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…

Beaujolais Nouveau, Crêpes, and French Lentils

Rootstock: Peace, Love and Beaujolais NouveauWe’ve already mentioned that this Thursday marks the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau, and that French wine producer Georges Duboeuf and its exclusive U.S. importer, W.J. Deutsch & Sons, are sponsoring a food drive to benefit Feeding South Florida. Last year, Feeding South Florida distributed approximately…

License to Kilt: Waxy O’Connor’s Opening Party

It took just over two months to get it together, but Waxy O’Connor’s Irish Pub is throwing a Grand Opening soiree this Thursday, November 19th, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. The pub and eatery, located downtown on the Miami River, will feature an open bar for the first two…

Sneak Review: Whisk Gourmet Food & Catering

Goat cheese fritters, fried green tomatoes, juicy burgers, fingerling french fries, grilled grouper sandwiches, buttermilk fried chicken, churrasco steaks, burritos, brownies, blondies, cupcakes… You scream, I scream, we all scream for this sort of stuff, even more so when ingredients are locally sourced, often organic, and prepared with a deft…

New, Very Fast Pizza Place Opens in MiMo

Luna Corner Pizza opened today at Biscayne Blvd. and 69th Street. The Neapolitan-style pies are made with multi-grain dough and San Marzano tomatoes, and are arguably the fastest pizzas ever: Each one takes less than five minutes to make and bake from scratch. Honestly.The venue is owned by the Amatruda…

Miami Book Fair: Andy Borowitz

“When I was in high school, I was editor of the paper, and we did an April Fool’s issue that was all fake news. I look back at that and look at what I’m doing now, and I realize just how little growth there’s been in the last 30 years.”Andy…

High-Price Chow at Mr. Chow

The Sam Wo Restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown used to be known mainly for a rude head waiter named Edsel Ford Fong. Mr. Fong, a hefty, intimidating man, would lead patrons to their table, tell them to “sit down and shut up,” and then sarcastically berate them (“fatso,” “dummy,” and…

Miami Book Fair: Ruth Reichl

Ruth Reichl comes to the Miami Book Fair International to plug a huge 1,000-plus recipe cookbook called Gourmet Today — on the heels of the announcement that there would be no more Gourmet magazine tomorrow. That’s sort of like Bernie Madoff going on a financial self-help book tour in the…

And the winning answer to CIA quiz is…

The question was this:Only two people currently working in the South Florida food industry graduated The Culinary Institute of America with the highest honor accorded: The Francis B. Roth Award for Outstanding Performance. Can you name them? Most folks guessed Tim Andriola correctly. Neal Cooper eventually felt he had triumphed…

FFF: Fast Food, Tuna, and Turkey Bologna

I was just walking down the street, and I saw this restaurant called McDonald’s Express. Let’s see if we can try to wrap our brains around this concept — this is a McDonald’s, only faster. So, obviously, the McDonald’s corporation thinks there are people out there saying to themselves, ‘God,…

New SoBe Publix Open

I had never been to a brand new supermarket on opening day before. Amazing how it looks when every single item is in exactly the place it should be. At this point things have been moved around, but still, you might want to head over now if only for the…

The C.I.A. Wants YOU!

Looking for work? The National Restaurant Association estimates a record $566 billion in food and beverage sales for 2009 (more than $1.5 billion per day). The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY, will be holding an Admissions reception at Ocean Prime (Aventura Mall) on Sunday, November 8…

Sneak Review: Balans

A teeny sneak preview of the New Times restaurant review for next week. Eating at Balans is like buying clothes at The GAP. It’s like reading a novel by John Grisham. It’s like being a Blue Dog Democrat. In a word: Meh.Balans 901 S. Miami Ave. 305-534-9191…

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…

Doral Farmers Market To Debut This Saturday

The Doral Farmers Market was started by three neighbors who grew weary of having to travel to other markets around town for fresh local produce. They worked to pass a new ordinance with the City of Doral, then filed all the necessary paperwork to host a market there. The fruits…

New Menu Rolled Out at RA Sushi

New lunch, dinner, sushi and beverage menus have been launched at RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in South Miami. Executive chef Tai Obata: “We’ve fused traditional Japanese cuisine with concepts from other regions, integrating some Latin influences and adding an entirely new tapas selection.” Chef Obata is one of the founding…