Hello, all! Welcome to my brand new blog. I am 20-something-year-old journalism student living in Miami. I’m extremely passionate about the food and dining scene in Miami and have made it a hobby of mine to try absolutely everything I can. First I must disclose that I am not paid to write these reviews nor endorse these places. I am simply a fan of good food and love sharing great places with the rest of the world. The pictures I post are taken by me unless noted otherwise.
For many of you who aren’t familiar with Miami Spice, it is a two-month-long event in Miami where participating luxury and fine dining restaurants create a special limited-time menu that incorporates their signature flavor, with a little bit of local Miami spice in the mix (see what I did there?). Lunch menus are usually about $23 per person and dinner may vary depending on location; Fine dining starts at $33 per person for a three-course meal, while luxury dining is $39.
So let me begin with the amazingness that is Mercadito. It’s located in the hidden gem that is Midtown, home to low-key culinary experiences and is well-known among all local foodies alike.
Located right next to Sugar Cane, is Mercadito, a casually upscale Mexican restaurant. Mercadito is a little trendy, which never hurt anyone, but definitely expect tapas-style meals. Our extremely knowledgeable waiter Cristian was very attentive and explained the menus to us and even made his own recommendations. Note: out of all the Miami Spice menus I’ve tried in my life, this place definitely has the best bang for your buck. It even includes a drink! What place does that? Also, by the way, their drinks are definitely something else: I first ordered Pepino el pyu which is essentially a cucumber margarita on-the-rocks but with a hint of lemon and cumin salts on the glass, making this a very interesting almost aperitif-like drink.
Next, we had three types of guacamole. I have to say the ‘elope’ was my favorite. Imagine the smoothest, freshest avocado perfectly paired with corn and ‘queso fresco’ (fresh white cheese) poured right on top, and of course served with warm tortilla chips.
We also had the chicken flautas, ‘elote’ Mexican corn on the cob (very very spicy chili powder sprinkled generously on the corn with aioli sauce), and the famous tacos. When I heard their mahi-mahi tacos were praised by The New York Times I just had to try them out! I’ll be honest: they were very delicious, but nothing crazy. I believe the beer-battered mahi mahi pairs deliciously with the Mexican-style aioli coleslaw and tiny potatoes, but it wasn’t the best taco I had tried. My favorite out of the three was their ‘carne’ taco topped with a manchego avocado-tomato sauce. The skirt steak had a great smoky flavor that I really enjoyed, and the creamy sauce went well together.
I must digress for a moment and talk about their cheesecake! The cheesecake was topped with raspberry hibiscus sugar and passion fruit syrup. The cheesecake was very reminiscent to a Cuban favorite (guava paste and cream cheese) and had that sort of taste and texture (which I didn’t mind) in every heavenly bite!
I also ordered their Little Market drink; a strong, delicious blend of reposado tequila, pineapple juice, chile guajillo and pico piquin. It was a little spicy but the hint of pineapple sweetened it and gave it an interesting taste and appeal. Definitely have got to give it up to them and their mixologists– unique drinks where everyone is sure to find a favorite– or two. Over all, I can’t wait to visit this place again! I am actually quite interested in their endless brunch That’s it for now, until next bite! 😉
FOODNOIZE 