Cafe Con Leche and Tostada just outside of Coral Gables

Quintessential Miami treat. Coffee with milk and a big ol' piece of Cuban bread with butter "smushed" in the flip side of a waffle maker, add a side of croquetas, a combo of potato and ham and spices breaded and fried up and you have a delicious breakfast in Miami. Eggs? You probably get the eggs included for the same price, but I make pretty great eggs thanks to the Food network and Martha Stewart's tips, so for me personally, the eggs are not the superstar of breakfast in  a Cuban restaurant.

Which Cuban restaurant you ask? We live close enough to visit the classics, Versailles (which all of the guidebooks would tell you to visit, but it's a bit large, loud, but they make great Arroz Con Pollo-Chicken and Yellow Rice), and La Carreta (which is a bit large, but they make a great five dollar mojito! and great Lechon Asado-traditional roasted pork), but for us, La Palma feels like home. We are always treated like family and have never had anything less than perfect food. It's smaller and more intimate than the other two famous restaurants, and I believe the three share the same owners now as well. They are located at 6091 SW 8 Street, Miami, FL.

For lunch and dinner meals, they make great chicken, meats, sandwiches and side dishes. They're famous for really good Croquetas. They've recently started making ceviche. Where else can you get really good ceviche for $5? They serve it with Boniato chips on the side.

In the rare cold nights in Miami they are also famous for Hot Chocolate and Churros. Don't be at all surprised to find a line wrapping around the building on the coldest nights of the year. Churros are crunchy sticks of fried dough swimming in a ton of white granulated sugar (in other words, they are delicious!) The hot chocolate is different from any you've ever had. It is crazy thick and you're going to love it or be done after a few filling sips. It's a bit like warm pudding in a cup. I like a sip of it, and that's enough, so I'm happy to share a cup. If you don't count calories, I could eat the whole order of Churros. So good. Crunchy, sugary, fantastic. Go, have a new experience in Miami and enjoy!