At Revamped Vagabond, Chef Alex Chang Makes His Mark

The chapulines are boiled, sun-dried, and roasted in garlic and chilies before they’re vacuum-packed and sent north from Oaxaca. Then these grasshopper slivers are tossed in a pan with citrusy Sichuan peppercorns and topped with cilantro and lime. Broken into pieces and served with peanuts and almonds, the bug bits…

The U Has Failed to Attract Recruits From Miami

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke breaks down the latest setback for the Hurricanes football program. National Signing Day, February 4, is around the…

Taco Madness: Taquiza, Coyo, and Bodega Step Up

The taco-making begins with a whir and a screech. Late one weekday morning, Steve Santana, the bespectacled chef of Miami Beach’s Taquiza, uses a power tool to deepen the narrow channels in two thick rock discs, which wear down every week while crushing corn into masa, the dough that becomes…

Macchialina and Seagrape Nail Spaghetti Alle Vongole

We often take for granted simple foods, like a traditional Margherita pizza or a warm grilled-cheese sandwich. That is, until we taste a bad version; then we gain a new-found appreciation for them. It’s also then that we begin to realize that our beloved Margherita pizza and grilled-cheese sandwich aren’t…

Jealous Rappers: Stop Hating on Iggy Azalea

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke defends a female Australian rapper who’s making hits. Rap artists like Q-Tip and Azealia Banks waste time hating…

Michelle Bernstein Reappears With Panache at Seagrape

Inside Seagrape’s dimly lit dining room at the Thompson Miami Beach, a meticulously plated starter dish is revealed courtesy of our waiter’s iPhone flashlight. Veiled in foam are locally grown squash blossoms infused with mousse derived from Florida shrimp. Underneath is a sauce prepared from the shellfish’s heads plus plenty…

Stitches Joins eBay, Selling “STITCHES DONK” for $12,600

What’s Miami native, “Brick in Yo’ Face” rapper, internet celebrity, and self-proclaimed cocaine king Stitches do when he’s gotta fund a reup? Apparently, he joins eBay, lists his “STITCHES DONK,” and waits for the bidders to bring a briefcase full of donk dollars to his “threshold.” (That’s Stitches speak for…

Miami Police: Call in the Feds to Stop Shootings

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke calls for the federal government to investigate gang bangers. Across Miami-Dade County, black communities are under siege. Local…

Rick Ross Gets Miami Heat Face Tattoo

The Bawse got that Fuego fever. After four straight trips to the NBA Finals and two championships, our Miami Heat (or el Miami Fuego, as the team is known during the National Basketball Association’s annual Noches Latinas) has gotten off to a lackluster start for this 2014-15 season. We lost…

Marco Rubio Will Never Be President

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke predicts Marco Rubio’s political future. Despite all his blustering about making a run for the Oval Office, Florida…

2015 Is Going To Be Crazy Weird

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke makes bold predictions for 2015. In 2014, people fed up with white cops killing unarmed black men marched…

Miami’s Ten Best Restaurants Reviewed in 2014

For Miami dining, 2014 was the year of simplicity. There was, as has long been the case, the onslaught of celebrity chefs planting their flags on our shores. But beyond these big names, homegrown culinary talent continued to boil down cuisine into its simplest, most delicious form…

Cleo Offers Classy, Affordable Mediterranean Fare in SoBe

At Cleo, the Redbury Hotel’s new eatery, Danny Elmaleh proffers a dip called lebaneh. To make it, the soft-spoken chef-partner lets kefir cheese drain for 48 hours and then adds olive oil, lemon juice, and za’atar (his version is a blend of thyme, sesame seeds, and sumac). Finally, he tosses…

The U Part 2 Got It Wrong: Nevin Shapiro Is Not Like Me

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke makes it clear he is nothing like Nevin Shapiro. Everyone, including Jeb Bush, is raving about filmmaker Billy…

Obama’s Cuban Reform Doesn’t Go Nearly Far Enough

Yenis Delgado is a green-eyed, 45-year-old Cuban beauty. She left the island a decade ago with her husband and young son. Her dad stayed behind, though, and it’s hard to keep in touch. Calls cost $1 per minute. Sending gifts sets her back $50 per pound. “Who can afford that?”…