I left for a few days to keep a warrior girlfriend company as she battled cancer, in a hospital in Miami, not any hospital, but a really great, supportive center helping thousands of people heal.
My girlfriend did her share of the fight, following the challenging protocol to the letter, with an attitude of gratitude. She ate very little, so we tried to surprise her with small treats from the outside world, seeing that food was unrestricted.
Go to Salty Donuts, said one of the nurses. Their donuts are out of the world, and your girlfriend will like the sweet sensation.
Indeed, the one we got, made with a brioche recipe, filled with guava & cream cheese swirl, cream cheese glaze & topped with a crushed Galleta Maria cookie crumble, was tasty. We waited twenty minutes in line. The small bakery in Wynwood was hopping.
I later read it was started by a young student couple, selling their made-from-scratch donuts, 3 days a week, from a camper parked more or less where their store stands today. Finally beaten by the heat, they graduated into a brick and mortar location, now super popular.
Donuts?! Yes, the simplest food form, with elaborated decoration and edible bling. I was impressed. This husband and wife team took such a simple idea and spun it to the next level.
I was never a fan of the yeasty donut, but you may give me some malassadas, Portuguese Doughnuts, or soufganiot, the Israeli doughnuts or legendary New Orleans beignets, at Café du Monde, any day.
We also visited Mister01 Extraordinary Pizza for a friendly lunch and take-out. The inscription on the wall says it all: Individuals with extraordinary ability. To qualify for an O-1 visa, the beneficiary must demonstrate extraordinary ability by sustained national or international acclaim.” And this is what we call a good concept to understand who we are.
Legend has it, that the original founder got his license to stay in the US, by making extraordinary, irresistible pizza. Renato Viola’s pizza-making skills dazzled the U.S. government to the extent of granting him a special 0-1 visa for individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement. His pizza was pretty awesome. I had the star-shaped Michelle, on paper thin dough, layered with grilled eggplant, zucchini, roasted peppers and cut/folded in a star-shape, creating little pockets for soft heaps of melt-in-your-mouth ricotta cheese, on a carpet of Mozzarella.
Pizza?! Yes, the simplest food form, with a clever twist. I was impressed. This Italian immigrant took such a simple idea and spun it to the next level.
He now also has a pizza school, in Wynwood, and a few other locations, next time if girlfriend is well, perhaps we should consider becoming recreational pizza making students, for the day.

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