Community Don's Rambles 

Meandering Around Town: Savoring the Soul of Coral Gables Through Its Culinary Scene

Staff

An Adventure In Which A Former Mayor Continues To Seek The “Soul” Of His Hometown This Month In A Culinary Tour

This month I am rambling, drinking, and eating to take a closer look at some of the establishments that help comprise the Coral Gables culinary scene. The Gables is known for its outstanding restaurant community, where a person can sample a different cuisine presentation every day for almost three months without repeating a single menu.

To get an insider’s look at the local fine food industry (in a one-afternoon excursion), I recently tagged along with a group of residents and representatives of the business community on the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce’s “Official Food Tour” – a much-celebrated quarterly opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look at what’s happening with the eating places in our hometown. The Chamber temptingly describes the tour with this invitation: “Be a part of the hottest and tastiest trend in tourism here in our own backyard. Savor the exceptional flavors of our diverse community – with tantalizing treats that whet the appetite – while marveling at the unique architecture of our City Beautiful, told through colorful stories of our delicious past.”

Chamber’s Food Tour Participants From Left To Right: Carola Armitano, Joaida Lopez, Amy Betancur, Thelma Ferrara, Thomas Wells, Giselle Breto, Stuart Debowsky, Phyllis Quevedo, Mark Trowbridge, Al Rose, Don Slesnick, Laura Horton, Sarah Artecona, Scott Ingold, Sussy Fernandez

Thus, on a pleasant Fall Friday afternoon, we dutifully followed our tour guide and Chamber CEO, Mark Trowbridge, on a forced march through the downtown business district, gorging ourselves with deviled eggs (including candied bacon and capers), fried chicken sliders, Detroit-style pizza (with a three-cheese sauce and jalapeño peppers), and exquisite pastries. The food was accompanied by champagne, wine, beer, frozen tequila smoothies, and, yes, lots of water to stay hydrated. We ate and drank till we dropped (well, almost dropped).

Along the way, Sarah Artecona, a past Chamber chair and retired University of Miami executive, provided historical and architectural commentary regarding the central business district. She later summed up the Friday afternoon experience like this: “Today’s tour demonstrated the kaleidoscope of dining options available for City Beautiful residents. Our foodie ramble meandered from the French cuisine of Bouchon Bistro to the hearty selections at Capital Burger to the spicy deep-dish pizza of Emmy Squared to a sweet pastry finish at the Books & Books Cafe. Coral Gables citizens never need to leave their hometown for the best of dining choices.”

After we sated ourselves at four dining establishments (which are indicative of the many other fine food options in our community), our host, Mark Trowbridge, summed up the unique experience in this way: “To know Coral Gables is to love Coral Gables, and to know good food is to love great food. And while our Chamber’s food tour has multiple purposes, one thing is for certain: We come together each quarter to celebrate all things culinary in our City Beautiful. Yet the real joy comes from the people, the places, and the palates of those who participate.” This ramble has led us to a delicious aspect of our city’s soul!

This column appears monthly by Don Slesnick, who served as mayor of Coral Gables from 2001 to 2011. If you wish to reach him with suggestions on where he should next meander in search of the city’s soul, email donslesnick@scllp.com. Read more of his rambles.