Grilling it Up!

Don’t let the sushi name fool ya! – it’s Korean grub!

What is more fun than sitting around a table of fiery flames grilling your own meat?  I mean, seriously….not much. Knowing our love for culinary adventures, Kelvin found Shilla Korean Restaurant that offers a Korean BBQ table that you get to man yourself!

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember): 

Driving our asses to Doral in the rain was well worth it for this meaty treat! Dan and his bf Andrew, Vince, Kelvin and Adam and I went back to our caveman roots, conquered fire and grilled our own meats. So much fun!  (Aside from being worried about cross-contamination of chicken juice into the beef and pork).    Did we mention they have Karaoke with a full band?!?  When we asked our waitress when they have karaoke, her response was “Karaoke? Oh we have Karaoke any time. You want to Karaoke?”.   Dreams really do come true.  Unfortunately, our crew was ill-prepared, but we WILL be back to dominate!

The Verdict:

• 5 out of 5 stars
• FOOD: awesome. We got the Korean BBQ table and a Dolsot Bibimbab (traditional Korean dish).  The meat was seasoned well and our caveman instincts allowed us to cook the meat to perfection.
• SERVICE: our waitress was the bomb.  She was prompt, made great recommendations and had an awesome sense of humor. We loved her.  Wish we took her name, so we could give her a “shout out”.
• AMBIANCE:  has a very laid back, cafe feel.  Not pretentious at all. The decor is Asian themed, but there is sports paraphernalia in the  bathrooms, remnant of probably a former sports bar.  Definitely gave it some character!

Items Ordered: 

The BBQ table is meant to be shared, so we ordered a bunch of meat items and got grilled, forking out meat onto each other’s plates as it was finished.

• Bibimbab: stone pot creation with fresh vegetables, rice, meat and a fried egg on top.  Very delicious and our waitress was kind enough to mix it all together for us table-side.
• Korean BBQ items:
• Daiji Bulgoki: shredded marinated pork
• Bulgoki: shredded marinated beef
• Another Beef Dish which happened to be our favorite!!  I wish we remembered the name.
• Dak Gui: marinated chicken
• Fried Dumplings
• Complimentary Sides – include a lot of veggies, like kimchi, marinated mushrooms, sprouts, broccoli, etc.

1st Course - Tuna Tartare

Quite possibly, our worst restaurant experience in a LONG time. 

If you’ve been reading this food blog, you’ve probably noticed that the overall ratings tend to be pretty “above average”.  Is it because I’m nice… eh maybe.  Is it because I try to find the positive in each dining experience…perhaps.  Is it because I don’t want to ruin a restaurants’ reputation based on my one experience…probably.  For instance,  what if I went on bad night, ordered the wrong thing, or just happened to get the only cranky waitress? No need to have a foul review living on the internet for all eternity, right?   Yes, in most cases…but my friends, this is NOT one of them!

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):

Our pal Irmaliz was celebrating her birthday and her handsome boyfriend, Ignacio, planned a small gathering at a local restaurant on the water, for his beloved.  Very thoughtful and well orchestrated by Iggy.   He even negotiated a group discount and bringing in some of her favorite wine. Irmz was surrounded by close pals and a promising menu of delightful food.  Unfortunately, the menu did not stand up to the good company.  ALLLLL ABOARD!  There is a trainwreck-a coming!

The Verdict:

• 1 out of 5
• FOOD: Tasting Menu specifically – probably the tiniest portions ever.  It was almost comical. After 5 courses, we left hungry. Needed a double-cheese burger from Mickey-D’s.  “A for effort” in terms of creativity, but c’mon… yes, we know what a “tasting menu” is, but it was taken waaay too literally here.  We came to eat.  Sorry chef – food was good, but increase the portions, please!
• SERVICE:  started off bad and got progressively worse.  Remember that “group discount” Iggy organized? Yea, well that took 45 minutes to figure out.
• AMBIANCE:  standard attempt at a luxury Miami restaurant. Probably would have had a different feel if the experience wasn’t so bad.
• Would We Go Back?:  NOOOOOOOOOO

La Chouffe Beer (aka Gnome)

With a name like this, it HAS to be good.

The DRB touts 500 beers from around the planet.  How could you possible contest that? You can’t and that’s why on one perfect summer Saturday evening, Tony, Adam and I decided to venture in to downtown to try it out.

Alisa & Adam

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):

Saturday night is a big night at DRB, but we got lucky.  Ad

am and I “did a lap” around the block, while Tony hopped out and snagged a table.  We sat outside at one of their sidewalk tables, directly across from the Adrienne Arsht Center, which happened to just let out a show.  We were greeted by all of the acrobats of Cirque Eloize.  How amazingly fit those guys were.  Kinda makes you feel like shit, when you are slammin’ a gallon of beer and plate full of sliders!

The Verdict:

• 4 out of 5
• FOOD: The food was surprisingly good. My expectations were pretty low, because it’s a “beer joint”, but we really enjoyed everything we ordered.  They have a very diverse menu to compliment the variety of beers.  It’s nothing hoity toity, but definitely a solid menu.
• SERVICE: despite being completely packed, our server somewhat attentive.  He was nice enough, not over the top oozing with joy, but did what he had to do.  I was expecting a little more assistance with beer selection, since they have…well….500 beers to choose from.
• AMBIANCE: we sat outside and never even saw the inside, so we’re probably not a great judge for ambiance. The sidewalk seats were fine for us, but could be annoying if you weren’t in the mood for a high traffic spot.
  

  Beef Sliders & DWNTWN Miami fries

Items Ordered:

• Volcano Shrimp: they’ve got a little heat on them, but a really great flavor. I’d definitely order this again.
• DWNTWN Miami Fries:  cheese sauce and I don’t get along, but these were still pretty good. I liked the addition of tomato
• Beef sliders: who doesn’t love sliders of any kind? These were flavorful and so yummy, Tony ordered round 2.
• Chicken sliders: the breaded chicken version of the beef sliders and equally as delish.
• La Chouffe (beer): 8% alcohol and served in basically a chalice. Enjoyed.
• Peroni (beer):  Peroni, Peroni, the Italian beer. Tony’s go-to.
• Leffe

Tony & Alisa

Lobster Pad Thai

A yummy good time at Mr. Yum

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember)

Well, for this “date night”, I think we were looking to get the Senior Citizen Discount, because we definitely got to Mr. Yum for the early bird special.  There was not a single other person beside the staff in the restaurant, when we arrived.  We wanted to hit the new Woody Allen movie “Midnight in Paris” (which we loved), at the Tower Theatre down the street.  By the time we completed our meals, all the “cool kids” had arrived in their swanky attire.  Glad we missed that.

The Verdict:

3.5 out of 5

• FOOD: The menu is fun, the food is perfectly designed – almost too beautiful to eat.   They implemented a modern twist on a lot of classic Asian fare, mostly via the actual dish construction & plating.  Overall, this was effective, but there were a few instances where the “twist” actually interfered with the overall taste of the dish.
• SERVICE: our waitress was very personable, attentive and even went out of her way to find out where they bought their wine glasses.  If you are interested, they are from IKEA  (I was shocked…they looked pretty classy).
• AMBIANCE: very put together. great lighting and attention to detail, but not over the top.

Items Ordered:

• Tuna Tartar: Tuna mixed with Toro sauce topped with Avocado and Cucumber.   This was my favorite thing we ordered.  It was light, fresh and very very flavorful. Adam and I were having a chopstick war over the last few bits of this.  I would definitely order this again.
  

  Tuna Tartar

• Dragon Roll: Tempura Shrimp and Masago topped with Avocado and Eel Sauce.  The plate was beautiful and the tempura shrimp was perfectly battered and crispy.
• Lobster Pad Thai: Crispy Lobster Tail Sautéed Rice Noodles with Scallions, Bean Sprouts covered with Egg.  I enjoyed it over all, but the “deconstructed” way it was presented, kinda messed with the traditional flavor of Pad Thai. For instance, you might not be able to tell from the photo, but the egg is actually the container for the rice noodles.  Pretty cool as far as visual appeal, but I do enjoy the flavor of the egg in Pad Thai and this set up made it kind of difficult.  I’m glad I ordered this though.  It was pretty cool.

Happy Birthday to Tony! This was made with L-O-V-E!

I don’t know if it was like this in your house growing up, but when your birthday rolled around, that meant you got to pick your “Birthday Meal”.  I can tell you my husband’s —pork chops, apple sauce, Mrs. Weber’s famous Mac & Cheese, and baked beans. BAM! And who says I don’t listen!

Well, I’ve also heard Tony’s.  And Tony’s is a pain in the ass.  He always wanted either homemade spaghetti and meatballs (nothing like rolling raw meat for a good 2 hours) OR he wanted stuffed cannelloni (nothing like trying to fill a tubed pasta and having the damn pasta break).

I decided it was worth the hassle for my dear friend, especially since I will be out of town on his actual birthday.

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):

Tony was closing at JCrew and Adam was out of town, so Irmaliz and I decided to have a little girls night in.  I mentioned that I wanted to surprise Tony with a pre-birthday meal and she was down for some fun in prepping it.

I made the spicy marinara before Irmaliz got here, so we could concentrate on making the homemade pasta.  Yes, the old way. We did the infamous dough “well” and used a pasta crank that is older than God. Irmaliz was quite the kneader too.  She even managed to look super fine while grinding the hell out of dough.

It was fun to make everything from scratch.  I’d never made fresh pasta sheets (like lasagna size) before. We usually just make the dough and it turns immediately in to ravioli.  It was pretty scary.  The sheets just kind of undulate in the water, folding and unfolding –almost dancing.  Beautiful.  But beware, when you take those things out, they are hotter than hell, especially when you are trying to get them to lay flat on the paper towels.

Ingredients

• 1 lb cannelloni store bought or homemade
• Spicy Marinara sauce store bought or homemade with addition of red pepper flakes
• 1 lb shredded chicken
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne
• black pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• small container of ricotta cheese
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup parmigiano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• black pepper to taste
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Have the sauce pre-prepared and simmering.  Take the cooked shredded chicken and add to the simmering sauce, so it soaks up the flavor.
2. If you are making homemade pasta, prep the dough and let it sit for 20-30 minutes.
3. In the meantime, prep your ricotta cheese with the seasoning above. Be sure to mix well.  Let sit for half hour.
4. If making homemade dough, roll out the dough into lasagna style sheets.
5. Strain chicken from the marinara sauce (be sure to reserve the sauce), then add the seasoning above and mix well.
6. If using homemade pasta sheets, cook in boiling water for about 30 seconds or until al dente.  If using, store bought, follow box instructions.
7. Line the pasta sheets out on to damp paper towels and start assembling the cannelloni.
8. Add the spoon full of chicken, followed by ricotta and roll the lasagna sheet 1-2 times to create a tube shape, then cut the tube from the rest of the dough sheet. Place tube into casserole pan seam side down and repeat for remaining.
9. When casserole in filled with tubes, laddle spicy marinara over the top and shred a layer of parmigiano on top.
10. Bake in over 350 for approximately 30 minutes.

Southern-style cooking finally hit South Beach at Yardbird

Yardbird Southern Table & Bar just opened on South Beach.  This is something we had long anticipated.  For months, they’d had their storefront windows covered with brown paper — teasing phrases like “Run Chicken Run” and Southern lingo.  Miami can get to be a bore, so seeing something on it’s way that looked “different” than the usual swanky ultra lounge was exciting.

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):

Tony and I arrived (without a reservation) and waited at the bar until Jillian arrived.  Luckily, we weren’t in any hurry, because we waited well over 2 hours.  Goes to show everyone wants t o be the first to try a new spot!  This little blessing of extra time at the bar allowed us to try out their signature cocktails –one of the highlights of the evening.  Each is rooted in Bourbon…a nice change from the usual “mojito” flare of Miami.

The bartender, Joshua, was super friendly and obviously very “in” to what he does.  You could sense the passion he had for what and how he created the signature drinks on the menu.  He even offered to make us something “off the menu”, something he called “Run Passion Run” (omg, delicious…ask for it!)  Tony and I merrily sipped our cocktails, as our eyes moved from one piece of their Southern decor to the next.  It was like being kids in a candy store.  Every single glass, light fixture, tables-cape was part of their intricately designed creative staging for the restaurant.   Kudos to the peeps that implemented that. All of the attention to detail really created an atmosphere, rather than just decor.

My personal decor favorites:

1. The bar tap handles.  J’adore!  They were rustic items like a fork, knife, hammer, etc.
2. The lightbulbs covered with glass jars
3. The chicken-wire in the storage cabinets by the bar
4. The tiny flip-top glass containers and glasses they used to store their fresh herbs at the bar
5. The canning jars filled with actual fruits and veggies along the walls
6. BONUS – try to find the bathroom… there is no door handle, just a blank wall (see photo)

For meatlovers, dreams really do come true at Lo De Lea Argentinean Grill

Our bud, Dan, introduced us to Lo De Lea Argentinean Grill in Mimo.  For $15 (on Monday nights only) you can indulge in an unlimited amount of traditional Argentinean food. Sounds amazing, right?

Our “Mangia Memoir” (what we’ll remember) 

Adam (my husband) and I vacationed in Argentina for our honeymoon.  It was a truly beautiful country, comprised of so many surprises, different terrains and most importantly, the best meat we’ve ever had in our lives…in copious amounts.

How Argentines live past 30 and don’t need colon cleansing monthly is beyond me, because these gauchos are crazy with the amount of meat they eat.   Needless to say, Adam and I took full advantage of this while on our honeymoon, each bringing home a pretty beautiful souvenir — a “meat gut”.   It took me quite a while to lose the “meat gut” and also to revitalize my craving for meat, but after about 8 months when Kelvin and Dan asked me to accompany them on their meat adventure, I gladly accepted.

Upon reaching the entrance to the restaurant, I asked Dan to get in a photo near that sign and as you can see, Dan was a happy man.  He was happy because he knew what glory we were in store for.

We started out dining on their terrace, but Dan and Kelvin were getting the shit bit out of them by mosquitoes, so we transferred inside, where they oh so conveniently had paper tablecloths and crayons, making it ever so easy for me to “tag” their restaurant with a Mangia! Memoirs call-out.

The meal itself was pretty quiet… I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that we were stuffing our faces the entire time.  When we started the meal, we thought “Yeah, man!  We are gonna order like 3 rounds of this stuff… keep it coming!”, but honestly, it was soooo filling, we only had 1 round.  Can you believe that?!  One round at an All-You-Can-Eat meat fest!  Sounds pathetic, but you check it out and let me know how far you get!

Items Ordered:

• 3 All-You-Can-Eats for $15 each, which consists of:
• Starter plate of traditional sausage, morcilla (blood sausage) and chorizo
• Salad with house dressing
• Main Course of Bife de Lomo, Ribs and Chicken
• Roasted Potatoes

The Verdict:

• 4.5 stars
• FOOD: succulent, perfectly cooked meats of great quality and beautifully al dente seasoned potatoes.  Felt like being back in Argentina.
• SERVICE: above average service for Miami.  Friendly waitstaff.  Being a Spanish-speaker would definitely be a plus. Some things seemed to get lost in translation, but everyone had a smile.
• AMBIANCE: dining “al fresco” started out well.  Their terrace is a small sectioned-off area with about 4 tables, right on the side walk.  There are plants surrounding the tables and it was fun to see the basil and rosemary plants they use for the food right there next to us.  Downfall would be the mosquitoes, unfortunately.  The inside of the restaurant is perfect for what you’d want from an Argentinean restaurant – exposed brick, wine bottles, quaint but inviting and dark, but not too dark.  If you are looking for a quite evening, get their early.  As Monday night progresses, larger parties of boisterous Argentines arrive and the restaurant really gets lively.
• Would You Go Back?  Definitely!! And I can’t wait to bring my husband.  Maybe make an anniversary date out of it!

Life without an Italian Market, is a life not worth living!

It’s been nearly 2 years.  2 years without the joy of having immediate access to fine Italian delectables.  Paper-thin salty prosciutto, milky fresh mozzarella, spicy “gabagool” (capicola) and guilt-ridden mortadella with pistachios.  Mama Mia!!!  I could go on FOR-EV-ER!  It’s sick, the amount of pure and utter pleasure I find from smoked meats (and don’t be gross!).

Sweet baby Jesus answered our prayers and alerted us to Laurenzo’s Italian Market in North Miami Beach.  For all of you Italians/Italian-Americans in South Florida, fret no more….this is your spot!  Maybe check it out this weekend?

Our “Mangia Memoir” (what we’ll remember)

We drove 30 minutes in Tony’s HOT. AS. HELL. car without air conditioning, obnoxiously singing to the soundtrack of In the Heights the Musical, just to keep our minds off the fact that our flesh was melting off. But when we got there….GLORY!

Skip the Laurenzo’s Produce Market.  There is not much there that you can’t find elsewhere.  Head directly to the market with the deli and plan to stay for hours.  We did.

Literally prancing through the aisles, with devilish grins on our faces, we terrorized this poor place.  We purchased roughly 10 gallons of olive oil, 6 pounds of really fun artisan pasta, a pound of fresh mozzarella, mortadella and prosciutto, fresh baguettes, calamari… ok, I could go on forever, but you would just think I was disgusting. Tony even found a bottle of wine, “Castranova” that was the same as his grandma’s maiden name, so of course, a couple of bottles of that were added.

We heard the workers speaking Italian, heard the butcher screaming over to the seafood guy who was bantering with the market guy.  It was pure bliss and it just felt so right.  Not pretentious.  A real “family” feel.   We grabbed a deli sandwich to share and some fried smelts and calamari.  Seriously, who has smelts?!  It was like being home for the Christmas Seven Fish Dinner (what the hell is that?  Well, that’s an entirely different post, but this site is pretty funny and video might give you a flavor for what it is for Italian-Americans).

Thank you, Laurenzo’s Italian Market for lighting up our lives and also providing the ingredients for us to make this glorious meal.

The Meal: Bruschetta with prosciutto, fresh mozz and fresh basil.  Tomato pasta with spicy lemon garlic shrimp & spinach

The Details: We toasted the bruschetta, then rubbed garlic cloves over it, added the fresh mozz and put it under the broiler for a second. Then, added the prosciutto—it will melt right on to the mozz, but not dry out in doing it this way.  The tomato pasta was house-made at Laurenzo’s and the rest of the sauce was a one-pan creation.

The Verdict

• Bruschetta: 5 stars
• Pasta with Shrimp: 3 stars
• Would You Eat It Again?  Bruschetta, definitely.  Pasta, maybe with some tweaks.
• What Would You Change?  While we loved the “idea” of the tomato-flavored pasta, it wasn’t what we were hoping for.  I think the texture was a little gummy and the flavor wasn’t intense enough.  Also, from a visual standpoint, it was “off”, because the spaghetti sort of looked like carrots, creating a disconnect between what you were seeing and what you were tasting.  Next time, I’d probably opt for a traditional non-flavored pasta and throw in some tomatoes instead.

Bolognese meat sauce is the perfect Sunday Night meal. Maybe this weekend?

The Meal: homemade bolognese meat sauce over linguine. Shared with friends on a Sunday evening to unwind from a busy weekend and get charged up for Monday morning.

The Details: combination of pancetta, various ground meats, “soffritto”, fresh bay leaves and a slow 3 hour cooking time.

The Verdict:

• 5 stars
• Everyone joined the “clean plate club” this night and we purposely made extra so we’d have enough for “to-go” containers for lunch the next day.  Bolognese is the gift that keeps on giving.
• Would You Eat It Again?:  Everyone agreed, yes!
• What Would You Change?:  serve a nice light salad with this dish. Between the meat and pasta, it is quite a hearty dish and it’s nice to something light between bites.

Our “Mangia Memoir” (what we’ll remember):

Gathering around a table for dinner with friends on a Sunday night, makes it feel like family. It’s nice to have this Miami “family” to be able to relax, unwind and just feel at ease.   Kelvin smiled from ear to ear the whole night (because Bolognese is his favorite), while there was a silence over the table as everyone devoured their food. Sometimes, words aren’t really needed to feel completely content.

The Recipe: (inspired by Williams-Sonoma Pasta Cookbook)

What I changed from recipe below: substituted additional pork/beef instead of using veal because it can be pricey. I use half/half instead of heavy cream and totally skip on the veal demi-glace. I feel like there is enough going on this sauce, that for a normal night, we don’t need to spend another billion dollars or add another million calories.

Ingredients:

•  4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 thin slices pancetta, finely chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into small dice
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into small dice
• 1 celery stalk, cut into small dice
• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 lb. ground pork
• 1/2 lb. ground veal
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups unsalted beef stock or canned broth
• 2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
• 5 fresh sage leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup veal demi-glace
• 1 lb. homemade tagliatelle (see related recipe at left) or purchased fresh fettuccine
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

In a Dutch oven or large, heavy flameproof casserole dish over medium-low heat, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter with the olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté until just starting to crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté until aromatic and very lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the ground beef, pork and veal, stir to break up, season with salt and pepper, and add a generous pinch of nutmeg. Increase the heat to medium and sauté until the meat is lightly browned. Add the wine and simmer until it is almost evaporated.

Add the stock and cook until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes, sage and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 1 1/2 hours. If the sauce seems thin, cook it, uncovered, until thick and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Skim the surface of excess fat. Add the cream and demi-glace. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt the water, add the pasta and cook until al dente (tender but firm to the bite), 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the freshness of the pasta. Drain and transfer the pasta to a warmed large, shallow bowl. Add the remaining 2 Tbs. butter and 2 Tbs. of the cheese. Toss until the butter melts. Add the sauce and toss gently. Serve immediately. Pass the remaining cheese at the table. Serves 4 to 6.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Pasta, by Erica De Mane (Simon & Schuster, 2001)

I might not be a Latina, but my SOUL is. Rellenos de Papa are AMAZING!

When we visited Puerto Rico, our friend’s Irmaliz and Ignacio gave us the local tour. They introduced us to this roadside restaurant called “Donde Olga”. We relaxed and drank local beer called Medalla and had some Puerto Rican noshes. While dining outside, we enjoyed the cool breezes and scents of smoked meat and fried treats. We had tons of things we’d never heard of before… alcapurrias, chicken and beef pinchos, bacalaitos(salted cod fritters) and our favorite Rellenos de Papa (basically a stuffed and fried mashed potato, usually has beef).

Since, then I’ve heard the constant yearning from both of the gentlemen in the house for rellenos de papa.  So, on one random weeknight as a little surprise, I finally tried to make these things. And let me tell ya, it really was a pain in the A$$.   There are a lot of steps involved, but it was an adventure and I”m glad we tried.

This YouTube video from “Elba” is what I watched to get the jist of it.

The Meal: Rellenos de Papa

The Details: mashed potatoes stuffed with seasoned beef, rolled in to balls and fried.  We served over a nice light salad.  These little guys are a standalone meal.

The Verdict:

• 2-3 stars
• Given that is was our first time making these, I think we were did alright.  Were they as good as the ones we got in Puerto Rico?  Not even close.
• Would You Eat It Again? Yea, but would prefer eating them in Puerto Rico or a restaurant that has them down pat.
• What Would You Change? Ours were not as crispy as they needed to be and were a little dense, so we’d need to figure out how to get that nice crunch.  Probably use corn starch and a little more oil so they were submerged more and we didn’t have to roll them as much.

Our “Mangia Memoir” (what we’ll remember)

The smells that were taking over the house kinda took us back to that weekend we had in Puerto Rico.  And gathering around the kitchen, rolling, stuffing and frying these bad boys was really a group effort.  I think it made us appreciate these meat filled treasures a little more.