Cantina La Veinte in Brickell: A Shared Mexican Meal (Photos)

Driving through Philippe Starck’s columned entrance at the Icon makes you feel as if you’re in the Flintstones. Well, prepare to go from the Stone Age to the Roaring Twenties as you make your way back to Cantina La Veinte, Miami’s newest high-end Mexican restaurant. This is the Cinbersol Group’s…

Can National Hotel Chef Gaston Sanchez Match SLS, Delano, Ritz?

The National Hotel, a Miami Beach landmark, has undergone a $12 million renovation that promises to bring the property up to par with neighbors that include the Delano, SLS, and Ritz-Carlton. Part of the renovation includes the hiring of Gast�n S�nchez as executive chef of the hotel. S�nchez is tasked…

Vagabond Hotel Opens Today; Restaurant Coming in October

The completion of Biscayne Boulevard’s Vagabond Hotel culminates with a party this evening to celebrate the MiMo beauty’s full restoration. The Vagabond Restaurant will follow shortly, with an opening slated for sometime in October. See also: Inside the Vagabond Hotel, Biscayne Boulevard’s Restored MiMo Gem (Photos)…

Slow Food Miami Accepting Nominations for Snail of Approval Awards

Just a few short years ago, Miami’s food scene wasn’t exactly known as a thriving mecca of locavore cuisine. Even with its proximity to oceans teeming with fish and farms that raised everything from tropical fruit to cattle, South Florida establishments ordered more from Sysco than farmer Joe. See also:…

Miami Spice 2014: Ten Best Sunday Brunch Deals

What’s the difference between brunch and lunch? By definition, “brunch” is a breakfast/lunch combo. To us, the difference is that lunch is usually something we grab on the run to eat at our desk. Lunch “fuels” us. Brunch, however, is a more relaxed affair. On the weekends, we gather with…

“They Just Didn’t Sell:” Richard Hales’ Struggle to Keep Blackbrick an Authentic Chinese Eatery

There’s little doubt Miami’s dining ecosystem has expanded and improved by light years in only a decade or two. Chef-driven concepts and smartly sourced ingredients aren’t as pervasive as many would like, but they’re here and thriving. However, gastropubs continue reproducing like rabbits. Miami diners still annoyingly cling to lowest-common-denominator…

Design District’s Egg & Dart Is Closed

The Design District restaurant Egg & Dart has closed. Outside the restaurant recently, there was no activity during what would be an early dinner service. A blue handwritten sign proclaimed the restaurant “closed,” and a rose bush, still chained to the building with a bicycle lock, was wilted and unwatered…

Blackbrick Named One of Bon Appetit’s Top 50 New Restaurants

Bon Appetit has just released its list of the Top 50 New Restaurants of 2014 and one Miami establishment made the list of 50 nominees. Blackbrick, Richard Hales Midtown Chinese restaurant was the only South Florida restaurant to make the list, compiled by Andrew Knowlton. According to Bon Appetit’s website,…

Lemoni Pizza & Kitchen: Try the Vegan Hawaiian

Hearing that a spot serves vegan pizza is maybe the best thing ever for an herbivore. Because, let’s be real, it’s impossible not to miss that chewy dough, that piquant sauce, that melty, gooey, drippy mozzarella. Sigh. So when I heard Lemoni Pizza & Kitchen serves vegan pies, I was…

Miami Chefs Host Fundraising Events for Fit to Fight Challenge

While we’re getting fatter taking advantage of Miami Spice, the chefs behind those meals are slimming down for a good cause. As part of the Fit to Fight challenge, 12 local toques have committed to lose weight while raising funds to benefit Live to Fight, a nonprofit that supports individuals…

Mignonette Opens Friday: Oysters, Bubbly, and Pie (Photos)

Last night was the friends and family night for the much anticipated Mignonette in Edgewater. This restaurant brought to you from the two most huggable chaps (their preferred term) in the industry, Blue Collar’s Danny Serfer and Miami Rankings’ Ryan Roman, brings their signature charm. You will get a chance…

Miami Mediterranean Cuisine Is the Best Place for a Gyro in SoBe

If you’re going to Sultan Mediterranean Cuisine in SoBe for your gyro, kebab, and falafel fix, you’re doing it wrong. The far lesser-known place Miami Mediterranean Cuisine has tastier food, is open late (2 a.m.), offers free delivery (if the order is over $15), and costs about half the price…

Key West Lobsterfest: We Chased That Tail (Photos)

The tagline for the Key West Lobsterfest is “A Celebration of our favorite Crustacean!” and that was reason enough for us to chase that tail. The four-day celebration really hit the streets this past Saturday with a concert and street fair open to the public. There were lobster tacos, lobster…

Vegetarian and Vegan Guide to Miami Spice 2014

Miami Spice is officially upon us. For foodies across Miami, the concept of three-course meals at the city’s finest eateries (at prices mere mortals can afford) is worth waiting ten months for. For the meatless among us, however, it can feel a little lonely. But the landscape is getting better…