La Cruzada in Homestead

Miami is known as the gateway to Latin America, but even so it is mostly known for its Cuban food more so than other Latin cuisines. However there has recently been a large Mexican influx to South Florida and this is to Homestead's benefit. In business since 2007, La Cruzada has garnered praise as top Mexican restaurant for years. So I had to experience the colorful decor myself. On weekend nights they have live entertainment. They have a large outdoor seating area and the indoor area has surround sound for their TV system where videos of Mexican singers are performing.

For an appetizer I had the Botana Sampler comprising of freshly homemade nacho chips, beef quesadilla, beef flautas and refried beans. Everything tasted as if it was freshly made, even the guacamole. The nacho chips were still warm and thicker than what you'd get out of a nacho bag, which aided their texture and allowed for the salsa flavors. The salsas were also fresh. I didn't have the margarita and opted for a coke. It was a nice touch that they have Mexican coke which means it contains real sugar and not corn syrup.

For dinner I had the Chuletas dish which comprised of the pork chops, with chorizo, rice and beans and a cheese quesadilla. The chorizo was extremely flavorful and was my favorite part of the dish. The pork chops were cooked well and had good flavor to them which played well with the chorizo in terms of flavors.

On my next visit, I plan to get more traditional american choices such as tacos and burritos. Their tres amigos dish (three tacos with your choice of meat) would likely be my choice.