The first cocktail I ever had was a gin and tonic. I was 14 (no judgments) and slipped into a bar in Queens with my “older” date. When he asked me what I wanted to drink, my knee-jerk reaction was to rattle off what I had seen my father order…
It’s Friday and Ultra is filling Miami with music fans wearing DayGlo bikini tops and little else. If you’re going, you’d best be planning for where to eat and drink after (you’re going to need energy for the next day). If you’re more into Bermuda shorts than florescent ones, there’s…
There’s no denying that the culinary world is its own wild, woolly trip down the rabbit hole. The kitchens of the world are a far cry from the corporate boardrooms, particularly when it comes to career paths. Ever read Kitchen Confidential? Yeahhhhhhhh, that. So it makes major sense that chefs…
If you’re a meat-eating, beer, scotch, and whiskey-drinking, cigar-smoking hedonist, you need to make your way to the Marlins Park courtyard this Monday — even if you’re not a baseball fan. 100 Fires Cigars, with locations in Wynwood and Dadeland Mall, is throwing a grand opening event to celebrate its…
When celebrities have parties, they don’t call Publix for a sheet cake. A-list bashes call for cakes with gold and bling, often in the shape of their favorite cars, animals, or private islands. So who gets the call to make these elaborate desserts for Miami’s elite? It’s usually the mother-daughter…
It’s here. Taco Bell’s much-anticipated breakfast arrived early this morning, with fans already freaking out over the fast-food chain’s variety of morning meal offerings. Of course, the company is pushing the hype, giving away special Taco Bell breakfast phones to a select group of rabid followers and offering prizes to…
“Everything on the menu at Perfecto, I would serve in Barcelona,” chef-restaurateur Oscar Manresa says. Case in point: Both of the striking anchovy dishes proffered at Perfecto can also be ordered at Casa Guinart, Manresa’s casual eatery inside Barcelona’s storied market La Boqueria. The pickled boquerones marinate for a day…
Faux meat is a standard on almost any store shelf — even Publix — but the stuff you’ll find at your average supermarket is limited, to say the least. There isn’t much beyond imitation chicken nuggets and veggie burgers. But at FakeMeats.com, you can find anything your little meatless heart…
If you plan to hit the beach this weekend for one of Ultra’s satellite parties, you’re in for a warm time. Not to worry, because BuzzBar is there to cool you off. BuzzBar is a new line of alcohol-infused ice-cream and sorbet bars. It’s like being a kid again –…
A man in a pink button-up and slicked-back hair raises a flute of rosé cava and whispers into the ear of the young blonde perched beside him. She sports a perfectly teased topknot and tilts her head ever so slightly to angle her cheek in the direction of his lips…
At Roots & Freens, organic all the way is the motto. Chef and copartner Carlos Torres has a resum� that spans a decade in the kitchens of top toques Douglas Rodriguez, Michelle Bernstein, and Michael Mina. Now he’s bringing healthful and gourmet cuisine and cold-pressed juices right to your door,…
Food & Wine’s fourth-annual the People’s Best New Chef nominees have been announced, and two Miami chefs are in the running. Jose Mendin, director of culinary operations for the Pubbelly Restaurant Group, and Giorgio Rapicavoli, chef/partner of Eating House and the soon-to-open Taperia Raca, are among the 100 toques nominated…
Unless you’ve been eating potato chips in your closet for the past dozen years, you know Lee Brian Schrager as the creator of and force behind the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. But you might not know that he’s a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, that he’s…
If your weekday lunch needs a makeover from that sad microwaveable frozen meal or wrinkly brown paper bag, head to Toscana Divino in Mary Brickell Village. A couple of weeks ago, this sleek Italian eatery launched L’originale: Lunch Italiano, offering a rotating three-course lunch menu for $23 on weekdays. The…
Salad dressing is incredibly important, and it’s not dramatic to say it can save your life. But not just any salad dressing. It has to be the right one, and the right salad dressing will generally be one you make yourself. A thoughtfully crafted homemade salad dressing can help you…
On March 25, 2013, Michael Schwartz opened his first fine-dining concept, the Cypress Room. Many restaurants mark their first anniversary with a dinner special or perhaps a signature cocktail created for the occasion. But how many celebrate it with a poem? When you think about it, though, a literary missive…
No one has ever accused the Upper Keys of being a hotbed of fine dining. Lukewarm-bed, maybe. Cold-bed, even. But over the past couple of years the local dining scene has started heating up, giving diners who just can’t choke down the thought of one more plate of fried shrimp…
Taperia Raca opens this Friday, bringing chef Giorgio Rapicavoli’s spin on Spanish small plates to MiMo. The restaurant, the second endeavor from Rapicavoli and business partner Alex Casanova, will seat only 16 people inside, but an outdoor garden will serve 40 guests. Rapicavoli will split his time between Eating House…
Forget blink-and-you’ll-miss-it; you could be staring wide-eyed at My Little Organic Bistro and still miss it. There’s no real signage, and it’s tucked into a nondescript Bird Road strip mall. The only hint that something special lies within is a window proclaiming, “Organic health.” But once you’re inside, you’ll see…
Not everyone grows up dreaming of owning their own restaurant and the desire to feed hungry folks who sometimes complain simply for the sake of complaining. No, it takes a special breed of person to dream about owning and operating a restaurant. Meet Jessica Sanchez, a financial analyst who took…
Though New York is known as the city that never sleeps, Miami gives the Big Apple a run for its money. Sure, we take siestas — but when we rest, it’s usually on the beach doing double duty as a tanning session. At night we play. And that means serious…
When you tend bar at a restaurant where the kitchen is helmed by Top Chef winner Hung Huynh, it can be difficult to stand out, but Catch Miami mixologist Ryan Pafford uses his experience as a health professional to create mind-blowing cocktails sure to attract attention. Pafford has a graduate…
