Restaurants in Little Havana Miami
Ropa Vieja and traditional Cuban dishes at Versailles Restaurant and Calle Ocho in Miami's Little Havana
My Cuban food report begins years ago, when I first lived/worked in Ft. Lauderdale. On a flight to New York City I sat beside a lovely, older Cuban couple on their way to check up on their New York restaurant. We chatted about life, Cuba, marvellous mojitos and their livelihood- the Versailles Restaurants they've owned and operated for decades.
The couple invited me to dinner that night in the city- but unfortunately prior commitments kept me away. It wasn't until I was back in South Florida this past week that I thought of the kind couple I met years ago, and decided to drive down to Calle Ocho with long-time friend Anne Maree and my husband Mario in tow for a feast of a Cuban brunch/lunch.
Mario and I spent our honeymoon in Cuba- the island, the people and the food all have a special place in our hearts. When I mentioned the possibility of dining Cuban style, his eyes widened like a kid in a candy store. Past La Carreta, another venerable Cuban restaurant in the area, you'll find the white and green Versailles Restaurant which has been a landmark of sorts in the area since 1971. The building is adorned with frescoes and urns lining the palatial exterior, while the interior offers a less grandiose family-style dining ambience. Efficient servers whiz to and fro with mega-trays laden with a host of aromatic goodies.
We start the meal with some Cuban café con leche - coffee cups full of steamed, hot milk to which you add the most flavourful, espresso-like coffee. A little goes a long way, and with a sprinkling of sugar, you've got the richest, best cup of java going anywhere! Hot, pressed, buttered bread makes the perfect accompaniment- this is often the quick breakfast of choice for Cubans on the go.
Next up- our appetizers - a platter of fried green plantain chips, Cuban style empanadas stuffed with cheese and spinach, and crisp yucca fries all served with a garlicky dipping sauce called mojo. What a treat! The servings at Versailles are generous to say the least- so either come with a hearty appetite or, do as Mario and I did, and split an entrée. We opted for the always flavourful Ropa Vieja- a traditional Cuban dish of shredded beef stew that's prepared with onions, garlic, white wine, and tomatoes and is served up with white rice & black beans (colloquially called Moors and Christians- or Morros y Cristianos in Spanish), and maduros- ripe plantain slices that are fried to a golden deliciousness.
Anne Maree opted for the beef tongue, which came sliced on a platter with a dark brown sauce. She ate every last bit of beef, exclaiming that it was just as good as she'd hope it would be. Her side dishes pretty much matched ours except her rice and beans were already mixed. Stuffed like three Thanksgiving turkeys, we waddled out of the dining room after paying our very reasonable tab and made our way next door to the Versailles Bakery for a gander. Little pastries (or pastelitos), cakes of every stripe - including my favourite- Tres Leches (three milk cake- it's wonderfully sinful), sandwiches to go and cookies galore lined the cabinet shelves. Too full to partake in sweets that afternoon, we chose to walk our lunch off a little in the neighbourhood.
Calle Ocho sits next to the chi-chi Coral Gables neighbourhood- you couldn't get two more distinctly different neighbours if you tried. In Little Havana you can watch your cigar being rolled by hand at a cigar shop, buy a Guayabera shirt (often worn and admired by Ernest Hemingway himself), stop for a coffee and snack at any outdoor window-front café and watch the world go by. The best thing about Little Havana though, is enjoying the warmth of the Cuban folks, basking in the sub-tropical sunlight and feeling as if you were on your honeymoon all over again!
