September 30th, 2009
In Florida…After 30 Years Friends Reunite…And Pick Up Where They Left off…This Post Is Not AboutmyBeaches, but AboutmyFriends…
Yes, after all these years, we got together again. It just started with Facebook, really. We figured that the next time we were in Florida we would try to connect. I went from Delray to Miami to visit Mary; Rosarito was coming from Puerto Rico. It really was no problem catching up. It was like time had stood still. We all had had families and gone in different directions. Some of us moved from the Island and made our homes in the States.
I have lived in Delaware longer than I ever lived in Puerto Rico and Mary has lived in Florida longer than she ever lived in Puerto Rico and Cuba. Rosarito and her husband have the travelling bug, so they are all over the place.
I grew up with these women in Puerto Rico; our neighborhood was so close to the center of the town; we walked everywhere. In younger days, we would ride bikes, rollerblade, read comic books and go to dances at San Antonio Abad. San Antonio was the boys’ school at the time. Those are the memories that are never forgotten.
So after I got to Mary’s house we started with the traditional Cuban coffee. We chatted and after some time we decided to take our conversation to a Cuban restaurant called Molina’s. This restaurant is located on 11995 S.W. 26th St. in Coral Way. Telephone is 305-207-8600. We got a nice quiet corner table and ordered some mariquitas. These are made out of plantains, shaved lengthwise and then deep fried. A dip of oilive oil, garlic and spices was served, as well.
For lunch we had the traditional Cuban Sandwich and the Media Noches (Midnights). Molina’s has great shakes made out of fresh fruit like papaya. We really had a nice lunch, finishing it with more Cuban coffee. That was a good idea because I was about to get on the turnpike at 4:00 p.m. and if you have ever been in South Florida at rush hour, you know that you better have a good dose of patience.
My husband wanted pasteles. These are a traditional Puertorican dish made with mashed plantain and other root vegetables with a filling of pork, ham, chickpeas, raisins, and olives. The mashed vegetables are spread on a banana leaf and then the filling is placed on top. It is wrapped and tied with a string. It looks like a “package”. It is boiled and then unwrapped on a plate. Very good. Just like in the picture. 
Sooo, off we go in search of the pasteles to Benny’s. This Puertorican restaurant is located on 2500 S.W. 107., #1, Miami, FL. Tel. 305-227-1232. Website is www.bennyseafood.com and the e-mail is bennyseafood@gmail.com. It is as the Time Center just a few minutes from Florida International University.
I got a dozen of the pasteles and we took off. What I did not know was that this restaurant can ship FedEx all over the United States and besides the pasteles they have Sorullos de Maiz that are a pseudo hush puppy, and morcillas among other Puertorican dishes. Morcillas are blood sausages. Please don’t gag, they are very good. What can I say? It’s the truth!!
One of their specialties is the Mofongo which is fried plantain, mashed with garlic, pork rinds, salt and olive oil. Some times bacon is added as well. It is served in a small mortar and depending on the restaurant, it will be served as a side dish or filled with seafood, meat, “salmorejo de jueyes” (land crab made with a creole type sauce).
This restaurant is well known. It was featured in the Food Network’s Diners, Drive ins and Dives with Guy Fieri. He is the one with the spiky blond hair that goes into all kinds of restaurants trying everything he can.
What a nice day!!! Soon I will be meeting Cuca, up north.
Note: We had 6 of the pasteles and I can tell you that everyone was very pleased.
Tags: appetizers, Caribbean Food, Carryout, entrees, Florida, lunch and dinner, Restaurant, Restaurants, Reviews
Just reading about it makes me hungry,thank God I just came from our beautiful island and had all that good food. Keep it going, is fun.
Hi. Good to see you commenting on the blog. Thanks a lot.
Hola Gloria,
Thank you for all your kind words, we are so pleased that you liked our home made “Pasteles” Benny & his Mom Ana take pride doing our own family recipe that has been passed on for over four generations. We used to put eggs and raisins but we had a few complaints, so we remove those items and since then they have been no complaint. We thank you for your continuing patronage and hope to see you soon.
Hola Wanda: Gracias por haber comentado en mi website. Si a la verdad que estaban muy buenos, asi que ya ordenare mas cuando venga la proxima vez. Saludos,
Hi Gloria: Gracias por todo lo que has escrito, me dio mucha alegria haber pasado una tarde tan agradable recordando nuestra juventud, espero verte en tu proximo viaje. Carinos,
Oh yes Was a nice day. Lindos recuerdos .A Benny voy a ir a comer pasteles…
Debes de ir porque estaban buenos y tienen muchas cosas mas. Ellos me escribieron porque yo les envie el review. Esta en la parte de los comentarios. Nos vamos hoy. Hasta luego.
Lo pasamos de lo mas bien. Gracias a Dios nos hemos encontrado nuevamente. Como da las vueltas el mundo. Nos vamos hoy. Ya te dejare saber las proximas fechas.
I was hoping for a picture of these old friends !!
You have to go to Facebook to see those. Check the Kupchick’s post.