Untitled Document

Miami Herald, The (FL)

June 24, 2004

AN AIR OF BUENOS AIRES DRAWS ARGENTINES TO MANOLO

Author: LINDA BLADHOLM, Special to the Herald

Edition: Final
Section: Tropical Life
Page: 9E

Index Terms:
RECIPE

Article Text:

When you crave freshly made food served quickly in a casual atmosphere, head to Manolo, a new restaurant on the block of Collins Avenue known as Little Buenos Aires in Miami Beach. It's hard to miss on the corner of 73rd Street, lit up like a beacon at night opposite Ocean Terrace Park.

Bright and sunny during the day, the spacious place is a cafeteria and food court rolled into one, with a main counter where customers can order meals as well as smoothies, juices and ice cream. Colorful, exposed, industrial pipes and dangling, planet-shaped cutouts hang from the ceiling. Customers sit at tables laminated with photos of food or plunk into big, soft chairs set around low tables, a favorite of families as they are near bubbling tropical fish tanks. It's funky and fun.

Owner Juan Manuel Santurian has two Manolos back home in Argentina, where they are well-known. He came to Miami two years ago and decided to open in an Argentine neighbor! hood where he would have instant name recognition. The place has been packed since the sign went up three weeks ago.

Santurian is a third-generation restaurateur whose maternal grandparents immigrated to Uruguay from Spain, bringing along their churro business. His mother continued the tradition when she moved to Marde Plata in Argentina. Black-and-white photos of the grandparents, including Manolo Benito, for whom the restaurant is named, line the front and back walls.

Churros, of course, are breakfast fritters made by squeezing batter through fluted tubes into hot oil, forming ridged sticks that are sprinkled with sugar. The fritters are named after the churro, a Spanish breed of sheep with long coarse wool, and may have first been made by Spanish shepherds in the mountains. It is more likely that churros arrived to Spain with the Sephardic Jews, who made a type of doughnut called bimuelos, or the Arab Moors, who brought a number of deep-fried fritters! , including cruller-shaped zellabiya, to Spain.

Span! iards sp read churro culture to Mexico, Cuba and South America, where they are sold from churrerias, mobile stalls. Manolo's roots are in these humble stands. Stop in any time of day for plain churros or ones filled with dulce de leche, chocolate or custard cream.

Another big draw is the planchita platter, a mess of chicken and/or beef fried on the plancha (grill) with mushrooms, bell pepper, onions and bacon and served with fries and a special mayo and pickle sauce. Other favorites are rabas, batter-fried calamari rings with the mayo sauce; milanesas, breaded beef or chicken steaks with a variety of toppings or stuffed in a sandwich; and two-foot long pizzas (Uruguayan-style) baked in a four-tiered oven. Toppings include bacon, tomatoes, olives and chopped, hard-boiled eggs.

Sandwiches include the media luna, a huge, half-moon croissant spilling with ham and cheese, or Catalan bread (soft rolls) with prosciutto and cheese. Or have a salad, omelet or egg and potat! o tortilla and select some facturas (small Danish) to eat here or take home.

Linda Bladholm's latest book is Latin and Caribbean Grocery Stores Demystified.

Place: Manolo.

Address: 7300 Collins Ave., Miami Beach.

Contact: 305-868-4381.

Hours: 8 a.m.-midnight daily.

Prices: Sandwiches and burgers $1.25-$5, planchita $9, pizza $4.50-$16, churros 35 cents (plain) and 50 cents (filled), bread and pastries 50 cents-$1.25.

More online

For an Argentine pizza recipe and to take part in Linda Bladholm's online forum, go to Herald.com/living and click `food`

SNACK

Churros

Nothing beats hot churros dipped in thick, hot chocolate, but they are good as a snack any time. Adding citrus to the oil lends a distinctive flavor and cuts the richness.

* Oil for deep-frying

* 1 lime or lemon, quartered

* Salt

* 1 tablespoon sugar, plus extra for dusting

* 11/2 cups all-purpose flour

* 1 large egg, beaten

Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a heavy saucepan with the lime pieces over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine 1 cup water, a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon sugar in a 3-quart saucepan; heat to boiling. Add the flour to the water all at once, and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the egg until the batter is smooth and satiny. With tongs or fork, remove the lime pieces from the oil, which should be very hot (390 degrees on a frying thermometer). Force the batter through a pastry tube or large funnel, and fry in long strips until golden. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Cut into 3-inch pieces and roll in granulated sugar. Makes about 1 dozen.

Source: adapted from The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking, by Elizabeth Lambert Ortiz (Ballantine, 1967).

Per serving: 69 calories (8 percent from fat), 0.6 g fat (0.2 g saturated, 0.2 g monounsaturated), 17.6 mg cholesterol, 2.2 g protein, 14 g carbohydrates, 0.8 g fib! er, 6.4 mg sodium.

Caption:
LINDA BLADHOLM/FOR THE HERALD SWEET AND SAVORY: Manolo owner Juan Manuel Santurian with a tray of churros, left (close-up below). At bottom left, an Argentine-style pizzaColor photo: Juan Manual, churros, Argentine-style pizza (all-a)

Memo:
A FORK ON THE ROAD