- Disco volante, croqueta, and churros from La Palma.
We’ve been blessed with lovely, temperate days late into our “cool season.” Cool weather is prime time for churros, starting with the holidays when out-of- town guests crave the doughy fried treats after holiday gatherings. Really, any cool night is perfect. Churros are also an ideal, all-absorbent snack to cap a long night of overindulgence; take note all of you WMC’ers.
I love the churros at La Palma on Flagler (6901 W. Flagler Street, Miami). For a buck-fifty, you get a hot bag of four churros along with an absurd amount of sugar. Add a cup of hot chocolate and you are in midnight snack heaven. La Palma has the standard features you find at a Cuban counter–croquetas, coladas, and plenty of animated conversation.
- Behind the counter at La Palma. It’s open 24 hours.
They also have these gigantic, flat empanada-looking patties that are called discos volantes (flying saucers). Eating the aforementioned was not as amusing as the name, and the other foods are forgettable. No, the real star here is the churros. Best of all, the counter at La Palma is open 24 hours.
I recently tried the churros at Sra. Martinez, Michelle Bernstein’s new place, and those were amazing too. Of course, the price point is different, but you get a heaping plate of freshly fried goodness, in significant contrast to the more restrained portions of the tapas. Bernstein knows where to be a little exagerada. The hot chocolate for dipping has a slight spice kick for a more gourmet churro experience.
Times are hard, but it’s important to savor a little bit of the good life with friends and family. On a cool night, treat yourself, whether it’s to the upscale version at Sra. Martinez, or the man-on-the-street snack in Southwest Miami.
