miami
streets . To escape Miami ’ s balmy weather , head to Azucar Ice Cream , where owner Suzy Batlle uses fresh , local ingredients for a ‘ farm to cone ’ experience . Batlle digs deep into her Cuban-American roots to create flavours like ‘ Cuatro Leche ’ ( a take on a Cuban tres leches cake featuring a cafe con leche made with rich , strong Cuban coffee and Oreo cookies ), and the ‘ Burn in Hell , Fidel ’ — rich chocolate ice cream with a great kick of cayenne pepper which tingles the lips , before the cool sweetness of the ice cream cools the tongue before things get too spicy .
A few blocks east , Cafe La Trova , named after Cuban ‘ trova ’ music , offers an immersive supper club experience . James Beard-winning chef Michelle Bernstein has teamed up with world-renowned mixologist Julio Cabrera to create a menu that elevates staples like croquetas and ropa vieja ( shredded beef and vegetables ) and drinks such as mojitos . La Trova offers live music nightly , with band members playing on a stage festooned with a laundry line filled with clothes as if you ’ re partying on the streets of Havana circa 1957 . At the bar , Cabrera and his fellow cantineros ( bartenders ) throw together daiquiris — tossing the liquid from shaker to shaker in a spectacular feat of showmanship . From time to time , the cantineros join the band , playing percussion instruments from behind the bar . The arroz con pollo is the standout dish — a steaming offering fragrant saffron rice accompanied by half a succulent free-range chicken that ’ s been deboned .
It might be slightly counter-intuitive , but for the best Jamaican jerk chicken , you have to travel to Little Haiti . Pearline Murray and her late husband , Clifford , opened Clive ’ s Cafe in the late 1980s in Miami ’ s Wynwood neighbourhood . A few years ago , the little restaurant relocated to Little Haiti . Decorated in wood panelling , with a sound system consisting of a radio playing reggae images : getty ; awl images ; stockfood ; alamy . Words : Farida zeynalova
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