Walking in to the Illegal Bakery pop-up at Taperia Raca is sort of like entering a time warp. Frank Sinatra croons on the stereo as an adorable couple in matching old-school soda-jerk-meets-’50s-diner garb greets you upon arrival. The two, adorned in matching wooden bows (around neck for him, in hair…
Driving through Philippe Starck’s columned entrance at the Icon makes you feel as if you’re in the Flintstones. Well, prepare to go from the Stone Age to the Roaring Twenties as you make your way back to Cantina La Veinte, Miami’s newest high-end Mexican restaurant. This is the Cinbersol Group’s…
The National Hotel, a Miami Beach landmark, has undergone a $12 million renovation that promises to bring the property up to par with neighbors that include the Delano, SLS, and Ritz-Carlton. Part of the renovation includes the hiring of Gast�n S�nchez as executive chef of the hotel. S�nchez is tasked…
The completion of Biscayne Boulevard’s Vagabond Hotel culminates with a party this evening to celebrate the MiMo beauty’s full restoration. The Vagabond Restaurant will follow shortly, with an opening slated for sometime in October. See also: Inside the Vagabond Hotel, Biscayne Boulevard’s Restored MiMo Gem (Photos)…
It appears there is no place left to hide. Lincoln Road in mid-August is flooded with throngs of tourists who require you to have both twinkle toes and ankle-breaking jukes just to get to Shake Shack. Brickell is slammed, even though few restaurants in the area are worth your time…
Just a few short years ago, Miami’s food scene wasn’t exactly known as a thriving mecca of locavore cuisine. Even with its proximity to oceans teeming with fish and farms that raised everything from tropical fruit to cattle, South Florida establishments ordered more from Sysco than farmer Joe. See also:…
“I think every woman should have a blowtorch.” Today marks what would have been Julia Child’s 102nd birthday. If not for Julia — chef, cookbook author, television host, accidental feminist — the food world wouldn’t be what it is today. If not for Julia, Americans might still be eating TV…
What’s the difference between brunch and lunch? By definition, “brunch” is a breakfast/lunch combo. To us, the difference is that lunch is usually something we grab on the run to eat at our desk. Lunch “fuels” us. Brunch, however, is a more relaxed affair. On the weekends, we gather with…
There’s little doubt Miami’s dining ecosystem has expanded and improved by light years in only a decade or two. Chef-driven concepts and smartly sourced ingredients aren’t as pervasive as many would like, but they’re here and thriving. However, gastropubs continue reproducing like rabbits. Miami diners still annoyingly cling to lowest-common-denominator…
Believe it or not, there’s more to tea than Oprah’s Starbucks Teavana line. Tea’s healing history dates back a whopping 5,000 years, and ancient wisdom suggests its influence can be life-altering. This potential impact on our modern lives is what Master Tsai, of Coconut Grove’s Zen Village, is looking to…
The Design District restaurant Egg & Dart has closed. Outside the restaurant recently, there was no activity during what would be an early dinner service. A blue handwritten sign proclaimed the restaurant “closed,” and a rose bush, still chained to the building with a bicycle lock, was wilted and unwatered…
Nothing at Oolite, Kris Wessel’s new place just off Lincoln Road, contains gluten — including the toothsome cornflour penne pasta encased in a gooey cheese sauce. It’s a big bet on a huge space by an established chef in the midst of a rough run. Wessel took over the restaurant’s…
Bon Appetit has just released its list of the Top 50 New Restaurants of 2014 and one Miami establishment made the list of 50 nominees. Blackbrick, Richard Hales Midtown Chinese restaurant was the only South Florida restaurant to make the list, compiled by Andrew Knowlton. According to Bon Appetit’s website,…
Hearing that a spot serves vegan pizza is maybe the best thing ever for an herbivore. Because, let’s be real, it’s impossible not to miss that chewy dough, that piquant sauce, that melty, gooey, drippy mozzarella. Sigh. So when I heard Lemoni Pizza & Kitchen serves vegan pies, I was…
While we’re getting fatter taking advantage of Miami Spice, the chefs behind those meals are slimming down for a good cause. As part of the Fit to Fight challenge, 12 local toques have committed to lose weight while raising funds to benefit Live to Fight, a nonprofit that supports individuals…
Last night was the friends and family night for the much anticipated Mignonette in Edgewater. This restaurant brought to you from the two most huggable chaps (their preferred term) in the industry, Blue Collar’s Danny Serfer and Miami Rankings’ Ryan Roman, brings their signature charm. You will get a chance…
If you’re going to Sultan Mediterranean Cuisine in SoBe for your gyro, kebab, and falafel fix, you’re doing it wrong. The far lesser-known place Miami Mediterranean Cuisine has tastier food, is open late (2 a.m.), offers free delivery (if the order is over $15), and costs about half the price…
Igor Ferraro, chef and owner of La Bottega in Coconut Grove, hasn’t quite adapted to U.S. culture yet. “It is very different here,” he says. “I guess I am more old-school Italian.” Originally from Venice, Ferraro founded, operated, and sold several businesses in Italy before making his way to America…
The tagline for the Key West Lobsterfest is “A Celebration of our favorite Crustacean!” and that was reason enough for us to chase that tail. The four-day celebration really hit the streets this past Saturday with a concert and street fair open to the public. There were lobster tacos, lobster…
South Beach favorite Khong River House has been well received by locals since opening in December 2012. So it’s surprising that the restaurant, which celebrates the flavors and cuisine of the Mekong region of Thailand, only recently began serving brunch — especially when sister property Yardbird down the street boasts…
The upscale restaurant inside Brickell Key’s Mandarin Oriental, has been helmed by many top toques. Michelle Bernstein, Clay Conley, Joel Huff and Jacob Anaya have all led the kitchen of Azul at some point since its inception. A sudden closure last year during the hotel’s renovation period had many speculating…
There’s a certain person (El Jefe) who likes to visit local doughnut shops whenever he travels to different cities. Unfortunately, in Miami you have to leave the city and head to Mojo in Pembroke Pines for that special round sweetness with a hole in the middle. It’s unclear why this…
