“I need a blurb from you about Versailles.”
This request came from my friend (the amazing Cuban chef and cookbook author) Ana Quincoces. She was working on a TOP SECRET project and thought I might have something to say about my favorite Cuban restaurant in Miami.
Me: “Tell me what you're doing, so I can put it in context.”
That's when she began to reveal that she was working on a…..(wait for it….) Versailles Cookbook! *insert heavenly choir here*
Me: “Seriously? What a cool project. I suppose I could give you a blurb. But if we're talking Versailles on Calle Ocho, I could do an entire homage without breaking a sweat, but that's not important right now.”
Versailles. It's usually the first place we visit when we arrive in Miami (Hello, Cuban food!) and the last place, too. (Pan con Bistec for the plane ride home.)
Versailles. The first item on our long list of Miami Rules.
Versailles. Of the iconic etched mirrors and the perfect cortadito.
Versailles. Always packed at any time of the night or day. Filled with the sounds of my people. Their loud and inimitable voices raised in conversation, argument, and laughter.
Versailles. The geographical epicenter of our exile.
Me: “I wrote a post about why I couldn't live in Miami and my lack of self-control when it comes to Cuban food in general and Versailles in particular.”
Me, quoting myself: “It's like the Cuban Mecca and I am a faithful pilgrim.”
The next thing I know, I'm being quoted in the Miami Herald in an article titled Versailles: 40 years serving food with a side of politics. (I know. Shut. UP.)
From the article:
“When no one knew who he was, Julio Iglesias used to come and sit here and eat,” Valls Sr. remembers.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush is still a regular, and “although I’m a Republican,” Valls Sr. notes, President Clinton has been here three times. Famous chefs like the Food Network’s Bobby Flay make Versailles a mandatory pitstop on visits to Miami.
“It’s like the Cuban Mecca and I am a faithful pilgrim,” says Californian Marta Darby, who writes the blog “My Big, Fat, Cuban Family.”
(emphasis mine)
I'd like to just point out right now that they mention me in the same section as the other famous people who have eaten there, but that's not important right now. 😉
Ana: “I think we got your blurb.”
Then she went on to tell me that she's still working on the Versailles book and that they're having a big party at the Calle Ocho restaurant this week to celebrate and that they're hoping that….(wait for it….) Andy Garcia will write the forward.
- Thing 1) Out-of-my-skin excited to be included in this wonderful project.
- Thing 2) Andy Garcia and I might be published in the same book. (One degree closer, people.)
- Thing 3) Versailles is 40 years old.
I think we need to celebrate, don't you? I wish the Versailles book existed already and I had that to give away, but it has not been published yet, but I do have the next best thing:
An autographed copy of Ana's iconic Cuban Cookbook: Sabor! A Passion for Cuban Cuisine. (Thank, Ana!)
Of course, I'm especially proud of having My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Torrejas featured in this beautiful cookbook, but that's not important right now, either.
(Page 204 – 205, por si las moscas….) =D
So, to enter this comment drawing, answer the following question:
- When you celebrate a special occasion, what's on the menu?
Remember that if you want to enter the drawing for the cookbook, you must leave a comment on this post and I'll choose a winner on Sunday, July 17th, 2011 at 5 pm Pacific.
Happy Birthday, Versailles!
Con muchisimo cariño,
Marta
When we celebrate a special occasion we got to have on the menu yuca con mojo, moros, and lechon. For dessert it’s always flan or natilla oh and can’t forget to end the meal with a cafecito.
Any special occasion is marked with Arroz con Pollo a la Chorera made by Abuela! A few slices of fresh pan cubano on the side. Who needs anything else? Don’t forget the colada as a night cap! 🙂
Whenever we have any sort of celebration we have trays and trays of patelitos. All kinds: guava, guava with cheese, my husband’s favorite-coconut, meat, etc. We live in central Florida in a very rural (read non Hispanic) community with 1 Cuban bakery 30 moles away. Needless to say when we have gatherings here, everyone comes.
Why didn’t I read blogs when I lived in Miami (1997-99)? I would drive by Versailles (I lived in Coconut Grove) but I had NO IDEA! I have never been there and that makes me so sad. Two years of opportunity, wasted.We make cream cheese stuffed bacon wrapped jalapenos for special occasions. With lowfat cream cheese, of course.
Lechon, arroz y frijoles y platanos. Is there any other choice?
When I was younger, special occasions were always marked with homemade bocaditos and croquetas made by my mom.Later, when my father bought a bakery, special occasions were marked by his bocaditos, croquetas, pastelitos de carne, and pastelitos de guayaba.
Now that I am in Raleigh and food is not as readily available, my go-to items are empanadas de carne, as well as empanadas de guayaba. My American neighbors love it!
Rabo Encendido, Moro, Tostones, Ensalada de tomate y aguacate and of course…Cuban Bread.
Happy Birthday, Versailles! How well I remember my dining days at the restaurant. I I still miss it to this day…but I always visit when I am in Miami. Great place and great fun, plus I always run into friends while there. Now I am in Tampa, FL, and thank goodness, I can still get my cuban fix, but Versailles still holds a very special place in my heart! Happy Birthday again. And, anytime I we have a party we always have to have los pastillitos de carne y un brazo jitano, my mom’s favorite and mine too.
the main dish depends on the main reason. por ejemplo, any of the holidays it’s the pernil and the must haves arroz, frijoles, ensalada, pan cubano and my killer rum cake. any other occassion depends on who’s it for: my sweetie- lasagna (with platano maduros por supuesto), my daughter- ham in my mango sauce, daughter in law- rabo, son- lengua; you get the point. really, anytime we get together it’s a food feast- prueba que somos Cubanos!!!
Happy Birthday Versailles! Wish I could be there tonight for their celebration:/On special occasions we do Ropa Vieja, rice w/ black beans, yuca with mojo and flan, always flan!
Unless it’s Christmas, of course, where the paleta de puerco is shown off with all the other Cuban additions!
special occasion celebration? whenever there is a get-together…whether its a birthday or someone is drving the 45 mins up from Miami to visit or we have mustered to get atleast 6 out of 8 of the Cardounel Siblings together…its always a special occasion in our house {or as we call it…grand central station}…Mami usually makes her awesome Congri’ (which was passed down to her fro my Abuela Caridad who used to make the best frijoles negros in town) … Papi helps Mami with the Paleta de Puerco (he cooks pretty good!)and Jessi, my lil sister, is the queen of the sweets. Either guayaba or mango or coco or something gooey…(actually Jessi makes more than sweets..she should of been a chef)
I wish mami made Abuela’s torrejas but those are once a year. Actually…anything they make is divine so i have numerous petitions. Hence, you notice that I dont come up cooking anything, that is on purpose and by law in my parents house…I didnt inherit that gene…..i inherited a big fat ‘other’ gene… I make the mixed drinks.
My suegra makes unos espaghettis to die for. it’s really like a cuban style fetuccini carbonara, but the cubanness oooozes out of the dish. she makes them by the truckload to feed our family – all blood relatives – of 30. yes, 30 on a sunday. and i still wonder why sunday dinners are so hard to manage. well, that’s for another post. pick me!
Happy Birthday Versailles! There are many cuban restaurants in Miami, but there is something special about the atmosphere at Versailles. It is a special experience. There’s the food. Boliche, what else, nobody makes boliche as delicious as Versailles. And breakfast, the banana shakes, huevos y jamon! I remember it as if it were yesterday. It’s a place I try to bring others every time I visit Miami. Versailles, can you come to N.C.?
Hi Martha,When we celebrate we always have either moros, with maduros and lechon and flan for dessert, which my mom makes or Arroz con Pollo a la Chorera (not sure if spelled right), which my sister in-law makes. They are both great dishes!! I’m always in charge of the dessert, which is usually flan, because I can’t cook Cuban food. I need to learn!!
You’re the best!!
Lory
My husband loves to make lechon in his home made pig cooker thingy. So we just add moros, yucca, tostones or mariquitas. And of course deliciously soft pan Cubano! I make a killer flan, so that is a given!
When I celebrate special events, I cook all kinds of crazy stuff, never Cuban, because I just can never get it right. When my FAMILY celebrates, it’s usually with my Tio’s Arroz Imperial, maduros, y mariquitas we get from the nearest Cuban restaurant. Also, we have to have pastelitos de queso crema from Palm Springs bakery. I have been to countless celebrations with that exact menu.
When we celebrate a special ocassion, always on the menu are the pastelitos, croquetas and tamalitos. Our cakes are always flan or flan cheesecake if not of merengue filled with natilla!
Arroz con Pollo, freshly baked pan and of course, flan!
Every special occasion was always full of mom’s Cuban food and of course, pastelitos and a Cuban style cake with natilla (bien mojadito) from Porto’s!
We always do una piernita de puerco with Arroz blanco y frijoles Negros.
Happy Birthday Versailles!When we were younger, my family would cook a special meal that included the staples of Cuban food, either Arroz con Pollo or una paletica de puerco with black beans and rice. I have to say that we eat Cuban a lot living in Miami, so now a days, we like to go to different places to celebrate. But Noche Buena is always celebrated with a roasted pig!!! And we always stop by Vicky Bakery and get pastelitos, croqueticas and cangrejitos to take to any gathering we have. These are always welcomed. 🙂
Besote, Ody
Oh, how I miss Versailles and all the Cubanness of Miami (moved away 5 years ago). For special occasions, lechon, arroz con frijoles negros and platanitos! (or ropa vieja, or picadillo, or rabo encendido, or boliche, etc etc etc) Cuban food is amazing!
Ahhh…. Versailles and your malangitas fritas and croquetas!!!For speaial occasions other than my bday when my mom makes bistec empanizado, my mom makes her paleta de puerco… Yum!! We also found a bakery here in Miami that makes these sandwich type pastries that are delish… Pastry like a pastelito on the bottom ham cheese mayo toped with a merenguito! OMG! (think they Argentinian)
The menu always changes depending on who or what were celebrating, but there is always flan on the menu. It is an absolute favorite.
For special occasions we love our old fashion traditional foods: Arroz con Pollo or lechon, rice and black beans and of course platanitos… Let’s not forget some cuban bread and a salad. For dessert my uncle makes an awesome – flan!Happy Birthday Versailles… I love your food too!
I live in Miami and haven’t been to Versailles as an adult! Now that I recently married my gringo husband, we will have to go there!
For birthday celebrations etc. gotta have pastelitos, croquetas y bocaditos. Holidays and just Sundays when we are all together it must be arroz blanco, garbanzos for my oldest daughter and frijoles negros for everyone, maduros y of course lechon asado. We also keep cuban bread (when we can get it) or some suitable (you gotta talk yourself into it) substitute, and the plancha for pan con lechon o cubanos for later……and of course, flan de leche. I grew up in Chicgo and every summer we would drive down to Miami, stay on North beach (El Castaway) for 2 weeks of visiting and Versailles!
At our house celebrations include…Tamales & emapandas for appetizer. Then Bistec Empanizado, Congri Oriental, Avocado Salad and Pan de Agua. Finally for dessert it’s Pudin de Pan or Arroz con Leche 🙂