Coral Gables Restaurant Week

It's here again! Downtown Coral Gables is celebrating their 8th Annual Coral Gables Restaurant Week, presented by Bacardi USA. It's a great time to see for yourself how much foodier this part of town has become in recent years, and how many great dining options are now available. Going on since June 8th until June 28th, 2015, they have added a number of new delectable restaurants to the roster, and some unique, exciting events. This year, they have expanded to give foodies three whole weeks to taste their way through Coral Gables, making it easier to savor as many new eateries as possible, while going back to visit old favorites again and again. The best part, is that all of this happens for an amazing prix-fixe menu at a discounted price.

Let the crawling begin...

A group of media folk were invited to participate in a Blogger Crawl to get a taste of what the lunch and dinner menus looked liked in several of the restaurants. I was one of the lucky ones who had to wear stretchy pants and low heels to the event, in order to balance my growing self. By the end of the evening, we had tried several appetizers, a slew of entrees and a good helping of desserts, giving us a pretty good idea of how awesome Coral Gables Restaurant Week was going to be. 

Dinner and a serenade? Ay ay ay...I'm off to
Spain with these cuties called Tuna en Miami

This year, guests can enjoy a classic BACARDI and Coke, the official cocktail of Coral Gables Restaurant Week and/or a MARTINI Prosecco, their featured wine along with their menu options. Because we were all 21 years of age or older, (me just barely), we got to pair our meals with some refreshing alcoholic libations. That just added to the fun. So grab a mumu, head to the Gables, and pig out. If you want to map out your debauchery first, visit their website to find out what restaurants are participating and check out their menus. In the meantime, drool a little over everything I ate.....

Salpicon de Mariscos

Huevos Bulla

At BULLA Gastrobar, the menu includes their award-winning Salpicon de Mariscos (won Best Taste at Taste of the Gables) consisting of tender grilled octopus, tasty jumbo lump crab meat, shrimp, bell peppers, fresh lemon, oregano and olive oil.. They also bring their popular Huevos Bulla to the show, joining together in true Spanish style a poached egg, some homemade potato chips and serrano ham, all drizzled in truffle oil and topped with potato foam. Last but certainly not least, you'll be able to bite into their Bulla Sliders, prepared with beef, pork veal and mushroom patties, piquillo peppers, caramalized onions, crimini port reduction, and tetilla cheese in between homemade garlic herb bread. They are served with Portobello fries.

Bulla Slider

Blue Cheese Wedge

Field Greens

At Bricktop's, we sampled all the items from the three courses of their dinner menu. To start, they offer one of three salads: Hearts of Romaine Caesar, Field Greens or a delicious Blue Cheese Wedge. As an entree, you can choose either Prime Meat Loaf "BT Specialty", juicy fall off the bone Baby Back Ribs, Parmesan Crusted Chicken or fresh Scottish Salmon. The entrees come with a side of Mashed Potatoes or Cole Slaw. To end the meal, you can choose a scoop of the ice-cream from "The Ice Cream Club" (flavors change daily). Not bad for $45. (Add $9 if you want to pair it with Bacardi and Coke.

Hearts of Romaine  Caesar

Prime Meat Loaf "BT Specialty"

Baby Back Ribs

Scottish Salmon

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

At the Cafe at Books & Books, we sampled their Shrimp & Avocado Tartine. It was one tasty bite, made with fresh shrimp, avocado, tomato, a basil pesto that rocked, and garlic aioli on a grilled ciabatta. My favorite part was the pesto, and I now have a pending breakfast with the owner where we will have it with toast and a capuccino. I'm not letting you forget... The bite was paired with a cold Ulinta Baba Black Lager.

Our next crawl stop was OBBA Sushi & More, the newest addition to the Gables area. First and foremost I have to say the place is beautiful. They really took great care in designing the spot and giving it a look that stands out. We were all very impressed when we walked in.

We were greeted with a creamy lemon cocktail that had us puckering our lips in pleasure and then got down to business to sample some of the items they are offering for Coral Gables Restaurant Week. We tried the Crispy Canape, a bite filled with textural euphoria made with crispy rice and steamed shrimp, cilantro, scallions, sundried tomatoes,

spicy mayo, and a Yuzu oil dressing. We also tried the Yellowtail Guacamole Tartar, prepared with yellowtail, masago, avocado, shizo, sesame, sriracha, microgreens, cucumber and ginger yuzu. It had an awakening kick to it. Next on the spoons was their OBBA Sandwich (this one blew my mind). I loved the taste of the shrimp tempura, spicy krab salad, and avocado and chives with a spicy katzu mayo. The last spoon on the plate was the sweet finale; a Banana Tempura made with their special batter fried banana. Can't wait to return to this place soon for the full experience.

Croquetas Cabrales

Pork Tenderloin

Eggplant Chips

Last on the crawl was La Taberna Giralda. It was a fabulous place to end our adventure because it was filled with wine, more great food, and fun entertainment. The cute singers from Spain, Tuna en Miami, sang some popular favorites and made us laugh with their charming personalities. It turns out this restaurant hosts flamenco dancing a couple of times a week, so it's a great spot to chill and enjoy some authentic Spanish cuisine. We tried three dishes from their special menu: the Croquetas Cabrales, crispy on the outside and filled with the Spanish version of blue cheese, sitting on a drizzle of pear jam; their famous Eggplant Chips with honey (perfect for watching movies on the couch); and the Pork Tenderloin topped with manchego cheese and chips, on a bed of caramelized onions.

Well there you have it. A close look at what you can expect to find in Coral Gables for the next couple of weeks. Don't miss out on Coral Gables Restaurant Week. For more information visit their website.