I have come to praise Miami Book Fair International, not to bury it. I mean seriously: Is there any other event of this size that runs so seamlessly and trouble-free year after year? Plus, if not for Mitchell Kaplan, a lot of people in Miami might still not know what a…
Yardbird Southern Table and Bar flies high with Southern fare and blues-soaked ambiance
Come January 6, a group called Outstanding in the Field, in cahoots with chef Alejandro Pinero of Sustain Restaurant + Bar and farmer Hani Khouri, will hold one of its sensational outdoor farm dinners at Hani’s Mediterranean Organics in the Redlands. I spoke with founding chef Jim Denevan about how…
In March 2010, Claudio Giordano moved his AltaMar restaurant into larger digs up the same Lincoln Road block, removed capitalization of the letter “m” and added an “e” to the end of the name, and brought chef Simon Stojanovic on board. Through the first nine years and then the reincarnation,…
Richard Hales’s Sakaya Kitchen was a pioneer in both locale (midtown, then a ghost town in terms of eateries) and concept — affordable, chef-driven, Asian-inspired small plates (pre-Gigi, Wok Town, Pubbelly, etc.). Hales was also right at the intersection of the original food truck courts; his Sakaya Kitchen Truck, then Dim…
John DeLucie will be the chef at the soon-to-open restaurant in the newly renovated Marlin Hotel in South Beach. DeLucie is best known for his celebrity-magnet New York City eatery The Lion. Celebrities are likely the only ones able to afford the prices there: the house burger is $21, signature…
El Vato Tequila and Taco Bar: Downtown Miami taqueria offers fresh Mex snacks and top-shelf tequilas
The white truffles were flown in from Alba. The Beni di Batasiolo wines came in from the same region, but they were brought by the company’s administrative head Fiorenzo Dogliani and its’ U.S. Director Ricardo March. The five-course meal was created by chef Pietro Vardeu and imported from the kitchen…
Hogzilla’s Inspired Barbeque opened this past Sunday in the former digs of Bar-B-Q Beach on South Beach. Ron Garcia (Burger & Beer Joint) and Raul Rodriguez (“BBQ master”) are the owners of this sprawling two-room, two-bar space, which is packed with TV screens and will feature live music (and a…
As in: LouLou Le Petit Bistro is the answer to last week’s Where It At? The plates shown in that post were veal tongue gribiche and a dodine of salmon in tarragon beurre blanc.In fact, there is a lot of really genuine and well-prepared French fare being served nowadays at…
Over the weekend I received an email from Simon Ho that read:”A good friend of mine did the unthinkable…managed to convince his fiancé to have burgers at their wedding. Not just any burger will do, so they created a video and sent it to the CEO of Shake Shack. He…
Folks on South Beach will remember the James Royal Palm Hotel as the Royal Palm Hotel, which is what it was known as when it opened on Collins Avenue in 1939 and for decades after that. KSL Capital Partners purchased the property and are remodeling it into a James luxury…
A restaurant menu is the blueprint for a chef’s imagination, a compilation of creations assembled with the hope that ingredients and descriptions will prove popular with diners. Regardless of the type of restaurant — from hot dogs to haute digs — some menu items sell better than others. Great chefs…
Gourmet Diner and La Cigale: French food two ways
I’ll never forget the dread of marching from kitchen to dining room towards the table I was serving with a bottle of French wine in hand. It was at the Culinary Institute of America’s fine French restaurant — the first time I had ever waited on a table, and the…
In September’s countdown, we reported just five restaurant openings and a few closings. The latter number is holding firm this month, but October saw quite a few more debuts — including much anticipated SoBe eateries Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, Pubbelly Sushi, and Barceloneta. Ricochet Lounge is also a notable…
Hibachi Grill & Noodle Bar opened in downtown Miami about one month ago (it is located in the back of 50 Biscayne Blvd. at NE Third Avenue and NE First Street). The bright little mostly white space has a place where you can order, and some other counter space to…
What it is? Veal tongue gribiche, and salmon dodine.What gribiche and dodine are: Sauce gribiche combines minced hard-boiled egg and cornichon with capers, fresh herbs — classically parsley, chervil and tarragon — and hints of vinegar and Dijon. Think of it as an non-emulsified tartar sauce.A dodine is a thick,…
A look back at some food-related events that transpired over the past week:South Beach Wine & Food Festival 2012 tickets went up for sale on Monday. The three-day event runs February 23 to 26, and tickets tend to go fast. Very fast. Paula Deen’s Sunday Brunch and the Anta Banderas…
This Halloween offer comes a bit early, but today, October 28, all trick-or-treaters age 12 and under will receive a Scary Face Pancake anytime from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. — although any parent who allows a child to eat a giant pancake with whipped cream and candy after 9…
One of the reasons Big Pink has remained a popular neighborhood haunt over the years is its neat, contemporary coffee shop ambiance. Light streams through floor-to-ceiling windows, and lofty ceilings add to the airy feeling. Dining outdoors on this peaceful block south of Fifth Street is just cool. Plus portions…
Chef Philip Ho in Sunny Isles Beach is as good as it gets
