Food & Drink

There’s more than a month to go before Miami Spice begins, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start enjoying great summer dining deals. Local restaurants and bars have already launched three- (and even four-) course prix fixes, unique Sunday specials, and happy-hour deals that can’t be beat. So whether…

Lactaid, a national brand that specializes in dairy without the lactose, is partnering with the milkshake masters at New York City’s New Territories to deliver gluttonous milkshake kits with Lactaid milk and ice cream.

In a year with few openings of note, Upland, Justin Smillie and Stephen Starr’s inviting South of Fifth spot that plies familiar ingredients with unexpected touches, has stood out. In an unusual twist of fate, it is equally popular with many of the city’s better chefs as well as South Beach’s sun-bleached sugar-baby crowd.

Plates emerging from the kitchen at Tatel Miami, the 3-month-old restaurant inside the Ritz-Carlton South Beach, are something to behold. A signature dish is a Spanish omelet with truffles. It’s prepared by mixing potato confit with organic eggs and a house-made truffle base. Afterward, potato foam is injected using a…

Scott Linquist’s Olla closed last night after dinner service. The restaurant, which New Times recently named Best Restaurant in South Beach, was open for six months.

Miami can’t seem to get enough of the Salty Donut. Since December 2015, when the concept first popped up inside a trailer in Wynwood, the artisanal doughnut shop has become a sensation. To this day, fans wait in hourlong lines for innovative interpretations of the traditional pastry, such as sticky bun or cannoli variations.

In the next couple of weeks, Miami Beach will gain yet another juice-centric, healthy-fast-food spot. Dr Smood is slated to open in South Beach’s Sunset Harbour before the end of June, joining eateries such as NaiYaRa, Jugofresh, and Dirt, which is also set to debut this summer.

Most days, executive chef Thomas Stewart can be found inside the former Versace mansion, whipping up mushroom risotto and crab and truffle gnocchi for the estate’s signature restaurant, Gianni’s at the Villa. But what he really loves happens shortly after he leaves the restaurant.

Now that Brimstone has settled into its new space, it’s ready to launch a boozy Sunday brunch this weekend. Curated by Brimstone’s culinary leader, Rick Schwager, the menu, which offers seven dishes, is unique to the Doral location.

It’s hard to imagine that lobsters were once so abundant they were cheap to eat. Now they’re synonymous with luxury dining, selling for outrageously high prices. June 15 is National Lobster Day, and Miami restaurants are celebrating with deals.

Izzy’s Fish & Oyster, Jamie DeRosa’s ode to New England seafood houses, has closed. The restaurant, located in Miami Beach’s South of Fifth neighborhood, was open for a little less than two years. DeRosa’s other restaurant, Tongue & Cheek, closed in fall 2015 after a two-year run. It was located just a few doors down from Izzy’s.

Icebox Cafe, the small and bright restaurant nestled in Miami Beach’s Sunset Harbour, has expanded to CityPlace Doral, Miami-Dade’s new entertainment, restaurant, and lifestyle destination. Though the menu and cozy atmosphere emulate the flagship, Icebox Cafe Doral is a massive, two-story dining space where an informal, café-style area with an indoor-outdoor bar leads to a more sophisticated main dining room on the upper level.

Miami’s dining scene continues to impress with its rapid growth. Each month sees new concepts serving interesting food by innovative chefs and restaurateurs. The first half of 2017 brought eateries such as Scott Linquist’s Olla and Stephen Starr and Justin Smillie’s Upland, and second half seems just as promising.

Once upon a time, Julie Piatt loved cow’s-milk cheese as much as the next person. Maybe more. But that was  before she realized the health, environmental, and ethical ramifications of consuming dairy. Fast-forward to 2017, and she and her husband Rich Roll are celebrity vegans, widely regarded as experts in all things plant-based. Piatt hosts a podcast, takes people on Italian retreats, sings, cooks for eager audiences, and writes, among other pursuits. These days, one of her culinary specialties is homemade vegan cheese.