Servers’ enthusiastic handshakes begin the moment guests step inside the antique-white dining room. Patrons are guided by the arm past oil paintings of the Italian countryside and monochromatic street scenes to peruse the offerings that await on an ice-covered tray near the door. There’s a whole branzino, orata, and langoustine…

Four years ago Aniece Meinhold and Cesar Zapata arguably brought the now cliché pop-up craze to Miami. With a few tables and some linen drapes they turned downtown’s disused Crown Bistro into a short-lived yet beloved Vietnamese restaurant called Phuc Yea. Four years later they’re preparing to give it a…

It’s easy and predictable to complain about Miami’s dining ecosystem. It’s not as simple to figure out how to fix it. Some chefs and restauranteurs are all too eager to latch onto whatever’s trending. There are waiting rooms full of apathetic servers. And no matter the era, celebrity chefs wash…

Few things can beat the musty perfume of a great sourdough or the nutty, grassy flavors of just-milled grains locked into a deep brown crust. But as alluring as they may be, they’ll never fully unseat the joy of a good sandwich built on spongy, sweet white bread. Sure, the…

There’s something about the Don Draper-esque charm, the effortless chic of an outdated era, that attracts crowds. Red-and-blue banquettes abut similarly topped Formica tables. A high-set shelf of verdant faux foliage lines part of the 286-seat dining room, awash in a dim glow. Bringing the outside in was all the…

A pared-down version of Richard Hales’ shuttered Centro Taco will open Nov. 18 near his Blackbrick and Sakaya Kitchen operations. Midtown Taco Stand will run Wednesdays through Sundays from about 6:30 until 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends after Angelina’s Coffee & Yogurt closes for the day…

Spring Chicken, 50 Eggs boss John Kunkel’s fast-casual fried bird concept, is planning four South Florida restaurants next year, a spokeswoman for the company told New Times. The four locations, first reported by the South Florida Business Journal late last week include the former Lime location on Alton Road, the…

Sometimes after eating on Miami Beach it’s better to avert your eyes from the bill. Just pay, and avoid the stress of rehashing this island city’s notoriously high prices. Your server may have slipped in an extra charge, but it’s little compared to the absurdity rolled up with extra taxes…

An outpost of the beloved New York restaurant group Blue Ribbon’s sushi and grill concept is setting up in Miami. A spokeswoman for the restaurant wouldn’t confirm the details, however job postings for the executive chef and general manager positions, popped up earlier this week on both Craigslist and Culinary…

Today, the lobby of the famed Marlin Hotel looks like an early-20th-century Shanghai opium den. A sinister dragon sculpture overlooks a seance of flickering candles and columns brushed with ebony. Its restaurant, Bazi, which opened in early September, is about the last place in Miami you’d expect to find Michael…

Phuket Thongsodchaveondee is bringing his curries, noodles, and morning glory to Wynwood. The former Makoto cook who’s MiMo restaurant was named New Times’ best Thai restaurant this year will reopen Cake Thai Kitchen on 29th Street near Second Avenue mid 2016. The move began about six months ago when Javier Ramirez, who…

Lazaro Cabrera pulls a Neoprene hood over his crop of loopy black hair and slips on extra-long diving fins. Then he plunges without air tanks more than 60 feet into the azure depths. About two minutes later, he surfaces with a 15-pound yellow jack impaled on a glinting spear. He…

Fooq’s owner David Foulquier has hired Brian Rojas, who recently left his position as chef de partie at Michael Schwartz’s Cypress Room, to run the kitchen at his downtown spot. Along with Rojas, Cypress Room’s former chef de cuisine Roel Alcudia is also serving as a temporary consultant helping him…

Almost overnight, seats at a nicked wooden counter within earshot of Calle Ocho’s racket have become a hot commodity. Diners order yeasty, sweet Singha beer and sit back to watch 42-year-old Bas Trisransi toss needlelike vermicelli noodles into a ripping-hot wok that spits orange flames. Moments later, the slender chef,…

Sometimes, a cheeseburger can lose its soul. Their undying popularity has led them to become a staple on nearly every menu, no matter how high-brow the establishment. Countless chefs have put their own spin on it, and made attempts to elevate it from simplicity. Yet in many cases, that’s a…

Fried cheese comes in many forms. There are the greasy, industrial mozzarella sticks sold at bowling alleys, dense slabs of queso frito plied at countless fritangas around town, and the cream-cheese-stuffed crab Rangoon from your neighborhood Chinese take-out spot. It’s impossible to hate them. They may be a guilty, lowbrow…

In Chinese-Jamaican families, the best recipes are kept under lock and key. Everything from how to dry-roast chicken to cooking greens is held close. Nothing is promised to any family member, even one who hopes to become a chef. “They teach you something and then say, ‘You’d better not tell…