Quick Bites in the Gables
From the Land of Meat
Nothing says Argentina more than a good piece of beef. The newest Argentine restaurant in the Gables, Baires Grill in the Colonnade, offers a full panoply of steaks, from skirt to flap to ribeye. Best dinner deal: the one-pound picanha steak for $28. For lunch, the Baires steak salad with caramelized onions, avocado slices and tomato wedges is a tasty, healthy compromise at $19. For the same price try the classic Argentine milanesas – beef or chicken thin sliced and breaded.
Where Baristas Live
Demetrio, with its historic building and shady courtyard on Salzedo, is more than just an old-world coffee shop. Their breakfast/brunch menu includes things like French toast, eggs Florentine and Belgian waffles. But coffee is king, and no one does it better. In addition to the requisite cappuccinos, espressos, etc., their $4.95 specialties include a dark cacao latte and a caramel mocha. And their baristas dress each coffee with a lattice of dark chocolate.
Roast Pig
Cuban sandwiches can easily be found in Gables eateries. But there is only one local café that serves pan con lechon: Vicky Bakery on University Drive just off Ponce. You can order other Cuban staples there as well, like cortaditos, pastelitos, and croquetas, but nothing beats Vicky’s hot sandwich of roast pork with cooked onions from the takeout window. A bargain at $8.
Asian Inspired
A few months ago we reviewed Zitz Sum, the dim sum wonder world of chef Pablo Zitzmann in the 396 Alhambra building. For his amazing dumplings you still must visit for dinner, but now you can taste Zitzmann’s spin on Chinese cuisine for lunch Tues.-Thurs. Instead of dumplings there is a whimsical menu of bowls and soups that changes daily. We reveled in a wonderfully refreshing salad of pear and cucumber on a bed of crème fraiche for $16.
From the Greek
Not all prix fixe menus are the same. One of the more outstanding is the “pre fixe lunch” at Sea Grill in Merrick Park (assuming you forgive their bad French), which offers eight first course choices, six second course picks, and six dessert options. We started with a crisp
Greek salad, followed by organic Faroe Islands salmon and Greek yogurt with honey. A mini feast for $24.95.
By: Andrew Gayle