I love fried chicken. I love mashed potatoes. I love mac and cheese. I love soul food. I love cheap food. And I think I’ve fallen in love with Esther’s, where you can get cheap, delicious soul food.

I had my first visit today to their location that’s off NW 7th Ave and 46th Street (kind of in the hood, I guess). I was blown away with all the choices and it took me forever to finally decide to get the BBQ chicken combo. (I would have gotten fried chicken, but I ate it for lunch yesterday.) Be warned: this location is take out only! There are 4 Esther’s in all and only two of them offer inside dining. They make the food throughout the day, so nothing is made-to-order but you get your food fast!

There are a variety of lunch specials that range in price from $5-11 and all come with 2 sides. I got a 1/4 of BBQ chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and mac and cheese. The price for this meal was under $6! I also added a corn bread muffin thing for 50 cents extra. 

I don’t know if the pictures capture the whole essence of the meal but seriously, it was really great food and I had a lot left over. The to-go container had to be at least 4 pounds! The chicken was moist and the BBQ sauce had great flavor. The mac and cheese was seasoned perfectly. The mashed potatoes might not be home-made (my boyfriend and I were wondering about that) but they were still good and the gravy had some hickory undertones to it. I kind of liked that everything was mashed together in a to-go box because all of the flavors mixed together to make it a yummy party. Oh, and the corn bread - FANTASTIC!  

I am definitely going to making a return trip because I want to try the fried chicken and oxtail. The hours kind of suck - on weekdays they close at 6pm, on Saturdays they are open until 3pm and they are closed on Sundays. I also wished they had some sort of home-made lemonade or fruit punch to go along with the soul food. They only offer fountain or bottled drinks (boooo). But I think the fact that the food is so cheap but still so tasty evens things out for me.

Recently, my boyfriend and I visited a new BBQ restaurant on US1, Smoke’t. A couple of my friends had eaten there before and raved about the food. As a BBQ lover, I had to see how it was for myself. The menu was a bit overwhelming, I wanted to try EVERYTHING. They also had an impressively large selection of beer. 

We first received some biscuits with butter. The biscuits were really yummy and fluffy. The butter had a hint of maple and tasted perfect on the biscuit. I was pretty excited for my food to come.

I had ordered fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and a side of baked jalapeño mac and cheese and hush puppies with smoked pepper sauce.

Overall, the food was okay. The fried chicken was good - the batter was light but lacked a certain flavor that left me wanting something more. According to my boyfriend, the mashed potatoes probably weren’t fresh. The mac & cheese was good but nothing outstanding. The hush puppies were really yummy and the sauce was spicy and delicious.

I probably will not be making a second visit to Smoke’t because there was one particular thing that turned me off and honestly, made me pretty mad. I didn’t finish any of the dishes, so I asked the server to pack it all up for me. Once I got home, I realized that not everything was in there! I had about half a serving of the mashed potatoes left on my plate and the server didn’t put any of it in the to-go container. And I also did not get any of the yummy pepper sauce that went with the hush puppies. I was so so disappointed and irritated. Who was the server to assume that I didn’t want the mashed potatoes (which I obviously liked because I ate half of them) nor the sauce?! Who does that?!!!

Ok, maybe I am being a bit harsh and I would be open to another visit because I love BBQ that much. But it won’t be any time soon. 

Hands down - the BEST pizza in Miami. Actually, the BEST pizza I’ve ever eaten! Andiamo, located in 55th Station off of Biscayne Boulevard between 54th and 55th street, offers a variety of pizzas, Panini sandwiches and salads. I’ve never eaten anything other than the pizza and the occasional Cesar salad, but I’ve heard their sandwiches are good. 

I never really deviate from my regular order because these two pies are a must-try!

First up is the New Yorker. A very simple pizza consisting of tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, parmesan, olive oil and basil. However everything is so fresh and every ingredient compliments one another so well that you won’t think twice about ordering it again. 

My second favorite is the BBQ chicken, which has BBQ chicken (of course), red onions (but none for me, please), mozzarella, tomato sauce, smoked gouda, cilantro and BBQ sauce drizzled on top. The flavors are like heaven in circular form. 

If you decide to make a visit and order these two, I must tell you to eat the New Yorker first! Then move onto the BBQ Chicken. If you do it any other way, the New Yorker will seem bland in comparison to the BBQ Chicken because the BBQ Chicken has stronger flavors. To truly appreciate each pizza, remember - New Yorker first, BBQ Chicken second!

The best dinner deal in the Design District ever!

Lemoni Cafe

Skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach for only $14. Add $3 for a glass of wine.