Local Love: Coral Bagels - A Rare Find in Miami - Coconut Grove, FL

Growing up in MA I always liked the feel of a good diner, a place where you could have a simple breakfast or lunch for a couple-a-bucks.  Something about those places always had a good vibe.  Down in Miami there really aren't many diners that capture that feel.  One that does, however, is Coral Bagels in Coconut Grove.

I've been going to Coral Bagels for years now.  I love that I can walk in at any time of day and get a quick, hearty breakfast and be on my way.  The staff there is really friendly, even when the place is mobbed and there are a line of diners waiting to scoop up the next available clean table.  People of all different ages, shapes, and sizes come in and out and actually show courtesy to one another, holding the door, helping to move a table.  I've even offered a lone stranger a seat across from me at the table when the diner was crowded and they looked like they wanted a quick meal.  Something about the place just makes people feel good. 

I get the same thing every time I go to Coral Bagels - two eggs scrambled w/ cheese, bacon, homefries, wheat toast, and an iced tea.  Service is fast and the food is good.  I especially enjoy getting some slightly charred homefries from time to time.  I'll sit and read the paper or some blogs and websites on my phone and work away at my plate.  I always save a slice of bacon for last before slapping some grape jelly on my toast for "dessert".  It's the same meal, every time.  Today I went crazy and used orange marmalade on half of my toast.  That's right, I'm a rebel.  But sorry orange marmalade, grape jelly is the one for me.  This meal sets me back $8 and that includes tax and a $2.10 tip.  Awesome.

Being inside Coral Bagels is a nice break from the hustle-bustle of Miami.  I once talked to the owners of the place and told them it was a great spot and that I'd been coming for years and years.  They were appreciative and said they love having all of their customers in to get a simple meal.  I told them I hope they never change the place and I'm quite certain they never will. 

Coral Bagels

2750 SW 26 Avenue

Coral Gables, Fl. 33133

Phone: (305) 854-0336

Fax: (305) 858-5759

Local Love - El Mago de la Frita, Miami, FL

 There's magic inside...

I think it was about a year ago that I received an email from the Burger Beast inviting me to join up with him and a few other people for lunch at El Mago de la Frita.  I work further North and don't really have much of a lunch break, so I had to decline.  Well, it just so happened that the night before that day, I came down with a 24-hour cold that was bad enough to keep me home from work feeling like crap the following morning.  As a kid, sometimes when I stayed home sick from school my Dad would come home on his lunch break with a burger and fries from McDonald's.  I'm not sure if it was the grease from the food or just the spiritual boost a kid gets from Dad bringing home some McD's but it always made me feel better.  So, I decided that a burger would get me back on track and went out to meet the Burger Beast and his band of merry men and women at El Mago.

I'd never been to El Mago before.  Actually, I'd never even heard of it.  I certainly didn't know what the hell a "frita" was either but I remembered "Best Frita" being a category at last year's "Burgie Awards" so I figured it was something I'd have to try.  El Mago de la Frita is located just West of Red Road on Calle Ocho.  I arrived on that first visit to find a counter lined with friends: Paula, Jackie, Gagit, and The Beast himself were ready to scarf down some fritas.  An older Cuban gentleman dressed in a white shirt and apron paced behind the counter cooking fritas to order.  This was El Mago "the magician" himself and he was in the zone, flipping patties with his magical spatula.  A frita, I learned, is a Cuban burger where the patty contains some ground beef, a little onion, and a bit of ground chorizo.  Sounds kinda awesome, right?  It is topped with crispy shoestring potatoes, some magical sauce which I believe is ketchup, and you can add can add a slice of cheese too which I'm told is "for the gringos".  Using Paula as my translator, I placed my order gringo style and added a fried egg for good measure.  Yeah, this gringo came to party.  Once the patty has been grilled on the flat top, it is placed on top of a bun made from Cuban bread and then the toppings are added.  The frita then heads to the panini press for a few minutes to toast the bun and warm the awesomeness inside it. 

My frita arrived and I quickly dug in.  To my surprise, I really liked the Cuban bread bun.  Normally I am not a fan of Cuban bread but this worked and held the frita together without getting soggy.  The flavor of the patty was awesome.  The chorizo adds a nice savory flavor with a little spice.  The fried egg was also a winner of a decision, it's yolk adding a creamy texture to each bite.  I think my favorite part was the shoestring potatoes though.  They were so tiny and crispy and added nice crunch to each bite.  I think my frita lasted about four minutes on my plate.  It was so good that I immediately forgot about my cold and started feeling better.

There was a frita from El Mago here but it magically disappeared

into my belly faster than my iPhone's shutter speed could capture it

I sat at the counter and chatted for a bit before saying "adios" and heading back to my place to veg out on the couch and get some rest.  Since then, I've been back to El Mago a few times and even visited El Rey de la Frita for a comparison.  What I learned is that El Mago es El Rey!! 

See footage of the Burger Beast annihilating some fritas at multiple locations but declaring El Mago the best here.

Check it out:

El Mago de la Frita
5828 Southwest 8th Street
West Miami, FL 33144
 (305) 266-8486 ()

Local Love: Lobster Rolls @ Linda Bean's in Delray Beach!!

Lobster Roll pic courtesy of Timeless Gourmet

I am originally from Boston and summer in Gloucester and Rockport every year where my family has a clam & lobster bake.  I know my lobster rolls and have eaten thousands of them.  I was in Delray for a wedding last weekend and was driving down Atlantic Blvd when I saw a sign for Linda Bean's Perfect Maine Lobster Roll on Atlantic.  We were starving so we stopped to grab a lobster roll.  It was expensive, yes ($15.50 for 1/4lb lobster roll w/ chips, sweet pickles, and slaw), but absolutely phenomenal and the best lobster roll I have tasted outside of New England.

First thing I noticed was a nice piece of claw meat on the top of the roll.  Claw meat is the best meat on the lobster!!  It is the sweetest and most tender and flavorful.  Linda Bean's lobster roll was LOADED with claw meat and I couldn't have been happier.  Second thing I noticed was that they only use a little mayo so you get the full flavor of the lobster along with a little of their dry seasoning which I believe contained celery flake and a little dill.  Third, the bun.  They use authentic New England hot dog rolls that stand up on their own because they have a flat bottom.  Those are so hard to find down here that there is even a thread on the Florida Chowhound board about where to find them.  The bun was toasted on the flat top with a little butter which adds another flavor element to the lobster roll.  A lobster roll is not supposed to be hot or warm.  The bun should be toasted, that's it.

We loved that lobster roll so much that when we saw a parking spot out in front of Linda Bean's the following day, we just had to go grab a lobster roll for the road.  It wasn't the first lobster roll I've eaten behind the wheel and I'm sure it won't be the last.  I just hope they open one of these up in Miami (which I believe there is a rumor that they could be looking to do just that).

Local Lunch Love

Recently, I've had some great lunch experiences at two places where I didn't think it was possible.  The first is Tarpon Bend in Coral Gables.  I went to lunch there on Saturday and had a fantastic Southwestern Chicken Salad.  It was HUGE, so huge that I couldn't finish it!  They serve nice pile of lettuce studded with bits of corn, black beans, cilantro, tortilla strips, and thinly sliced chicken breast.  A sort of chunky salsa vinaigrette and a slightly sweet but spicy red pepper (i think) dressing that I had served on the side brightened up the flavors.  One damn good salad.  The shrimp sandwich also looked really good.  A couple of Arnold Palmers made for a nice lunch on a late Sunday afternoon.

The second lunch experience that surprised me was at Chipotle in Hialeah.  Yes, Chipotle is a chain that I'm sure many have been to but when you add Hialeah into the mix, who knows what you're gonna get.  I happen to work on the Hialeah border, so my lunch options are limited.  When I heard about this Chipotle opening and that we could order online, I was pumped.  Their website has what I believe is the best online ordering system I've ever used.  I order for my boss and the two owners of my company too and they are somewhat picky eaters.  The website lets me choose their options and then attach their name to what they order so we don't end up playing "Who's Burrito Is This Anyways?"  You can also pay online which is awesome.  That way, after you battle crazy Hialeah traffic, you can just walk in and go to the register and pick up your order.  I maybe spent a total of 30 seconds inside Chipotle on my last lunch run.  I annihilated my still-warm-chicken-burrito ten minutes after that.

Be sure to check these places out if you're in the mood for a quick and healthy lunch.