It’s been more than two years since Taquiza’s Steve Santana got his lava rock grinder going, turning corn into the dough called masa at his South Beach taco spot while ushering in a new wave of places dishing out better versions of tortilla-wrapped meat and vegetables than the city has ever seen.
Ever since Gabrielle Marewski put her iconic Homestead property, Paradise Farms, up for sale, Miamians have wondered who would end up owning the bucolic spot. Now the deal is finalized, and Karla Dascal, founder of Wynwood’s Sacred Space, is the farm’s new steward.
“Meraki” is a term Greeks use to describe doing something with soul, creativity, and love. It entails putting a little of yourself into whatever you do, and that’s precisely what owner Alex Karavias did with Meraki Greek Bistro (142 SE First Ave., Miami; 786-773-1535), which debuted several months ago. It’s always been his dream to open an authentic Greek restaurant, so he and his wife renovated an intimate space in an alley hidden in downtown Miami.
It turns out longtime Miami caterer and restaurateur Ken Lyon is running the bar at the Wynwood Yard. It’s the one that requires you pay a corkage fee for your bottle of nigori sake before you sit down for Ryo Kato’s omakase at Myumi. The Yard’s founder, Della Heiman, turned to Lyon, who helped revitalize Lincoln Road when he opened the gourmet market Lyon Frères et Compagnie in 1992, to get her food truck up and running in the summer of 2015.
As a young boy in Naples, Italy, Giovanni Gagliardi remembers dragging a chair up to the counter in his grandfather’s kitchen. Though he was too short to reach the top, he was determined to make pizza without anyone’s help. This spring, Gagliardi, who helped open Ironside Pizza in Little River, will start up…
March was a busy month for South Florida, with plenty of restaurant openings (so many it’s hard to keep track) and barely any notable closings. The month welcomed the addition of long-awaited establishments/. There was everything from craft brewery NoBo Brewing Co. in Boynton Beach to ramen hotspot Ramen Lab…
After hours of drinking, your stomach is a gurgling mess. You need something to eat, and fast. So you stumble north on Collins Avenue and turn on 20th Street toward the beach. A small sign that reads “K Ramen. Burger. Beer” lures you into the Townhouse Hotel. After stepping through the narrow front door, you’re guided down a black staircase and into a room with the frenetic lights and sounds of a Japanese pachinko parlor.
Sprung!, Wynwood’s spring beer festival, has evolved from its original spring-break theme a few years ago. Gone are giant Jenga and human bowling, replaced by a beer-aficionado vibe. That’s not to say the festival was a staid affair: After all, with an chance to sample more than 300 beers in one sunny afternoon, attendees were ready to make merry.
The growth of Miami’s culinary scene looks like it’s not slowing, with expansion west to Doral, Kendall, and Little Havana. Multiple eateries recently opened in Doral, including Cooper’s Hawk Restaurant & Winery and Rusty Bucket, both at the new shopping, dining, and entertainment complex CityPlace Doral. Though openings were significant, including the appearance of Madrid’s Tatel in South Beach and Estefan Kitchen in the Design District, closings tugged at local foodies’ heartstrings.
It wasn’t an April Fool’s joke, but it felt like it for hundreds of people who spent Saturday, April 1, at the Fort Lauderdale Pizza Festival. The inaugural event, which took place at the city’s War Memorial Auditorium, was successful in drawing a large and eager crowd, many of whom stood in line for hours without receiving any food or drinks. In reaction, dozens of attendees swarmed the festival’s Facebook page Sunday to report their experience. Numerous public posts to the page, including some pictured below, have since been deleted.
Happy Monday, Miami. Enjoy what’s new in town, from NaiYaRa’s sushi doughnut and SuViche’s revamped lunch and dinner menu, to Brew House Rock and a matzah factory workshop.
Miami’s food scene is ever-changing. Each month brings a veritable treasure trove of delights to try. March was especially fruitful, with eateries and bars opening that ranged from authentic Neapolitan pizza to a celebrity-studded import from Spain to a new take on the humble paleta. Here are five new Miami spots to try this weekend.
The culinary world has many delights, but the simplest one is arguably the oyster. There might be nothing finer than the taste of a chilled mollusk, followed by a sip of cold wine or champagne. If you’re looking for an excuse to order a dozen, today is National Oyster on the Half Shell Day. Miami is teeming with oyster bars and seafood restaurants, but here are the five best places to get shucked.
When Mignonette Uptown opened in January, seafood fans in Northeast Miami-Dade were in for a culinary treat. The restaurant, a partnership between chef Daniel Serfer and Ryan Roman, replaced the Gourmet Diner, swapping steak frites and burgers for oysters and lobster rolls. Beginning April 1, the restaurant will open its doors for weekend brunch.
Happy Friday! This weekend has an event for you no matter your tastes. If you’re daring, check out the Place Invaders/Phuc Yea pop-up, with a mystery location divulged to guests the day of the dinner. Saturday, choose between the Sprung! beer festival or South Florida’s first pizza festival. Then make room for ribs at Sunday’s Grillin N Chillin festival. Finally, be entertained at the Cabaret South Beach in the Shelborne’s Drawing Room or take in the C’est Rouge dinner show at Faena. Weekend starts now!
Last evening, Johnson & Wales University paid tribute to Miami’s most gifted chefs and restaurant owners at its sixth-annual Zest Awards ceremony. The school created the awards in 2012 to recognize leaders in the local culinary industry, many of whom are Johnson & Wales graduates.
Miami’s reputation for being exceptionally late when it comes to food trends seems to be over. In the past few months, poke shops, edible cookie dough, and matcha tea stands have make their way to the 305. Now, say hello to the sushi doughnut.
A few years ago, if you were heading out to the bar for an ice-cold beer, you’d be hard-pressed to find a locally brewed one on tap anywhere in the tri-county area. In 2010, there wasn’t a single production brewery in Broward or Palm Beach County and only a handful of brewpubs crafting their own suds.
The Employees Only brand is undergoing an expansion, with the original partners each opening a outpost in Singapore, Austin, and Miami Beach. The SoBe speakeasy opened last month, just in time for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Though housed in the most Miami of locations — a vintage coral-rock house on the grounds of the Washington Park Hotel — the intimate bar maintains its New York vibe and sensibilities.
Edible cookie dough, the latest dessert trend to hit the 305, is here. Dough Miami, a family-owned sweets company, makes 100 percent safe-to-eat raw cookie dough garnished with sugary toppings like rainbow sprinkles and chocolate chips. Based in Westchester, a sister-brother duo and their spouses are behind the city’s first business to specialize in the dessert.
Last summer, Poke 305 jumpstarted Miami’s poke trend by opening a shop in downtown. Since then, a batch of other businesses opened too, including Ono Poke in Wynwood and PokeBao in Coral Gables. Now it’s time for expansions, and Poke 305 leads the way.
When Deborah Frazier baked cookies for her nieces and nephews in the 1980s, she didn’t know that simple act of kindness would change her life. Frazier found a new passion in baking and dreamed of having her own store. “I always had my eye on opening up a little cookie shop. I had my eye on that prize.” That dream became a reality when Frazier opened DD’s Gourmet Cookies at the Shops at Sunset Place in South Miami this past February.
