After delivering some Photobooks to a client, decided that it was dinner time and the next place to eat was Monty’s in the grove.

For those of you who are not from around here or never been. Monty’s has been around for more than two decades, it’s located in a oddly watermall that once was a hangar for seaplanes. It draws a touristy clientele, but regular locals as well.

It is most definitely a seafood place with raw bar specialties and stone crabs at the top of the list.

Food and drinks are great! Price is a bit on the high-end, but in my opinion, it lacks the service, although some locals might say that this what makes Monty’s…to me, it doesn’t matter, if it doesn’t have service, not worth my time…

I truly enjoy the art of cooking and the whole process, from planning a meal to going to the Supermarket to actual cooking the meal and even cleaning afterwards. The whole process makes it even more worth it when you cook for friends and family and they enjoy it.

This post is not to tell you how much I enjoy cooking but to say that sometimes, it feels great to seat down and enjoy a meal that someone else cooked and cooked it with the same passion for food as I do!

The meal was a Creole Crab meat, white rice and Tostones… It was delicious and I just had to share!!!

Please feel free to leave a comment!

Although I haven’t been to this place in about 12 years, I have recently went back to it and now I can’t go by without getting some food or even thinking when it’s my next meal there.

This is a really tiny (hole in the wall) Cuban Chinese restaurant called "Chung Heng", located at 2542 SW 27th Ave., Miami, FL 33133 (305.442-7243), It has 4 stools at the counter and 3 small (2 people – Booths).

They don’t take Credit cards, no checks… Just cash and you better go pick it up, because they don’t deliver either.

When I first arrived, I was the only one at the counter and after 5 minutes of waiting for my order, people started calling and arriving to get their order. Some of them to eat at the counter, but most of them was for take-out.

At one point, the phone was ringing so much, that she started to ignore it… Not because she didn’t want to pick it up, but because she is the only one answering the phone and taking care of the front of the house.

Every person that walked up to the counter, the lady at the restaurant (owner and chef’s wife) – and I’m going to assume that “mima” is not her real name, but everybody calls her “mima”, knew their story, family members, their order… She knows her customers and she will receive you as one of her own.

So, if you are in the neighborhood and would like to eat great and cheap Chinese food with some Latin flare, come by and order, but please don’t forget to appreciate the amount of work that these people are doing. This is definitely a landmark for the locals.

~ Enjoy and I might see you there one of these days.

Another food/cooking post…  It was Pizza and Movie night at a friend’s house and I (for some odd reason was cooking again!!!) made pizzas…

From Left to Right: Grilled Shrimp with Feta Cheese Pizza; Caramelized Onion, Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza

The one in the middle is the Pesto, Tomato and Mozzarella Pizza that I also made previously and posted here

~ Enjoy!!!

Having a good loaf of bread such as this baguette, makes a big difference in a what some people my call a simple Grill Chicken Sandwich…

Sandwich built (from the bottom up):

• Dijon mustard
• Grilled Chicken (Marinated with Spanish Mojito)
• Tomatoes
• Red Onions
• Avocado
• Salt/Pepper
• Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar
• Baguette was slightly toasted in the oven prior to assembly for extra crunch

If now you are hungry… I guess I did my job!

I’m a big fan of 30 minutes meals with Rachel Ray… Not because I like her cooking per se, but because people rather have Junk Food for lunch than take 20 minutes to make a really good meal.

I understand that not everybody works from home, but most meals can be made the night before and just tossed in the Microwave.

Menu :: Wild Mushroom Ravioli topped with a light  Garlic, Oregano, Rosemary butter sauce and Cubed avocado.

Click on the image to view larger

~ Enjoy!

If there is one thing that makes me happy doing at home… It has to be cooking. I could honestly spend all day cooking, whether in the kitchen or outside in the grill.

A few weeks ago, I bought myself a Stove Top Grill and I’m in love with that thing… I can make anything on it… Burgers, Steaks, Vegetables, pancakes and more…

The following meal was actually conceived while on a conference call last week, so I headed out to the supermarket, got all the major ingredients and voila!

And for those expecting Avocados… YES, there is avocado in this meal as well!

~ Hope you enjoyed the images