Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: An Evening with Sra. Martinez

Saturday was my second time at Sra. Martinez, an amazing tapas restaurant owned by famous chef, Michelle Bernstein. This time around I took my sister along for the ride. She lived in Spain and loved all of the food there. We were all so excited to try some new spins on Spanish tapas, plus some innovative small plates that are inspired from around the world.


We arrived right on time for our reservation and were quickly seated. The place was packed! My sister picked out a great Rioja, a 2001 Arviza Crianza. It was lush and earthy.


The menu has so many amazing options so it's difficult to choose. Most are Spanish, and some are very innovative, like the famous Uni Sandwich (which I would have loved to try but they didn't have it available that day). We decided to get 6 total tapas between 3 of us. We new it would be the perfect amount so we wouldn't feel too full.


We were immediately served bread with olive oil. The bread was good but not great. It was a little too tough for me, but the olive oil was unbelievable. It had so much flavor, I've never had an olive oil that good before.


1st Plate: Cobia Ceviche with toasted garlic, tomatoes, and popcorn
Yes...popcorn! This ceviche was amazing. There were large chunks of cobia swimming in the delicious citrus marinade. The popcorn added a great saltiness and crunch to the ceviche. It's such a simple addition to the dish but makes such a huge difference.


2nd Plate: Croquetas with Serrano Ham and Manchego Cheese
This was my favorite dish of the night. These are without a doubt the best croquetas I've ever eaten. They are super crispy on the outside with a melty middle teeming with serrano and manchego. It is perfectly complemented with fig marmalade for dipping. There is nothing better than the sweet and savory combo!


3rd Plate: Untraditional Patatas Bravas with huancaina sauce and jamon
This was a very interesting take on traditional patatas bravas (Spanish for Angry Potatoes), which is fried potato pieces coated with a spicy aioli. These were more like fried potato cups. They were filled with huancaina (a spicy South American sauce) and topped with bits of fried ham. The potatoes were perfectly cooked and the sauce had great creaminess and spiciness.


4th Plate: Pork Belly with watermelon and peanuts
Another home run! But I can't expect any less from Michelle Bernstein. If you've never had Pork Belly, you need to try it. I never thought pork fat would taste so good. The pork belly was served on top of watermelon pieces and topped with finely chopped peanuts. I don't even like watermelon, but its refreshing crispness was amazing with the richness of the pork belly.


5th Plate: Lamb Kafta with quinoa and tzatziki sauce
This was a great dish with amazing Greek flavors. I have had quinoa before, but never this good! It tasted a lot like cous cous, but heartier. The sauce and the lamb worked brilliantly together.


6th Plate: Rabo Encendido with trophie pasta
My sister was really looking forward to this dish because she had this all the time in Spain. It's braised oxtail, which is amazing when cooked well and has a strong meaty flavor. I was expecting it to be separate from the pasta, but it was served mixed together. The oxtail was tender and the pasta was so fresh. The sauce had an intense beef flavor, and the freshly grate cheese really added a great bite to it.


Dessert: Dark Chocolate Cake and Espresso Martini
We knew we had to save room for dessert and an after dinner drink. The martini tasted so good, you couldn't even tell there was alcohol in it. It was not as creamy as I thought it was going to be, which was a good thing. It tasted like a gourmet iced coffee. The cake was a perfect ending to the meal. It was moist and filled with chocolate flavor. The only thing I would do to change it would be to add more icing.


I love the whole experience at Sra. Martinez. The food is amazing and the service impeccable. Also, the menu always has new additions so you can never get tired. Michelle Bernstein really knows how to prepare innovative dishes that are simple, yet have complex flavors. I can't wait to go back and try even more of her delicious creations.

P.S. Sra. Martinez is also participating in Miami Spice, a wonderful annual event in which Miami restaurants offer discounted pre-fixe menus for the months of August and September. It’s a great way to try gourmet restaurants at lower prices. Lunch is $22 and Dinner is $35. Click here to view the menu for Sra. Martinez. They offer this menu on Mon – Fri and have tons of selections!

Shakeology Obsession

I'm so glad my first batch of Shakeology recipes was such a HUGE hit! I've developed a few more, and I'm scared I might run out of ideas soon. But I love Shakeology SO much I'm sure I can do some more experimenting.

Shakeology is very chocolatey, but is SO good for you! It has protein, antioxidants, and probiotics. It's 100% natural and sweetened with Stevia instead of sugar. They also have a Greenberry flavor, which I hear is great mixed with fruits and juices (I'll be making Greenberry as soon as they come out with individual servings, in September). For all the nutritional information and benefits, go to http://www.shakeology.com/

Here are 3 tips for creamy shakeology!
1. Use 1 tbsp of sugar free instant pudding mix (my fav is Cheesecake)
2. Use frozen bananas instead of ice
3. ALWAYS use cold liquids

Buy Shakeology Here.

Chocolate Bananas Foster
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
1 cup skim milk (or water, nut, or soy milk)
1/2 cup frozen bananas
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp rum extract

Black & Blue
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
1 cup skim milk (or nut or soy milk)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries and blackberries

Cinna-Mocha
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
1 cup skim milk (or nut, or soy milk)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp instant coffee
Ice to taste

S'mores
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
1 cup skim milk (or nut or soy milk)
1/2 a graham cracker
Ice to Taste
Top with 2 tbsp of Marshmallow Fluff after blending!

Nutty Banana
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
1 cup skim milk (or water, nut or soy milk)
2 tbsp PB2
1/2 cup frozen bananas

Chocolate Covered Strawberry
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
1 cup skim milk (or nut or soy milk)
1/2 cup frozen strawberries

Malted Peanut Butter Cup
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
1 cup skim milk (or nut or soy milk)
2 tbsp PB2
2 tbsp Malt Powder
Ice to taste

The Inferno

1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology

1 cup skim milk (or nut or soy milk)

1/4 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3+ dashes of Cayenne Pepper

Ice to taste
(OK, sounds weird...but so good! You get pure chocolate goodness, then an intense tingle in the back of your throat from the cayenne. Great for spiciness lovers.)

The Capital Burger

My friend Chris was telling me the other day that he heard The Capital Grille had the best burgers. When I told him I had a Capital Grille only 5 minutes from me we made a quick decision to go there for lunch. My Sis, Chris and I were ready for a great meal!

This was my first time ever going to The Capital Grille. It was what I expected for a fancy steakhouse...white tablecloths, dark wood, and paintings of old men. I liked it. We were seated right away with the menus but we all knew what we wanted, the burger. At $15 it's not cheap but it's huge and comes with parmesan truffle fries. What is better than a nice glass of red wine with a steakhouse burger? So I opted for a glass of Mark West Pinot Noir, which hit the spot.


Our server, Ileana, was great! She was always stopping by to make sure we liked everything, and she knew so much about the menu. She told us about all the great fresh seafood they have there too, and I'll be sure to try some on my next trip there. She also brought over some homemade potato chips with tartar sauce for us to snack on. They tasted so fresh and the tartar was tangy and creamy.


Our burger came out and we were ready to pounce! But I took a second to admire how well it was put together...it even had separate dishes for ketchup, aioli, and dijon mustard. My first bite of the burger was delectable. The onion bun was soft and a little sweet, the sirloin burger cooked perfectly. I could taste a hint of the bacon and onion (which is combined with the sirloin in burger patty). The creamy Havarti cheese was perfect with the burger. It was so juicy! One of the juiciest burgers I've had in a while.


I really liked the Parm Truffle Fries, but Chris and the Sis weren't huge fans. They said the truffles had a kind of "moldy"smell. I like to consider the truffle oil more "earthy", haha. The fries were crispy and hot. My favorite part was the crunchy parmesan on top.


Chris basically forced us to get dessert. I was so full I could barely breathe. But here we are with a Double Chocolate Chip ice cream sandwich. I have to say, it was delicious! The cookies were almost like brownies and the ice cream tasted fresh and creamy. A great addition is the melted chocolate sauce which was served on the side.


It was a great lunch experience! The food was superb. Ileana was a great server! I will definitely be back at The Capital Grille.

Chips: 9 out of 10
Burger: 9 out of 10
Fries: 8.5 out of 10
Dessert: 9 out of 10
Service: 10 out of 10

Food Fact Friday: Tiramisu

One of my all time favorite desserts is Tiramisu. I love the coffee taste combined with the light sweetness of mascarpone and the texture of the ladyfingers...yum...I'm starting to drool on my keyboard, not good! I researched Tiramisu and turns out it's a pretty recent invention. Here is some info about this Italian delight...



Legends state Tiramisu (which is loosely translated to "pick-me-up") was invented in the 1600s in Tuscany, but mascarpone was not yet brought to Italy. Other legends say it was invented during the 1800s in Turin, but there is no documentation to support it.


The first written acount of Tiramisu is from the 1980's, in a cookbook called "I Dolci del Veneto” (The Desserts of Veneto). It was said to be invented in the 1970's in a restaurant in Treviso, Italy called Le Beccherie. It became so popular, that other restaurants in Italy began copying it. It made it's way to San Francisco in the early 1990's and now it's popular all over the United States.

CLICK HERE for the classic Tiramisu recipe!

Titanic Tiramisu: The world's largest tiramisu was created in April of 2007 in Italy, weighing in at over 674 lbs.

Playing with my Phone

I got a brand new phone on Monday and I am already obsessed with it! I got a Palm Pre and it is amazing…just like the commercials. I can tweet, check e-mails and go online in just a few seconds. The only thing that is slacking is that the Pre doesn’t have as many apps as the iPhone, but hopefully more will come soon. Even all these pics today came from my phone, and they aren’t too bad!

On Wednesday I woke up at 6:30 to do ChaLEAN Extreme Lean Circuit 1. Whoa…it is hard! In the Lean Phase, you are supposed to fatigue at 12 reps. Also, the moves are supposed to target your core more than the other 2 phases. Here is an example...one exercise was a Plank with a Tricep Extension! I was dying through that one. But it was an amazing workout.

My Chocolate Shakeology recipe of the day was Mocha Malt. I LOVE this one, it really hit the spot.

For lunch I decided to hit the mall because I badly need a new purse because my zipper is torn. But of course…I didn’t find any that I liked (at least not in my price range). I need a sugar daddy to buy me a Louis, haha. After the purse hunting, I stopped at Healthy Delights, a great place in the mall that focuses on salads & crepes. I had the Chicken Poblano Crepe with was delicious! It had grilled chicken, tomatoes, artichokes, peppers, spinach, mozzarella cheese and “poblano sauce”.

I was pretty busy at work so I by the time I realized I was hungry, it was already time to go. I got home famished and made a quick dinner. I had half an Arnold Sandwich thin with a Laughing Cow Light and turkey. Then I made a large side salad using organic grape tomatoes, which tasted MUCH better than the conventional ones.

After some web surfing (looking for good quality fake Coach purses online, haha). I had to eat my new obsession, a dark chocolate dipped frozen banana. Then I plopped down to watch the premier of Top Chef. I’m so glad it’s back. It looks like it’s going to be a really good season. My only criticism of the show is that at judges table they didn’t re-explain what the winner’s dishes were. There were so many contestants, that I forgot what most of them had made. But when the bottom 4 were at judge’s table, they showed the pictures of their dishes again. Anyway…I’m glad my fellow South Floridian, Ron Duprat, was in the top 4!

Healthy French Toast

This past weekend I went to visit my family in Orlando, and I was in charge of cooking breakfast. I scoured the pantry and fridge and found lots of good stuff! I found bread, eggs, blueberries and orange juice...french toast it is!


French Toast with Blueberry Orange Sauce

French Toast
4 slices Bread (use your fav!)
3 Eggs
2/3 cup Skim Milk
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Blueberry Orange Sauce
2/3 cup Blueberries
2 tbsp Sugar
1/2 cup Orange Juice
1/2 tbsp Butter
1 tsp cornstarch

Start the sauce first. Place blueberries, sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil then set to a simmer for 5 – 10 minutes (until sauce is deep purple-ish color).

While sauce is simmering, combine the eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Heat a skillet on medium heat and spray with butter spray. Soak each piece of bread for about 5 seconds on each side then place on the heated skillet. Cook until golden brown on each side, approximately 5 minutes total.

To finish the sauce, put on low heat and add the butter. Then, if you need to thicken it more, combine the cornstarch and 1 tsp of water and mix together. Then add to the sauce. Continue to stir until thickened, which takes 1 – 2 minutes (OPTIONAL: Add some freshly sliced bananas). Then Voila…fresh French toast for two! I also had my French toast with some Turkey Sausage, it was delish!

What's your favorite made from scratch breakfast??

Food Fact Friday: I'm a Buffalo Girl

Lately I've been really craving Buffalo wings! I love them in the traditional sauce with lots of blue cheese dressing. How do you like yours?? Everyone knows they started in Buffalo, but here is some history.


Traditional Buffalo wing sauce is made up of two ingredients: cayenne pepper based hot sauce and margarine or butter. Purists say margarine is better for consistency & taste (but I love butter). Buffalo wings may also be prepared with breading and sauce, although many would consider breaded wings not to be genuine.

There are 2 main stories of how they came to be...The 1st story is that Buffalo wings were first made at the Anchor Bar, located in Buffalo, on October 3, 1964, by Teressa Bellisimo, co-owner of the Anchor Bar with her husband Frank. When their son, Dominic, and his friends, arrived home from college late one night, Teressa needed a fast and easy snack to present to them. She came up with the idea of deep frying chicken wings (normally thrown away or reserved for stock) and tossing them in cayenne sauce.


A 2nd version was told by Dominic Bellisimo (Teressa's son). He said his mom came up with the idea when one busy Friday night, there were alot of patrons drinking at the bar. At midnight, Catholics could once again eat meat, so she wanted to make something tasty for them to snack on.

For all you wing freaks: The National Buffalo Wing Festival is coming up... August 30-31 in Buffalo, NY.

Tidal Lunch

My 2nd Miami Spice meal was at La Marea at the Tides Hotel in South Beach. It was $22 for a three course meal. We got there at about 12:30 and the place was pretty dead, but of course it took them about 5 minutes to even greet us (typical South Beach). The good part was that we got to sit in these awesome chairs! It was like being in a Tilt-a-Whirl...without the spinning thankfully.


In another SoBe move...nobody came to our table for about 15 minutes. By that time we were famished and my mouth was like the Sahara desert. Finally we got some water and bread. The bread was great! It was Naan with Hummus. The hummus had a nice smoky flavor and the naan was nicely buttered.


Now for the course I was dreaming about all weekend...Mini Lobster Corn Dogs! They came with a creamy mustard sauce. They were good, but not great. The batter could have been a little thicker and crunchier.



My main course was the Tides Burger. It was actually 2 mini cheeseburgers. One had pico de gallo and blue cheese, which was an amazing combo! The other had a sweet topping, which I think was caramelized onion marmalade. Anyway....it was also delicious! I also loved the bun, it was perfectly crusty but soft. There was a great burger to bun ratio. The fries were also very good and perfectly crunchy.


On to dessert...I originally ordered Flan Ice Cream (how cool does that sound?), but they didn't have it. So I got half Pistachio & half Chocolate. The chocolate was rich and creamy. The pistachio was horrific! It was beyond freezer burnt....with ice all throughout. I ate 2 bites and that was it.


Here's my score of the lunch at La Marea:
Service: 4/10 (just because they were nice and efficient eventually)
Corn Dogs: 6/10
Burger & Fries: 9/10
Ice Cream: Pistachio - 1/10 Chocolate - 8/10

Three Wishes

August and September are two great months to live in South Florida. Not because of the steam room effect of the blaring sun, but because of Miami Spice … when some great (and pricey) restaurants in Miami have some great deals! A three course lunch is $22, and a three course dinner is $35.

My first Miami Spice stop was Wish, the restaurant at The Hotel in South Beach. My friend and I went for dinner on Friday night. We were seated right away next to the fountain. It’s a great setting, but a little too warm. The fans they have only reach certain tables, and unfortunately ours wasn’t one of them. We opened up the menus and they glowed…literally! They have new menus which are lit from the inside, very cool.

We placed our order and got our drinks. I had the Flirtini, which was a little bit like a cosmo. All their martinis come with a fun “electric” ice cube.

The bread that was served was very good. It was crusty on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle. The spread was incredible. It was like a very heavily olived hummus.

Next came the first course, chilled Corn Soup. To be honest, when I saw this on the menu, I was not that excited. But as soon as it hit my lips I was in heaven! The soup was unbelievably creamy and flavorful. The corn and crab in the center tasted so fresh. I would LOVE to get the recipe for it. It is hands down the best corn soup I’ve ever had in my life.

My main course was the Snapper. It was served on a piece of fried eggplant. It was good, but nothing to write home about. There was no contrast in texture or color between the eggplant and the snapper. The snapper was cooked well, but it just seemed like something was missing. But my friend’s short rib was excellent.

The dessert was a Chocolate Pecan Brownie with caramelized bananas and ice cream. I loved how the bananas had a crispy coating. The ice cream was good…the brownie was decent. The brownie I got was overcooked on the edges, but the middle was moist. I just wish it had been taken out of the oven about 5 minutes earlier.

Here is my rating of the Miami Spice experience at Wish:
Service: 9/10
Bread: 8/10
Corn Soup: 11/10 (it was that good!)
Snapper: 6/10 (Short Rib 9/10)
Brownie: 5/10

Next up: Miami Spice Lunch at La Marea at the Tides

Food Fact Friday: I Want S'more

Monday August 10th is National S’mores day! I LOVE s’mores and actually have a s’mores cake-like recipe I’m trying to perfect. There is nothing better than gooey chocolate and marshmallow on a graham cracker. Here is how this simple but amazing campfire treat came about…

The name of the treat comes from the two words "some more," clearly combined because people often wanted to have at least a second serving after having one s'more. The treat was developed by campers in the early part of the 20th century, making use of the fairly new mass-produced marshmallows. Marshmallows were easy to transport, as were candy bars and graham crackers, and the marshmallows could be warmed easily over a fire to make a delicious dessert in a situation where other types of sweets would have been difficult to come by.

The true origin of the snack is unknown, as camping recipes tended to be passed from person to person and family to family - often over the campfire itself. The first recipe for s'mores was published in 1927 in the Girl Scout Handbook and the event marked the official introduction of the s'more into popular culture.

The publication of the s'more recipe was not the first pairing of chocolate, marshmallow and cookies. In 1913, the Mallomar cookie was introduced to market. The Mallomar has a graham cracker-like and is topped with marshmallow and a layer of chocolate.

Here is the original Girl Scout Recipe…
Some More
8 sticks (for toasting the marshmallows)
16 graham crackers
8 bars plain chocolate (any of the good plain brands, broken in two)
16 marshmallows

Toast two marshmallows over the coals to a crisp gooey state and then put them inside a graham cracker and chocolate bar sandwich. The heat of the marshmallow between the halves of chocolate bar will melt the chocolate a bit. Though it tastes like you want "some more" one is really enough.

Kookoo for Cous Cous

I have so much whole wheat cous cous! I bought a huge container of it, it must have at least 30 servings worth. Here is a recipe I came up with using some things I had on hand in the house. With a little chicken, it made a great meal! It would definitely taste great with fish or shrimp too. Does anyone have any other great cous cous recipes they can share with me?? I’d love to think of even more ways to use it.


TZ Cous Cous
1 cup uncooked whole wheat cous cous
1 tbsp EVOO
½ a zucchini, chopped
5 sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 – 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
salt & pepper to taste
a few dashes Cayenne pepper (optional)
½ cup water
½ cup chicken stock


In a somewhat large pot, add EVOO and set to medium. Throw in the zucchini and sauté until edges start to turn light brown. Then add the whole can of tomatoes (do NOT drain), sun dried tomatoes, chicken stock, water, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and stir in cous cous. Cover tightly and let sit for 5 minutes. Then fluff with a fork and serve! This recipe makes 4 servings.