is casual, no pretensions just sidewalk tables, a nice crowd and good food. The orders takes some time because all meats are all slowly cooked on charcoal, hence the Spanish name: “Al Carbon” (On the Grill).

While waiting, try a glass of wine from the bar and much on patacones, green-smashed-and-fried plantains with guacamole (I added a generous spoon of chimichurri sauce, which sits on all tables). The place is owned by two Colombian chefs who cook up a fusion of Latin American flavors with a selection of specialty burgers, worth-trying appetizers and coal-cooked pinchos. They had me at the first bite of Hawaiian burger.

Restaurant: Al Carbon  

Address:2280 SW 22nd Ave.  

Phone: (305) 856-3366

Price range: $3 - $20

Hours: open late Fri. & Sat.