Latin-Restaurants
El Rey De Las Fritas !
Although I had lived in Tampa Bay for over 13 years , my first experience with this Cuban treasure was quite recently at El Rey de las Fritas in Hialeah while visiting South Florida !
Named appropriately , El Rey de Las Fritas was recently crowned winner of the annual Burger Beast Frita Show Down in South Florida ! We stopped by to see ( and taste ) what all the fuss was about , and owner Mercedes Gonzalez served us a delicious Frita Cubana / Cuban Burger ( Frita ).
For those of you that do not know what a Frita is , allow us to introduce you to this delicious and very popular Cuban dish . A Frita is a Cuban burger with a seasoned ground beef patty ( sometimes mixed with chorizo ) on Cuban bread topped with shoestring potatoes , lettuce , onions , and a spiced ketchup sauce .
If you are Frita lover , we highly recommend trying El Rey de Las Fritas , and if you haven ’ t tried them yet , what are you waiting for !? You don ’ t know what you have been missing !
El Rey De Las Fritas 421 West 29 Street in Hialeah , FL 305-863-0880
Piquant
In case you haven ’ t heard about it , Piquant is all the rage in Tampa ’ s Hyde Park area !
Delicious , Delicious , Deliciso !!!!!!!!!!!
There is just no other way to accurately describe Piquant ’ s menu ! LTM recently had the pleasure of visiting this French treasure ! I ( Jolie ) ordered the Smoked Chicken Salad Sandwich which is an all-natural Chicken Salad , Apple , Brie , Avocado on a Croissant . The combination of Chicken salad with the apple and brie was sweet to the taste and held a bit of tanginess that was mouth-watering . The Avocado made it perfection .
Of course , while at Piquant – since we are the creators of the World famous Cuban Sandwich Festival , so Victor tried the “ French Cuban ” – did it pass the Cuban Sandwich test ? Absolutely , the sandwich was a creative creation made up of Roast Pork , North Country Black Forest Ham , Gruyere , Pickled Onions , Chardonnay Mustard and Grilled Garlic Bread ! It was Yummmmy – this will make an excellent entry for the nontraditional Cuban Sandwich Festival !
Café con leche completed our exploration of French Cuisine and it too was perfection !
About the Chefs : They are not French , but Puerto Rican !
Piquant 1633 West Snow Avenue . Tampa , FL 3360 813-251-1777
Grill 116
Don ’ t let the out fool you , it ’ s plain on the outside , but very appealing on the inside !
The perfect place for a romantic dinner , the inside of the restaurant had a very dim interior that took a moment for our eyes to adjust to the lighting , we loved how the menu would light up when you opened it . The service was great , by far one of the best “ VIP Treatment ” we have ever received !
We loved everything we tried ! What we tried !
KONA STEAK 30 Oak Grilled Sliced Steak , Lightly Marinated in a Ginger Ale Soy Reduction , w / Caramelized Pineapple , Sticky Rice & Steamed Broccoli ( served w / House or Caesar Salad )
FRESH CHILEAN SEA BASS Mkt w / Steamed Broccoli & Mango Relish ( Chef recommends w / Spinach & Crab topping )
4 Hot Now ! House made Donuts 8 w / Caramel , Raspberry , & Chocolate Sauces ( OVER 100,000 Donuts Served !!!)
Grill 116 612 N Dale Mabry , Tampa , FL 33609