The Other Green

In Miami the color green has traditionally referred to the cheese, the chedda, and the Benjamins, you know? And organic was a word used only by drug dealers. But things are changing. Bike paths are being built, and today from 9 to 3, in the newly christened MiMo Historic District, you can use that cheese to buy some genuinely organic greens or the other kind of cheese. The Upper Eastside Garden Market, a Saturday-only collection of twentysome local food purveyors, boasts fresh mozzarella, breads, mango sorbet, panchón lechón, escargots, a great variety of fruits and vegetables, and -- in a deal that must make Joe nervous -- stone crab claws for eight bucks a pound. Plus you won't have to grease his maitre d': Admission costs exactly zero bones, so you can save your green for the green that really matters.

The market sets up at the corner of Biscayne Boulevard and 66th Street, but the entrance and parking are near the back of Legion Park. Dogs are welcome, and afterward you can stroll along the newly finished Upper Eastside corridor of shops and restaurants. Now that was green well spent. Call 305-775-2166 for more information.
Sat., Feb. 16, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 2008