Taste of the Islands (Sabor de mi Isla) — Restaurant in Florida

My wife and I finally stopped in and being “locals,” were hoping for a nice dining experience because, as you know if you are “local,” there are not many choices to eat out in the South Beaches of Brevard County. Some disappointments, but overall, we will go back and give them another try or two.

For a starter, we shared a chicken empanada which was tasty. But there was no sauce and it was a bit dry. One empanada for $4.99 and we had about 3 forkfuls each. A bit pricey for one.

I had the fried pork chunks meal and enjoyed it very much. The entrees come with a small side salad on your plate, rice, beans and your choice of sweet plantains (which is what I ordered) or tostones. Only the red beans were truly hot (as in heat - not spice) and the rest was “hotter than warm” but not “hot.”

My wife ordered the chicken strips, creole version, and she wanted French fries. I won! My meal was much better than hers. The chicken strips “creole” was mildly seasoned and tasted more like a light buffalo hot sauce. Her chicken was on the colder side of “warm.” The French fries were not that good as they were warm at best and a little mushy, if that makes sense. Almost like her meal sat until my meal was ready to be served?

For dessert, we shared a flan (with vanilla base of some sort like a soft cake?). It was good.

The service was really good and all were friendly, nice, and informative.

The atmosphere…. Well, if you previously had gone to D’Angelo’s, you know the space is “limited.” However, it is much brighter now and “livelier.” Could use some sprucing up. And the outside of the buildings… well, let’s just say “don’t judge a book by its cover.”

No alcohol (but maybe on the way?) and our bill, with tip (20%), in cash, was $65.00. More if we would have used a credit card.

Some suggestions for A Taste of the Islands: The food should be served hot! Do not serve condiments (ketchup, etc.) in plastic containers with lids. Assume that people will want to share appetizers and desserts and make it easier to do so - maybe 2 empanadas? Do not have a surcharge for credit cards - accepting credit cards is a cost of doing business. If you want, increase prices 2-3% to cover your credit card costs. Advertise more. Get the attention of the “locals” - we are captive down here in the South Beaches. Maybe offer a night when “locals” get a discount (FL DL Mel Beach addresses accepted). A few other thoughts but maybe I am rambling.

Not bad! We will go back to try the sandwiches. And probably another entree.

4 stars for me, 3 stars for wife - so an average of 3.5 stars (if I could give it 3.5 stars, which I cannot, so I rounded up since my meal was pretty good).

Edit: We will not be going back.

Why? Because of the response to Mzzotto’s comment. The following would have been the appropriate response from the restaurant:

Mzzotto:

We apologize for not meeting your expectations. We hope you give us another try as we want to be a mainstay here in the South Beaches of Brevard County. Our management style is “the customer is always right,” and to that end, we endeavor to make everyone’s dining experience as good as possible.

Please, give us another try. And if you do, and anything (and we mean anything!) is not up to what you were expecting, PLEASE, tell us and we will do whatever is in our power to make it right.

Again, we apologize for not giving you a great experience and we hope to see you soon, back at A Taste of the Islands.

Sincerely,

A Taste of the...

Taste of the Islands 5935 S. Hwy. A1A Melbourne Beach, FL 32951

3.5 Stars

One thing about Florida that no one can deny is that we come together in the face of natural disasters like two hurricanes in the same week and bounce back stronger than ever. Surmising that enough time had passed for things to be relatively back in order; I fired up the old random name generator to find a place for review. Well, well, well, it looks like I am heading to the Caribbean as Taste of the Islands popped up...oh wait. This is located “Down South” (island speak for South Melbourne Beach). I've been japed! Yes, bamboozled once again.

After a relatively short and peaceful drive down A1A in the Big Boy Mobile, I arrived at my destination, Taste of the Islands. Located adjacent to the Surfcaster Hotel, six miles this side of the Inlet -- they have ample parking and great views. This could bode well.

As I entered, Sam, the owner, greeted me warmly and went out of his way to make me feel welcome. He is a great guy and exceedingly helpful. I asked Sam for an order of his Chuleta Kan Kan and some Garlic Chicken Mofongo. Enamored of Caribbean-influenced cuisine, I sat back in anticipation as Sam went to work on my grub.

Out faster than I can say anything in Spanish, Sam placed my mouthwatering feast on the table. The smells emitting from the plates in front of me were so intoxicating that my tastebuds began to Cumbia before I had even raised a fork to my oral orifice.

First up was the Chuleta Kan Kan. For those of my readers like me who don't speak a lick of Spanish other than “Yo quiero Taco Bell,” a Chuleta is a pork chop. Traditionally, and this was the case here, the chop is prepared using the sous vide technique, thus ensuring even cooking and moisture retention. The Kan Kan part describes the looks of the Chuleta as it is finished with a “Mohawk” presentation, resembling the flared dress of a can-can dancer. While this was prepared flawlessly, it somehow lacked flavor. The sides, however, did not. The rice and beans were intricately flavored, and the house salad, consisting of only iceberg lettuce, was freshly shredded and presented with aplomb. The fried plantains were likewise fresh, hand-sliced, and fried to perfection. As bland as the Chuleta Kan Kan was, the Garlic Chicken Mofongo was as flavorful. This was a 5-star dish and the redeemer of this tasting. Mofongo was created on the island of Puerto Rico with plantains as the main ingredient. Green plantains are cut into pieces and then fried or boiled in broth or roasted. After this, they are mashed with salt, garlic, broth, and oil in a wooden pilon (traditionally speaking). The resulting tight ball of mashed plantains can then be molded and served with condiments. In this case, it was some Garlic Pollo. The Mofongo was flavorsome and had the perfect texture. The accompanying Garlic Chicken was Daedalian in its presentation to the palate. The finishing taste was exceptional.

The Big Boy says, “If you can't get to the Islands and are in the mood for some Caribbean grub, skip the pork and devour...

We visited on a Friday in late Dec 2024 around noon. It was a little hard to find if you weren't specifically looking for it. We saw the Puerto Rican flags on the building and were like "this must be it!"

There is a steep incline going in so watch out for lower cars that might bottom out. It was located adjacent to a motel which we didn't expect either. Lucky for those guest getting easy access to amazing food constantly. We were driving through the entire barrier island (southbound) and this was the best food place according to google around lunch time for us.

We were greeted at the door by a gentleman and super friendly. We told him that we had recently visited Puerto Rico on a cruise ship but didn't have time to try mofongo and were happy we finally got our chance. We placed an order for carry out (had to keep moving on our road trip).

We ordered: Sampler Platter Pork Mofongo Chicken Tenders Plantain Sandwich

While everything was amazing, we all confirmed the pork mofongo was our favorite.

This is a hidden gem and we would definitely stop here again if we were traveling through the...