Hello all! I’m back to fill you in on the rest of the Miami story. When I left you last, I had been stuffing myself to the gills at Ola (still thinking about it – yum!). For the last few days in Miami, I was pretty much on my own – as Todd was at his conference. So I filled my days with beach and pool-side activities, got a little shopping in and read three whole books! I also got a chance to go to Sushi Samba, a restaurant located on Lincoln Ave. My friend and former roommate, Nina, had mentioned it to me so I thought I would pop in for dinner after a busy shopping afternoon. Unfortunately, my phone ran out of battery just as I was ordering (and talking to Nina – sorry Nina!) and therefore I was unable to take any pictures.
The place definitely had a trendy vibe to it. Most people opted to sit outside (as people usually do in Miami, especially on Lincoln Ave), however I was feeling a bit hot and sticky, so I decided to take an inside table. I also thought I would be a little less conspicuous as I was by myself. My waitress, Jessica, was bubbly and sweet and really did a great job of making me feel comfortable. Since I was having a hard time choosing what to get (their menu is Asian-Latin fusion), I decided to go all out and order the seven course tasting menu.
The first course was a squid tempura in a lemon grass coconut sauce. It was light and crispy and the sauce was delicious! It was a great way to start things off! The second course was a salmon ceviche with grapefruit, thinly sliced red onion and red pepper, arugula – all together spicy and extremely flavorful. The third course was a red snapper topped salad with mango and peas and topped with coconut foam. It was very beautifully plated and the taste did not disappoint. I love peas and with the mango, it was such an interesting and wonderful combination. Four more courses to go – I was thinking, what did I get myself into?
The fourth course was a blow torched yellow fin tuna, accompanied by avocado, blanched lemon slices and plantain chips. Again the presentation was fantastic and the lemon really set off the whole dish. The more I ate, the more I loved it! The fifth course was lamb, with some kind of bean, Asian pear compote and a shiso mint vinaigrette – all of which worked VERY well together. I was getting quite full, but was looking forward to what was next. The sixth course was an assortment of sushi and sashimi. The fish was very fresh and tender. The Eno roll served had great spice and bit of crunch – perfect!
Finally, it was time for the seventh course – dessert! When they brought the tray over (that’s right, it was a tray, not a plate!), I was literally thinking – where am I going to find room for any of this? It was a sampler of most of their available desserts – a mochi with red berry, tres leches, a rice pudding, a pretty little chocolate cake and finally one more. At first, I thought it was just a little bowl of fruit. But upon explanation from Jessica, my wonderful and friendly waitress, I discovered that it was a berry gelatin topped with strawberries and blueberries, and then crowned with a yuzu custard. There were little pink crumbles all over the top of the custard and I thought they made a pretty little garnish. Then, when I put the first bite in my mouth, I found they were MUCH more than a garnish. They were none other than pop rocks! Quite a surprise and a lovely and fun way to finish the dish.
After dessert, I was so full that I rolled outside and into a cab (despite the fact that the walk back to the hotel was probably only seven or eight blocks). I popped into our hotel room about ten minutes before Todd came strolling in, full of stories from the day at the conference. It was a full and satisfying day! A few days later, Todd and I boarded a plane to head back to LA. We had a really great time in Miami that week, but there is something to be said for being home again, and sleeping in your own bed.
Just an FYI – This past week and a half I have spent a lot of time at home. I was hit pretty hard with the flu, which was then followed by a nasty and lingering head cold – congestion, coughing and I completely lost my voice! The last is probably the most difficult and frustrating. I’ve never really lost my voice before – sure, I may have been hoarse or my voice became gravely, but to lose it completely is something else. To open your mouth to say something and all that comes out are a few squeaks? Devastating! For me anyway. Perhaps it is a nice reprieve for others!! It’s on its way back now, but a little of the gravely-ness still lingers on.
I have to give a shout out to a few people who have really helped me during my time of isolation and illness. My friends and neighbors, Dan and Eileen, who have really gone out of their way to keep an eye on me. Todd is away this week, so I am truly on my own, which is probably for the best or he would also have ended up with this hellish experience. D & E have brought me soup, made me dinner one evening, made sure I was stocked up on fluids and just generally kept me company during my time of internment. Since both of them have recently had their own battles with nasty flu-like viruses, they’ve been fearless in tending to and being near me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that! It’s like having a bit of mom right here in California (miss you mom!).
Another neighbor and friend, Mike, took a little time out of his day to take me to Blossom (another old favorite) to pick up some pho – their version of which I call my “magic soup” as it always makes me feel better. My friend Molly has also been a big help, texting me through the days to make sure I’m still alive and see if I need anything. She also got me out of the house on two occasions toward the end of things. Once to an old favorite, Malo, and tonight we tried a new restaurant on 7th Street in Downtown called Soi 7. More for me to cover in my next post!
The Penguin Hotel on the famous Ocean Drive.
It was swamped that morning, but we only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table. We opted for one inside to get seated faster and to enjoy the air conditioning (it is HUMID in Miami people!). I was unfortunately a bit hungover from our previous evening at Opium at The Hard Rock Casino (for more on that story, you’ll have to ask me). So the idea of eggs for breakfast was not sitting well with me. Instead, I ordered their Pizza From Hell, which had
sausage, onions, mushrooms, black olives and jalapeños and was YUMMY! Exactly what the doctor ordered. Todd got the Chicken Satay omelette, which is exactly as it sounds, chicken breast with peanut sauce and I believe it had scallions and bean sprouts too. I mustered up the courage to have a bit (remember, my stomach was boycotting eggs that morning) and it was very delicious – definitely something I would have wanted to order on another visit. Great service – our waitress was even wearing glow in the dark Halloween earrings!
We started with a ceviche, Fire and Ice, which is Cobia marinated in sour orange, thai chilies, cilantro, jalapeño over asian pear granita. Can I just say, pure heaven? It was wonderfully tart and spicy – I wanted to lick the bowl when we were done! Next we had the Smoked Marlin Tacos –
rum-vanilla, cured smoked marlin in crispy malanga boats with pickled jalapeños. I’m not usually a big fan of smoked anything, but these were absolutely delectable! We received 5 mini tacos and I wanted 5 more. But I restrained myself and waited for the next course, which was a beef short rib 
empanada. This was by far my definite favorite dish – it had a slightly sweet, spicy sauce inside the empanada, which was crispy and chewy at the same time. I savored each bite. Finally, we ended with Crispy Pork, which had fried yucca dressed with lemon mojo, black bean broth and cilantro mojo. The pork was tasty, but not crispy – which was a bit of a 
disappointment. The dish did come topped with chicharrones – I’m wondering if that is what they were referring to when they called it “crispy”? I did enjoy the flavor of the mojos and the yucca was a nice departure as well. We were tempted to order their Key Lime Pie, which is supposed to be their specialty, but alas, there was no room in our bellies. So instead we again enjoyed a nice long walk back to our hotel to call it an evening.
Nikki's Nibbles 