And we sailed on down to Coconut Grove // Part 1
Recently, I was able to spend a weekend in Coconut Grove: a beautiful, historic district in the middle of Miami, FL. Growing up, my only vacations were to the beaches “down south” which were gorgeous, of course - but by vacations, I mean my mothers work trips, and by beaches, I mean a few minutes in the sand until I started to burn and was forced back inside, so finding Coconut Grove was like finding the Secret Garden on the L train.
The hundreds of times that I drove around and through this neighborhood, this was the first time that I actually explored it, and it was absolutely magical. I will warn you; if you enjoy food as much as I do (which you probably do because if not - what are you doing here on my blog? THERE’S NOTHING FOR YOU), and you get a chance to go to ANY of these places I’ve gone to, YOU DO NOT EAT BEFORE YOU GO! The food is too delicious not to taste, and taste I did. I literally ate my way around Coconut Grove, and I regret not one thing. First Up: Jaguar
THIS.
Jaguar Ceviche Spoon and Latin Grill was our first stop on this food train. They are owned by Jaguar Hospitality Group, and this is one of their three restaurants in Miami, with a fourth in Mexico City.
I ordered the Ceviche Sampler a dish in which I was presented with six spoons that consisted of whatever the chef chose to prepare. By far, this was the most delectable and fresh ceviche that I have ever been privileged enough to taste. This is not an exaggeration; I really didn’t know that the sea could taste this clean!
Our sampler included flavor profiles of sea bass, tuna, avocado, and something I haven't ever heard of: Corvina. It was marinated in a mandarin citrus juice, and - no kidding - melted in my mouth. I was supposed to share it…I did not.
Since I was going all out anyways, I decided that this would be my cheat day, so I just went all out. I asked our server if he wouldn't mind choosing a drink for me that would compliment the ceviche, and he did not disappoint: Pisco Sour Passion Fruit. Yes, it was as good as it sounds.
I would kill an innocent to have this meal again.
A super affordable (most of it actually was surprisingly affordable for being surrounded by million dollar homes and magic) appetizer that we ordered to share: Scallops Norma. Perfectly seasoned spinach: wilted just right so that there's still a crunch to the spines, and straight-off-of-the-boat-fresh scallops, seared with mango and pineapple pieces. YASSSSSSSSSSSS Amazing place, amazing vibes, setting, food - I could go on and on. My only regret that I have with this restaurant is that we went here first, because I only ordered small plates in order to leave room for what was ahead! Rookie mistake.
NEXT ON THIS FOOD DRIVEN TOUR: LULU
Oh, Lulu! By this time, it was already dark (see picture background), and this restaurant is right across the street from the residential neighborhood with lots and lots of mangrove trees, so I couldn't back up enough to get a good shot of the front of the place (It’s ok though, the real story is THE FOOOD).
Pictured above is the water that we were served (that serve yourself, but do it in an imported bottle so you don't feel like it's self serve. Whatever, I fell for it and I felt boujie af and liked it) and a coconut rum and pineapple mojito.
According to their website, they make most of their own infused liquors, and you could definitely tell that in here. It was delicious, even though I only had a sip (I'm slightly allergic to pineapples and was not risking it; I WAS NOT DONE HERE). 8/10 would recommend it.
Beef Cappacio. I am SO sorry, but I was so blinded by the beautiful plating being brought out to me before I could finish my conversations, that I forgot to write any details down in my notes, like what delicious house made sauce was drizzled atop the thinly sliced pieces of melt in your mouth beef, and (as many modern and creative restaurants do) they have changed the menu since the visit. Notes: MELT IN MOUTHHHH! Pictured: Crunchy Green Tomatoes; Braised Lamb Short Ribs
I grew up on a cattle ranch, and my entire family came here from Austria, and STAYED in a town that isn't even on most maps (get it together, Google), so when any variation of fried green tomatoes are offered, I'm always game. Just like everything else, they did not disappoint. To be honest, I wish they would have seasoned the actual tomato as much as they did the panko crust, but the house made jalapeño ranch that came with it came in to carry that flavor punch just enough. The braised lamb short ribs we had were cooked perfectly, and the marinade that they were resting in made me forget that I hate eating lamb. By this time, I was starting to feel pain, but when they named their desert specials... I mean guys I had to tho Creme Brûlée Trio: Irrésistible at least
Oh. My. God. If I had to choose one dessert that I had to live with for the rest of my time here, it would be creme brûlée. I was fine with the plain-Jane custardy standard, but then they threw in this magical trio of flavors: (top to bottom) Vanilla, Chocolate Mousse, and Grand Marnier. Let me emphasize: GRAND MARNIER! It was what dreams are made of, I solemnly swear!
I was in pain, drooling at the mouth, brain dead, and I'm pretty sure I fell asleep while my dinner guest excused himself to the restroom, but it was only 8:30. By my (insane) calculations, I was in Miami which meant that I had another good 5-7 hours at least to go. We took a break from shoving our faces, and chose to walk around. I was too tired to think much about taking pictures, but we did visit this awesome apothecary shop where I found an awesome coven poster, and the billboard posted by a jewelry company was too funny to not include
One who knows me would think that as the normal, sane, sometimes health conscious person that I am, I would have walked the food off a bit, then went back to the hotel for some nice and relaxing wine by the rainforest themed pool, but HAHAHAHA NOPE! One that REALLY knows me would understand that I made another food stop on this food train. Want to know where my last stop was in Coconut Grove? Bombay Dabar for an Indian Cuisine night cap (said no one ever...except me). Bombay Dabar is everything that you would want in an Indian restaurant. It's not very big, but they have managed to fit quite a few tables in there, but not to the point of over crowding anyone. The lighting is dim; there aren't too many modernized ornamentals hanging around, and the kitchen is just past the even more dimly lit two foot hallway, past several boxes of spices and other dry goods. You have the opportunity to get in there comfortably with your guest, and it is ALWAYS packed! The energy that you gather from the other patrons alone is enough to put a smile on your face for the whole meal. NOTE: bring someone with you who is familiar with Indian Cuisine! Also, when the server says that the item you're ordering is spicy, it's not chain restaurant spicy; it's actually mouth melting burns all the way till tomorrow spicy!
*UPDATE* Apparently, they recently moved in to a different spot since I last went, and it's about twenty times the size of the old one based off of what I see in the new pictures. Looks just as amazing but in a different way. An Argentinian spot moved into the old space which... definitely on my list of things to check out the next time around!
So! Have you been to any of the above? I didn’t make it every where (sadly), so if you’ve been, tell me what I missed! As always, would love to hear your thoughts, and thank you for reading!