Cecconi’s, Harry’s, and Ironside Do Gluten-Free Pizza Right

Gluten-free pizza can taste like, well, gluten-free pizza. Think pale, chalky and matzo-like, which isn’t exactly anyone’s idea of appetizing. But with celiac disease (an autoimmune disorder where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine) affecting about one in 100 people, and an increase in the number of…

Miami Chefs Agree Culinary School Is Falling Out of Fashion

The path for a young cook isn’t what it once was. France had a long tradition of young teens serving as beguiled porters hauling trash, washing dishes, and eventually prepping and cooking. Then came the spread of culinary schools, where young cooks paid tuition to learn the basics, along with…

The Five Best Takeout Lunches in Downtown Miami

When lunchtime rolls around, most on-the-go locals are seeking the same things: fast, fresh and affordable cuisine. Achieving this trifecta during a lunch break can be difficult, but don’t feel stuck between waiting 40 minutes for a table and settling for a soggy pre-packaged sandwich – Miami’s has much more to…

Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth’s Sarsaparilla Club Opens at the Shelborne

During this past weekend’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival, chefs Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis leaked the fact that their new South Beach restaurant, the Sarsaparilla Club, has soft opened. Today, the restaurant, located inside the Shelborne Wyndham Grand hotel, officially opens. The American dim sum concept marks the…

February 2016 Miami Restaurant Openings and Closings

February was quite a month for the Miami dining scene. In the weeks leading up to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, the leading culinary event in South Florida, restaurants opened like wildfire around town. Most notable is the temporary opening of Alinea in Residence. While their Chicago restaurant…

Holi Vegan Kitchen & Bar to Open in North Miami

Say hello to the holy grail of vegan eats: Holi Vegan Kitchen & Bar. The fast casual concept is just weeks away from feeding South Florida’s voracious vegetarian (and omnivorous) eaters. The restaurant will serve a creative array of breakfast, lunch, and tapas options, plus wine and beer.  The eatery,  located…

Alinea’s Miami Stint Is More Than a Modernist Experiment

Two waiters dressed for a Milan runway cover a table with thin sheets of plastic. Around it, they station tiny bowls filled with liquefied sweets. After a few moments, Grant Achatz, mustached and dressed all in white with an expression as serious as a heart attack, appears. He dips a…

SOBEWFF 2016: Lucky Chopsticks Ends Festival on a High Note

As the sun started to set in the west, thoughts turned to the east at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Party goers hungry for one last taste of food entered the giant white party tent for one last event before the 15th anniversary of the annual soiree ended…

Chef Cindy Hutson’s Zest Opens in Downtown Miami Today

Cindy Hutson’s Zest and Zest MRKT open today inside the Southeast Financial Center (200 S. Biscayne Blvd.), bringing a warm aura to downtown’s concrete jungle with ethnically diverse and seasonally-driven eats and drinks. Hutson, best known for her Coral Gables Ortanique on the Mile, says “Moving into a new urban…

SOBEWFF 2016: Makoto Dazzles at Acqualina Private Dinner

While one real estate mogul by the name of Trump was busy spewing out more outlandish statements, Sunny Isles’ own developer, Jules Trump (no relation), classed things up by sharing a meal beautifully prepared by chef Makoto. The private event held on Thursday and hosted in the newly completed grand…

SOBEWFF 2016: Morimoto, Jersey Dawg Win Big at Burger Bash

The smell of beef was in the air as the South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s Burger Bash celebrated its 10th anniversary on the sand. It seemed like the entire population of Miami Beach came out to nosh on burgers and drink beer as thousands of carnivores queued up to…