Vapiano, a fast-casual Italian-food chain from Germany, is set to open this November at 1221 Brickell Ave. Already huge in Europe, the chain boasts 45 locations in Germany alone. And there are 11 Vapianos in the States.The concept is fresh fast food served in an upscale environment with cafeteria-style service…
Adam DelGiudice of the Florida Room was named “Most Inspired Bartender” by the United States Bartender’s Guild in Miami last evening at Haven in South Beach.DelGiudice won for his Rangoon Rising cocktail. The event, which was sponsored by Bombay Sapphire, pitted two dozen Miami-area bartenders against each other in a…
Third-generation whisky master blender Richard Paterson’s nose is so important to his job that his schnoz is insured for $2.5 million.Paterson, who works for Scotch maker Whyte & Mackay (the namesake founders both died of cirrhosis of the liver, by the way), was in Miami to conduct a tasting of…
In Key West there’s a famous landmark that stands at the southernmost point in the continental United States. The marker reads, “90 miles to Cuba.” The message rings loud and clear: So close, yet for all intents and purposes, Cuba might as well be a million miles away.90 Miles, the…
db Bistro Moderne is stepping up its happy hour game face with more menu items, weekly drink specials, and the inevitable in-house D.J., (which was loud when we visited, but actually had some people up and dancing. That would so never happen in NYC.) What we absolutely loved was the…
Fabio Viviani — Top Chef season five contestant, fan favorite, and owner of Café Firenze in California — is coming to Miami to host Santa Margherita’s Prosecco and Popcorn night at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables August 25.Guests will enjoy the Audrey Hepburn movie Roman Holiday while sipping Prosecco and munching…
Cioppino at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne took the title Best Expensive Italian Restaurant in New Times’ Best of Miami 2011 issue. Though it is tricky to choose one pasta over another, after careful consideration, we present the other top contenders. Tune in next week, when we count down the top inexpensive options for…
“Why would anyone go to a Jewish-style delicatessen to eat Mexican food?” I asked upon espying tacos, burritos, and fajitas at Jerry’s Famous Deli in South Beach. Then the answer popped into my head faster than chopped liver slides through a digestive system: To write a blog post about it!So…
We swear we’re not trying to brown-nose anyone here. It’s just that a particular guy who one of us might consider her boyfriend happens to have a Syrian father who is obsessed with a particular purple-skinned veggie and makes a mind-blowing baba ghannouj. We had to share his recipe.When we…
Are you a food activist? Have you done any of the following?:Started a farmer’s marketDeveloped a cooking class at your child’s school Created a Food Policy Council in your cityStarted a garden at a senior centerThen continue reading.Extra, extra, read all about it! TEDxManhattan is holding an open call and…
The words barbecue and beer seem permanently wedded; a hot day is well matched with a cold one, and it’s easy to pair with burgers, ribs, and grilled what-have-you. However, with back-yard fiestas growing ever more gourmet, we champion summer-appropriate wines that enhance the overall experience of eating smoky, juicy…
Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, the Southern-inspired restaurant to be helmed by Top Chef and Gigi alum Jeff McInnis, is now geared for fall 2011. That is a few weeks later than was originally announced back in early June.The bistro, a partnership of McInnis, restaurateur John Kunkel (Lime Mexican) and…
Have you heard this one? A Jew, a Muslim, and a Christian walk into the deli section at the South Beach Publix supermarket. As they go to take their numbered tickets from the red dispenser, they see that it is perched atop a rotating display of Christian-based inspirational books for…
Danny Meyer, master restaurateur of both haute (Eleven Madison Park and Gramercy Tavern n NYC) and not (Shake Shack) continues his burgerfication of the entire globe with his second location in Miami planned for Coral Gables.Already taking over the Middle East with locations opening in Dubai, the UAE, and Kuwait…
In spite of a torrential downpour and threats of a potential hurricane, the Chambord Vodka Weekend’s Detox Brunch ($40) went fabulously well. The staff at The Standard Hotel & Spa made sure guests were comfortable by opening umbrellas and handing out towels all afternoon.There were platters of lush, fresh fruit…
It’s the best thing to happen to theater snacks since we started dropping Sno Caps in our popcorn. Gourmet concessions are coming to Coral Gables Art Cinema.At the concession stand in the Cinema Cafe, movie-goers will be able to pick up tastier bites than your average hot dog and Slushee…
Beer companies are not exactly known for their intellectual appeal. Miller Lite’s Tastes Great-Less Filling and Budweiser’s Whassup? campaigns are only topped by Old Milwaukee’s Swedish Bikini Team. We’re not knocking it. The messages are loud, clear and effective, resulting in $101 billion dollars spent on beer annually by the…
Last Saturday, El Bulli, former world’s best restaurant and trailblazer for culinary creativity, served its last meal. El Bulli is not dead, however; it will become a private culinary think-tank which plans to catalogue its findings and disseminate the information at chef’s conferences and culinary schools.Chef Ferran Adria and his…
In celebration of National Oyster Day, we present the second installation of our oyster tutorial with Executive Chef of Blue Door Fish and oyster savant extraordinaire, Sean Bernal. Yesterday, he opened up the kitchen and gave us a lesson in everything mollusk related, and today we dive deeper into the…
Paula Deen, the drunk delightful host of three Food Network shows and owner of The Lady and Sons restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, is quite the entrepreneur. Besides the restaurant and television gigs, Deen is the author of almost two dozen cookbooks, and lends her name and likeness to cookware, collectibles…
A wise sage once told her young grasshopper, “If you plant something every day, you’ll have something every day.” Actually, it was more like Muriel Olivares, founder and farmer of the Little River Market Garden, telling us her personal philosophy over the phone. But we’ll take it as good advice…
Tobacco Road is holding a Super Summer Kegger Bash tomorrow night. Miami’s oldest bar will turn into what sounds like a giant frat party for grownups with live music, DJs, food trucks and beer, beer and more beer.Over a dozen food trucks will serve food from 6 p.m. to midnight…
