Friday, September 14, 2007

Food and Memory


My next review is going to be for Columbia in St. Augustine. I'll post pics here soon, once I rifle through all my shots. I just have to say that I adore this place. I might be prejudiced because it's a sentimental thing. Foods and smells always have the biggest pull on a person when they remind you of something good. If it's something you used to eat at the kitchen counter as a kid, you're going to be as lost in the memory of that as you will be in the food.

That's what delights me about Columbia. It brings back memories of my childhood in Miami. My Peruvian baby-sitter Rosa used to feed me Pigeon peas and all sorts Spanish type dishes. I remember the Cuban bakery right next to the Hialeah apartment we lived in till I was five.

The thing I always look forward to at the Columbia is the Cuban bread. This ain't no pansy Publix version of Cuban bread, wherein they take the exact same dough they use for French bread and shape into a Cuban bread shape. Maybe Publix stopped doing this, but I stopped buying their Cuban bread so long ago because of this, therefore I have no idea if they still do that. They use the same or similar dough for just about everything. It's a base I guess. I still buy their French bread but then, I've never been to France and it's likely that I've never had the real deal.

If you're not willing to pay over $20 per entree, head over to the Columbia for lunch. It's got a nifty atmo. And, they've got parking on Spanish Street in Historic St. Aug. The restaurant has lots of natural light, lots of white arches, pseudo-Spanish architecture and a courtyard (which is not recommended in this heat). The Cuban Sandwich they serve at lunch is the real thing--God love 'em.

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