Doce Provisions in Little Havana

Made my way out to newbie Doce Provisions in Little Havana. They occupy the space where Little Bread used to be, 541 SW 12th Ave. Owned by husband and wife team Justin Sherrer (head chef at Cinebistro) and Lisetty Llampalla this restaurant is a great addition to the slowly evolving neighborhood. The menu is Miami inspired, with dishes like lechon asado buns and coconut rum tres leches. Let's refer to it as a sort of Cuban gastropub. Inside you will find a few tables, barstools, and an open kitchen to see the good eats being prepared right in front of you. I preferred the outdoor seating area, accessible via the back door of the restaurant. The patio has mismatched tables and local wall art that give it a cool vibe, the restaurant has live music on Friday nights outdoors as well.

On to the food. Wow just Wow, as soon as you look at the menu you'll be in a dilemma.... not knowing what to order! Everything sounds so unique and delicious. I decided to order only a few items as I automatically knew I'd be coming back even before trying the food. We ordered the Lechon asado buns to start, disco truffle fries, short rib burger and little bird fried chicken. The lechon asado buns were more pork belly than what I consider lechon asado but still delicious, the pineapple confit and carrot habanero are the perfect compliment, giving you that sweet put slightly spicy kick. The disco truffle fries with gravy, chives and parmesan cheese were great, the fries were not greasy, the gravy was not too heavy and the chives gave it an extra bit of freshness. My favorite of the night was the little bird fried chicken with sweet plantain waffle, pickled peppers, guava jelly and sriracha honey. The fried chicken is cooked and seasoned perfectly, crunchy outside, moist meat, slight spice on the breading. The waffles were fluffy, slightly crunchy, with the plantains actually on the side. When taking a bite you want to get a little bit of each component of the dish in one, trust me, you will have a party in your mouth. My husband ordered the short rib burger which I took a bite of, the burger was cooked as ordered, and the queso frito with the truffle aioli was the perfect pairing.

I am ecstatic that Doce provisions is in my neck of the woods and I definitely see ourselves becoming regulars.

Where had you been all my life?

I had the opportunity to stop by Spitfire Doner Kebab on Friday night and let's just say Germany was holding out on us. The restaurant is owned by Oliver and Aaron, two very nice guys from Germany with a passion for good eats. Oliver's family owns a few doner kebab restaurants in Germany, and when he noticed there were none in South Florida he knew that was unacceptable and aimed to fix the void by opening up Spitfire with his business partner. 

Doner kebab in Germany and most of Europe is what McDonald's is to us in the states, they're everywhere. However, the quality is nowhere near McDonald's, their delicious meat is cooked on the spitfires every day, the bread is baked in house daily and the ingredients are fresh.

Little history on doner kebabs: they originated in turkey, back in the days of the Ottoman Empire. After World War II a mass migration of Turks brought the food to Germany. Currently, Germany is responsible for its global presence. 

Why the spitfires? Turning the meat spit vertically keeps flames in check and washes the meat in a yummy fat bath.

When you visit spitfire I recommend ordering the original doner. You can choose either chicken or beef which will go inside a pocket style bread (not quite a pita.) Then it's topped with cabbage, red onions, tomatoes, cucumber and tzatziki (I also asked for their spicy sauce.) Their menu isn't limited to just the original doner kebab, you can also have a salad or bowl. I find interesting the fries bowl, fries topped with all that goes inside the doner! There are also vegetarian options available and they just started serving wine and beer.

So make your way out to spitfire, one bite and you'll be hooked!

Spitfire - 405 15th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139.