Talde's Revamped Dinner Menu Has Chinese Inspiration

Dale Talde, the Top Chef veteran behind Talde inside the Confidante in Miami Beach, likes to party. His Filipino roots and Chicago upbringing form a recipe for some of Miami's wildest food memories: from brunch ragers with DJs and bottomless bubbly to weekly late-night noodle events.

In May, his Mid-Beach restaurant refreshed its Asian-American menu to include a stronger focus on classic Chinese-driven dishes. Though Talde's menu update isn't comparable to one of his full-blown shindigs, its clash of sweet and savory flavors is a party for the palate.

Keep an eye out for the heirloom tomato salad, in which blueberries and black vinegar add a fresh spin on an otherwise traditional plate. It's a lighter alternative to many of Talde's offerings and is a fitting way to introduce the restaurant's sauce-based entrées.

With the menu revamp, the restaurant now offers a version of General Tso's chicken, aptly named General Talde’s chicken ($24), mixed with vibrant-green broccoli florets and offering a sharp, spicy flavor.
For something milder, opt for the walnut shrimp ($26). The dish contains a generous helping of the crustacean doused in a creamy coconut sauce and blended with twice-cooked long beans, thin orange slices, and walnuts. The nuts add a pleasant smoky tang to the sweet liquid base of the shrimp.

Talde now also offers a large plate of fried rice ($14). Though it's labeled as a side dish, it's enough to fill two or three diners. Topped with fixings such as basil, dill, scallions, bean sprouts, and chicken chicharrones, the dish is one of the best values here.

Besides updating the menu, Talde also launched a daily happy hour inside its newly renovated lounge area. From 6 to 8 p.m., find $1 kung pao chicken wings, $5 bao buns, $3 pretzel pork chive dumplings, $3 sweet pea samosas, and a $20 pu pu platter with a variety of small meat and seafood bites. Drink specials include half off draft beers, wines by the glass, and specialty cocktails.