There's Agua on Grand Cayman

Beautiful beaches, natural reefs preserved in crystal clear waters, and prize-catch fishing are synonymous with Grand Cayman.  However, this little island harbors a hidden treasure, food!  Grand Cayman is by far, the culinary capital of the West Indies.  Over the years this tropical wonderland has attracted a diverse range of award winning chef’s.  Their epicurean creativity has leveraged the Caribbean’s natural resources of fresh seafood, tropical fruits and native vegetables to prepare countless works of gastronomic art.  One of the fine establishments on Grand Cayman that combines the island's plentiful bounty of ingredients with finely tuned international cooking techniques to transform common staples into seemingly priceless art is Agua.

Spanish for water, Agua is the creation of Italian Chef’s Walter Fagette of Genoa and Cristiano Vincentini of Tuscany.  The two were working at a well-known restaurant on Grand Cayman when they decided to venture out on their own.  Almost three years ago to the day, they opened Agua.  A Caribbean approach to fine dining with indoor and terrace seating, Agua offers a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy their many fine dishes.  Their dining room is surrounded by a soffit box adorned in bold stripes of sky blue on deep-sea blue.  Dark mahogany plantation shutters cover the windows while random black and white photography hangs on Agua’s side wall.  Smooth jazz fills the air as you open up their menu and venture into the most difficult moment of the night…deciding what to eat.

Agua served a very reasonably priced tasting menu while I was there.  A five course meal that included Whaoo Tartar, Gnocchi tossed in sage butter shrimp scampi and Cotechino sausage stuffed Quail over truffled mash for just under $40 US.  I was tempted to indulge in this offering, but was mesmerized by the interesting creations that appeared on the regular menu.  Elements of Italy, Spain, Peru, and Japan came together to present selections like Wahoo breaded in Cous Cous served over a Thai Basil Sweet Potato Risotto or Crispy Potato encrusted White Bass dressed in a Mango Beurre Blanc.  Then there were the specials of the night, an assortment of thoughtfully prepared combinations of locally sourced ingredients.  After much deliberation, I decided to create my own tasting menu from a series of hot and cold smaller dishes that Agua offers.

I started off with one of their specials for the night, an Octopus and Breadfruit Strudel served with field greens and an Asian Plum reduction.  This recipe is one that Fagette brought to Grand Cayman from his native Genoa where he substituted the flaky traditional strudel crust for a creamy, almost gelatin-like potato dough.  In this rendition Fagette takes breadfruit, a starchy Caribbean fruit common in Jamaican cuisine, forms a soft and elegantly smooth strudel stuffed with fresh octopus and lined with a crispy cornmeal bottom and places it among stripes of a sweet Asian plum demi-glace.  Chopped pieces of octopus and a mixture of fresh field greens dressed in a citrusy vinaigrette completed this memorable plate.

For my second tasting, I selected an assortment of Ceviches.  A Peruvian salad made by cooking raw fish in lime juice and combining it with complimenting raw vegetables, Ceviches are often light and refreshing.  Agua serves a variety of Ceviches inspired by its diverse staff.  I sampled their Thai, Mixto and Cayman Ceviches, each served as a tasting size portion on a porcelain spoon.  The Thai Ceviche is a mixture of Corvina, coconut milk, Kaffir lime, red curry and cilantro.  Their Mixto Ceviche combines Wahoo, octopus and shrimp with sweet yellow peppers, lime, cilantro and red onions.  The last one I had was my favorite, the Cayman Ceviche taking Wahoo, white vinegar, tomato, lime cilantro, a touch of scotch bonnet and thin sliced red onions.  Razor thin sliced red onions, so thin they melt in your mouth while delivering that perfect punch of flavor to accent the ting of the scotch bonnet and the tang of the lime.  The red onions are so thin you would swear Paulie Cisaro himself was sitting in his blue bathrobe back in the kitchen somewhere slicing them like they were little cloves of garlic.

My next dish was the one that brought me to Agua.  While discussing a few of the dining options with my friend Davina at the Marriott resort on Seven Mile Beach, we stumbled across the topic of Tuna Tartar.  She insisted that Agua’s was the best on the island, maybe even the best anywhere.  As she described its chopped pieces of bright red tuna combined with sea weed salad and cubed ripe avocado, one of her coworkers popped his head in and exclaimed, “are you guys talking about the Tuna Tartar at Agua, it’s the best anywhere!”  That did it for me.  I knew I was headed to Agua after that endorsement. 

To complete my savory tastings for the night I selected Agua’s Spanish Short Rib.  I’m a short rib connoisseur, and this plate before me was the Opus X of short ribs.  The meat itself was perfectly braised to the point that it pulled apart with the slightest touch of the fork and burst with the flavors it received while slowly braising in its aromatic bath.  The menu read “chorizo mashed potato and jalapeno sauce” so I was expecting a mashed potato incorporated with chunks of chorizo.  What I received was a pleasant surprise of fried onion straws atop a soft tender short rib atop a perfect serving of creamy mashed potato adorned with a rich dark brown sauce.  To the naked eye it would appear that the chorizo was missing, but it was there.  This strong Spanish sausage often has a dominant presence.  However, much to my delight there was just a slight hint of dried chorizo which appeared in the dish.  The chorizo worked in perfect balance as it just slightly resonated behind the bite of the jalapeno in the decadent sauce that accented the plate.  By far one of the best short ribs I have had the pleasure of enjoying.

Finally my evening came to a close with a sweet treat.  Agua’s pastry chef prepared a perfect Mille Feuille.  Flaky layers of puff pastry were joined with a light custard, fresh blueberries and sliced strawberries.  Dusted with confectioner’s sugar and adorned with a sprig of mint, this desert was almost too pretty to eat. Almost! 

Known the world over for its majestic landscapes, Grand Cayman is sure to become recognized for its variety of epicurean selections as well.  I hope you have the opportunity to visit this Caribbean island paradise one day.  Whether you get there by cruise ship or by plane, you are going to want to do two things:  first go for a swim in the crystalline waters of Seven Mile Beach, and second, find your way to Agua, grab a drink at the bar and prepare yourself to be Floored by Food.

Keg South

Miami, FL - Dixie Highway is one of the oldest roads in the United States.  Built in the early 20^th Century, it originally spanned over 5700 miles connecting Ontario, Canada to Florida City.  Major interstates like I-75 now run along the original roadway, but in Miami there is a stretch of US1 that is still known as Dixie Highway.  Running from the end of I-95 in Coconut Grove, to the beginning of the Overseas Highway just south of Homestead, Dixie Highway is lined with great spots that are sure to leave you Floored by Food.  Among them is Keg South.

     

Keg South has sat right on Dixie Highway, just a gas station south of SW 104 Street for the last 50 years.  What a tremendous accomplishment!  This resilient little local’s hideaway has survived Hurricanes Cleo, Betsy and Andrew, and outlived The Playboy Club, Eastern Airlines, Pan Am, Burdines, the 1800 Club, and Parrot Jungle (Jungle Island just isn’t the same).  For 50 years Keg South endured development, urban sprawl and change by simply not changing.  Keg South has been a mainstay to Miami’s East Kendall and Palmetto communities, serving the same great food and cold beer year after year.

This place has a real speak-easy-feel to it, with its main entrance hidden away in a back alley.   When you make your way to Keg South you need to head east on SW 104 Street off US1 and make an IMMEDIATE right onto an alley that runs between a Shell gas station and an old glass lined office building.  Follow the gas station’s white concrete brick wall and make a right into the small parking lot where a little house sits set back against Dixie Highway. 

Keg South: Cold Beer, Death Dogs & Keg Burgers

The hidden back-alley access to the Keg South has been a treasure to locals in the know, and a damn shame to the timid passersby.  I will admit that Keg South can appear to be a little intimidating to a first timer.  As you walk off that alley and pull open the port-holed solid grey door, you are swallowed by the Keg’s cave like darkness.  Once the door closes behind you and your eyes begin to adjust, you’ll sense the warmth of the cedar-plank lined walls, feel the grain of the time-worn oak planks under your feet, and the closeness of the low, dark brown, tongue-and-groove ceiling above your head.   Continue to make your way in, past the old arcade games, and come up on the lone pool table.  An old CD loaded juke box used to sit against the far wall playing your favorite southern rock and country music.  Today a modern digital sound machine hangs in its place, but will do the job just the same.  Grab a stool along the old L shaped bar, settle into one of the old wooden bench tables or sit up on one of the little high-tops against the far wall and pick up the Keg South menu. 

The best way to describe Keg South is as a simple, fun, fast casual little bar.  The Keg was fast casual before anyone knew what fast casual was.  Patrons walk in, seat themselves, place their orders at the bar, pick up their own food at the bar, and bus their own tables by placing empty baskets, mugs and pitchers on the bar.  While you are up at the bar you are sure to be impressed by the size of Keg South’s huge kitchen.  Just kidding, there kitchen is actually very small, so if they are busy it may take a few minutes to get your food order out, but sit back and enjoy your cold beer.  However long the wait, I promise you it will be well worth it.

Restaurant consultants will tell any gastronomic entrepreneur to keep their menu simple and just make a few things really, really well.  They must have used Keg South as a case study to develop this philosophy.  The Keg’s one page menu is limited to a handful of appetizers, a little burger, a big burger, a hot dog unlike any other, chicken and fish sandwiches, and one-way wings.

Cold Beer Here!!!

Start off with one of their appetizers, like the smoked fish dip.  Keg South serves it with soda crackers and sliced pickled jalapeños.  I like to take one of the crackers, spread a little smoked fish dip on it, place a jalapeño on top and hit it with a dash of hot sauce.  These little starter bites go great with their cold beer.  I swear Keg South serves the coldest beer anywhere.  It may be the result of an extra cold keg cooler or caused by the constant supply of frosted mugs, or a combination of both.  Either way you are very likely to encounter that moment of beer drinking nirvana when your bottom lip feels the chill of the glass and your top lip comes across a floating sliver of ice just as you take your first sip.    

Jumbo Keg Burger, your more than just a Burger, your my friend!

When was the last time you had a really good burger?  I’m not talking one of these new super-chef creations with fried eggs, pineapple, ostrich meat, nacho chips, jalapeños and cheese sauce, or pulled pork piled over a beef patty with onion strings and sweet bbq sauce.  Don’t get me wrong, some of those dressed up patties are great, but I’m talking about a burger so good it doesn’t need all them fancy fixins.  I’m talking Jimmy Buffet style, “I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and ….” well you know how the song goes.  Keg South makes two burgers, a 1/3 pound Keg Burger or a ½ pound Jumbo Keg Burger.  Their simple burgers are grilled over an open fire and can be served with a slice of cheese.  Add ketchup, mustard, mayo, lettuce, a slice of tomato, raw onion and a couple of pickle slices to dress it up old school. That’s the extent of topping options you’ll be given, but that’s all you need.  The Keg Burgers are just simple, delicious and consistent day after day.
 

One-of-a-kind Wings

How about Wings? Everyone offers them hot, medium or mild.  Some places have taken the basic three flavors and added them to a list of crazy offerings with Jamaican spices, tropical fruit bbq mixes, or Asian fusion upside down flavors.  Keg South, like their burgers, keeps their wings simple.  They only make them one way, Awesome!  The Keg’s special process takes big meaty wings through a flash fry, a swim in their secret hot sauce and finishes them off on the grill to add a little char-grilled flavor.  Served with a side of Ken’s Steakhouse blue cheese dressing for dipping and you are set.  No greasy mess, no tiny little baby wings sitting in a puddle of cold sauce.  These simple wings are so good they will have you driving across town to get your fix, just like I do.

You aint never had a dog like this

Keg South makes a great dolphin sandwich too.  It’s so good that it goes fast, so don’t be surprised if they are out of Dolphin.  When they do have it, try it with a slice of American or Swiss.  Their chicken sandwich is pretty good to.  Try this one with sautéed onions and melted Swiss.  Then there is the Death Dog.  Hands down one of the best hot dogs you’ll ever have.  They take a hot dog, grill it to perfection, slice it down the middle and top it with ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, sliced jalapenos, a slice of American and a slice of Swiss and finish it off with a touch of hot sauce.  I have been going to Keg South for years and didn’t have my first Death Dog until this last weekend at Keg South’s 50^th Anniversary party.  Wow, I had no idea what I was missing.  It was Outstanding!

Fresh Cut Awesomeness

All of Keg South’s burgers and sandwiches are served in a basket over a bed of Ruffles potato chips.  However, if you are a French fry lover like me, be sure to ask for an order of their fresh cut fries.  Let me stress the FRESH here with these fries.  They’re never frozen, and each order gets no less than three Idaho spuds that find their way from a wall mounted fry cutting press into a bath of hot oil.  Order them well done, to get the best fries you have had in long time.

Keg South is opened everyday from 11 am to 10 pm.  Be sure to stop in for lunch if you find yourself nearby.  Maybe if you are not too busy this weekend, and happen to be anywhere in South Florida, you can take a ride down Dixie Highway and find your way into the Keg South.  Share some wings with friends and grab yourself a Jumbo Keg Burger.  Once you’re done, I’m pretty confident, you will have been Floored by Food.   

EL MAGO de la FRITA

Miami, FL - Each decade has given something memorable and unique to the City of Miami, but the 80’s took the Magic City to a world class level.  After all it was during the 80’s that Miami Vice gave us Crockett and Tubbs, Don Shula gave us Dan Marino, UM invented “Swagger” and gave us National Championships, The Mariel Boat lift gave a city with a lot of Cubans….more Cubans, Oliver Stone gave us Tony Montana, and Ortelio Cardenas gave us EL MAGO de la FRITA (free-ta).

I was ten, maybe twelve years old the first time I went to EL MAGO de la FRITA.  My family always had season tickets to University of Miami football, and following each game my Uncle Manny would always take us to some really great place to eat.  Big Manny is the original Miami Foodie; he always knew all the best places in town.  One Saturday afternoon my brothers, my cousin and I walked out of the Orange Bowl, piled into my dad’s big conversion van and followed Big Manny’s lead into EL MAGO de la FRITA.  Now if you ask my brothers or my cousin who UM beat that afternoon chances are they won’t remember, I know I don’t remember, but what none of us will ever forget is the home made jugo de melon, fresh cut papita jullianas, the mouth watering pan con tortilla or the savory Cuban FRITAs we had that day.

On September 8, 1984 Ortelio Cardenas opened the doors to a little storefront just west of Southwest 57^th Avenue and not more than 10 paces south of the Tamiami Trail.  To the naked eye, it would appear to be nothing more than another Cafeteria, the Cuban community’s version of an old-school, blue-collar neighborhood diner.  Walk in through the door and you find a long counter top complete with retro cushion-topped steel stools that run parallel to a wall lined with a row of contoured laminated hardback booths.  However, to the trained eye, you see a stage that is set for a master magician to woo his audience with a command performance.  EL MAGO, translated THE MAGICIAN, is Cardenas himself.  What sets this little diner apart from the many other cafeterias in Miami is the magic Cardenas performs by taking simple ingredients like ground beef, potatoes or watermelons, adding a big measure of passion and pride, and transforming them into glorious memories for your senses.

For the first trick, ask for a basket of Papitas Julianas (pa-pee-tas hoo-lee-an-as). Unless you happen to be there on a Saturday, then you are going to want to add an order of Chicharones (chee-cha-ron-es) as well.  Every Cuban restaurant serves julienned potatoes with their sandwiches, but only a very select few take the time to hand wash the spuds, peel them and fry up some fresh Papitas Julianas.  These make for a great starter with a sprinkle of Crystal hot sauce across the top.  However, Saturday is Chicharon day.  Every Saturday Cardenas deep fries thick-cut strips of pork belly, then chops them up into bite sized, lightly salted morsels of greatness that crackle, crunch and melt in your mouth all at the same time.  Really….crackle, crunch and melt you ask….remember he’s EL MAGO.

Chicharones paired with a fresh Jugo de Melon

You may want to wash that first act down with a glass of ice-cold, fresh-squeezed Jugo de Melon (who-go de melon) or watermelon juice.  Each morning EL MAGO takes fresh, juicy watermelon and blends it up with just a touch of sugar, a little bit of ice and a sprinkle of Awesomeness to deliver a refreshing cooler that rivals any glass of lemonade you will ever have.  If you are in the mood for something a bit more decadent, try one of EL MAGO’s Batido de Mamey (ba-tee-doe de ma-may). This rich and creamy shake is made from a tropical fruit that has a unique white chocolate-pumpkin spiced-berry-nutty-honey flavor.  I guess God used some magic himself when creating the Mamey fruit.  

Move on to the main act and you will have some choices to make.  You can go with a Pan con Bistec (bees-tec), the Cuban steak sandwich made with a thin sliced sirloin steak that often looks like a small blanket, seasoned, grilled on the flat top, and served on toasted Cuban bread with caramelized onions and a handful of julienned potatoes, in the sandwich.  Maybe you want to try a Pan con Tortilla (tor-tee-ya), an omelet sandwich served on toasted Cuban bread. I like to get my Pan con Tortilla with an omelet made of diced onions, julienned potatoes, Spanish Chorizo and melted cheese.  A few weeks back my brother Gaby got a Pan con Pechuga de Pollo, a grilled chicken breast sandwich served with EL MAGO’s fresh julienned potatoes on toasted Cuban bread.  To no one’s surprise, it was phenomenal.  For many years my dad and uncle, my brothers, our cousins and I have been trying to determine what could possibly make EL MAGO’s sandwiches so much better than anyone else’s.  Our conclusion, it has to be those secret sauces he uses to douse the sandwiches with as they cook on the flat top.  Even the omelet gets a squeeze of one of the sauces in the beaten egg mix.  What’s in those sauces?  Well now; you know a great Magician never reveals his secrets.

EL MAGO's Award Winning Frita Cubana

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time for the grand finale, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, dim the lights, queue dramatic music…..it’s why I came here….it’s why you are going to come here…..it’s in the name….it’s the FRITA.  Cuba’s version of the hamburger, a frita is made with a combination of ground beef, ground pork and Spanish spices.  Some say it takes ground Spanish chorizo, others say it’s a combination of ground onions, garlic and Spanish paprika, but they all say Ortelio Cardenas’s frita is the best.  The purist will take their frita patty served with chopped onions and julienned potatoes in a toasted Cuban bread bun.  You can add a slice of cheese if you like, perhaps make it a double or have it served a Caballo (ca-ba-yo).  Literally translated, caballo is a horse in Spanish, but in the Latin culinary world, when you order something “a caballo” your adding a fried egg on top.  My personal favorite was a onetime special EL MAGO had where I was able to add bacon to my frita with cheese and onions, a caballo, topped with a couple of shakes of Crystal hot sauce.  Oh and don’t forget the julienned potatoes, those things go on everything.  I’m going to recommend you come here with friends, split a sandwich and definitely make sure you get a frita.  

Ortelio "MAGO" Cardenas and daughter Martha

A few years ago Ortelio’s daughter Martha and her husband Barry launched EL MAGO de la FRITA into the 21^st Century.  While the food and the counter and the booths have never changed, EL MAGO has recently enjoyed a facelift and found its way into the national spotlight.  With just a touch of social media management Martha and Barry have gotten EL MAGO noticed outside of its regular West Miami community faithful.  Last year they participated in the South Beach Food and Wine Festival’s exclusive Burger Bash, were nominated for the best burger in Miami and awarded the Title of Best Frita in Miami.  This year EL MAGO de la FRITA found itself chronicled by some of the Nation’s best food and travel authors, and featured by Emmy award winning reporter Teresa Rodriguez on “Aqui y Ahora,” a weekly TV magazine on international Spanish media super-giant Univision.  

So many things have changed since I first walked into EL MAGO de la FRITA more than 20 years ago.  Miami Vice went from a good TV show to a bad movie, Dan Marino retired, UM lost its “Swagger”, like a sick old family pet that everyone loved, the Orange Bowl was put down, Miami got a baseball team then won two World Series, and EL MAGO de la FRITA made it big time! Yet through all the years, the good times, the slow times, and now the big time, Ortelio Cardenas has stayed true.  Driven by his pride and focused by his passion, EL MAGO de la FRITA continues to deliver the very best Cuban comfort food you can find.  The next time you get off the Palmetto Expressway and are headed east on Southwest 8^th Street, come in and try a pan con bistec, an order of fresh chicharones or a FRITA a Caballo. EL MAGO de la FRITA is sure to leave you Floored by Food.

Best Pan Con Bistec in Town

Chorizo-Onion-Potato Paradise

EL MAGO's Secret Sauces