This Sunday, February 28, will be the last day that Mariela Paz functions as operator of Café Miami (4517 State Rd., 216-661-3739) in Old Brooklyn. Since resurrecting the shuttered business, one that previous owner Larry Fields operated for close to 20 years, Paz has been adding her own Latin-inspired touches and dishes, a considerable departure from the shop’s modest American-diner roots.

But while the response by customers and neighbors has been positive, the changes have not been sitting well with Fields, who says that Paz was merely a temporary steward of the business while he recovered from a stroke. The changes, he said, “confused diners.”

That rocky relationship ends this week, with Paz heading to a new address just a mile away. There, she will open Sabor Miami, a Latin-themed eatery that expands on what she was dabbling in over at Café Miami. Diners can look forward to creamy caramel-scented cafes con leche, Mexican-style huevos rancheros with crispy tostones, flaky fried empanadas filled with chopped ham and cheese, and pressed Cubano sandwiches filled with roast pork, thin-sliced ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. Expanded hours and a fresh interior also will be part of the package.

The new location, 4848 Broadview Rd., most recently belonged to the Salvadoran-run Katarina Pupuseria. That business relocated last year to the former Mexican Village building at 1409 Brookpark Rd.

No word yet on the future of Café Miami. 

This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 1, 2016.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.