Cafe Charlotte

Cafe Charlotte features Venezuelan specialties. A great intro to that nation's cuisine is a sampler including guayanas cheese (similar to mozzarella but looser), tequeños (dough-wrapped sticks of firm white cheese), a fried cornmeal tamale, deep-fried beef mini-empanadas, and house-made guasacaca sauce, a thinner and delectably tangier version of guacamole. And mojo shrimp — fresh Florida shellfish precisely sautéed with a mix of orange, lemon, and cilantro and then finished with a sauce of white wine and butter — is a surprisingly ambitious starter for such a humble setting. There's a small selection of budget-price wines too. In fact, what looks to be just another empanada joint on the outside is cute enough inside to be suitable for a romantic bargain date.