Weekend In Miami: Calle Ocho & The Hunt For The Perfect Cafe Con Leche

by Willy Volk on

After cruising through Star Island, we headed to Calle Ocho, which translates as “8th Street.” This 23-block-long section of Miami is also known as “Little Havana,” as it houses the largest population of Cubans outside Cuba.

I wanted some cafe con leche, and what better place to try it, outside Castro’s homeland?

Calle Ocho is a beautiful, vibrant community. Each February/March, the area stages a huge block party — the Calle Ocho festival — a colorful, frenzied celebration of Cuban heritage that includes a beauty contest, a cooking contest, and a domino tourney.

That said, although you see bursts of Cuban energy and art throughout the area, don’t expect to head to 8th Street and feel like you’ve been transported to another dimension. Though there are plenty of Cubans in the area engaging in Cuban activities…

…it’s still *just* a residential neighborhood.

That said, I think they’ve done a great job making the area their own.

They even have their own Walk of Fame.

Many of the local shops feature hand-rolled cigars, guayberas, plastic roosters (?), and Cuban music: but I was there for Cuban Coffee. We had heard that the Versailles was *the* place to eat in Little Havana, so we headed there. However, on the way, we saw the El Cristo and agreed that we had to stop.

At the walk-up window, we ordered two cafe con leches, one empanada, and a bag of plantain chips. This woman made our drinks in front of us. I can only assume that the two-by-four in the window was there to beat unruly customers.

The coffees and plantain chips arrived first…

… followed closely by the empanada.

Hot, sweet, and strong, the cafe con leche provided just the right pick-me-up to power us through the rest of the day. Maybe it was because of the feel of Calle Ocho, but this was probably the best cafe con leche I’d ever had. Moreover, both the plantain chips and the empanada were fresh and steaming, and I loved their bold flavors. If you’ve never had plantain chips dunked in mojo sauce, you’ve not truly lived. In short, El Cristo turned out to be an excellent spot to stop. Muy bien!

After eating, we swung by a small gift shop down the street, and saw the Latin American Motorcycle Association roll in. Though they looked threatening (especially the guy in the middle!), they were a bunch of kittens. Hi, guys!
Okay, enough shopping. Let’s go have some fun!

Previously: Weekend In Miami: Star Island, Palm Island, & Hibiscus Island

Weekend In Miami: Star Island, Palm Island, & Hibiscus Island

by Willy Volk on

Of course, not everything worth seeing in Miami is on South Beach; there’s plenty to see and do off the island.

On the morning of our second day, we enjoyed the complimentary breakfast at the Greenview and headed across the causeway to the city of Miami. On the way, we decided to swing by Star Island, Palm Island, and Hibiscus Island. These three islands — tucked between South Beach and the mainland — are home to some of the wealthiest Miamians. Although we didn’t see any famous people pulling weeds in their shrub beds, I understand J Lo, Liz Taylor, Shaquille O’Neal, and Gloria Estefan all live here. We just wanted to see how the other half lives.

Evidently, they live very well.

Since the roads on these islands are public, they have to let in non-residents. However, there are guard shacks placed at the entryways, to intimidate you. Drive up, tell the guard you just want to look around, and they’ll let you in.

This wasn’t the most fun part of our trip, but it was worth a few minutes.

The entryway to Hibiscus Island.

Next door to the above property was this vacant lot. I’m sure it’s for sale. If you’re looking to move, let me know, and I’ll get you the phone number.

If you want to get a better sense of what Star Island looks like, you can watch this minute-and-a-half clip we shot while driving down the island’s single street. Please ignore the irony wherein we note how “quiet and private” the area is.

If you want to see what the homes look like from the water, check out this 9-minute clip.

Finally, if you’re looking for a more formalized tour of this area, several companies provide excursions, including:

Weekend In Miami: The Nightlife

by Willy Volk on

After finishing our excellent dinner at Afterglo, we decided we needed to explore South Beach’s nightlife. First, we headed two blocks south and two blocks east to The Clevelander. Beautifully-lit, jam-packed, and featuring a live reggae band, The Clevelander was… a dud.

We’d heard The Clevelander was an awesome place to party, so we were necessarily eager to see for ourselves.

However, the expansive club was filled with middle-aged guys trying to pick up drunk college girls. Okay, so there was this one really drunk guy twirling on the dance floor and acting like a fool, but other than that, it wasn’t a lot of fun. And the band was only so-so. After all, there was no need for them to kill: no one was even paying attention. We stayed for two beers ($11/round), and then left.


We wandered up Ocean Drive, past Casa Casuarina and the hotels, and slipped into the Hotel Victor. It was beautiful inside and featured a large tank containing swimming jellyfish. Some people were dining in the Lounge, and there was a private party going on up on the second floor (I swear we saw a slideshow featuring Star Jones!), but overall — this wasn’t for us, either. So we moved on…

Personally, I wanted to go into this store, but for some reason, my wife didn’t think it was a good idea. Why not? I thought. The models certainly appear natural.

We passed the tattoo parlor where they film Miami Ink.
Our waiter at Afterglo had told us about a couple places he liked. They included Jazid, a live music venue. We stopped by, but nothing was happening. He also suggested Felt, a pool hall with techno music — but nothing was happening there, either. It was 11:30. Was it too early?!?!

At this point, you’re probably saying, Willy, what about all the clubs? Isn’t South Beach renowned for its club scene? Yes, it is, dear readers. There are lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of clubs in South Beach. There are gay clubs and Latin clubs. However, my wife and I aren’t really into dancing to thumping techno and battling throngs of folks to get drinks. (If that’s your thing, then Miami is where you need to be.) So — despite all my emphasis pre-departure planning — I figured we’d kinda wing this one aspect of the trip and just stumble onto an awesome party. I’m here to tell you that, for a first-time night-time visitor, it isn’t that easy. Maybe I’m wrong, and if I am, I’d be happy to hear otherwise.

Ultimately, we headed back to Lincoln Road to see what was going on there, and we ended up at Finnegan’s 2, which was jammed with college kids Spring Break’in’ it. We enjoyed some more beers and then headed back to the hotel — but not before stopping off at Ghiradelli’s for a late night brownie. Mmmm… brownies.

Ultimately, I learned three things during this evening’s walking tour.

  1. You can easily get around all of South Beach on foot.
  2. Having an idea of where you want to go will serve you well.
  3. South Beach at night is beautiful. As proof, I submit to you Rocco Caramello’s great 2½ minute montage of the area all lit up. Very cool.

Previously: Weekend In Miami: Afterglo

Weekend In Miami: Afterglo

by Willy Volk on

After cruising the Lincoln Road area for dinner options but finding nothing, I wasn’t disappointed. After all, I had a back-up plan: Afterglo.

I had heard about Afterglo before we headed to Miami. Claiming its “beauty cuisine” is effective in beautifying the body both inside and out, the food at Afterglo is designed “to restore cellular health in the body, reverse the effects of aging, and reveal one’s true beauty.” Yeah, it sounded a little fruity, but we wanted to dine somewhere unusual, and Afterglo appeared to fit the bill. If it lived up to the hype, eating at Afterglo would be both good and good for us.

We had planned on eating at Afterglo for lunch, but when we walked by in the afternoon, the doors were shut: it’s a dinner-only place.

I had called ahead and asked if reservations were necessary. When the woman asked me what time I wanted the table, I told her 8 o’clock. She said, “You probably won’t need reservations.” But it was a Saturday night, I thought…

We showed up just past 8 and were amazed that we were the only ones in the restaurant. Guess we didn’t need that reservation, after all. By 9, two other tables were occupied. Note: Miami is a late-night city, and 8 o’clock is not considered late-night. In fact, it’s apparently early bird time.

Afterglo is beautiful inside. With an intimate Persian-esque atmosphere, the colors are soothing and luxurious.

I stopped and stared at the bar for a moment before heading to my seat. The rock literally glowed from within.

We ordered some drinks and took a look at the frequently-changing menu. After talking to our waiter — who was hip, but not pretentious; knowledgeable, but not condescending; sincere, and not smarmy — we decided to start with an appetizer. We ordered the Venison and Truffle Tataki: “Free-range venison with fresh shaved truffles, with a salad of julienned apples, crushed juniper berries, and spiced pumpkin seeds, drizzled with truffle oil, raw honey, pumpkinseed oil, and apple cider vinegar.” If you don’t think that sounds delicious, let me say that, for the record, it was so good, I forgot to take a picture of it. So instead, I’ll present this one:

Next, we ordered dinner. I ordered Wild Mushroom Stuffed Organic Chicken Breast: “Wild-harvested mushrooms and cave-aged gruyere-stuffed chicken breast with fig pangravy and organic grilled tamarind vegetables.”

My wife ordered a special: Mahi-mahi topped with mango salsa. In her enthusiasm to eat, the picture she took turned out a little blurry. You get the idea.

Both our meals were exquisite: the flavors were unusual but not conflicting, and the presentation made you eager to take the next bite. While I can’t say whether or not my cells were any healthier after eating my meal, I enjoyed the taste of every bite and I seriously felt healthy eating it. Therefore: time to order dessert.

I ordered The Beauty Inside: “A warm molten chocolate cake filled with an aromatic blue cheese ganache with a roasted pear compote, mixed berry sorbet, honey drizzle, and black pepper.” Pepper and chocolate? Blue cheese and chocolate? Weird, I know, but I was willing to try, since my entree had been so good. Not only was the description out-there, but the presentation was amazing, too!

My wife ordered the Honey Pot: “A walnut tartlette filled with banana cinnamon creme, topped with sliced banana and orange segments with an organic raw chocolate sauce drizzled with a choice of honey or agave syrup, and sprinkled with hemp seeds.” The Honey Pot is a totally raw dessert with absolutely no sugar added. It was unbelievably good. (Again, sorry for her enthusiasm.)

After eating, I had to ask our waiter what the unusual structure in the middle of the dining room floor was. First, he told me that it was reserved for small parties. Then, he added that on the first Saturday of each month, Afterglo holds an “Erotic Party Night.” Featuring pole-dancing, airbrush-artists, and fire-twirlers, the action revolves around this 16th-century marble gazebo surrounding the private elevated dining platform. Equal parts romantic and cool, I wished we’d eaten in there.

In total, dinner cost us $162, which was steeper than we expected, but this was the best dinner we’ve enjoyed in months. The food looked good, it tasted good, and it “felt” good, too. In other words, I wasn’t over-full from too much food or lethargic from food that was too heavy. However, don’t just take my word for it. Check out some of the other reviews of Afterglo:

  • Gayot: The kitchen takes what is essentially an all-organic, sustainable, seasonal and free-range pantry and creates some truly outstanding dishes.
  • Sun-Sentinel: It has a staff that is warm and friendly and that knows newcomers are not going to be instantly won over, so they make an effort to help. They won over everyone I took to the restaurant.
  • Miami Herald: Here’s what you’re missing if you haven’t yet tried this new South Beach stunner: Amazing, cutting-edge cuisine.

If you head to Miami, I certainly recommend trying Afterglo. Maybe I’ll see you there one Saturday night!

Weekend In Miami: Lincoln Road

by Willy Volk on

After we left Lincoln Road Beach, we cruised along the pedestrian-only, open-aired Lincoln Road Mall to see what we’d do for dinner. After all, everyone had told us Lincoln Road was THE place for shopping and nightlife — the NY Times calls this the Fifth Avenue of the South! — so we figured we’d scope out our options, and think about them as we cleaned up from the beach.

In addition to the many retail shops on Lincoln Road, there are also a number of “freelance vendors” trying to sell their goods. Some of the art was especially good.

Interestingly, right in the middle of this commercial area sits a beautiful old church.

The City has done an excellent job making Lincoln Road look “natural.”

However, while I was intrigued with the “look” of Lincoln Road, I felt that it resembled outdoor strips the world over. There was nothing particularly special about any of the restaurants we passed, though admittedly, the offerings looked good. Many restaurants around here prepare their dishes and set them out to lure passersby. A good idea, I’d say, considering the number of restaurants competing for business.

When we reached the end of the strip, we turned and headed back.

We were a little disappointed, since we had heard such good things about this area. Sure, it was pretty, but there was noting unique about it, except for maybe the architecture.

We shuffled on back to the entry-point…

…and were very happy that our hotel was so close.

In reality, I wasn’t all that sad we hadn’t found anywhere to eat dinner on Lincoln Road. Why? Because I had a contingency plan, and as it turned out, it was better than anything we could’ve expected.

Previously: Weekend In Miami: The Beach