Summer never really ends in Miami. It’s either hot or hot as fuck (minus about 2 weeks worth of awesome weather usually around January). My friends Mauricio & Mariangel took me to this little place that sold ice cream sandwiches on 8th street called Tio Colo. Before this, I didn’t know that Cuban ice cream sandwiches were different than any other ice cream sandwich but they are oh, so delicioso. (Don’t be confused by another ice cream place down the street that is actually called “Como se llama? Delicioso!”) 

Tio Colo is a small little spot that’s in the same shopping plaza as a well-known tattoo parlor, Ochos Placas.

They offer a variety of different flavors that can change daily. They have some staples that are there all the time, like vanilla, strawberry, and mamey, but other flavors are a hit and miss like dulce de leche and cookies and cream. 

So what makes a Cuban ice cream sandwich different than any other ice cream sandwich? Besides the awesome range of ice cream flavors, they don’t use cookies for the “bread.” It’s like a soft cake with the exterior sides coated in sugar, I guess? It’s super yummy and because the cake is a bit spongey, it’s less heavy feeling than the classic ice cream sandwich Americans are used to.

(Not the best photo but you get the idea…)

Another great thing about this place is that the sandwiches are cheap! I forgot the exact price but let’s just say it’s about $2. Oh, and Spanish speaking skills are a DEFINITE help! When I went a second time, I asked the lady if she had any dulce de leche and she asked if I spoke Spanish, so I asked in Spanish…then later on, I realized that half of that question is already in Spanish! WTF! But I just continued to speak to her in Spanish to make things easier.

So go to 8th Street, have a bocadito de helado and get a tattoo at Ocho Placas of Tio Colo’s face on your ass!

I’ve actually been meaning to post this for awhile but I want to convince myself that my procrastination actually worked out (just perhaps?). Last year, I was fortunate enough to visit San Diego for Comic Con for my (then) job at Kidrobot. It was a great experience and I ate at some awesome places. Comic Con is fast approaching, so for all those nerds, or rich people who just want to look at the nerds that are going, here’s a couple of spots to hit up.

The first place I ate was Neighborhood, a kind of low key corner spot boasting a large menu of burgers and beers. One thing that surprised me about San Diego was the large selection of beers a lot of restaurants had available. I guess it’s a good thing, but I’m such a noobie that I ended up being like, “Uh..yea bring me a brownish one, I guess? :/” 

I ordered the Neighborhood burger, which had caramelized onions (I’m such a sucker for caramelized onions), blue Gruyere cheese, and pepper greens. It came with a side of fries and I also ordered a side of jalapeño mac and cheese.

From what I can remember (give me a break, ok? It WAS over a year ago!), the mac and cheese was just all right. I wasn’t blown away. The burger was really tasty though. However, the fries weren’t that good. Soooo…if you just want a good, juicy burger and know what kind of beer you like, Neighborhood is a nice place to go to.

The second and my favorite restaurant from my trip was Craft & Commerce. This place was sooooo delicious that I went twice within a few days of each other. If I’m ever in San Diego again, I am DEFINITELY coming back here….so obviously it is HIGHLY recommended.

For some reason, I only took a few photos..probably because I had a Blackberry at the time and the camera looks so crappy.

(Just kidding…that isn’t a photo of food…maybe it is…or balls of yarn. Either way, it was probably taken with a Blackberry camera)

So here are a few things that I actually did order and eat: 

Fried chicken, accompanied with buttermilk slaw, garlic green beans, fingerling potatoes and red chili vinegar.

This fried chicken was GOOD! It wasn’t covered with batter but the skin was really crisp and flavorful. The green beans were yummy and the sauce was interesting but wasn’t a necessary addition to the chicken, since it was already tasty by itself. The slaw wasn’t bad nor good to me; I just am not a huge fan of cole slaw.

I also ordered the mini corn dogs, which are bacon wrapped (bacon makes everything 5483758437432 times better, doesn’t it?) and a spicy mustard sauce and I think some sort of cheesy sauce too? Although these are advertised as “mini,” they are actually pretty big and filling. You could order four and be full. I ordered these on both visits because they were sooo yummy.

Now my FAVORITE item on their menu - the mac and cheese. I don’t know why I was on such a mac and cheese kick while I was in San Diego, but I’m glad I was since it allowed me to discover this. Soooo…this m&c included aged cheddar, roasted garlic, beech mushrooms, and lemon zest.  

Can I just add that I DREAM about this dish? It was THAT good. I think it was the mushrooms that made this mac & cheese stand out from all others I’ve ever eaten. I don’t even like mushrooms! When I think of mushrooms, I think of those big, clunky ones that people put on top of their pizzas. But these mushrooms, these beech mushrooms have a different taste. And to add them to mac and cheese just blew my mind. If you ever visit this restaurant, this is classified as a “must order ASAP!”

Craft & Commerce also has a huge selection of drinks, including mixed concoctions that are unique to the location. I order the Lay Lady Lay, which consisted of raspberry Lambic, champagne, and ginger. It was tasty, refreshing, and I wish I could have one right now.

Other honorable mentions that I unfortunately don’t have photos of are the ribs, mussels with seasoned fries, and the fried pickles. I honestly don’t remember if I ate the dessert, but if I did, it probably was the ice cream sandwich with candied bacon. Gotta love that bacon.

Ok ok ok ok! I am FINALLY returning and updating (hopefully) regularly now. I got stuck in a lazy, procrastinating cycle but now I’m out and back in the foodie world.

(The baby panda represents me returning to the blog..and the person dressed up in the panda suit is a crazy person dressed up in a panda suit.)

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One of my favorite spots for a quick bite to eat is Charlie’s Pastries in Lauderhill. The BEST Jamaican beef patties and coco bread! And everything is SO CHEAP too!

It’s right off of 441, just north of Sunrise Blvd. It’s in this kind of sketchy looking shopping plaza but trust me, it’s a hidden gem. Charlie’s is not a “sit down and be served” type of place- you walk in, most likely have to wait in line, place your order, grab the food, and go. The patties and coco bread are constantly being pushed out, like kids coming out of the Duggar wife (don’t get the reference? Click here or here). But unlike her vag, these pastries are fresh and hot. 

I always get a spicy beef patty and coco bread. I CRAVE this meal and it pains my heart that I haven’t found a similar restaurant in Miami. I’ve heard of Sonia’s Patties, but I’m not going to drive all the way to Kendall unless I have at least 5 other things on my “To Do” list. 

For both items, it’s a little under $3. THREE FUCKING DOLLARS! If you add a drink (fruit punch or Ting are my favorites), then your meal will be under $5. FIVE FUCKING DOLLARS! 

For readers who didn’t run out of their house to go to Charlie’s after reading how cheap the food was or for those who aren’t keen to Jamaican cuisine and are wondering, “What in the heck is this coco bread she keeps mentioning?” I made a guide on how to eat a patty and coco bread properly. 

According to Wikipedia (and we ALL know how reliable Wikipedia is), “coco bread is eaten in Jamaica and other areas of the Caribbean. As the name suggests, the bread contains a bit of coconut milk. It is starchy and slightly sweet. It is often split in half and stuffed with a Jamaican patty to form a sandwich.”

So first you take the coco bread and find the little slit along the side. Then dig your fingers into the scalding hot middle until it opens completely and you have suffered third degree burns from the steam escaping.

Next, take the patty and place it onto one side of the bread, like so:

Then, close that fucker up. (I like to use that Barbara Walters soft focus lighting when taking photos of food I’m in love with.)

Finally, eat that shit!

I have been sucking at updating my blog. I have a bunch of restaurants that I have been to but I’m just too lazy to post anything. I promise I will have something soon! In the meantime, look at this cute baby in a panda costume :)

Two different people recommended Whisk to me, my good friend Phi and a fellow Tumblr, Juan from Dead Fix. Phi described the restaurant as “really good, fresh food” and Juan told me that I HAVE to go on Fridays to try their burgers. So, I went.

The restaurant is located a couple of blocks away from all the hoopla and hype of the Sunset Shops area. When my boyfriend and I first walked in, the space and atmosphere was very cute and quaint but a little smokey from the kitchen. Our server, Alex, was super friendly and informative. She forgot to put in our order for our soup (which was tomato basil bisque that day) but after eating our entrees, it was a blessing in disguise. I’m not even sure I could have eaten all that food.

I was torn between ordering the spicy seared beef or the burger of the day, which was an 8 oz Cumin spiced pimento cheeseburger with bacon, onion, tomato, arugula and I think cheddar and parmesan pimento cheese. Alex explained to me that they only offer burgers on Fridays and the other dish was always on the menu. I ended up getting the burger and my boyfriend order the beef and we also asked for the cornbread.

So……the burger. Yea. It looks a little funny because I had to order two bottom buns because of my sesame seed allergy. But uuhhh…the burger. It was okay. It didn’t rock my socks. I asked for it medium well and it was pretty pink in the middle. I had debated getting it medium and I was glad that I didn’t since it kind of came cooked that way already. The patty had the interesting flavor of the cumin but was a bit dry in texture. I did not enjoy the cheese on top. It was not a slice of melted cheese but a mix of cheddar and parmesan with pimento so the consistency was a bit mushy and textured, similar to cottage cheese…..or a yeast infection. (Yea, I said it!) It was terrible..I DID eat it but it didn’t make it to the top of my burger list. However, the homemade chips on the side were yummy and the shredded parm on top was a nice touch.

I should have went with my gut instinct and ordered the spicy seared beef.

It was an 8oz sliced churrasco in a garlic chili coconut sauce with jasmine rice and sauteed spinach. I had a couple of bites from my boyfriend’s plate and the meat and sauce was REALLY yummy. I know “garlic chili coconut sauce” is a mouthful to say but the flavors were very subtle and didn’t overpower the taste of the meat. However, the steak was cooked more on the rare side even though my boyfriend asked for it medium. But it was still good because steak should be enjoyed with a bit of blood, right?

As I mentioned before, our server forgot to put in our soups, along with the cornbread. We still wanted to try the cornbread though so we told her to go ahead with that and we ate it after our entrees.

SO GOOD! 3 thick pieces of cornbread that were baked to perfection. A little crunchy on the edges and soft everywhere else. Paired with scallion and honey butter on top - I died. We were both happy that we decided to still order it, even after completing our meals.

For dessert, we ordered the peanut butter pie with Oreo crust. I’m not really big on pie because I don’t like the consistency but this pie was really good. The slice was enough for my boyfriend and me to share. It wasn’t a peanut butter slap in the face. The pie was surprisingly light, fluffy and really tasty.

After discussing my burger thoughts with Juan, he told me that he had eaten their “Black and Blue” burger before, which he said was amazing. He couldn’t vouch for the pimento cheeseburger. Sorry, but Latin House Grill still is my #1 for best burger. This burger thing wasn’t a make-it-or-break-it for Whisk. The food is still delicious and they have interesting things on their menu that I still want to try. I will definitely make a return visit.

EatItPanda now has a Twitter account….so follow us to stay up with the newest posts and any other food thoughts I feel like sharing! 

Click to follow @EatItPanda now!

Thanks!! I will definitely try Whisk. My friend has been telling me that the food there is good.

I just had to make a post to thank my friend, Spen, for FINALLY making my panda and giving my blog a little mascot. He’s so cuddly and chubby and I ♡ him!

Eat that shit, Panda!

Yakko-San has recently moved a little farther east on NE 163rd Street. The space is much bigger and fancier now but it seems that the clientele is staying the same. The menu is about the same, except now there is a big selection of sushi available, and there are a few items that have gone up in price. One of my favorite dishes, Yakiniku Don (Yakiniku steak over rice), increased by $2 but the portion was bigger so I was still really happy! 

Their new address is 3881 NE 163rd Street, North Miami Beach, FL 33160. They are now open from 12pm-3am every day! The new spot is located in Intracoastal Mall and if you are going East, you have to turn into the plaza BEFORE the big draw bridge! My first trip out there, I went too far and had to make a U-turn :(

For my original review of Yakko-San, click here

ew, no and no. you need to try Latin House Grill food truck. That shit is the best.