Consumer Non-Cyclicals

Husk Restaurant: Rocky Start to a Phenomenal Meal in Downtown Charleston

"Like I said, we're really sorry, but there's not much we can do for you," says a stout man with a handlebar mustache protruding nearly an inch outside both sides of his face. He did seem genuine. Just a few minutes earlier we were beyond thrilled that a trip to the Carolinas would provide the foo ... More >>

Total Wine & More Opens Kendall Superstore: 2,500 Beers; iPad Helpers!

Total Wine & More is less a store and more of a shopping Nirvana for those who like to imbibe every now and again. Who wouldn't get giddy when faced with literally thousands of choices for what to bring home. And the choices are endless: Do we want a sophisticated wine tasting soiree? Do we want a M ... More >>

Go [Vegan Fish Substitute]!

Florida Weisse: Our Own Style of Beer

While the upper U.S. West coast has a beer style to call its own (Cascadian Dark Ale), it appears that the craft beer movement in Florida has spawned a new style of beer: the Florida Weisse. The second annual Berliner Bash on the Bay in Gulfport, Florida, was recently held on April 20 and several F ... More >>

Homebrew Day in Miami: AHA Big Brew Toast Tomorrow

Local homebrew club Miami Area Society of Homebrewers and will participate in a local gathering of the 16th Annual American Homebrewers Association Big Brew on Saturday, May 4, at Miami Beer and Wine Makers Warehouse in HIaleah to celebrate National Homebrew Day. Big Brew will be held from 10 a.m. ... More >>

World of Beer Opens in Midtown Monday: Lots of Events Planned

Sure, it's a chain. But it's also the home of over 500 bottles and 50 rotating drafts of craft beer, making World of Beer a welcome addition to the neighborhood (and a place to add to your happy hour bar rotation). Located in the Shops at Midtown, this Tampa-based chain also features live music, ta ... More >>

Wynwood Bar Owners Say There's a Conspiracy to Kill the Neighborhood

MEDA Responds to New Times Article on Wynwood Crackdown: "Compliance With the Law Is Not Optional"

On Tuesday, New Times reported the backstory behind the recent police and code enforcement crackdown in Wynwood, which has led bar owners to suspect that Operation Dry Hour is more about downtown clubs stifling competition than about safety. When we looked into the allegations, we found that do ... More >>

Coca-Cola to Face Criticism for Food Stamp Lobbying

Ready for a shocker? American taxpayers subsidize the purchase of approximately $4 billion worth of soda products annually through SNAP, the supplemental nutritional aid program also known as food stamps. Federal, state, and local governments have all tried to prohibit the purchase of sodas and ... More >>

SweetWater Brewery to Bring Craft Beers to Miami

Altanta-based SweetWater Brewing Company is bringing its craft beers to Miami. To expand its brand, SweetWater is putting the finishing touches on its newly expanded brewhouse, which quadruples the brewery's capacity.

Giraffas, Manolo's & Novecento: Miami Leads United States' Food Culture UPDATED

Update: Giraffas announced that they have chosen Miami-Dade to be the Brazilian chain's U.S. headquarters adding 285 direct new jobs within three years and an initial capital investment of $8 million. Congratulations on your 285 new jobs, Miami.We recently stumbled across a headline picked ... More >>

Miami Veteran's Day Freebie Roundup: Lunches, Dinners, and Roast Beef Sandwiches

Happy Veteran's Day to all of the devil dogs, squids, airdales, boonie rats, coasties and active duty men and women. And a bravo zulu to all reservists too. Veteran's Day is this Sunday and what does that mean for our vets besides a parade and a marathon of war movies on The Military Channel? Free g ... More >>

Burger King Drive-Thru Stinks, Says Study. Locals Disagree.

According to a new study, Miami-based Burger King, has the worst drive-thru when it comes to service, speed, and accuracy.The study, conducted by QSR Magazine, is conducted annually and rates the drive-thrus of Chick-fil-A, Krystal, McDonald's, Taco Bell, Wendy's, and Burger King. Categories such as ... More >>

Lady Ballers Unite

Sick People Are Cooking Your Dinner

"Backed into the Corner" is the provocative name of a new research report that found almost nine out of 10 Miami restaurant workers do not receive any paid sick days and that nearly 50 percent of these employees have gone to work sick. An even larger majority -- 63.6 percent -- said they had no acce ... More >>

Okey Dokey, Russian Grocery Chain, Plans South Florida Expansion

Supermarkets are the fabric of American food consumption. Here in South Florida, you can't drive more than a couple of miles without seeing one of the behemoth retailers. Seeing the potential for growth, Russian food retailer Okey Dokey, and its parent company AgroTrade, is planning a major expansio ... More >>

Master Sommelier George Miliotes on The Capital Grille's Generous Pour

There are fewer concepts more pleasing to the palate of a wine lover than the notion of a generous pour. Hence The Capital Grille's annual celebration by the same name, geared to its vino enthusiast patrons. This summer wine event offers visitors a chance to sample an extensive variety of selection ... More >>

Coral Way Brings the Flavors of the World to Miami, Part Three

See also Coral Way Brings the Flavors of the World to Miami, Part 1 and Coral Way Brings the Flavors of the World to Miami, Part 2. You don't have to go far from the Uruguayan Zuperpollo to reach the neighboring Bistro 1401, about two blocks west, for an Argentinean culinary experience. You can si ... More >>

Artisan Food: If It's Made for the Masses, Can It Be Called Artisan?

Ben & Jerry's Truck at Bayfront Now, Tweet for Free Frozen Yogurt

The Ben & Jerry's truck is back in Miami now through June 16, offering free frozen treats in time for the unofficial start of summer. The truck will be traveling through Miami, giving away scoops of the new Greek frozen yogurt. The flavors being sampled include: Strawberry Shortcake: Strawberry ... More >>

Benihana To Be Sold for $296 Million to Private Investors

Less than two years after Burger King was sold to private investors, another Miami-Dade-based national restaurant chain is going private. It was announced today that Angelo, Gordon & Co.'s Private Equity Group will pay $296 million for Benihana, Inc. and take the chain private.

Today: United Way Miami Wine & Food Festival Kicks Off 17th Annual Edition

It might not have the swag or bravado of its nationally-recognized cousin the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, but the 17th annual edition of the United Way Miami Wine & Food Festival definitely has a lot to offer. Best of all, and unlike SBWFF, proceeds go to a charity that strengthens the ... More >>

Kirin's Soft-Serve Beer Tap: A Perfect Head

The Kirin Brewing Company in Japan has developed a new beer tap that turns beer into a frozen sorbet. No, this isn't a beer-flavored ice cream, it's a machine that chills and freezes the head to 23 degrees Fahrenheit using the frozen lid to keep the underlying beer cold for up to 30 minutes, And it ... More >>

Drink Like the Pros

Longhorn Opens in Hialeah, Yard House in SoBe; Are Cheaper Chains the New Cool?

​Yesterday, I received a press release about Longhorn Steakhouse opening in Hialeah. Normally, the opening of a restaurant in Miami is cause for a Short Order write up and, sometimes, a first look at the restaurant and its food. But this press release got some chuckles by our writers. After all, t ... More >>

Dress Up Like the'80s and Picket Outback Steakhouse

​A rally, organized by the Florida AFL-CIO to oppose Florida Senate Bill 2106 is planned for this afternoon, February 21 at 3 p.m. in front of Outback Steakhouse in Miami Lakes. The Florida AFL-CIO is inviting all restaurant workers who work for tips and union members to show up in 1980s garb and ... More >>

Breakfast Beer: Not Just For Alcoholics Anymore

​The craft beer movement has produced some surprising side effects for the brewery world; suddenly blueberries, cherries and chocolate are considered hops-friendly ingredients, giving beer a whole new aisle in your local liquor store. In fact, beer is so user friendly with food these days, we are ... More >>

Shmaltz Brewing and Jewbelation: A Hanukkah Beer Contest

Courtesy of Shmaltz Brewing Company/Facebook​In case you are unaware of the current trend, American craft beers are now receiving the attention they deserve. I suppose it makes sense that if the U.S. melting pot is going to be making beer, there will literally be something for everyone. Representi ... More >>

Hatuey Beer Returns as a Microbrew

The new Hatuey is close in spirit to the original.​The new Hatuey (pronounced ah-TWAY) Beer returned to bars, restaurants and liquor stores in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties this past summer. The original Hatuey was first produced in Santiago de Cuba around 1927. By 1959 it was Cuba's favorite cer ... More >>

Burger King About To Lose Spot To Wendy's As America's Second-Largest Burger Chain, Analysts Say

​Miami-based Burger King may soon lose its spot as America's second-largest fast food burger chain to the red-headed stepchild, Wendy's, market analysts say.Both burger joints have competitive dollar menus, but Wendy's went further by adding additional amenities to about 20 percent of its restaura ... More >>

Fairchild's Edible Garden Festival This Weekend: Grow Your Own (Veggies)

​If you're a fan of growing (legal) herbs in your backyard or you want to start, check out Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden's Edible Garden Festival this weekend.The garden will open its gates on Saturday and Sunday to amateur gardeners with ongoing lectures and cooking and gardening demonstratio ... More >>

Yardbird Wine List Dissection: Made In The USA

​South Beach newcomer Yardbird has us all thinking of fried chicken, bourbon, and biscuits. We gave you a brief preview of the food and a glimpse inside the opening party madness, but what you may not know is that they also cultivated an extremely user-friendly wine list. Offerings are separated i ... More >>

R. Kelly's Black and White VIP Party at Revolution Live October 2

Multimillionaire Mitt Romney Tells Miami Audience He's Middle Class

​Miami has been hit hard by unemployment, mass layoffs, and foreclosures. Mitt Romney, meanwhile, is estimated to be worth as much as $250 million and is so loaded he's looking to quadruple the size of his West Coast mansion. So it sure was weird when he came to Miami yesterday and implied in ... More >>

Did Chef Mike Sabin Say Sayonara to Prime One Twelve?

Have you seen this man? ​A little birdie tipped us off last week that Mike Sabin, whom most people think of as the head chef at Prime One Twelve, had left the kitchen to work at some burger joint in Virginia (Oh -- you didn't know about that place, either?). As it turns out, Sabin has sort of left ... More >>

Consumer Reports: Chick-fil-A, Wendy's, Papa Murphy's Tops

Five Guys scored highest among burger chains linked to Miami​Advice culled from a fast food survey among Consumer Reports readers in the August issue: "Next time you have a craving for fast food, think twice about slowing down for Burger King, KFC, McDonald's, or Taco Bell."These big names f ... More >>

Brickell Restaurant Boom Continues, Three Additions to One Broadway

Lesley Elliott Brickell Irish Pub is getting some new neighbors. ​Destination dining continues to boom in the Brickell area, where neighborhood eateries are opening literally on top of each other. The One Broadway complex (also known as 1450 Brickell -- located between Brickell Av ... More >>

Bars & Clubs Readers' Poll Winners

Beer Snobs Rejoice! Wynwood Brewing Company Soon to Open

cursedthing via Flickr​Miami is not known for being a "beer town." We're not in the mountains of Colorado, but in the tropics. Visitors and locals are so hot and sweaty that we prefer frozen drinks with tiny umbrellas by the pool, right? Thankfully, for those of us who like taste options, not anym ... More >>

Bustelo, Pilon, Adios! Kiss Miami Coffee Good-Bye!

​For years, Miami has had a stranglehold on America. Sure, they had their crappy Starbucks and  fancy, yuppy coffee roasters. But we had cafe Cubano, cafe con leche, cortaditos, la gasolina de la tarde.....But now J.M. Smucker has bought the local -- actually historically Cuban -- brand that ... More >>

Tax Day Deals at Angelique Euro Cafe, BLT Steak, and P.F. Chang's

"Catalana wrap" at Angelique​Taxes are like fried calamari appetizers: Everyone says they're tired of it, but nobody does anything about it. On the other hand, taxes don't come with marinara sauce and a lemon wedge.  The point I am trying to make is that the following three restaurants are al ... More >>

Eight Great Songs by Seven Fake Bands

Photo from Last FMThe Wonders doing that thing...​Who's the greatest fictional group of all time? Is it Erie, Pennsylvania's The Wonders or Doug Funnie's favorite band The Beets? What about The California Raisins, the claymation cover band originally molded to advertise the California Raisin Advi ... More >>

Animal-rights commando goes after Santeria sacrifices

Girl with the Pearl Necklace

Broadway Who

"Heineken Inspire" Presents

The Year in Dining

2007 might go down as pivotal for Miami gastronomy.

Stirred, Not Shaken

Tin Chefs

The disconnect between a culinary student's white-collar dreams and the restaurant world's blue-collar reality

McVersity for Money

McDonald's adds a Latin touch, or just a cynical one