Anokha, Hakkasan, Chu, Susan Boyle, and Vegans in Hell

Kurma ChameleonAnokha Restaurant number two has apparently bit the dust. When it first opened a decade ago on Commodore Plaza in Coconut Grove, this was a very good place for Indian food. Over the years it slipped little by little, and then last year moved to Virginia St. We wonder:…

Friday Food Funnies: Restaurants

I went to a fancy French restaurant called ‘Deja Vu’. The headwaiter said, ‘Don’t I know you?’ ~Rod SchmidtHave you heard about the new restaurant on the moon? Great food, but no atmosphere. ~UnknownA cannibal is a person who walks into a restaurant and orders a waiter. ~Morey AmsterdamA gourmet…

How Macallan Single Malt Pairs With Miami Restaurant Fare

I received an invitation to meet over a dram or two of The Macallan, the heralded Highland single malt scotch whiskey, with Graeme Russell, the company’s Brand Ambassador. I immediately accepted, and then Googled single malt scotch to make sure I wasn’t being gypped out of double and triple malts…

STK=STINK, And a Couple of Other Restaurant Notes

*As being reported on this site and others, Brosia has closed in the Design District. Lots of folks liked it, and the outdoor patio was one of the coolest, but I, for one, won’t miss the wavering service and uneven cuisine.*Maison d’Azur has shut its’ doors at the Astor Hotel…

20-Cent Chicken Wings At 8-Oz. Burger Bar

During the NBA Finals between the Orlando Magic and LA Kobes, 8 oz. Burger Bar’s Alton Road and Ocean Drive locations will be offering chicken wings for twenty cents apiece — and $3 draft beers. Seems as though 8-oz. may be suffering from some sort of Susan Boyle Syndrome –…

Fratelli Lyon: Chitarucci con funghi e tartufo

 This distinctive pasta dish from Alex Pinero, chef de cuisine at Fratelli Lyon, blends chestnut pasta with mushroooms, mascarpone and truffle to a distinctively rich, woodsy effect. The Design District restaurant uses chanterelles, piopini and chiodini mushrooms (the equivalent of honshimeji whites/browns), which you won’t find at Publix, but buttons,…

Friday Food Funnies

No theme this week — just a random sampling.I went to a restaurant that serves ‘breakfast at any time’. So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance. ~Steven WrightWhen I go to a restaurant, I always ask for a chicken and an egg to see which comes first. ~UnknownWhen a…

A Brouhaha Brews Over Gerdy

It started as a hubbub of comments in regards to Short Order’s post about MIA, a large dining/entertainment complex slated for downtown — the debate being about the merits of such a venue, or lack thereof. Then MIA’s executive chef-to-be, Gerdy Rodriguez, became the focus of discussion — the debate…

The Scoop On Norman’s 180

It was just over a month ago that I started to pester Norman Van Aken with emails. Like everyone else, I had heard he was returning to Coral Gables with Norman’s 180 in the Colonnade Hotel (180 Aragon Avenue) and asked whether he would share some of the back story…

Burger Battle ’09

One thing we have learned from the economic downturn, culinarily speaking, is that hamburgers are more popular than ever. It makes sense when you think about it. But let’s not — and instead dive into the meat of the matter: The ubiquitous burger is barging onto all sorts of menus…

10 Ways Miami Restaurateurs Can Improve Service

1. Hire better hosts and hostesses, meaning those who can do more than smile and offer rote salutations. When gauging hospitality skills, Danny Meyer of New York’s Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern looks for five traits in his employees: “1)extremely nice; 2)intelligent; 3)infused with an extraordinary work ethic; 4)empathetic;…

Johnny V Goat Cheese & Beet Salad

Johnny Vinczencz is a Broward star these days. His Johnny V and Smith and Jones  restaurants (respectively established 2003 and 2008) both dish the chefs’ robust American cuisine from behind glossy storefronts on E. Las Olas Boulevard. But it was in 1995, at the Astor Place hotel on Miami Beach,…

SKYY Pineapple at Michael’s Genuine

Pineapple is the new flavor du jour from SKYY Vodka, the American spirit company whose Infusions portfolio already includes Citrus, Cherry, Grape, Raspberry, and Passion Fruit. SKYY Infusions Pineapple Vodka is tabbed as “a lively, juicy tropical explosion of luscious” — wait a second, is this describing vodka or a…

Memorial Day Beer & BBQ Blast at North One 10

North One 10 is holding its’ Special Edition Memorial Day Beer & BBQ this Friday, Saturday and Sunday (May 22nd, 23rd and 24th) — and like those years when Easter and Passover coincidentally occur on the same week, Dewey and Dale LoSasso’s shindig falls precisely on the same weekend as…

Friday Food Funnies: Sushi

We’re going with a sushi theme this week, with a couple of seafood-related ha-ha’s thrown in because, as it turns out, very few people have ever written or said anything funny about raw fish. If you’ve heard any good nigiri jokes, please feel free to share ’em with us.I never…

The Critic: Musing On The Dock Of The Bay

Hint on how to avoid bad Miami restaurants: Take a look at the dessert menu before taking a seat. If it’s a compilation of Key lime pie, tiramisu, molten chocolate cake, and the other ubiquitous treats, politely excuse yourself and go somewhere else to eat. After all, there are hundreds…

Naoe Brings Tokyo to Sunny Isles

“Have you been to Naoe [na-o-éh] yet?” a friend inquired a couple of months ago. A few emails followed from others asking the same question, and over the next few weeks, the 17-seat omakase oasis in Sunny Isles Beach was brought to my attention by acquaintances, colleagues, readers, and bloggers…

BBQ For You?

North One 10 is holding its’ Special Edition Memorial Day Beer & BBQ this Friday, Saturday and Sunday (May 22nd, 23rd and 24th) — and like those years when Easter and Passover coincidentally occur on the same week, Dewey and Dale LoSasso’s shindig falls precisely on the same weekend as…

The Story Of Naoe

In doing research for this weeks’ New Times review of Naoe, I emailed chef/owner Kevin Cory to ask the meaning of the kanji characters that are part of the restaurant logo. His answer was fascinating, but way too long to put in a review. This mini-memoir delves into Cory’s family…

Moshi Moshi Wins SushiMasters Competition

Toshi Furihata, chef/owner of Moshi Moshi on Miami Beach, took top honors at the 2009 SushiMasters Regionals competition, which was held this past Friday evening at the Alliance Francaise. The event featured four South Florida sushi chefs competing on stage for best morikomi plate, best signature roll, and best of…