Saturday Sweets: Mina's Mediterraneo on 79th St.
Tucked away just off of 79th and Biscayne, right before the Causeway, you stumble upon Mina’s Mediterraneo. This cute, much larger than expected, Mediterranean spot is owned and operated by Yasmine Kotb.
Born in Cairo, Egypt, Yasmine moved to Houston, Texas at the age of four. Having spent many summers as a child with her grandparents in Cairo, Yasmine had the chance to experience exotic Mediterranean dishes and ingredients, giving her a passion for the culture at an early age that she always carried with her. Everything at Mina’s is made using family recipes, including the delicious desserts.
After hearing so much about Mina’s, I decided to check them out and see for myself. Of course when I got there they insisted that I skip dinner, and only have appetizers so that I had room to try them all.
Baklava – This classic dessert was as traditional as it can get. There was the perfect amount of flakiness and gooey goodness.
Tiramisu – Different from what I expected, in a very good way. It was more "cakey" than most tiramisu I’ve had in the past and had a LAYER of chocolate on top, yes please!
Brioche Bread Pudding – I’m not a bread pudding person at all but when served with raisins, apricots, and almonds topped with homemade amaretto creme anglais, suddenly I am a bread pudding person.
Rice Pudding – This is another dish that I don’t usually order, but definitely turned into one of my favorites of the night. The rice was puffy and it almost had the consistency of oatmeal. It was sweet without being overbearing. The cinnamon and toast almond slices made it taste like Christmas.
Dark Chocolate Tart – The only gluten free dessert on the menu and hands down my favorite one. Smooth dark chocolate filling inside of a crushed almond crust with homemade whipped cream and a plate dusted with extra cocoa powder. It was a chocolate lover’s (aka me) dream.
Crème Brulee – Not something I usually associate with Mediterranean foods, but totally worth ordering! Torched to perfection, creamy and delicious.
You can definitely taste the love in Yasmine’s desserts, which is always one of the most important parts about homemade desserts. It’s all about the love and memories evoked when eating them. I’ll definitely be back for more, and next time I’m staying for dinner as well!
749 NE 79th St.
Miami, FL
786 391 0300