Sparky’s Cuban Sandwich: A Happy Accident

In early 2013, Mimi Gross told her husband she wanted Cuban food. That man was Hans Seitz, owner of the downtown barbecue spot Sparky’s along with Kevin Kehoe, who was testing ham recipes and fortuitously had Dijon mustard, pickles, Swiss cheese, and some bread on hand. Thus Sparky’s Cuban Ex-Patriot…

Phuc Yea! to Return, This Time in the Former Moonchine Space

Do you remember Phuc Yea? The temporary Vietnamese restaurant that opened for a season in 2011 was one of the first pop-up restaurants in Miami, taking over downtown’s Crown Bistro during dinner hours. The little temporary spot garnered quite a following in the few months it was open, with people…

Coya Opens in Brickell Today

Coya, restaurateur Arjun Waney’s London-based concept with a second outpost in Dubai, is open for business in Brickell today. Waney has already brought to Miami his other high-end concept, Zuma. Now he’s expanding his offerings with a taste of Peruvian food unlike anything else around. See also: Coya Is Set…

Boulud-Influenced Fooq’s Opens in Downtown Friday

David Foulquier is a Manhattan native with a Persian and French background. His grandma lived across the street from French culi-genius Daniel Boulud in Lyon, France. “Thanksgiving growing us for us was always cooked by Daniel,” says Foulquier. “He catered my bar mitzvah and even gave me my first chef’s…

The Vagabond Starts Sunday Brunch

Brunchers in the MiMo district will have a new weekend spot for eggs and mimosas when the Vagabond Restaurant starts Sunday brunch service March 15. Every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., chef Alex Chang will offer his unique take on the festive weekend meal, saying his brunch menu…

Asador 5 Jotas Delights With Northern Spanish Cuisine

Situated in the gray area between Coral Gables and Little Havana, the new Asador 5 Jotas offers a delicious take on the cuisine of northern Spain. With walls lined by Spanish wines, whole serrano hams hanging like ornaments in the dining room, and a menu full of tapas whose mere…

Choices Cafe To Open Fourth Location in Coconut Grove

In Miami, the name Choices is synonymous with vegan cuisine. And now fans of the plant-based eateries will have one more choice in their roster of restaurants — in Coconut Grove. This will be Choices’ fourth cafe in Miami and comes quickly behind the January opening of their new Coral…

My Raw Juice Delivers Raw and Organic Juice Cleanses

Juicing is the new eating, and with reason. It’s no secret that veggie and fruit laden beverages pack a ton of antioxidants and help cleanse your body. But when you’re drinking juice and only juice, you can get a bit, um, irritable. See also: Ten Fruit’s Juice Cleanse: What It’s…

Mina’s Mediterraneo Does the “Veganeo” on 79th Street

Vegans know that the word “Mediterranean” in a restaurant’s name generally means there’s something there to eat. We are grateful for this, even though the warmest thing about our dinners is usually the toasted pita bread that comes with chilly plates of hummus, baba ganouj, and tabouleh. Not so with…

SooWoo Opens, Then Quickly Closes on South Beach

Three short months into business, SooWoo — a Japanese/Korean restaurant located just off Fifth Street and Washington Avenue in South Beach — has been shuttered. The place, which occupied a variety of locales before moving to the Beach, got off to a rocky start after several employees claimed — and…

Bagatelle: St. Tropez Comes to South Beach

Restaurant chain Bagatelle has opened a South Beach location at 2000 Collins Ave., giving Miami’s beautiful people another place to sip champagne in a fairy-tale setting. With locations already in the tony cities of New York, Los Angeles, São Paulo, St. Barts, and St. Tropez, Bagatelle was fated to come…

Klima Opens Today: Barcelona-Inspired Cuisine in South Beach

Klima hasn’t even opened yet and already the Spanish restaurant has hosted the master of New Basque cuisine, Juan Mari Arzak. In 1989, he was awarded three Michelin stars for his namesake restaurant in Spain, Arzak. Along with fellow three-Michelin-starred chefs Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz and Quique Dacosta of…

Vegan Happy Hour Series Begins at Whole Foods Downtown Miami

For tired, browbeaten cube-dwellers, happy hour is a savior. It’s honored by omnivores and vegans alike, despite the fact that bar bites aren’t generally heavy on the plants. Luckily, Whole Foods downtown Miami has launched a Vegan Happy Hour series designed to school people on how to make plant-based versions…

Talde at Thompson Miami Beach: “You Build on Locals”

Dale Talde is bringing his Brooklyn born-and-bred Talde to the Thompson Miami Beach Hotel this summer. Talde, along with partners David Massoni and John Bush, has already begun work on the space, located in the southeast corner of the hotel. Although Talde is situated in what can be described as…

Cafe Babbo in Wynwood: Taco Pizza Tuesday and Neapolitan Pies

“There are too many Neapolitan-style pizza places in Miami,” say some idiotas. They are wrong! Pizza is always a welcome addition to the neighborhood, especially when you’re in Wynwood and there’s such a thing as Taco Pizza Tuesday. Yep. Taco Pizza Tuesday is officially happening. The man behind the idea…

Ryan Martin on 180 Degrees at DRB: “This Is an Actual Gastropub”

Chef Ryan Martin quietly took over the Democratic Republic of Beer’s location at 501 NE First Ave. about six months ago, changing nearly everything about the beer hall. That could explain the new name: 180 Degrees at DRB. Martin explains that the beer-bar-turned-gastropub has retained its DRB label because of…