Kill the Crave: CoolJunkie's Miami Grubbin' Picks

October 9, 2008 1:33 PM
by Damon Dewitt Boardman

Nestled in the nucleus of designer boutiques and high priced hotels, sits a quaint Cuban restaurant. From the façade of the restaurant one can quickly determine this place hasn’t bought into the glitz and glam that encompasses the current style on South Beach. Cornering 7th Street and Collins Avenue, Puerto Sagua delivers a no frills fill your belly and pay your bill establishment. Upon entering the eatery you might ponder how can a place like this co-exists amongst its neighbors offering everything from crab cakes and Crystal to aged steaks and bottles of Bordeaux. Well take away futuristic furniture, and fire the foppish food sculptor and were right back down to basics, basics that every restaurant should start with; taste! And once you have tasted something Puerto Sagua has to offer, all of the above is answered.

In 1952 Javiar Rivero removed his family from Cuba and landed at the tip of the American dream right here in Miami, Florida. Now in business for 40 years, and changing little over time, Puerto Sagua has seen many fat cat competitors put up a front only to fold or be sold. Since day one the family owned and operated function has stuck with the initial recipe for success and through the neon lights, economic slides and high-rise condos filling the skies. It’s staying consistent to the recipe that has shown Puerto Sagua a path to the present. When asked about the current effects of the economy and the ever changing landscape of life on South Beach, current third generation owner, David Rivero simply says, “Lets not bitch and groan when others are doing worse.” Perhaps it is that attitude engrained into the ownership that has stood behind the longevity of the restaurant. Or, perhaps it’s quite simply, the shredded beef!

One of Puerto Sagua’s most popular dishes is the shredded beef prepared “Cuban Style.” Upon presentation arrives a dish of shredded beef soaking in a broth of brilliance. It’s a tomato based sauce with your everyday ingredients such as salt, oregano, cumin, green pepper and onion, but it’s the three hours that it takes for these ingredients to come together before the beef is added that makes the meal sing to your senses. Accompanying the shredded beef is a massive white rice mound, put on a separate plate for your mixing preferences, and last but not least, a dish of sweet bananas. Our advice, start with those and work your way to the rest. If shredded beef isn’t your bag, try the oxtail. Oxtail you ask? Oxtail is a delicate dish cooked round the bone, served only on Thursdays and Sundays. With 40 years of reputation building, trust that the regulars already know about this dish, so show up expecting a crowded house. If you are unfortunate enough to not have been introduced to Oxtail and are not quick to make new friends, no worries Puerto Sagua has 63 other dishes on the menu to choose from.

In a place known for its swift breeze and changing tide, this restaurant proves that good food, consistency and strong roots can weather any storm. So maybe the décor hasn’t been updated since its inception and neither really has the menu, but as they say, ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.’ Besides, after dining around this town enough feeling like your paying a price 50 years of inflation into the future, it’s nice to sit down, save some change and put your pennies into a vintage cash register dating back to the 50s. Puerto Sagua is open 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 a.m. 365 days a year possibly for the next 40 years.