a couple days ago, i was invited to join in on a wynwood culinary tour in my hometown of south florida. for those that don't know, wynwood is an artsy neighborhood situated around the miami design district and midtown miami, where both local and world renowned artists are invited to display their artistic skills on the "wynwood walls" as well as other local business exteriors. bringing the perfect combination of art + food to the palm of your hand, miami culinary tours is hands-down the ultimate food tour in the city of miami. hailing from argentina, the founder of miami culinary tours, grace, is as hands on as it gets. from leading the groups herself to creating maps and itineraries filled with local eateries, bakeries, and art galleries, grace does it all...and with passion! the company also offers a south beach tour and a little havana tour which i will definitely be attending in the coming weeks. during the approximately three hour wynwood walking tour, we (and by we, i mean a maximum capacity of ten guests who traveled from all over the world) made a total of six stops.
the first stop on our culinary tour was wynwood kitchen + bar. here we were served a chicken ropa vieja empanada alongside sweet maduros (also known as fried plantains) these side-by-side appetizers were paired with "la rubia", the "blonde beer". the empanada was filled with a generous amount of pulled chicken which has been seared, poached, and shredded. quite a process for this little things! they had hints of spanish onion, garlic, bay leaf, heinz ketchup and chipotle peppers. it was served over siracha crema. the sweet maduros were caramelized and served with a drizzle of homemade crema which added a nice refreshing touch. these were probably the best plantains i have had in miami! the pairing of all three went exceptionally well together. while being served these spectacular appetizers, there was a special appearance at the table by head chef miguel aguillar. he patiently explained the history behind the restaurant and menu and how it all began. i highly recommend wynwood kitchen + bar for those looking for small dishes from all around with world with a latin twist!
next on our list was the butcher shop; a retail meat market//beer garden//restaurant in one which was originally started in west palm beach. here we were each served a cone shaped sampler of some of their most popular cold cut meats alongside their signature homemade german spicy mustard. each piece of deli meat was better than the last. quickly after we were served a popular, yet hard to find in miami, polish dish-the pirogi (also referred to as the "polish dumpling" the pirogi was filed with an incredible combination of cheese and cabbage; and while the outside of the dough had a delicious crisp to it with every bite, the inside was soft and melted in your mouth just like you would hope. these homemade pirogis are definitely a must-try. we paired the meats and pirogi with a brooklyn beer; the "brooklyn chocolate stout". at 14$ a bottle, its a bit expensive; however it did pair outstanding with the pirogi and the cold cuts.
third stop on this oh-so-good food heaven trip was jimmy'z kitchen. voted "best mofongo" in miami, the fried and mashed green plantains were piled high on a bed of creole sauce with pieces of nicely cooked chicken. on the contrary, the mofongo dish was probably my least favorite on the tour. perhaps because i am simply not a mofongo lover, or perhaps because i am a "texture person". the presentation of this miami-influenced dish was outstanding and the atmosphere of the restaurant itself was great! the chef is a native of puerto rico so it is no surprise this signature dish was voted best in miami.
pride + joy bbq, our fourth stop on our walking tour was an incredible atmosphere. between the two massive smokers in the rear end of the restaurant to the vintage car bar in the middle of the southern bbq joint, this place was just calling my name. after hours upon hours of rubbing, smoking, pulling, and injecting (with cider), their pulled pork was unbelievable and worth the wait (although we didnt do much waiting) and with the array of homemade (and gluten free) sauces placed conveneintly on each table, the hickory maple was by far the winner. the sweet and tangy kick it added to our deviled eggs with a heaping of pulled pork was finger licking good. im going to quote the waiter here for a minute....these were "deviled eggs on steroids". upon discovering that pride + joy is working on a new menu which will feature dishes such as country fried steak, yet keeping some old time classics (such as the deviled egg with pulled pork which we were served) you can count on me to go back.
check out my blog for the full review with photos! www.fyoursister.com read more