Things to Do in South Florida: 660 at Angler's Resort Mini-Review

Recently I was given the opportunity to go on a food tour, courtesy of Miami Culinary Tours, through the South Beach area.

The first stop on the tour route was the 660 restaurant at The Angler's Resort. I was immediately impressed by the decor, both inside and out, which was both elegant and casual at the same time. My husband and I ordered drinks off their Happy Tapa Hour menu, a Blueberry Caipirinha and an original Mojito. I loved both drinks, which were not only made with fresh fruit, but with a great balance of sweet and sour. I am not usually a fan of Mojitos, but the taste of this one was so delicate, with the mint and the lime blending together so well, that I was at a loss for anything but praise of the drink.

To go with our Mojitos, Miami Culinary Tours had arranged for us to sample a dish called Scallop Tiradito. I'm not a huge fan of scallops, and had my own doubts about the dish - especially once I heard the ingredients: passion fruit, aji amarillo (a spicy, yellow, chile pepper), red onion, cilantro, garlic, avocado, lemon... It just didn't sound like it would go together! What's more, Scallops Tiradito is a ceviche recipe, meaning that the acidity of the ingredients is used to help cook the food. I had never tried a ceviche before, and I wasn't sure how I'd like it.

The first thing that struck me about the dish was how tangy it was. I loved the red onions, the peppers, the cilantro. I didn't taste the passion fruit that is particular to the tiradito served at Angler's, but I was in love with the dish nonetheless. As I finished eating, our tour guide, Anna, explained to us how the juice of ceviche is referred to in Peruvian as leche de tigre, translated to mean "tiger's milk". Not only is it considered to be a hangover cure, but small shots of it are commonly served alongside ceviche dishes. Other times, people simply tip the dish into their mouth (as I did) to drink the juice after the meal.

If someone would have told me a few years ago that I'd be sitting in Miami, drinking scallop juice from a ceviche marinade, I probably would have made a face or laughed. Now I sit here wishing I had some more of it. It was delicious. There are no words to describe the incredible array of flavors that were in the leche de tigre, other than to say this was where I could really taste the passion fruit. I expected the sauce to be tangy and zippy like the dish itself was, but instead it had such a surprise twist of sweet tucked in amid the rest of those flavors that I was instantly hooked. I am now a lover of ceviche... at least of the scallop ceviche at 660... and I can't wait to go back.

I'm so glad that I was able to taste this on the food tour. There are so many great restaurants in Miami, and even if I had a million dollars, it'd be impossible to try all the awesome food out there. It was a real treat to be able to go on the sampling tour with Miami Culinary Tours. You can check out more about my trip here, or click here to go to Miami Culinary Tour's website to see how you can go on a food tour through Miami! You can also connect with them through social media on Facebook, Twitter, or Flickr. Happy dining!