Subject: Eating Out

• Sang's Chinese Food Delivers

  September 10, 2009

• Weekly Wrap Up: The Friday Inevitable

  Jacob KatelStay tuned. Next week Short Order goes Behind The Line at MIA at Biscayne.​Did you know that there's a Miami Police Department Café...and that back in 08' they caught a restaurant inspection violation for "identity of food product misrepresented?". According to WPLG10 it was for mislabeled fish. Something funny about that. Here's what you might have missed this week:Jackie Sayet goes in on the Kobe controversy. Are restaurants violating "truth in menu" for the sake of designer meat

  September 11, 2009

• Rosa Mexicano Celebrates Mex Independence Day

  Mexican Independence Day takes place this Wednesday, September 16, and Rosa Mexicano is celebrating all week. Starting today and running through Sunday, September 20th, the Mary Brickell restaurant will be offering a three-course prix-fixe dinner menu "inspired by the patriotic holiday celebrated in plazas throughout Mexico and by Mexicans all over the world". Chef David Sloane's menu looks mighty tempting. Patrons get to choose one of each:Appetizers: Guacamole en Molcajete; Chicken Raviolis wi

  September 14, 2009

• Van Aken Offers Nibbles of Norman's 180 Menu and Its New "Broadly American" Inspiration

  Norman Van Aken Staying on his game in Orlando (here with "Cuba Libre" Pork Belly Biscuit for its Taste of the Nation,) things are looking mighty tasty.​Norman Van Aken and his '180' team, including Chefs Philip Bryant and Justin Van Aken, are operating under a three-word mantra when it comes to their goals for the new restaurant slated to open in Coral Gables before the end of the year: "Desirability, Sustainability, Community."  Poised to re-enter the South Florida restaurant sc

  September 15, 2009

• Critchley, Bodini Finalists for New Times' Iron Fork in October

  Executive chef and Iron Fork finalist John Critchley of Area 31.​Last night, New Times held the pre-chef challenge for its Iron Fork event at La Cuisine Gourmet in Coral Gables. Four chefs competed: executive chef Maria Manso of the Blue Door at the Delano, executive chef John Critchley of Area 31, executive chef Sean Brasel of Meat Market, and executive chef Giancarla Bodini of Escopazzo. In the end Critchley and Bodini came out on top. Both will face off at the actual Iron Fork on October 15

  September 15, 2009

• Charlotte Bistro's Enchanting Web

  September 17, 2009

• Mr. Yum serves fresh Thai and Japanese on Calle Ocho

  September 24, 2009

• Solea at the W South Beach serves tasty but uneven fare

  October 1, 2009

• Friday Food Funnies: Waiters

  Waiter: "Tea or coffee, gentlemen?"1st customer: "I'll have tea."2nd customer: "Me, too - and be sure the cup is clean!"                 (Waiter exits, returns)Waiter: "OK, I've got two teas. Which of you asked for the clean cup?"How many waitresses does it take to change a light bulb?Three. Two to stand around bitching about it and one to go get the manager.Sid and Sy were sitting in a Mexican restaurant. "Sid," ask

  October 2, 2009

• A $30 Hamburger? If It Says Kobe, Don't Buy It

  Jackie SayetWhere's the boeuf? Gordon Biersch's new "German Kobe Burger" is one tasty number, but it's neither from Germany nor Japan.​Twenty-five dollar hot dogs? $30 hamburgers? That's what Prime 112 charges for what it calls Kobe beef.The problem is, the high buck meat isn't always what is advertised. It's not the product of cattle raised in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan that in some cases drink beer and receive sake massages, but instead originates thousands of miles away, on an American

  October 2, 2009

• Ken Lyon To Open Cape Cod Room

  The Bath Club on Miami Beach (59th St. and Collins Ave.) has long been a private, membership-only establishment with its' own intimate, members-only restaurant. But starting Sunday, November 1st, the fully restored 1920s Mediterranean-style clubhouse restaurant will be open to the public. It will be known as The Cape Cod Room, operated by Ken Lyon, longtime caterer now best known as owner of Fratelli Lyon.Lyon describes The Cape Cod Room as "a retro-classic restaurant featuring upscale East Coas

  October 5, 2009

• Oldies But Goodies: A Duo of Favorite European-Inspired Soup and Sandwich Spots

  Jackie SayetOpen wide: The "Boiled Egg & Tomato" under construction at Pommes & Pane.​Keep it simple, stupid.  Words to live by when it comes to food, especially the classic lunch combo of a soup and sandwich.  This pair of places answers the question "What should I have for lunch?", serving up bread with fix-ins and blends in bowls in their finest forms.  Try one, or if you're hungry, scarf both.   

  October 6, 2009

• Archive Diver: Luigis Cafe Bistro Free Beer Ad from 1988

  Miami New Times archives week of October 5 - 11, 1988Click For Full Size​Free beer!That rallying cry is a valued, age-old method to draw a crowd. Like:"Dude, my little sister's hamster passed away and she's having a funeral and burial ceremony for it. Do you wanna go?""Uhhm, nah that sounds lame I'll pass""There's gonna be free beer.""Right. I'm in. And I'm telling everybody."So it is with an eye toward our current economic plight that I suggest restaurants engage their value cannons and fire

  October 6, 2009

• The Biltmore's Palme d'Or soars

  October 8, 2009

• Luna Returns, Shing Wang Retreats, Maitardi Opens, Bancroft Stumbles

  ​Luna Rises Again"Back by Popular Demand" declares the banner across the re-rechristened Luna Cafe at 4770 Biscayne Boulevard. Short Order had reported in July that Luna had changed its name to L'artista Restaurant and tweaked the menu towards a more fine dining experience. We noted that it "Seems a curious move at this time," but expressed our faith in owner Tom Billante's business savvy. Sure enough, he was savvy enough to realize the mistake and bring back the moderately priced Luna Cafe. U

  October 7, 2009

• Area 31 Makes Esquire Best of 2009

  adam larkeywas mariani bowled over by this bolognese?​Area 31, in the Epic Hotel downtown, has been named as one of the Best New Restaurants of 2009 in the November issue of Esquire magazine. When food and travel critic John Mariani dined at Area 31 this summer, he asked executive chef John Critchley to send out his favorite dishes. Mariani's menu entailed Yellowfin Tuna Crudo, Grilled Red Drum, Salt-Crusted Dorade, and Ricotta Gnocchi with Tuna Bolognese (in photo -- and the recipe is here).

  October 8, 2009

• Florida Stone Crabs, Florida Vodka, BLT Brunch and Location, Location, Location

  ​Stone Crab Season BeginsDolphins shmolphins -- the season we really care about kicks off at Joe's Stone Crabs next Thursday, October 15th. Stone crabs are always winners.11 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-673-0365.Florida In A Bottle4 Orange Premium Vodka is the world's first and only vodka distilled from pure Florida oranges -- four varieties, in fact, culled from Florida's Peace River Basin. The 80-proof, super-premium vodka is being launched by Imperial Brands, Inc., which also produces

  October 8, 2009

• Sneak Review: Botequim Carioca Brazilian Bar & Grill

  A teeny sneak preview of the New Times restaurant review for next week. Prices are as inviting as a Brazilian bikini. A bowl of black bean stew is $3; soup du jour, onion rings and croquettes are $5 to $6; and the rest of the appetizers mostly range from $8 to $14. The grilled meat starters, for two, run $13 to $25. Main courses are $16 to $28, the high number representing filet mignon and the feijoada for two. Portions are generous, the fare is bulky, the number of plates needed to sate is few.

  October 9, 2009

• Organic Wine at Pied, LoSasso at The Forge, Bleeding Eardrums at SeaRock, and, um, Jessica Simpson

  ​Columbus Day Brunch, Kamen Wine DinnerBrunch is this morning at 10:00 a.m. and runs to 4:00 p.m. at Au Pied de Cochon. And on Wednesday, October 14 at 7:00 p.m., the French brasserie presents a five course dinner featuring the wines of Kamen Winery, a Sonoma County vineyard owned by Hollywood screenwriter Robert Kamen. Pioneers in organic farming, the winery produces a very limited quantity of highly rated reds, with an emphasis on top quality Cabernet Sauvignon. Chef de cuisine Didier Lailhe

  October 12, 2009

• Tonight at Urbanite Bistro - Wine, Dine, and Gator Meat

  via urbanitebistro.com​ Fourteenth street between Overtown and the Arsht is full of wild game: zombified crackheads, worse for wear working-girls, artists, musicians, promoters, creatives, thugs, drugs, and po nine.Now, with Urbanite Bistro in the mix, we can add the literal interpretation: animals hunted for food, not domestication, according to Wikipedia.Urbanite Bistro (62 NE 14 St) is a new restaurant in the heart of Downtown Miami's late night district, blocks from Space and a stone's thr

  October 12, 2009

• Botequim Carioca brings gutsy, affordable Brazilian fare to downtown Miami

  October 15, 2009

• Talula & Rigatoni, Oceanaire & Caymus, Gonzalo & Olé, the FTC & Me

  ​Talula turns ItalianTalula restaurant recently launched Buon Appetito!, also known as Wednesday pasta night.  "We wanted to give our diners a special taste of the type of food we love cooking at home for our families," says Andrea Curto-Randazzo, the Italian chef/co-owner who opened Talula in 2003 with her Italian chef/co-owner/husband Frank Randazzo. The deal is this:$29 per person (excluding tax and gratuity) for a bottomless bowl of rigatoni dressed with Andrea's "Sunday Sauce", plus

  October 15, 2009

• Surprise! New Favorite Takeout Salad Resides at Wok Town

  Jackie SayetThe "Stir Fry Miso Beef Salad" ($8.95) is a fresh and crisp unexpected find at an Asian takeout place​Forget everything you expect from and dislike about Chinese takeout. If you're having trouble, let us shed some light...  Greasy, saucy, gloopy, wilted, and one-note flavor. Now imagine a menu with light options like crisp salads, low oil stir fries, noodle soups, finger-licking edamame tossed in a creative selection of light sauces, and house-made -- I repeat -- house-made du

  October 20, 2009

• Barton G. Warehouse Fire: A Bad Time for Everybody (Updated)

  ​The state fire marshal and Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms officers were in Miami this morning investigating a fire last night at the Barton G. warehouse at 400 NE 67th St. on the Upper Eastside. The blaze destroyed thousands of dollars' worth of linens and tables after the roof caved in. It was "one of the largest fires that we have had this year," says Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Ignatius Carroll. No one was hurt in the blaze, but it might have done serious damage to one of the area's best restaurat

  October 20, 2009

• Casale in Miami Beach is a pizzeria with hearth!

  October 22, 2009

• Sneak Review: Grateful Bread

  Photo by Lee KleinSancocho at Grateful Bread​First, the answer: The sancocho pictured above and in last weeks' Where It At? is taken from the specials menu at Grateful Bread.And now, the abbreviated sneak preview of the New Times restaurant review for next week:Our strongest recommendation from Grateful Bread's regular menu is chicken Veracuzano, the tender breast meat bathed in a sauté of tomatoes, peppers, onions, olives, capers, and parsley -- accompanied by rice, beans, and steamy corn to

  October 23, 2009

• Worst Dining Trends Of The Past Decade (According to Chicago Tribune, Michael Schwartz, and Short Order)

  Courtesy of SoBe Wine & FoodDon't invite this man to your commune.​The Chicago Tribune website last week printed a list of the ten worst dining trends of the past decade, as decided by various movers and shakers in the American food world. Miami's own Michael Schwartz weighed in, his pet peeve being the communal table, which "assumes people who don't know each other want to sit together."  (Gee Michael, didn't know you were so cynical; it will  serve you well in your new blogging

  October 26, 2009

• Dean Max New "Concept Chef" at Renovated Cheeca Lodge

  Dean James Max will bring bite to the Edge​When Cheeca Lodge & Spa reopens in Islamorada this December 15th, its landmark Atlantic's Edge restaurant will be under the creative direction of newly hired "Concept Chef" Dean James Max -- who is known closer to home for his 3030 Ocean at the Marriott Harbor Beach in Ft. Lauderdale.The Edge menu will remain focused on "modern American seafood" and prime steaks, but the renovated restaurant will feature a new glassed-in wine cellar with over 150

  October 26, 2009

• Dirty Dining at Miami Police Café

  Breakfast at Timoney's? No thanks.​City of Miami cops want you to think they're clean. Clean arrests. Clean records. Clean city. But if you believe the State of Florida, the place where they eat is dirty, dirty, dirty.This past June, state inspectors cited a tiny café in police headquarters on NW Second Avenue with 23 "critical" violations. Among them: "encrusted" and "soiled" material on a slicer, no soap in the men's room, and reuse of dirty gloves.That's not the only problem at the homey c

  October 27, 2009

• Miami Cops Eat Dirty Meals Done Dirt Cheap, So Says Inspector

  Order up. Pork Chops, Side of Bacon.​City of Miami cops want you to think they're clean. Clean arrests. Clean records. Clean city. But if you believe the State of Florida, the place where they eat is dirty, dirty, dirty. This past June, state inspectors cited a tiny café in police headquarters on NW Second Avenue with 23 "critical" violations. Among them: "encrusted" and "soiled" material on a slicer, no soap in the men's room, and reuse of dirty gloves. That's not the only problem a

  October 27, 2009

• Breakfast at Timoney's: This Miami Police eatery breaks the law

  October 29, 2009

• Grateful Bread and Moises Bakery: One serves hearty fare, the other tasty empanadas

  October 29, 2009

• Deals & Squeals: Salsa Fiesta, Sushi Maki, Coral Gables Thursdays

  ​Salsa Fiesta Debuts TodayOwners Cesar Olivo and Adriana Pérez Benatar are hosting the grand opening of their Salsa Fiesta Urban Mexican Grill today. The fast casual eatery is located on 29th Street and Biscayne Boulevard, just a block north of the New Times offices. The modern industrial-style restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating and "a mostly muted color scheme differentiating this innovative eatery from the traditional Mexican greasy spoon". Other differentiating factors might include

  October 28, 2009

• Party Like a Salsa: Venezuelan Import, Salsa Fiesta, Opens on Biscayne Corridor

  Jackie SayetService with a sonrisa​American mall food court fare leaves some -- er, many -- things to be desired.  But venture across the border or overseas, and as cultures change, so does the fast food game, usually for the better.So when we first heard that young entrepreneurs and husband-wife pair Cesar Olivo and Adriana Perez Benatar were taking Benatar's family business stateside from its Venezuelan courtesan roots, we were mostly curious.  We were also somewhat hopeful that Sa

  October 29, 2009

• Brickell's Blu Pizza e Cucina Closed For Good

  ​Mary Brickell Village's Blu Pizza e Cucina is closed "for renovation." Yeah, we know what that typically means in restaurant speak.Calls to the restaurant's listed phone number yielded a 'temporarily out of service' message. So we dialed Blu Restaurant Group's offices, where office manager Maggie Nabut confirmed that the Brickell restaurant is permanently closed due to lower than expected sales.So there. Never trust those "closed for renovation" signs. Oh, yes, the group's two other resta

  October 29, 2009

• Hell's Kitchen Alum Joshua Wahler Now Executive Chef of Kung Fu Kitchen at Catalina

  David LisznaThe new executive, without donkey, at the Catalina on Halloween. A clever nod to Ramsay's favorite curse word?​Being shown the door by Gordon Ramsay is like facing the martial arts whoopass of Jackie Chan in Brett Ratner's Rush Hour series, only a bit more brutal.Josh Wahler, a former contestant of Hell's Kitchen 3 (quite possibly its best season on record,) survived one such exit rather elegantly, and has now samboed his way from Doral's 5300 Chop House into the role of executiv

  November 3, 2009

• Mark Militello Leaves 1 Bleu for The Office

  Photo by Jacob KatelChef Mark Militello​Chef Mark Militello has left 1 Bleu at the One Resort and Spa (formerly The Regent Bal Harbour) to join The Office, a gastropub in Delray said to be opening in late November. Last December Militello took the reigns as executive chef of culinary operations at The Regent Bal Harbour. That was only six months after the last of his four namesake restaurants, Mark's in Boca Raton's Mizner Park, closed. The Regent Bal Harbour was sold in June. The Office is

  November 3, 2009

• Balans has good food, cocktails, and ambiance but lacks character

  November 5, 2009

• Chef Douglas Rodriguez Speaks: Will Return to His Roots with New Upscale Cuban Restaurant at the Hotel Astor

  Marsha TalianoffBack in the day is coming back. That's Rodriguez on the far left.​Although he calls Miami his home, we don't often hear much about what Chef Douglas Rodriguez is up to locally.  Sure, he still owns and operates OLA in the Sanctuary Hotel (among other restaurants in Philadelphia and New York City,) but you probably saw him most recently on the boob tube, during his brief and unsuccessful stint on Bravo's chef competition reality show spin-off, Top Chef Masters.  So, l

  November 4, 2009

• A Frontera Grill of Our Own? Talavera Channels the Corazon of Mexico in the Heart of Coral Gables

  Jackie SayetA sea-salty, tangy punch of solid libation: Here's looking at you, Classic Margarita.​Short of Rick Bayless opening up shop in Miami, Talavera enters the local restaurant scene to fill a much needed void, authentic Mexican cuisine.  In the capable hands of Mexican-born Executive Chef/Owner (and Chile Master, as far as we're concerned) Oscar Del Rivero, Owner Eduardo Durazo, and Partner Martin Moreno, all of Jaguar Ceviche Spoon Bar and LATAM Grill in Coconut Grove, Talavera ma

  November 9, 2009

• High-Price Chow at Mr. Chow

  November 12, 2009

• Area 31's John Critchley Gets The 10...

  Chef John Critchley​Executive chef John Critchley of Area 31 at Epic seems to be a man of few words--as is evidenced by his interview below--but perhaps that's because his focus is more on action, nowadays. As a matter of fact, on November 20, he'll present a donation check to the Marine Mammal Conservancy in Key Largo reflecting profits from his restaurant's pre-fixe menu featuring locally caught, sustainable seafood. (Did you know the restaurant was named for Fishing Area 31, a region o

  November 11, 2009

• Interview: Chef Doug Rodriguez Gets The 10

  Chef Doug Rodriguez​Oft labeled the "Godfather of Nuevo Latino," bestselling author and Chef Douglas Rodriguez has also been heaped with praise by Newsweek and Zagat, among others. But folks 'round here mostly just know him as "That guy who takes the flavors of Latin America and whips them up into delicious food fiestas."Fans of OLA, his Latin Fusion resto in The Sanctuary, are all abuzz about his forward focus on Cuban cuisine, but what they may not recall was that Rodriguez's Miami reign wit

  November 12, 2009

• Where Food Meets Art During Art Basel

  Photo by Jacob Katel​In what sounds like a modern version of a salon, 35 guests will join an artist and a chef at a private penthouse near Miami's Design District to dine, talk art and rub elbows during Art Basel. The occasion: "The Art of Gourmet," a dining and art event of three dinners and a brunch kicking off December 3. "The concept came out of our desire to create a new underground and spotlight some of the more creative elements in Miami," said Jason Inasi, founder of the group behind t

  November 13, 2009

• Catching Up: Hello Eater Miami, Vidal at Soleá, and Beaujolais; Goodbye Bancroft

  ​Eater GreeterWhile I was away, Lesley Abravanel and Eater Miami gracefully traipsed into our incestuous little food blog world. So far it has been an interesting and visually arresting blog, a bit of original snark sandwiched between the sort of local linking that South Florida Menu Pages Blog used to do. South Florida Menu Pages Blog of course closed down some time ago due to a stupifyingly poor name. Eater Miami is a lot catchier, and allow me to be the last to welcome it and Ms. Abravanel

  November 16, 2009

• Eric Ripert, Jacques Pepin Talk Abusive Chefs, Favorite Foods and the State of Fine Dining at Arsht Celebrity Chef Series

  Photo by Juan MoninoOn stage at the Arsht Center: Jacques Pepin, Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert.Jacques Pepin showed Eric Ripert a thing or two in a friendly cook-off at the Arsht Center Celebrity Chef series Friday night. With nine minutes to go on the 30-minute clock, Pepin, who found time to make dessert in addition to the two dishes he and Ripert were expected to prepare, proclaimed: "Do we have to wait until the end or can we start plating?" After an introductory interview by Anthony Bour

  November 16, 2009

• Whisk Gourmet Food & Catering whips up a crowd in Coral Gables

  November 19, 2009

• Picnics Passes On

  Picnics Diner was long a favorite when it was located in Allen's Drugstore on SW 57th Ave. A few years ago the owner died, and the diner moved to Bird Road and SW 65th Ave. In July it received a lukewarm writeup from Burger Beast. Now Picnics is out of business, and Miami's dearth of diners has just deepened.

  November 18, 2009

• New Chef's New Menu at La Marea at The Tides

  ​Gonzalo Rivera didn't garner much attention when he took over as executive chef at the Tides South Beach last spring. A first generation Mexican-American, Rivera graduated the California Culinary Academy in 2004 and promptly got work in Michael Mina's restaurants, including a four year stint as executive chef of Mina's Nemi Restaurant. Now that he's had a few months to settle in at the Tides, Rivera is launching new lunch and dinner menus at the property's main restaurant, La Marea. Here are

  November 18, 2009

• David Lombardi Talks Wynwood Cafe District

  Jacob KatelLombardi at work.​The Wynwood Cafe District is a zoning effort on the part of business leaders, residents, artists, real estaters, and local government to promote foodlife and nightlife in Wynwood by allowing liquor license clusters, and waiving parking requirements. Before the Wynwood Cafe District was founded, liquor licenses had to be a certain distance in feet apart from each other -- something like 1,500 -- and restaurants had to have on site parking, a heavy added cost for tho

  November 20, 2009