Miami, FL (The Joy of Food) — In this no-name strip mall in Miami, you can drop off your dry cleaning, hawk your jewelry, get your checks cashed, or bathe in a lather of fried foods all within a few feet.
El Rey De Las Fritas is the fried food specialist in town, starting with the little balls of goodness known as fritters. The frituras de maíz (corn fritters) are perfectly prepared and served hot enough to sear a burn into your mouth if you’re not careful. Bits of corn are still visible in the batter mashup, a taste that’s both comforting and warm.
The frita is a Cuban version of the American sloppy joe, a seasoned ground-beef patty that’s shaped into a rough circle and smashed almost like schnitzel or milanesa before being grilled on the flat top within an inch of its life, then topped with crunchy shoestring potatoes that are piled on thick enough to stop a bullet. The bun is bright white, like the lights in the joint, and griddle-toasted to a fine crunchiness, unlike the typical spongy bun on a run-of-the-mill burger. And while you get a taste of the potatoes mixed with everything else, they mainly fall out and double as a side of fries. The sensation is one of savory, spicy meat, crispy fries, and crusty bread in one bite.
Additions can be made to the sandwich in the way of cheeses, other meats, eggs, or sweet things like plantains, but the purest version is the Frita Original, tasting only of itself and not interrupted by other flavors. While tasty, the entire thing becomes dry as you work your way through the second half, the bun hardening fast and furiously and the meat-and-fries combo becoming more difficult to chew and swallow without the aid of something to drink.
I can’t say that I’d come here regularly for the burgers, but the Flan Casero (homemade flan) made a fan out of me, a perfect custard consistency that was mild in creamy flavor and caramel sauce that glistened under the lights, devoured in a fraction of the time that it takes to prepare and set these little pieces of heaven.
El Rey De Las Fritas is an institution right on Little Havana’s Calle Ocho, a tiny diner decorated in the colors of Cuba’s flag that many locals seem to consider an old friend and not just a place to eat. There’s a picture of a frita cart in Cuba hanging on one of the walls, where friteros (frita sellers) once used propane-fueled stoves to sell these puppies to folks on the street, and here serves as a subtle reminder of where this food originated just a few hundred miles away.
Written by Joy
Thanks for reading. The Joy of Food blog celebrates eating well, traveling often, and living la dolce vita. San Diego, California is home base, but thoughts are from all over. Reviews and photos help to highlight wonderful (or not) food experiences from around the world.
Leave a comment below or get in touch with me via my About page.