Every Friday evening, from 5:30 to 11, North One 10 (11052 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-893-4211) hosts a barbecue and beer blast that is unlike any other in town. Chef Dewey LoSasso and crew grill up habanero chicken wings, mango and shrimp skewers, coffee-crusted rib eye steak, plus plenty more. And Dewey's wife Dale selects a host of interesting brews to match the assertive flavors. We recently spoke with LoSasso about barbecue and a few other things.
1. What's the best music to listen to while you're eating barbecue?
I would say John Lee Hooker.
2. How many bottles of Open Pit barbecue sauce do you go through on an average barbecue night?
[Laughs] We only use our homemade Dewey's Hot Sauce [spiked with charred jalapeño, serrano, and habanero chilies].
3. What makes your barbecue distinctive?
I love barbecue, but I also know there are negative health connotations sometimes. I do barbecue that's a little lighter. Instead of using smoked meats with everything, I use smoked vegetables for flavor — like using hickory to smoke onions instead of bacon. We also do indigenous Florida foods like snapper with green tomato barbecue sauce. You don't see a lot of that.
4. Any new food products catch your eye recently?
I like Australian wattle seeds a lot. They've got sort of a coffee-nutmeg flavor, and you can use them in either pastry or in savory dishes. I dust them on sea scallops, and I also make cookies out of it.
5. If you could have one Miami chef cook you dinner, who would you choose and why?
Jonathan Eismann or Michael Schwartz. It's a toss-up. Michael has really earthy and up-front flavors — I think right now he is doing the best stuff in Florida. And I'm just excited about Jonathan cooking again. He has an amazing palate.
