This week on "Check, Please!, South Florida," a brick oven that churns out a taste of Napoli in Miami Springs.

The best tiramisu I've ever had.

It really was delicious.

[michelle] Creative cuisine from the Island of Enchantment in historic Homestead.

Is amazing, amazing, amazing.

It's so charming.

[michelle] And vibrant Mexican street fare with epic flavors in Miami.

You'll pull the cheese and it'll be all the way up to here.

[presenter] Cultural culinary secrets and global flavors.

We have a passion for blending ingredients and seasonings from around the world.

[announcer] Additional funding for "Check, Please!

South Florida" is provided by George and Helen Weaver, and the Friends of South Florida PBS.

I was actually really surprised by how tasty it was.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

It was nothing like I've ever had before.

It feels like a taste of Florida.

It was the size of a bathtub.

Hello, I'm Michelle Bernstein and welcome to "Check, Please!

South Florida," the show where regular people from all over South Florida recommend and review their favorite restaurants.

So this is how the show works.

Every week we have three guests.

Each one of them recommend and review their favorite spot, and then the other two go to check them out and see what they think.

This week, voice actress, Marriette Chievs, says her neighborhood pizza joint hits just the right tone for traditional meals, straight from Napoli.

She can't get enough of the unique homemade pies, coming out of the custom made wood burning pizza oven that serves as the heart of this cozy family owned spot in Miami Springs.

And retail manager and travel agent, Mercy Betancourt, takes us on holiday, South of the border for a Mexican food fiesta in Miami's Little River neighborhood.

She says the vibrant spot on a busy corner is worth a stop for its flavorful street food enjoyed in a setting that feels celebratory and authentic.

But first business owner, Joseph Beckals, loves to promote his no frill spot for creative Puerto Rican cuisine with an Asian accent.

He says the Caribbean gastro pub is best known for their awardwinning burgers, but the mouthwatering island specialties will keep you coming back.

It's in historic Homestead and it's called Chefs on the Run and Assorted Cuisine.

My name is Jessica Maria Ujaque Strada.

I am the treasurer and everything, secretary and server, and everything else at Chefs on the Run.

My name is Jodrick Ujaque.

I am from homes of Florida and I'm the coowner and executive chef of Chefs on the Run.

The idea of Chefs on the Run came one time that my motherinlaw just happened to ask me casually, if I ever had a restaurant, what would I name it?

And the first thing that came outta my mouth was Chefs on the Run.

My family established a butcher shop in my hometown of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, back in the 1940s, and actually is on its fourth generation right now.

[jessica] Chefs on the Run is known for their bold flavor, their fresh product.

Everything here is made to order.

[jodrick] Our restaurant is not necessarily Puerto Rican food.

What we are doing is we're using our culture and our flavors to reintroduce it to an American market in a different aspect.

The arts on our walls, the art pieces are from teachers, and bankers and paramedics.

They make their wholesale.

We do not charge them any fee.

[jodrick] Chefs on the Run is where your taste buds will take you.

So this is really easy to miss, right?

How did you find this?

It's a very non place you'll drive by there, but if you ever stop in, once you get there, you'll go back again.

It is amazing, amazing, amazing.

It's so charming.

And you feel like you're so far away from Miami, but it's right there.

Chef Jodrick is the owner and we went there for lunch.

I went with my wife and my daughter.

And he came out, he greeted us and it was just awesome.

He's just, he's from Puerto Rico.

And he mends those flavors with the Caribbean and some Asian influences.

And your daughter's vegan, so sometimes that can be hard to weave.

You know what?

This is one of the reason why I like these small places?

The chefs will come out and they will make something for her.

So what did you have this last time you went?

I had the curry bowl, the jerk pork.

It's the rice with the pigeon peas, egg on top, has some potatoes salads, some red onions.

It's a strange mix, but it's amazing.

It's so amazing.

I had the curry bowl too, with the steak.

And like you said, it's kind of weird.

You don't think those flavors are gonna work well.

Like you have the egg, the potato salad, the arroz con gandules, which is a Puerto Rican dish.

And then tostones.

There was also tostones in the bowl with the aioli.

It definitely worked very well together, and I definitely enjoyed it.

My son had the I Just Want a Burger, and let me tell you, it was just that, it was the best burger I've tasted in a long time.

[michelle] Did he love it?

[mercy] The patty was so juicy.

He couldn't, he's like, "Mommy, I can't fit it."

It's so good.

And I finished it for him, so.

You did take out, though, right?

Yeah, so they do have a patio.

I did, I opted the takeout and everything kept really well.

And when we got there, everything still tasted fresh.

We also had a appetizer that we didn't really know what it was.

So I asked, it's called sorullito, and it's pretty much like a little rolled up arepa with cheese.

Very, very good.

[michelle] How do you roll an arepa?

Yeah, I don't know, but they did it.

[michelle] It works.

It works.

It was very, very tasty.

Mariette, you found the flavors to be surprising?

Well, it's a very small restaurant in Homestead in the middle of historic Homestead.

And I loved it because it had a lot of big Puerto Rican flavors, I didn't expect it.

I had a tripleta sandwich, and it was triple meat with veggies on top of naan, and vegetables and aoili on top.

And I had never had anything like that with the Parmesan truffle fries.

How is this at Homestead?

[mercy] So many directions.

We had no idea.

It was so good.

I really didn't expect it.

And I had a burger as well with the applewood smoked bacon.

[joseph] Yes, that sounds good.

[mariette] Wow, it was really surprising.

It was amazing.

It sounds like he's really kind of taken his own creative side to doing food.

And it sounds very lunchy.

Like I think a bowl is perfect for lunch.

I had some brussell sprouts as well.

Chef Jodrick makes a lot of like yummy vegetables that I wasn't really expecting that.

And it has a special dressing on top and they were really good.

Yeah, their sauces were amazing, yeah.

[mariette] Yeah.

[joseph] He does great sauces.

I love that he does Yeah, I saved a couple.

[joseph] Great sauces.

It was really good.

Mariette, how did you figure out what you wanted?

Did you ask questions?

Did the chef help you?

Yes, I actually asked one of the employees there.

She was really nice.

Everybody was masked up and she told me, we're known for our burgers, but you have to try the mofongo, so I also had the mofongo.

Wait a minute.

[mariette] Yes.

Also?

[mariette] They have mofongo.

[joseph] They have mofongo.

Yeah, no, I had like 20 things there, because it was so good.

[mariette] Mofongo is, um, is just smashed plantain and it comes with like a little garlic sauce that you put on top.

My wife had the bowl with the mofongo and it was great with no meat, it was great.

[michelle] That's wonderful.

She enjoyed it, it was great.

So, how are the prices?

For our takeout?

It was great.

It was very filling, like I said, it was huge.

Also I wanted to add that I also had a kids' menu and they elevated it, it was like a chicken skewer.

My daughter loved it.

So how can we get people to really find the place?

So once you get to Chrome and Mowry I think it is, you'll see it or just ask anyone in Homestead.

I bet.

[joseph] Awesome place.

Awesome place.

So you had dessert, right?

You had flan?

You can't go wrong with flan.

It was great.

And it's fresh and it's good, and it's creamy and it's good.

I mean, he literally loves what he does.

He's so into his food and it shows in what he makes.

He really loves what he does.

Well, Joseph, Chefs on the Run was your selection.

Sum it up for us.

Lot of crazy mixes, but you have to trust him that it works.

Mercy?

It's really a great spot with amazing flavors, a hidden gem, like he said.

And definitely once you try that burger, you'll be back for more.

Mariette?

Well, it's a little piece of old Florida, which I really loved, but with really big Caribbean flavors, and it was delicious.

You can run on over to Chefs on the Run Assorted Cuisine located at 10 east, Mowry drive in Homestead.

Open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Reservations are not accepted and the average price for dinner without drinks is about $30.

Hi everyone.

So the one thing I've never made here on the show, and to me, it's so essential to have in your back pocket at all times.

It's just a great burger.

I have here a griddle pan heating up.

These are, by the way, 80% meat, 20% fat.

I like 80/20.

So these we pounded out and they're pretty thin.

Let's go ahead and put that right down on the griddle.

Some of you might get mad at this, but I don't think that this kind of burger is one to be grilled.

The cooking is so fast on it.

To me, this is a good flat top or griddle burger.

Let's go ahead and season the other side, Don't go too crazy with salt.

These are thin and we are using the American cheese which happens also to be salty.

The next thing I wanted to make for you is a special sauce.

There's always a special sauce.

So it's obviously almost two to one mayonnaise to ketchup and mustard, and then you can get some relish or you take your favorite pickle.

And these are cut really nice and tiny, and it adds a really great crunch.

My special sauce.

I think you could probably buy that too.

Let's see how these are doing.

Oh, perfect.

So, if you like your burger really rare, medium rare.

I would say to go ahead and make yourself a fat burger.

If you're okay to have it medium to above that, I would do it this way, don't overcook it though.

Then it'll be really dry.

Let's go ahead and put our cheese on it.

I do double on one and single on the other.

All right, so let's go ahead and set one up.

I've got the bottom part, which by the way, I toasted in just a little butter.

So I'm gonna put some special sauce on both sides of my burger.

I like condiments, I can't help it, I love them on my burger.

So let's go ahead and grab some shredded lettuce, tomato, and onion.

So I'm gonna take my lettuce, I always go lettuce down on the bottom, a slice of tomato, The double slice of American cheese, one on the bottom, so that it melts a little more when I put the top slice on.

Yum.

All right.

I actually like my onions raw on my burgers.

So I'm just gonna put that right on top there.

Top that beautiful thing off with a sesame seed bun.

And let's bring that all over to our plate.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Michi burger?

Let's call it the Michi burger, there you go.

Heavenly.

Now voice actress Mariette Chievs says her neighborhood spot for traditional Neapolitan cuisine is speaking her language.

She says their magic oven produces pizzas with a thin and crispy crust, my favorite, but the fresh pastas, homey desserts and weekend brunch dishes are also worth the trip.

Her pick is in Miami Springs and it's called Siamo Ristorante and Pizzeria.

My name is Fidel Garcia and I'm the founder of Siamo.

I was in a trip in Bahamas and I was speaking to someone, and then he explained to me about this concept of tradition and the brick oven and wood fire, and I just fell in love with the whole concept.

Back in those days, it was not so common, so I started doing research and I decided to do this.

I decided to open the restaurant in Miami Springs because I went to school here.

So I was very connected to the city and the community.

And I felt the concept was very well attached to the ambience and to the people of Miami Springs.

[man] Siamo is authenticity and family.

So tell me what it's like when you walk in.

Well, I love Siamo because their atmosphere is amazing.

It's a brand new spot.

The restaurant actually moved and they had to rebuild their wood burning oven to make sure that everything is still authentic, and all the ingredients come from Napoli.

So as soon as you walk in, you smell the bubbling cheese, you smell everything really fresh.

And it's the best.

This time I went for brunch and they have bottomless mimosas, and the food was amazing for brunch.

We had the salmon benedict and we also had a pizza as an appetizer just because we were at Siamo's It had basil and cheese and just everything delicious.

[michelle] That's my favorite.

Yes.

I also had some French toast.

Did you have that pizza?

No, I had the quattro formaggi pizza.

[michelle] Ohh.

[mercy] Yeah.

[michelle] Yum.

[mercy] It was delicious.

Mozzarella, It was gorgonzola, ricotta.

And then one that I had never had Granada... Oh yeah, you've had grana padano.

It's basically just like pecorino.

[mercy] Oh okay, yeah.

Yeah, it's like a parmesan, but saltier.

[mercy] But it went perfectly.

And what I love of is usually like those wood burning ovens, like they char it so much.

And if you don't know how to cook it right.

[michelle] You could burn it quickly.

[mercy] Yeah, you just miss all those flavors.

All you taste is burnt.

This was cooked perfectly.

Joseph.

The place is it's nice,it's gorgeous in there.

It's two levels of dining.

It's a place you go with your wife, husband, whatever.

and just spend some time there, sit down, relax and enjoy it.

I had the chicken in a red wine sauce and mushrooms, and some mashed potatoes.

It was good.

I would go back there and have some time and just sit back, have some wine and just spend a day there.

[michelle] Yeah.

[mercy] When you walk in, you don't think you're gonna walk into what you walk into.

There's like a beautiful, huge chandelier hanging.

There's like plants hanging from the wall.

The decor makes it so elegant.

And then the wood burning oven is right there.

So you see the pizzas being prepared and that really adds to it.

You had a celebrity sighting, is that true?

Yes, Ray Allen was there with his whole basketball team.

[joseph] Really?

Yeah, and I was really surprised.

[michelle] Wow!

'Cause this is my little like hometown pizza spot and just You should have said, "Ray, what are you doing in my place?

[mariette] , Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, superstar Ray Allen, just eating pizza at Siamo's.

[mercy] That's awesome.

So I cut you off at French toast, so tell me a little bit about their French toast.

[mariette] First, they dip it in condensed milk and then you get it kind of crispy, but then also they make a handmade cinnamon whipped cream.

[joseph] Yum.

And you're gonna wanna take that home, 'cause it's so good.

[michelle] Just the whipped cream, or the whole thing?

[mariette] Well, maybe the whole thing.

The whipped cream was [joseph] This was brunch?

[mariette] Yes, for brunch.

So tell me a little bit about the ravioli.

[mariett] Oh, the Ravioli with occobuco.

Oh wow, so if you want maybe a little bit more high class, you can really taste the braze beef in the ravioli.

It's just, it's amazing.

You had dessert, right?

Oh my goodness.

The best tiramisu I've ever had, it really was delicious.

It was just so creamy and it just so light.

I don't know, just the texture and it was really delicious.

Yeah, I love tiramisu, this has my favorite, definitely.

Tell me about service, Joseph.

Service, I think the day we got there was interesting, 'cause they sat us, but it took a while for them to come back to us, almost, I think about 12 to 15 minutes before they came back.

But even that, like I said, the places are very nice and there's very pretty.

I would go back there again.

Okay With my wife just spent some time 'cause I'm assuming they were having a rough day.

One thing I will say, post COVID, we can't find anybody.

[joseph] No, correct, yeah.

You can tell that they were a little short when I was there, but there was only two people and they were taking care, they had a lot of takeout as well, [joseph] So they're very busy.

But they didn't stop, they were taking care of us very well.

Also taking care of all the people coming in, picking up.

So I think they did a really good job.

Well Mariette, Siamo was your pick, sum it up for us.

Well, if you wanna try just a very small hometown spot, but with really upscale flavors, I would definitely go to Siamo.

Joseph, can you sum it up for us?

Siamo, it's a nice charming place, you would take your wife there, your husband, whatever it is to spend a nice long leisurely day.

Mercy?

If you wanna go to an elegant, nice place and enjoy the best tiramisu and a great tasting, woodburned pizza, definitely go to Siamo's.

You can get a taste of Napoli at Siamo Ristorante and Pizzeria.

Located at 17 westward drive in Miami Springs.

They're open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday.

And for brunch on the weekends, reservations are accepted and the average price for dinner without drinks is about $35.

Finally retail manager and travel agent, Mercy Betancourt has printed your boarding pass for a Mexican venture for flavorful street tacos, piled high with perfectly seasoned fillings.

She recommends a visit to her pick, it's in Miami and it's called La Santa Taqueria.

My name is Omar Montero.

I'm the chef and the owner from La Santa Taqueria.

[montero] Well, all the idea come about with the goal to bring all the originality and the original flavors from Mexico.

Talking about tacos, right?

No with TexMex, no with California style, just to show like how we relate the Mexicans in Mexico.

With the eye on this area, the Little River.

So we came already two years ago was pretty much nothing.

But in that time of the construction, the star people and friends as well, other chefs, start putting the eye on this area.

And now I think that is a very trendy area.

I think that our success, if we wanna say like that is like we are bringing that flavors from home, people when they buy our tacos, it's not only like thinking of the spicy food or like the vester tea, it's all around.

La Santa Taqueria is the most original flavors and ingredients from Mexico in Miami.

So this place is super vibrant, right?

[mercy] Yes, it is.

Tell me about it when you walk in the door.

So first of all, it's a pink building, so you can't miss it.

[joseph] You won't miss it.

Just when you pass by it.

That's what the first time I went, grabbed my attention.

I was like, "Oh, what's that?"

It's authentic Mexican food.

The flavors are just amazing.

The ingredients are fresh.

Everything is cooked to order, you can tell.

And then the vibe.

They have this one wall that has like sacred hearts, like Mexican, it's a great wall, like for an Instagram pick or something like that.

And then the service, we immediately were seated and our server was right on point.

Everything came out very fast and he did make some recommendations, which I'm glad I listened to him 'cause they were super delicious.

We did start with the appetizer, they call 'em totopos, which are like tortilla chips.

And the salsa was like I said, freshly prepared, delicious.

[michelle] A little bit thicker than a regular tortilla, right?

[mercy] Yeah like corn, like more corn.

Based I think.

Yeah.

We told 'em keep 'em coming.

And then I guess I'm a cheese lover.

We had the queso fundido then you can put chorizo on top, which we did.

Til the last bite, like that, cheese melted and it was still hot.

Mariette, you had that too, right?

Yes and it has and it has an epic cheese pull, so.

[mercy] Yes.

You'll pull the cheese and it'll be all the way up to here.

It was so good, the queso fundido with the chorizo too.

Yes it was amazing.

And then the tacos that we had was davidia, which was like a marinated brisket with chili paste.

They cook it and you can definitely taste the flavor.

It had that kick, it was very tender.

Didn't all of you have the same taco?

[joseph] I had the same thing, I had that also, it was great.

Yeah it was really good.

It was so good.

My wife only eats fish.

So she ordered the fish tacos and you could tell how fresh it was because mine and my daughters came out first, and the fish had to take "cause it was made when you order it, you came in there and the day we were there was on Tuesday.

So it was taco Tuesday.

Oh yeah, You get extra, you get an extra, yeah.

Do you get an extra?

Yeah, instead of two.

Except for the seafood, you get three, yeah.

It was so good.

And the thing about it was so busy, but they took care of it.

They, I mean the service there was great.

You came in, you give them a name.

They called you, they sat us down.

Everything was on point and the energy of that place actually the entire neighborhood.

[mercy] Yeah.

It's the strangest place, it was so vibrant out there.

[mercy] Yeah.

And I was so surprised 'cause the energy there on a Tuesday night, it was great.

Yeah, it is, it is.

[joseph] The tacos are so good.

Did you start with anything?

[joseph] Ah, yes we had the guac and some salsa and my daughter, and that's always my test.

She ate every single piece of it, actually.

Did she have a vegan or a vegetarian taco?

Yes she did.

It had like quinao on it, yes, and stuff and she ate it up and she's very picky.

They're happy, I'm happy, so.

[michelle] Yeah, that's good.

With the birria tacos, what I really loved was the broth that you put on top of it.

[joseph] I dipped it in.

[mariette] Oh you dipped it?

Oh that's amazing And they put the double tortilla so that if some of the meat falls, then you have a second taco, So that was really good.

I also had the tacos al pastor, so it was really crispy and I was just surprised it had so many flavors.

It tasted like a Mexican grandma made it like in her house or something, it was just amazing.

And I think it used to be a food truck.

So you can kind of tell, oh, it's, it's elevated.

[joseph] That's awesome.

Yeah, I think they worked on those recipes a long time to finally have a brick and mortar.

Another taco we had was alondra de pollos, which is like seared chicken with bell peppers and onions.

And then they added sprouts on the top and it added like a little bit of texture, and then just presented beautifully.

It really added that.

[joseph] We had the corn.

[mariette] Oh, the alopte.

[joseph] It was so good.

[mariette] It was really good.

[joseph] It was so good.

[mercy] I have to go back for that.

[michelle] It's just something very special about eating corn on the cob, on the street.

But then they cover it with all the lovely spices and then the crumble cheese and the cream, oh, so good, so yummy.

Um, dessert, anyone?

I gotta tell you about the churros and the reason why we loved iit came out, it was piping hot and the sauce.

I think it was caramel.

[michelle] You had them as well.

[mariette] Yes, I loved the churros they were really fresh and hot piping out of the, I guess they fry them.

[joseph] They fried 'em right there.

[mariette] And it had the cajeta, which is made of goat.

[michelle] Goat milk and caramel.

So it's goat milk.

It was so good.

I also had awa de jamaica, which is like [michelle] Awa de jamaica.

[mariette] Jamaica?

So it's like hibiscus.

It was really refreshing and tangy.

[michelle] So yummy, right?

[mariette] I do suggest that you go on Tuesday 'cause you get the extra taco free.

[joseph] It's worth it.

So you get three tacos instead of two for the same price.

[mercy] And their margaritas are also, I think they're $5 on Tuesdays.

[michelle] Even better.

Tell me a little bit about parking, Mariette.

They have their own lot, but it was full, but there's street parking and there's like an app that you can just buy parking.

It was only about $1.50 for parking.

So I'll park the car anywhere.

Just gimme some from queso fundido.

[michelle] But it's also a fun neighborhood to walk around.

[joseph] It's a fun neighborhood.

So, you don't necessarily have to park right there.

[joseph] I actually park like block away and it was fine.

It's a great neighborhood actually.

Well, Mercy, La Santa Taqueria was your choice.

Please sum it up for us.

Amazing Mexican experience with a great vibe and the best tacos in Miami.

Joseph?

Taco Tuesday, go there.

Get the best bang for your buck.

Great service, great energy, great selections.

And you have to get the churros.

Mariette?

I would definitely go there again.

It's a great place to go share.

And it's a new taco Tuesday spot for sure.

For Mexican street food that will liven up your day.

Check out La Santa Taqueria located, 201 Northeast 82nd street in Miami.

Open for lunch and dinner every day but Monday.

Reservations are not accepted.

The average price for dinner without drinks is about $35.

We've had such a wonderful time.

I wanna thank my guests, Joseph Beckels, Mariette Chievs, and Mercy Betancourt.

For more about the restaurants and recipes featured in the show or if you'd like to apply to be a guest reviewer, visit us at checkpleasefl.com.

And as always you can find us on Facebook and Instagram.

Join us next time for three new guests, recommending three of their favorite restaurants right here on "Check, Please!

South Florida."

I'm Michelle Bernstein, Salude everybody and I'll see you then.

Thank you, Thank you.