Pizza Rustica in South Beach, FL (Washington Ave.)

A while ago I visited Miami and tried the Pizza Rustica on Lincoln Road in South Beach. The pizza was pretty unique with huge slices with creative topping combinations. I was recently down there once again and passed by another Pizza Rustica location on Washington Ave and decided to give them another try.

This Pizza Rustica was slightly smaller and didn't have the crowds of people gobbling down pizza like the other location had. There was only one other customer actually eating in here and then a couple more people occupying the outdoor tables with no food. Apparently you can get more than food at this Pizza Rustica as well. While I was waiting for my slice to warm up in the ovens, a man walked in and offered to sell me drugs, which I declined. I was here for pizza, not other mind alternating substances! Interesting crowd at this Pizza Rustica...

I had a slice of the Caprese Pizza. This rectangular slice was topped with tomatoes, basil, kalamata olives, and fresh mozzarella. While the toppings here could have had potential, the slice was overall disappointing. After being freshly reheated in the oven, this slice had a very soggy crust with no crispiness at all. The mozzarella was hardly melted and the other toppings didn't seem to adhere to the cheese like normally happens on pizza. They were just sitting on top and all fell off as I was eating the slice.

I wasn't a fan of the pizza at this Pizza Rustica, nor was I a fan of the somewhat sketchy looking people loitering around the outdoor seating and the drug dealers. Stick with the Pizza Rustica on Lincoln Road.

La Ventana in South Beach, FL

I was in South Beach in Miami and stopped into La Ventana for lunch. This tiny Colombian restaurant was located on Washington Avenue, several blocks away from the bustling and overpriced Lincoln Road. It has been a very long time since I've been to a Colombian restaurant. It fact, I'm actually not sure if I've ever eaten at a Colombian restaurant before. Regardless, I was excited to try some new food.

I ordered the Pollo en Salsa Criolla. This large chicken breast was topped with a very tasty, bright orange colored sauce containing lots of sliced onions. Salad, rice, and fried yucca were served as side items. Our server asked if we wanted the spicy sauce on the side, and of course I said yes. Beware of this spicy sauce. Unlike American versions of hot sauce which really aren't all that hot, this Colombian hot sauce was insane and one little spoonful on the chicken was enough for me.

Overall, I enjoyed my meal at La Ventana. I'm pretty sure Colombian food was new to me, so hurray for trying the food from a new country and finding out that it was pretty tasty!

Pinkberry in South Beach, FL

I was enjoying the day in Miami Beach and as I was walking along Ocean Drive, I came across a Pinkberry. Pinkberry isn't new on this blog, but it turned out this particular Pinkberry was new and having their grand opening. That meant free frozen yogurt!

There were a huge amount of employees in here, all running around each other while putting together cups of frozen yogurt.

I ordered key lime frozen yogurt, topped with all the fruit they had. This included blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, mango, pineapple, and kiwi. I also had a waffle cone type cookie in the yogurt as well.

Hiro's Sushi Express in South Beach, FL

While visiting South Beach on a rainy evening, dinner was had at a Japanese fast food restaurant called Hiro's Sushi Express. I started my meal with a cup of miso soup served in a styrofoam cup.

Next up was a shrimp teriyaki box. This bento contained shrimp cooked with mushrooms, rice, vegetables, and an orange slice. The shrimp were tasty but the rest of the box was somewhat boring. The vegetables were very plain and the rice was standard brown rice.

I've enjoyed better Japanese fast food elsewhere in Miami at Iron Sushi, but Hiro's wasn't that bad. They gave a good sized portion of food for less than the price of a milkshake up the street at Shake Shack...

Pizza Rustica in South Beach, FL (Lincoln Road)

I ate lunch at Pizza Rustica on Lincoln Road in Miami's South Beach. Pizza Rustica had a huge selection of rectangular pies behind the glass, all being sold by the slice. They called these Roman style pizzas, and were similar to a Sicilian slice with a slightly thinner crust and lots of toppings. There were so many varieties that it was actually kind of hard to choose what to get.

Pizza Rustica was busy and had a bit of a line to order, so I had time to make my decision. I ended up going with Pizza Rustica's special, which included a slice of pizza, salad, and drink for $9.50. It was kind of overpriced for what it was, but Pizza Rustica was in the middle of the main drag of South Beach's touristy area, so the high price was kind of expected. My slice of pizza was reheated in the oven for a few minutes, and then I went outside to find a place to sit with my food.

My salad was pretty good. I really liked the dressing...

I picked the Potato & Goat Cheese pizza. The large rectangular slice (then further cut into 6 smaller pieces) was topped with sliced potatoes, goat and mozzarella cheeses, kalamata olives, red onions, and tomatoes. Nobody ever seems to think potato goes good on pizza, but I've tried it on a few occasions (as well as making my own) and it's always been really good. This slice continued the trend of good potato pizzas.

I also did some trading among dining companions and got to try the special pie of the day. It was topped with chicken, Canadian bacon, corn, cheese, and tomato sauce. It was tasty, but I preferred my potato pizza.

I'd gladly go back and give Pizza Rustica another try! I love it when a pizzeria has a huge pizza selection like this place did!