PASSIONATE RATIONS

The best thing about business trips is the opportunity for food adventures.

I, dear readers, have just returned from four days in bright and balmy Miami, Florida.  Before we get to the food, let me bask in the weather for a moment.  With a winter storm coming for New England tomorrow, I question why I ever got on the return flight home.  Miami offered 80-degree days and shirt-sleeve warmth in the evenings.  The air was fresh with a salty tang, just delicious enough to pique the appetite.

Actually, my food-adventure began in colder climes, specifically the Raleigh-Durham airport, North Carolina.  When I lived in that area (for a year after college), I don’t recall it ever getting into the 30s, but last Thursday it was, or at least felt like it as I traversed the gangway.  Famished, I looked for a bite during my layover.  The airport, as so many are (witness the elderly terminal at Bradley International, for instance), was virtually devoid of prospects.  I located an unassuming taco stand by the name of “Maui Taco.”  Anticipating yet another tasteless bean and rice concoction (and slightly put off by the Hawaii reference, which does not speak to me of Latin flavors), I ordered their vegetarian soft tacos.

While waiting for my order I skeptically explored the salsa bar.  I must confess, I am not a huge salsa fan, finding them too often unbalanced in flavors, full of anemic tomatoes and over-the-top cilantro.  This bar offered four flavors:  Hola Aloha, Tomatillo, Hula Heat and Maui Firedance.  Each was labeled with ingredients, which got my interest up.   As I have probably over-shared in previous posts, I love savory-sweet combinations, which these salsas appeared to offer:  sweet onions and pineapple juice to contrast garlic, tomatoes and jalapeños.  Curious, I collected samples of all four.

My tacos arrived covered with a cascade of tortilla chips.  I decided to try the tacos “naked” (i.e. without salsa) to evaluate their worthiness.  I was pleasantly surprised.  They were nothing special to look at, but were quite tasty, sporting gently spiced rice, black beans, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheddar on soft flour tortillas.  The cheddar was tangy, the lettuce crisp and fresh (iceberg though it was), the beans firm and obsidian.  The tomatoes were unhealthily pale, but, even so, maintained flavor.

Then came the salsas.  I tried them one by one with the tortilla chips and was so impressed I got up with my little notebook and transcribed the ingredients, to the raised eyebrows of other diners.

The Hola Aloha salsa was the mildest, consisting of tomatoes, cilantro, sweet onions and jalapeños.  It was exceptionally fresh tasting, the sweet onions perfectly balancing the other flavors.

The Tomatillo was the most savory (that is, had the lowest sweetness factor) of the four.  It was composed of cilantro, tomatillos, garlic, lime juice, jalapeños, and sweet onions.  It was a beautiful deep green in color and highly flavorful.

The Hula Heat sported tomatillos, tomatoes, garlic, roasted chile arbols, and sweet onions.  It was sweet with a gentle heat.

Finally, the Maui Firedance promised real heat.  Composed of pineapple juice, tomatoes, garlic, smoked jalapeños, and sweet onions, it was perfectly balanced—smoky, sweet and hot, but not too much of any of these.  My mouth smoldered pleasantly.  This was probably my favorite.

I have to say these salsas probably compose the first four salsas at the top of any salsa list I might compose.  They all have one thing in common you will note—sweet onions.  I believe those must be the secret and I will never attempt to make salsa without them going forward.

The menu also offered a nice array of other dishes, including fish tacos and interesting burritos with things like potato.  They also had a breakfast menu.  My two veggie tacos and a diet Coke totaled over $8, so it’s not cheap.  But airports never are.

Ah, I go on too long.  Who thought it could happen with fast food?  Well, I guess Miami’s offerings will have to wait until next post.

At least now you know what to do if you’re ever flying through RDU.