August 4th, 2014
The height of the season and summer traffic can be a hair raising experience at the Delaware Beaches. Finding parking is frustrating.
I thought about Milton, Delaware….just up the road from the Delaware Beaches. This historic town was incorporated in 1807. Milton is situated at the head of the Broadkill River. It was settled in the 1600s, and it was named for the English poet John Milton. It has 198 homes on its National Register of Historic Places. Some of Milton’s homes range from one room dwellings to Victorian mansions; including the residences of 5 former governors.
The town prospered through shipping, shipbuilding and agriculture, which was supported by its inland port.
Last week my friend Cindi, who lives in Milton, and I decided to try the new Modern Mixture Too. Modern Mixture’s sister restaurant in Downtown Rehoboth Beach has been a total success bringing new ways to cooking healthy Latin Cuisine, but keeping the essence of the Latin Cooking…plenty of flavors.
It takes no time to drive to Modern Mixture Too, located at 102 Federal Street, Milton, Delaware. Tel.302-664-1228. Milton is small and that small town atmosphere is what attracted me to meet my friend. Having grown up in a small town I understand and enjoy the quietness that late afternoon and early evenings bring to these small towns.
It was so nice to be able to sit outside, enjoying homemade Sangria, nachos and a cool summer night.
Inside Modern Mixture Too offers plenty of seating with comfortable booths and bar.
This is the friendly staff that will be taking care of you in English or Spanish.
One of my favorites are the tamales prepared in-house. On that particular day they had just finished vegetable tamales. So, Cindi and I had those for appetizers. Starting our evening with a little heat is always good. Tamales are amazig when they are freshly made.
Cindi decided on the Alambre Argentino which had grilled carne asada, bacon, chorizo, red onions, bell pepeprs, topped with Chihuahua cheese and gaucho chimichurri. It was served with rice, black beans, tortillas and guacamole.
Mine was the Veggie Alambre, which was full of vegetables but no meat. It had just the right amount of spices and it really was so good. Thanks for the recommendation!!
Even though we were tempted with desserts….and believe me they have very good ones, Cindi and I decided that we were completely satisfied.
An order to go of the Alambre Argentino was also very well received in my household.
The prices are reasonable, the food is delicious, served with plenty of free smiles.
Cheers!! Gracias Amigos.
May 8th, 2013
El sabor de la comida latina no tiene limites. Las combinaciones de especies e ingredientes…el aji, ya sea dulce o picante, hace una fiesta por si sola en el paladar. Oh wait a minute, I am supposed to be writing in English. I guess I got caught up in the moment.
Papa Grande’s is the new sister restaurant brought to Southern Delaware by Matt Haley, Owner/Executive Chef of SoDel Concepts Restaurant Group. It is scheduled to open before Memorial Day. This marks the first Latin inspired concept within the group’s brand profile and the 7th restaurant in total.
“Papa Grande’s brought a cultural swing to our family of restaurants. It offers the same clean design style, authentic food and excellent experience that we have become known for with our customers,” stated Matt Haley, Owner/Executive Chef.
Inspired by the spirit and flavors of the Hispanic culture, Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria provides an authentic version of Latino cooking and cuisine. The menu offerings will be 80 percent hardcore authentic coastal taqueria with main dishes like Whole Fish Veracruz or Chicken Mole served with rice, beans and zucchini, ranging in price from $14 – $21 per entree. The remaining 20 percent of the menu offerings is fun, with Scrapple Apple, Belly clams or SPAM tacos. The generous taco menu selection has 15 – 18 options and the Starters range from Jicama sticks to roasted pardon peppers and Chorizo empanadas. Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria menu will be consistent with the rest of the SoDel Concepts’ restaurants by offering affordable and locally grown plates and tastes. To take a peek at the menu, please visit http://www. papagrandes.com/menu.
On the bar side, Papa Grande’s will be topping off the Latin cuisine with an expansive, authentic Tequila selection complimented by Tequila and Rum tasting menus. To sweeten the pot even further, the bar features a fresh sucar cane machine offering a little crushed-to-order food theater experience for guests. Check the website http://www.papagrandes.com.
 Trapiche for sugar cane. For back-of-the-house news at Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria, Matt Haley brought SoDel Concepts’ Corporate Chef, Doug Ruley, in as a partner on this venture. The two worked with renowned chefs at the Texas branch of the Culinary Institute of America to create a menu reflective of the traditions and home-style roots of the Latin American people.
In partnership with the Global Delaware Fund, http://www.globaldelawarefund.com, SoDel Concepts has pledged that a percentage of all profits from Papa Grandes will be donated to a scholarship program that will benefit underpriviledged Hispanic children.
Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria is located at 38929 Madison Avenue in Fenwick Island, Delaware by the Route 54 bridge, across the parking lot from Catch 54, one of its sister restaurants. It was reconstructed out of an antique barn that sat on the site, using reclaimed wood and glass from the former structure. There are 2 stories, with wrap around decks and unique, functional, glass garage doors that open up to offer guests the complete outdoor dining experience. Boats are welcome, just pull up to the dock, tie up and pop in. More info? Papa Grande’s does have catering and private dining, as well. Call 302-436-7272.
Buen provecho!!
April 29th, 2013
I will be the first one to tell you that when I first tasted “mole”, let’s say I was not that thrilled. Was it a sauce to cover otherwise a tasteless piece of beef or chicken? Over the years I have learned to acquire the taste. So many variations of this sauce…some nutty, sweeter, more cumin, less cinnamon. Mine just has a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder and brown sugar. Not traditional but it tastes good.
The pork mole is gluten free; so is the rice timbale and salsa. Make sure your store bought ingredients are gluten free. It also does not take long to make, either. Pretty easy and tasty, actually.
You can make both dishes at the same time or start with the pork mole, keeping it warm while making the rice. Make it your own, remember?
PORK MOLE!!
1 1/4 lbs. pork tenderloin. Cut into bite size pieces
1 teaspoon crushed garlic (store bought or your own)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, no salt added (No salt added stewed tomatoes can be substituted.)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teasppon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar, lightly packed (Splenda has a Brown Sugar substitute that can also be used.)
Spray or lightly oil a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until the pork is no longer pink. Stir occasionally.
Add garlic and oion and cook for a couple of minutes until tender and lightly browned.
Add remaining ingredients, bring mixture to a boil. Then, reduce and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
SALSA & RICE TIMBALE
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 red pepper, seeded and finely diced
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (store bought or your own)
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 cups low sodium, chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2-3 cups fresh salsa
In a medium sauce pan heat oil over medium-low heat. Add the red pepper, shallots and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Add rice and stir well. Add the stock, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for about 17 minutes, until rice is tender.
Mix in the cilantro.
Spray or lightly oil (your preference), the timbales (tartlet pans), or ramekins. You might need 40 to 6 depending on size.
Once rice is ready, mix one cup of the fresh salsa into the rice. Then, spoon rice into the timbales, pressing down firmly with the back of a spoon. Turn one timbale on each serving plate to unmold and garnish with the rest of the salsa.
Place 1/2 – 1 cup of the pork mole on the plate.
I served mine with sauteed spinach….it gave it more color!! Cook your favorite veggie!
Note: I bought “fresh salsa” from the supermarket, by the vegetables…or, you can prepare your own.
Enjoy!!
August 15th, 2012
It was time to say “until next time” to Colorado. After coming down from Rocky Mountain National Park, we decided to stop by Cuba Cuba and have our last dinner in Downtown Denver. My friend, Marisa, knows the owner and she said that it was the best Latin restaurant with awesome Mojitos in Denver.
Cuba Cuba is located at 1173 Delaware St., Denver, CO 80204. Tel. 303-605-2822. Website? http://www.cubacubacafe.com.
When I saw that Cuba Cuba was located on Delaware St., I started to smile. Delaware is where I live. The restaurant is in 2 historic homes. So quaint and very tropical.
The walls show their Latin style.
 
The Bar is popular. Cuba Cuba has an extensive offering of Rums. They also have Rum Flights. Martinis like the Cafe con Leche Martini and the Cafetini are also on the drink menu.
Mojito Happy Hour is Monday – Thursday from 5 p.m. until 6:15 p.m. My friends, Cindi and Marisa, decided to start with one of those Mojitos. They both agreed that they were delicious.
We were seated in their outdoor patio, which was shielded by a canopy. Perfect for dinner on a summer Colorado evening. There is indoor dining available, as well. A few tables are also set up at the bar.
The appetizers we ordered were:
Yuca Frita, which were hand cut cassava fries tossed in garlic mojo. Yuca is a root vegetable. It is starchy so you have to be careful how too cook it so it does not become too dry. I found this particular one a little to dry for my taste. I could not find the garlic mojo in them.
Mariquitas Cubanas. These were plantain chips with avocado mash and house mojos (garlic, mango/citrus). They were good and the mojos were delicious. I borrowed some of their mojos for the Yuca Frita.
My friend Marisa loves Ropa Vieja. She kept calling it Ropa Sucia. Too funny. She had had this entree at Cuba Cuba plenty of times so she was confident it was going to be sooooo good. The Ropa Vieja had shredded beef sauteed in tomato creole sauce, served with white rice, black beans and tostones. You could tell Marisa did not like it. First she likes her Ropa Vieja with ground beef. Secondly, she usually has had it served over the rice, and the tostones were too thick. I took a taste of the Ropa Vieja; not much flavor.
Latin food is one of the most flavorful; definitely there was a lot missing. It looked good but it left her disappointed.
I decided to order the Paella with calamari, mussels, mahi mahi and chicken. It also had Spanish chorizo. It was prepared with sofrito, saffron and Valencia rice. Bland and more bland. More saffron was needed, garlic, and possibly more sofrito. Paellas are also full of flavor. Sorry to say, this was, definitely, lacking flavor. You could have called this dish seafood, chicken and rice. But, not a paella.
When my friend was asked by our server how the dinner was, she decided to tell her. I chose not to say anything. I was enjoying my dinner with friends and that’s all I cared about.
Our server mentioned that there was a new chef. She also wanted to hear the comments.
Cindi, was totally happy with her Camarones al Coco. They were pan seared shrimp, sauteed with garlic, tomatoes, ginger, coconut milk and peppers, served over a potato mash.
For our sweet ending we ordered a Tres Leches to share. This dessert was excellent. Tres Leches is a cake, filling and topping, using 3 milks; whole milk, condensed milk and evaporated milk.
A decaf espresso, was the perfect ending to our meal.
After some time, and with the help of those mojitos……one might try to play bongos.
It was time to go home and pack; but not before we took pictures of others we met who were enjoying an evening with friends, as well.
Then, they took our pictures too. That’s what you do when on vacation….
Talk to you later…
Note: Cuba Cuba offers catering and has plenty of space for private parties.
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