Chef Adrianne Calvo's Cracked Opening in No Name Chinese Space

Miami has had a long line of chefs who turned their food trucks into brick-and-mortar operations. Ms. Cheezious, Fireman Derek's, and B.C. Tacos are notable examples of trucks that developed into restaurants.

Now, Adrianne Calvo joins the list. Her food truck concept, Cracked by Chef Adrianne, will get a permanent spot when she opens a restaurant by the same name at the former No Name Chinese space in South Miami August 20.

The concept has undergone a series of iterations and trials. It began as a food truck at the Wharf two years ago before Calvo opened a stall at the Yumbrella food hall in South Miami four months ago.

The chef says Cracked at Yumbrella was meant to be a pop-up to gauge interest in the concept. She calls the response to her fried chicken sandwiches and truffled pepperoni pizza fries "overwhelming" — Uber Eats generated almost the same number of sales as in-person customers. When she heard the No Name Chinese spot was available, she was ready to make a move. "It was a no-brainer. I jumped on it right away."

Calvo, best known for her white-tablecloth spot in West Kendall, Chef Adrianne's Vineyard Restaurant & Wine Bar, says she's looking forward to joining the growing number of fine chefs opening fast-casual eateries — what she calls "fine-casual" dining. "I think that's just the way the foodie world is going. Consumers are more knowledgeable, and we can't do sloppy junk food."

Cracked will offer a restaurant with table service and an expanded menu from her food truck. The menu is still being finalized, but look for her fried chicken sandwiches, truffled pepperoni pizza fries, and off-the-cob elote. In addition, Calvo will bring a touch of her Kendall fine-dining restaurant to South Miami via a sangria of the week, a roasted Bell & Evans chicken, a hanger steak, sharable vegetable dishes, and an appetizer selection. Prices will range from $9 to $33.

The restaurant will also serve weekend brunch, offering egg dishes, pork belly, Belgian waffles, and cannoli cream and blueberry-stuffed pancakes. Fans of her truffled pepperoni pizza fries should be delighted by the loaded brunch fries she's developing.

And not to worry: The Cracked food truck at the Wharf will remain open. The Yumbrella location, however, will close once the permanent restaurant opens. Calvo's other concepts at Yumbrella — Noods and the Beverly — will also shutter, but the chef will offer favorites from those concepts, such as the Beverly's bread pudding, at the restaurant.

The news of Cracked joins the announcement that Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth are opening Mi'talia Kitchen & Bar in South Miami, next door to their popular Root & Bone.

Calvo says she's certain the area is a great location to start a business. "You have people that overlooked South Miami for too long. Sunset Place is being revitalized, and there's a big hotel coming in within the next couple of years. Everything is on the upswing in South Miami."

Cracked by Chef Adrianne. 7400 SW 57th Ct., South Miami; igotcracked.com. Lunch and dinner Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.