Food for Thought: West Ave Cafe

September 6, 2012

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west cafe

Miami certainly boasts some of the finest restaurants in the world including a variety of unique dining choices and West Avenue Cafe is one of them. This charming restaurant, located on West Ave. between 9 and 10th streets, is Kosher and is the rare place that will please both vegetarians and carnivores. They even have a menu which offers gluten-free, vegan and gluten-free vegan options.

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J and I went on a week night and were seated at a table in the center of the handsomely appointed café. We started off with the Middle Eastern Platter, which includes falafel, babaganoush, hummus, tabouli and Israeli salad with grilled pita and chips ($ 14.95). They were out of falafel that night, but that was fine by us, as there was enough of a variety for us to enjoy. The creamy babaganoush, with its earthy, smokey flavor, was a definite standout.

For my main course, I decided to go gluten-free/vegan and ordered the Chinese Fried Quinoa ($16.95). The hearty dish was filled with chopped sautéed vegetables, corn and pecans mixed with organic Quinoa, toasted in a light ginger sauce. For those who don’t know, Quinoa is a grain-like food that is known to be extremely healthy as it’s a complete protein. I first learned about it years ago when I took a vegetarian cooking class and I fell in love with it. The Quinoa in my dish meshed well with flavorful veggies and sweet, light ginger sauce. It was a satisfying meal.

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J decided to stick with his meat-eatin

For dessert, we decided to stick with a healthy-type theme. I chose one of their fresh juices—with beets and greens and J ordered their House Lemonade which was a fresh mix of lemonade and strawberries. They also offer a variety of smoothies and drinkers needn’t fret, as cocktails are also available.g ways and ordered the Steak Churrasco ($29.99) which was a large portion of grilled skirt steak that comes with your choice of chimichurri sauce or of sautéed mushrooms and onions. All entrees are served with sautéed julienne vegetables or salad and choice of either a baked sweet potato, brown rice, quinoa, french fries, tostones or mashed potatoes. J chose chimichurri sauce for his steak and tostones as his side and cleaned his plate.

A full brunch menu is offered at West Avenue Café and they are participating in Miami Spice, which is happening through Sept. 30. They have a three course lunch available for $19 and a three course dinner for $33, so now is a great time to go by and check out this Miami Beach gem.

Fussy eaters and those with a special diet will rejoice when they dine at West Avenue Café. It’s a cool healthy place, where carnivores will also leave satisfied.

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