I’m giddy over sharing about our impromptu ninth anniversary vacation. I spent the weekend going through the hundreds of photos I took between my camera and phone and jotted down so many photos to share, I’ll probably be blogging about this trip for the rest of summer.*
*Alright, maybe I exaggerate.**
**Or, do I?
Here’s the one-minute background info of our trip:
Hubby always takes the week of our anniversary off in June. In years past, I’ve been teaching and unable to spend the entire week with him. So it’s been a time of relaxation and catching up on things around the house for him. This year, we planned to take day trips around Jersey…
But then.
After a look at the projected weather forecast*, we began flirting with the idea of a cruise. Then we found an amazingly, incredible deal we could not resist.
*Which, naturally, ended up changing.
And that’s all I’m going to tell you for now. Because today isn’t about our cruise or the fact that it was the first for the both of us. Today is about the best little Cuban coffeehouse and eatery: Colada
I’m not sure why neither of us know how to look directly at the camera
There is no better way to start a trip off than with good food, and by now you know that’s the way we roll. We discovered Colada during my fifth anniversary of my twenty-fifth birthday trip.*
*Don’t hate me for waiting so long to share. I was so blown away by it the first time, I forgot to take pictures.
We landed in Fort Lauderdale around 10:30 am. Naturally, after having eaten breakfast around 6 am, we were starving. Our plan was to return to Colada for breakfast the following morning, but as Hubby dealt with our car rental, I searched Google maps and discovered we were only a fifteen-minute drive from Colada. That, and the fact that nothing else coming up in my search seemed as worthy for our first meal, led to tossing our luggage into the rental car and setting out for our first reunion with Colada.
On our first visit to Colada last year, we fell in love with their guava and cheese pastry. The perfect follow up to this experience was during our trip to Sint Maarten when we learned of the guavaberry*, a fruit tree which grows in the Caribbean**. This was followed by the experience of a guavaberry colada, a tropical drink I highly recommend.
*Though similar in name, guava and guavaberry are two complete different fruits.
**Our bartender told us that not only did the plant originate in Sint Maarten, but guavaberry rum is the liquor of Sint Maarten, originally made in the homes of locals.
Now that you’ve had a little fruit lesson, the point to leave with is that if something has the word ‘guava’ in it–go for it without hesitation! Colada’s guava and cheese pastry is the best pastry I have ever experienced in my entire life, no lie. Not only do the guava and cheese flavors create a magical blend, but the pastry itself is a work of art. While it has all the traditional elements of a piece of pastry (lightness, flakiness) it is topped with a dusting of sugar that gives an added spark of pleasure.
But wait, there’s more.*
*Of course there is.
Colada not only makes the best pastries of my life*, but they also serve breakfast, sandwiches, bowls, desserts, brunch on Sundays, sangria, craft beer, and, most importantly, coffee.**
*By the way, one guava and cheese pastry? 99 cents. Seriously. Some donuts at Dunkin Donuts cost more.
**And, they’re open until 9 pm everyday except Sunday.
Cuban French Toast: Cuban bread soaked in cinnamon tres leches batter
Sangria, mojito, guava and cheese pastries
Cuban sandwich–my favorite sandwich of all time
Beef empanada with guava and cheese pastries in the background
Everything we ordered at Colada we loved. I’m particularly fond of their beef empanadas, which remind me of the empanadas my dear high school Spanish teacher used to bring into class for us.
I’m also a new fan of Cuban bread and currently in search of where in Jersey I might be able to find it.
Equally as important as the food and drink itself, is the atmosphere created by the staff working at Colada. On each visit we took there (a total of three in the course of six days), we were greeted by exceptional employees who smiled, answered our questions (okay, my questions), and went above and beyond the service usually provided in such a place.
How we feel when we realize we don’t have Colada at home.
How we feel when we think about coming back
If you ever find yourself in Fort Lauderdale, or even somewhere outside of Fort Lauderdale, make your way over to Colada. Start with a guava and cheese pastry and a colada (Cuban coffee), end with another of their delicious, extraordinary offerings.
Colada Cuban Coffee House and Eatery
525 N Federal Hwy #400
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
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