Miami Spice: Deal or No Deal? Final Menus

Today brings the last installment of our Deal/No Deal series; a few dozen restaurants still haven’t linked menus to the Miami Spice website. In Parts 1, 2 (Asian), 3 (steak houses), 4 (hotels), 5 (Coral Gables), 6 (Coconut Grove), 7 (all points North), and 8 (South Beach), we perused Miami Spice deals…

Top Five Restaurants in South Miami

Granted, nobody is going to mistake the dining scene in South Miami with that of Paris or New York. Or with that of Miami or Miami Beach. Or with that of downtown Milwaukee.On the other hand, it does match up pretty well with the dining scene in Coconut Grove –…

Eat, Pray, Love Weekend Package at Sonesta Bayfront Hotel

Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling novel, “Eat, Pray, Love,” takes place in Indonesia, India, and Rome — the respective settings for romantic, spiritual, and culinary revelations. The Sonesta Bayfront Hotel Coconut Grove and the new Paragon Grove 13 movie theater have teamed to present a weekend getaway coinciding with the film’s release the…

Sneak Review: 660 at the Angler’s

A glass of big, smoky 2007 Petite Petit Lodi ($8) melded well with pork belly and would probably pair with any dish containing bacon. So would anything selected from an alluring, user-friendly craft-beer list that includes brief taste characterizations of each brew. For instance, one of the imports is referred to as…

Five Annoying Things About Today’s Herald Story On Miami Spice

When I first saw The Miami Herald front page headline this morning — “It’s Time To Add The ‘Spice'”, I thought reporter Elaine Walker was copying Short Order’s tallying of which restaurants were worth going to for Spice and which weren’t. But there was no critical commentary involved — probably…

Miami Spice: Deal or No Deal? South Beach

In parts one, two (Asian), three (steakhouses), four (hotels), five (Coral Gables), six (Coconut Grove), and seven (all points North) we perused Miami Spice deals from various participating restaurants and put in our two cents as to whether or not the deal was worth taking advantage of. Today we take…

Raul Galindo Is the Man Behind the Best Sandwich Cubano in Town

The sandwich cubano at Latin American Cafeteria recently made Short Order’s 100 Favorite Dishes list. We touted its huge, bountiful nature as distinguishing it from others around town, and noted its tag line: “Since 1974, over 50 million Cuban sandwiches served.” So far so good, but one detail escaped notice:…

Great American Favorite Brand Name Cookbook

This is a funny one. Six hundred pages, thousands of recipes, each and every one based on a well known American brand name comestible. Meaning you never use lemon, but REALEMON Lemon Juice from Concentrate. Sherried mushrooms go over Original MINUTE Rice, and brandy lace cookies are made with MAZOLA…

Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur Brings Sicily to South Beach

Here at Short Order, we only pimp the booze we love. And after downing a few Solerno-injected cocktails at Prime Italian last night, I’m ready to peddle some of this Sicilian blood orange liqueur. Solerno is culled from the dark purplish Sanguinello oranges, the flesh of the sweet fruit distilled…

New York Bagel Deli Fills Hole in Downtown Miami

The New York Bagel Deli quietly opened on East Flagler Street downtown a few months ago. Residents of Miami Beach might know the business — it’s been operating on Collins and 65th for the past 14 years. The deli is spacious and boasts a wide array of bagel flavors, including…

Miami Spice: Deal or No Deal? All Points North

In parts one, two (Asian), three (steakhouses), four (hotels), five (Coral Gables), and six (Coconut Grove), we perused Miami Spice deals from various participating restaurants and put in our two cents as to whether or not the deal was worth taking advantage of. Today we take a look at those…

Florida Sports Arenas Flunk Health Inspections

ESPN’s Outside the Lines has collected health department inspection reports for food and beverage vendors at 107 MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL sports arenas in the United States and Canada. Each arena’s percentages of “critical violations” were tallied — meaning food that “might pose a serious risk for food-borne illnesses.”…

Miami Spice: Deal or No Deal? Coconut Grove

In Parts 1, 2 (Asian), 3 (steak houses), 4 (hotels), and 5 (Coral Gables, posted this morning), we perused Miami Spice deals from various participating restaurants and put in our two cents as to whether the deal was worth taking advantage of. Next up: Coconut Grove. Our perspective begins with the estimate…

Miami Spice: Deal or No Deal? Coral Gables

In parts one, two (Asian), three (steakhouses) and four (hotels) of our series, we perused Miami Spice deals from various participating restaurants and put in our two cents as to whether or not the deal was worth taking advantage of. Today we take a look at restaurants in Coral Gables…

Epicure Now Carrying Four Rivers Smokehouse BBQ Sauce

The Epicure Gourmet Market and Cafe in Sunny Isles Beach is now carrying Four Rivers Smokehouse Barbecue Sauce, which has quite a fan base thanks to the popularity of the Orlando-based, Texas-style Four Rivers Smokehouse restaurant. The two blends, Original and Hot, were first marketed by 4R owner/pit master John…

Sneak Review: Aguacates & Jackson Soul Food

We’ve got a doubleheader cooked up for this week’s Cafe review. Here’s a little lick of each:Jackson Soul Food:Like many other patrons in the room, we started with an insulated urn of freshly brewed coffee that’s placed on the table. The menu contains à la carte dishes (oatmeal, waffles, and…

Miami Spice: Deal or No Deal? Hotel Edition

In parts one, two (steakhouse), and three (Asian) of our series, we perused the Miami Spice deals from various participating restaurants and put in our two cents as to whether or not they were worth taking advantage of. Today we take a look at those hotel restaurants that have released…

660 at the Angler’s $17.95 Thursday-Night Barbecue Supper

Last night marked the return of 660’s Front Porch Supper, held each Thursday from 6 to 11 p.m. on the swank hotel’s secluded terrace. This time around, it’s a barbecue; in April, it was a $26 lobster boil. The $17.95 price includes a main course and three fixin’s.The former features…

Miami Spice: Deal or No Deal? Steakhouse Edition

In parts one and two of this series, we introduced our mission statement so to speak: To separate those Miami Spice deals that are worth taking advantage of, and those that are not. We decide between the two by asking: Should a $50-plus dinner, in this specific restaurant, be considered…

Miami Spice: Deal or No Deal? Asian Edition

In Part 1 of our “Deal or No Deal?” series, we explained how Miami Spice can represent a good deal at some places, but not so good at others. The question we ask of each eatery: Should a $50-plus dinner, in this specific restaurant, be considered a bargain? First, let’s discuss…