There is no such thing as authentic Italian cuisine, at least not in Italy. That’s because until about 150 years ago, there was no such thing as Italy. Before political union there were a couple of dozen independent regions, and in terms of food culture, that proud individuality still exists…
An antique jukebox spins old-time country, rock, and blues at SoBe Bar-B-Q, a bare-bones 50-seat restaurant that opened a few months back on Washington Avenue. Proprietor Paul Orofino, who used to own Serendipity nightclub in Coconut Grove, tries to keep the party spirit going here not just by providing nifty…
Sometimes I imagine other restaurant reviewers sitting plushly in front of giant, high-resolution computer screens, scrolling long lists of dining recommendations e-mailed to them by their well-organized, rigorously maintained network of knowledgeable food contacts. My own method of choosing places to review is, contrary to what some might think, only…
Kane Concourse is a pretty exciting stretch of road if one is looking for, say, a cardiogram. As far as food goes, though, even Arthur Godfrey Road, with its almost unbroken stretch of banks, is more promising for people looking for a little lunch. Culinary excitement in the 96th Street…
If you live on South Beach, chances are you’ve walked down Washington Avenue and passed the tiny, triangular-shape La Molienda on many occasions, probably peeking in with piqued curiosity each and every time. It’s an unusual space in that it takes the notion of storefront restaurant to the extreme –…
When Shoji Sushi opened in mid-March, it was an occasion of great relief. After all, the particular block of lower Collins Avenue on which Shoji is located was perhaps the only one in SoBe that didn’t already house two or three sushi bars; weary south of Fifth-sters were tired of…
Thai food originated in the mountainous valleys of southwestern China, then the homeland of tribes who, between the Sixth and Thirteenth centuries, would emigrate southward into what is now Thailand. Siam River Thai Cuisine originated in North Miami Beach in 1991 and nine months ago expanded southward with a sister…
Next time you have out-of-town visitors who insist on cruising Calle Ocho (invariably a disappointment as a sightseeing site since tourists, not getting that it’s just a normal working neighborhood, always expect some sorta cute Disneyworld: Cuba!), or next time you get the 2:00 a.m. desire for something a bit…
Fresh is the word when it comes to fish, and it doesn’t take a Sherlock Holmes to deduce that the seafood shanties in Watson Island Marina, one of the first stops for local commercial fishing boats, would be an opportune place to purchase some of the very freshest. Two weathered…
When the former owners of Mezzanotte finally closed that long-running fashionista-favorite restaurant/nightclub last year and opened Carnevale, a self-billed “Venetian café,” two questions instantly occurred to me: Would this really be like eating in Venice? And, since the space’s former occupant was so model-friendly, could you get blow in the…
Since opening on the southern tip of South Beach in 1995, Nemo has consistently been rated as one of Miami’s very best restaurants. Like the proprietors of many of the United States’ other highly touted contemporary dining establishments (The French Laundry, Chez Panisse, Spago, et cetera), co-owners Myles Chafetz and…
When dinner hour approaches at Captain Jim’s, a friendly fish market that’s also an informal (five Formica tables) restaurant, everybody eats in, even if they’ve just come for take-out. That’s because while the crowd waits for orders or service, the personnel behind the fish counter (who remain friendly even when…
It was in 1899 that Italy’s Queen Margherita and King Umberto I, in a public-relations move calculated to foster an affinity with the common folk, took a royal traipse into Naples for some pizza. In their honor the pizzaiolo commissioned for the event what is believed to be the first…
Even if the food at Red Fish Grill were only so-so, the restaurant’s spectacular setting alone would warrant many visits. Located at the furthest tip of wild Matheson Hammock Park, on the shores of a very nonwild saltwater lagoon (in fact you could call it downright gentrified; there’s an extensive…
At one time the Abbey Hotel’s lobby must have been a graceful space for guests to dawdle in, but not anymore. It’s stripped to bare essentials (desk, stairway, elevator), all relegated to the left side of the dapper, Deco, 52-seat Abbey Dining Room. The restaurant resembles a swank supper club:…
It’s one of those days that feels, from the amount of work you’ve done, at least 40 hours long — but you need a few more hours to finish up the work that still needs doing. No time for food, for sure, unless it’s a bite between phone calls/appointments/important meetings…
Several encouraging things were immediately apparent when Milkyway Café opened several months ago in my neighborhood, which is predominantly populated by people who walk to synagogue wearing fur hats and floor-length wool clothes in August. The most optimistic note was that the restaurant replaced Adam’s Ribs, a kosher joint serving…
My first inkling that Sandbar Grill didn’t take itself too seriously came when I called to find out the hours. A recorded message clicked off a lengthy recital of each day’s unique allure, as in Barefood Sundays (half-price drinks), Taco Mondays (half-price tacos), and Booby Wednesdays (half-price drinks for women,…
After we’d finished the dessert course at Grappa, gracious owner Claudio Nunes approached our table with a bottle of the restaurant’s namesake liquor (something he was offering all the patrons this evening), and some handblown glasses produced especially for this potent, woody alcohol. It occurred to me that I hadn’t…
Although food writing is a highly professional-type journalistic operation, with databases and secret information sources that put the CIA to shame, the best word to describe how I found Hiro’s Sushi Express would be roundabout. Well, dumb luck also comes to mind. I’d wandered for the first time into Hiro’s…
When a casual, reasonably priced, old-fashioned Florida fish house opens on South Beach’s Attitude Avenue (a.k.a. Washington Avenue) with no hype, hoopla, velvet ropes, door Nazis, or deafening disco music, it’s time for serious diners to grab the car keys. But be prepared to find your own meter, because New…
On this ratty but rallying stretch of Biscayne Boulevard, in a neighborhood where the most popular restaurants have long been referred to by acronym (KFC, IHOP, and so on), the log-cabin-like Canadian-outpost exterior of Pangea stands out like Dudley Do-Right at a gangsta convention. Gustavo and Laura Sanchez are co-owners…
