Mi Pueblo @ Sarasota

After a long day at the Siesta Key beach, we were really hungry. We had already looked up this website and chose the dinner spot, even before we left Seattle.
Mi Pueblo is a wonderful restaurant that excels in both service and food. They have lots of vegetarian options for a really good price!  They even have a separate organic menu.
The restaurant has a spanish style elevation.
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And is decorated in a typical mexican style.

The waitress got us the chips and salsa. The chips were very light and not oily. The salsa was mildly spicy and very refreshing with the flavor of freshly chopped cilantro.

We chose the Veggie Fajita.

It is the best we have had so far. The sizzling platter had all kinds of veggies. And, they gave generous portions of gaucamole, sour cream, cheese, pico de gallo, rice and beans.

Here is picture of A's plate.

We were so stuffed in the end that we ditched considering a dessert. The best mexican restaurant in Sarasota, I say! Muy Delicioso!!!

Mazza @ Miami

Before heading on the long drive to Siesta Key, we refueled ourselves by having lunch at this middle eastern luncheon. We went in just for a take-out, but scanning through the menu made us drool over some entrees that we typically don't get in Seattle.
The take-out order was nullified and Veggie Kabob was called for. Yes, you heard that right. There IS some place that serves Vegetarian Kabobs!
A quick word about the ambience and the service - this is a casual dining restaurant which has a very fine decor.

The waitress brought out the pita bread basket. Er....but, how do we eat it, exactly? There is no Toom (garlic sauce) on the side. What about soup? No, no soup or salad. OK. So we just look at the pita bread and wait for the main course to come.

Another thing - the waitress was goofy and very sloppy. She was on her cellphone all the time, with her back to us, at one corner of the restaurant, arranging some cutlery simultaneously. I am not sure if it was her fault or the kitchen's, she got us the wrong order. We had to tear our voice box and scream "Excuse me!!" atleast three times to get her attention. Is this veggie kabob? I don't see any veggies here....said A, politely.

Hmmmm.....I'll check that for you, was all she said. After some time she came back with what looked like Veggie Kabobs. Phew! There was Hummus and Rice mixed with me Vermicilli on the side.

The food was very flavorful and every morsel was consumed with increasing gusto. The price was also very reasonable. This plate was less than $10. On the whole, food wise, a real good find.

Better Than Sex @ Key West

Better? No, not at all. This restaurant is over hyped. Honestly, they have a catchy name and attractive descriptions for their desserts, but it is something else.

A and I went hunting for this restaurant, just because I had heard great things about this place and I wanted to eat Better Than Sex @ Better Than Sex.Wish I had known better!
This is a dark, cozy little restaurant. The place is so dark; they actually give a flash light along with the menu!

And the waiters/waitresses are dressed in black too. The decor is all red.

You get it, don't ya? Everything here screams "Romance, Romance and more Romance!" All good so far. There is even a man with a guitar singing songs of the 80s....or was it the 90s..? Oh! Whatever!

The waiter came over. Everything on the menu is fresh and made in house - except the ice cream - he said, with the widest grin I have even seen. We ordered Better Than Sex. $13.95. Splurging once in while is OK...we tell each other.(Except "once in  while" comes too often.). Never mind. We are in for a special treat, we thought.

We entertained ourselves with the "Couple Talk" game that was kept on our table. It had a bunch of cards laden with questions. You are supposed to ask each other questions (like, what are the 10 things you want to do after retirement and when do you want to retire? ooooooh and A said he wants to travel, open a restaurant, buy a vacation home on the beach on some lovely island, travel and travel....Did I mention travel??) and have one of those man to woman and vice versa conversations. Of course, it wouldn't be possible if you are thinking too much about the dessert, instead.

It was quite sometime before the dessert arrived. No wonder they subtly suggest playing a game, by leaving one on your table.

One look at it and we frown. One bite later, Crapola! Did we order Brownies??? Is this what it is? You know what it says on the menu -

"Deep, Dark, Chocolate, Penetrates big bold Bing cherries swimming in a menage a trois of choclates and baked dark dense almond bread and butter. A bread pudding that melts in your mouth."

They gave us brownies and called it bread pudding? And for this we were made to wait so long? Oh puhleez! I didn't pay $13.95 for a couple of brownies topped with a couple of strawberries. Truly, a disaster. Never again.

Don't waste your time and money going to this place. If you really have to go, don't order "Better Than Sex". Because, it really is not!!!

El Meson De Pepe @ Keywest

So we walk and walk  and walk....and finally reach Mallory Square in time for sunset. The sun sets at around 7:45 pm. That leaves us about an hour and a half more.Oh, we have time...the sun is still up, said A. What should we do, I asked. We were outside El Meson De Pepe, a cuban restaurant. The menus were displayed outside and we gave it a quick read. A few appetizers are veggie.....lets ask if they can make anything vegetarian, said A.

This restaurnt is in a red bricked building.

They have outdoor seating, as well as few tables across the restaurant under some shady trees.

And then the usual indoor seating

After a quick chat with the maître d’, we came to know that some of the dishes could be made vegetarian. Alright, we are here just for some finger food, we said. You can look at the Antojitos, she said. We picked Tostones - Refried, flattened green plantains and Yuca Hervida o Frita - Boiled or fried yucca with onion mojo sauce.

We were first served bread and some kind of crackers, with the regular salsa and salsa verde.

And then, the rest of the food came. The Plantains,

and the Yucca.

Both were excellent! For ye meat lovers, they do have a huge menu! We ate a few bites and boxed the rest. The service was excellent. The waiter always grinned and reassure us - No meat in anything! - he chuckled.

Another great find!

Key Lime Pie Outlet @ Key West

Did you know that Key Lime pies originated in the Florida Keys? I didn't. Not until I visited the Keys.
Every where I looked around, there were shops selling Key Lime Pies. A few Key Lime Pie factories. That was when A pointed out they are named after the Keys!

We are not Key Lime Pie lovers, so bother to sample any. Then, there was this shop called Key Lime Pie Outlet run by Dave, which sold Cayman Island rum cakes.

We went in to take a look and bumped into this couple who said this shop has the best KLPs on the island.

Out of curiosity we got one too and were gobsmacked. A little too pricey at $5.95, but it had a carribean coconuty flavor and tasted fantastic. Dave was very chatty and helpful in suggesting places to dine at and even called the restuarant to make sure it was open, as it was quite late in the night.

And, you get a free coffee with it. That explains the $5.95 ;-). He insisted on eating it when it was still cold and offered to keep it in the refrigerator for us, if we planned to eat it a little later.

If you are visiting Key West, make sure to drop by for the best KLPs on the planet!

The Cafe @ Key West

After driving for hours, endlessly, with a few stops for pictures here and there, we finally reached Key West. TA folks were really awesome in suggesting all the good eateries in KW. Thanks a bunch, guys!

We were in KW the rest of the day and wanted to food hop and try out all the cool sounding resturants and cafes. Our first stop was at The Cafe. You can check out the menu here.

This is a vegetarian cafe that offers lots of vegan entrees; another fusion cuisine. Very laid back. A says that laid backness and island life go hand in hand. There were all kinds of paintings on the walls, fans to beat the heat and customer appreciations pinned up all over one of the walls. Very islandish.

We just wanted appetizers. We got the vegan spinach gyoza dumplings. Usually the gyoza dumplings at other restaurants are filled with meat. We were thrilled to find a veggie version and ordered that. It was paired with plum sauce.Fantastic.

And then the vegan hot Un-Wing Dings. Basically, it is grilled tofu tossed in the hot sauce that usually comes with chicken wings. It came with some celery sticks and bleu cheese on the side. Am not a fan of bleu cheese. The faux wings tasted delicious on their own.

The service was good and fast. They have a very extensive menu of sandwiches, pasta, pizza and salad. I wish we could sample a few more of their mouth watering entrees, but we were running out of time. I highly recommend this cafe if you are a vegetarian and are visiting KW.

Sublime @ Ft Lauderdale

We were in Florida for a week, exploring the atlantic coast, the gulf coast and Key West, and were enjoying the savor of the different cuisines. We were traveling the Bourdain way ;-). The very first evening we landed in Miami, we forayed to Sublime. We found this gem when we googled for vegetarian restaurants in Miami/Ft Lauderdale.

This restaurant has an amazing decor and the food is incredible! It is cholestrol-free, vegan and a fusion of everything you can find on earth!. The ingredients used are natural and organic! It all sums up to an upscale restaurant that stands out for its food and decor.

Talking about the decor, you will find cascading window waterfalls, skylights through which moonlight was streaming, Italian glass tiles, an open-hearth oven, and exotic trees reminiscent of a tropical rainforest.

The wait staff was quite knowledgable about the food and patiently answered our questions.The service was quick too.
We ordered the sublime ade to start with. It is a freshly squeezed lemonade. Very refreshing.

We were served a complimentary appetizer - pesto polenta. Basically, it was polenta marinated in pesto sauce, and the pesto was devoid of pine nuts.

We ordered the famous Frito Misto - crispy cauliflower tossed in sweet chili sauce, garnished with sesame seeds. It was outstanding!

For the main course, we got the Sublime Picatta - gardein cutlets, grilled asparagus, olive oil whipped potatoes and lemon caper sauce. The caper was sour and had a very interesting taste.Gardein is actually the "meat", a protein alternative made from transformed wheat and soy, floured and sauteed until a gentle crust forms, then combined with a well-balanced lemon caper sauce. It is something we have never had before and very outlandish!

And then for dessert, the Chocolate Nirvana - chocolate cake, Kahlua “butter creme”, dark chocolate ganache. It is dairy-free and I swear we would never have known the difference!

A: Can't believe this is vegan!
Me: I wish they gave the chocolate in a bowl, instead of making designs on the plate... Easier to lick it off, you know?

I was in heaven while drowning myself in every bite of this gorgeous looking dessert.

It came to $52 for the two of us with tax, but the experience was truly sublime. You can order anything of the menu and will never be disappointed. Nothing can ever go wrong at Sublime.

Tip - Follow them on twitter for some amazing coupons and deals!