Musings: South Beach Wine & Food, Midtown and Root Beer

In light of the upcoming South Beach Wine & Food Festival, I propose a law requiring that no posted photo of any Food Network personality ever exceed the size of a postage stamp. Our fine dining establishments are much improved in terms of the quality of cuisine served, but they've...

By Lee Klein

January 21, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "19274298",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17482312",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482310",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482313",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

In light of the upcoming South Beach Wine & Food Festival, I

propose a law requiring that no posted photo of any Food Network

personality ever exceed the size of a postage stamp.
Our fine dining establishments are much improved in terms of the

quality of cuisine served, but they've still got a ways to go

concerning desserts.
The Shops At Midtown boasts a roster of incoming restaurants, none of which seems to be exactly rushing to open.
Speaking of Midtown: If anyone wants to start up a really big dining

establishment, there's about to be an empty Circuit City space

available real soon.
Root beer is an underutilized food flavoring. How about root

beer-braised brisket? Venison in root beer gastrique? A root beer-foie

gras float? On second thought, forget I mentioned it.
Oh Wagamama, where art thou? Or, for that matter,

where is any similarly cool, low-priced noodle shop in these parts?
Every upscale restaurant seems to be serving hamburgers these days.

Also macaroni & cheese. The economic downturn is presumed to be the

impetus behind this trend, but I don't recall seeing coffee shops and

diners adding foie gras and caviar to their menus during heady times.
I can't help but note that Yoo-Hoo, too, is universally shunned by chefs.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.