Now you Z it, then...
In what has to be the fastest closing since Donny Osmond attempted George M. Cohan on Broadway, Zushi Flirt has rolled from the lobby of Z Ocean Hotel. A second branch of 8-oz. Burger Bar is already in its place, the Burger Bar brain trust no doubt having assessed the impact of winning this week's Burger Battle '09 and doubling their seating capacity fast.

Express news
Area 31 has a new A31 Express lunch, Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., which includes a daily wrap, choice of gazpacho or side salad, pastry and nonalcoholic beverage. Cost is $17; with valet parking $20.

Sauce-stained wretches
Local food blogs are abuzz about all the new pizza joints that have recently debuted, and comparisons abound over which place makes the best pie. Pizza Volante? Sosta? And blah blah blah. (If you're wondering what a Miami food blogger looks like -- they're the ones wearing shirts with multiple hues of red sauce stains). It isn't that I don't appreciate the sudden influx of quality pizza as much as the next person, but I'm reserving a portion of my passion for when the Miami knish wars begin. I mean seriously, we could all use a good knishery.
 
Red herring
Knish reveries can quickly pickle into thoughts of herring. For instance: Why is it you never see herring-in-cream-sauce on upscale restaurant menus? Could this be due to a subtle form of anti-semitism? Or is it just the raw onions?

A Fin Finish
"Shark Fin Soup will no longer be served at any of the five outposts of upscale Chinese restaurant Philippe. The popular Chinese delicacy raises many environmental concerns, due to the endangered status of nearly all sharks. Chef/owner Philippe Chow urges all other Asian restaurants to also boycott the use of shark fins."  Good for Chow. Fins from Mako sharks, which were formerly used at Philippe, are listed by the WWF as one of the ten most endangered species in the world.