Che Pasta, Lilo’s Pizza, and Macy’s Taste Bar Busted

So, you haven’t heard from us in a while. Doesn’t mean rat  turds aren’t ending up in your lunch break. Brush your teeth and read on to find out who’s been busted recently for health code violations at our local restaurants. The following inspections all occurred since October and were…

Sneak Review: Lee Schrager Interview

​This week’s Cafe column will contain an interview with Lee Schrager, best known locally as being the man behind the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. In the talk we discuss the upcoming SBWFF as well as the new SBWFF cookbook, which Schrager will be discussing in person at the…

Seasons 52: First Bites (Part 2)

On Friday we offered a first look at Seasons 52, which debuts on Miracle Mile this afternoon. Today we take a closer look at some of the foods and wines sampled.We sat down for a round of courses matched with wines. My favorite among the dishes sampled was one of…

Paradise Farms Now Serving Lunch

​Paradise Farms Organic, under the elegant auspices of Gabriele Marewski, starts up another season of Dinners in Paradise. First lavish outdoor organic meal takes place December 12 with a chef lineup of Sugarcane’s Timon Balloo, River Oyster Bar’s David Bracha, and Loews Hotel Miami Beach’s Fredrick Delaire & Jason Prevatt…

Gigi Starts Serving Lunch Next Week

Have you ever gotten a craving for Gigi’s pork buns right smack in the middle of the day? Good news. The restaurant will open for lunch starting Tuesday, November 16, according to its Facebook page. It will also serve brunch on weekends…

The Wholesome Grocer Brings The Farm To The Beach

​The Wholesome Grocer, a community service created by cooking instructor Cindy Hill, brings fresh, local and organic foods from farmers, ranchers, artisans and vendors to Miami Beach every month. It works like this:You start by selecting the products you want at info@onceuponacarrot.org They will then confirm the order and price, at…

Seasons 52: First Bites (Part 1)

Seasons 52 debuts on Miracle Mile this coming Monday, November 15. When plans were announced for the Coral Gables venue some months ago, I was skeptical; just couldn’t see a corporate restaurant with outlets in eight states being nimble enough to fashion menus based on seasonal and local produce in…

Expanding Mex: Salsa Fiesta Plans #2, Lime Fresh Grill Celebrates #7

​It’s been just one year since Salsa Fiesta, opened its doors, but Cesar Olivo, CEO, chef, and founder, is ready for store number two in Pembroke Pines. The new 80-seat space will be located in Cobblestone Plaza (itself new) at 14914 Pines Blvd. Opening is set for around mid-to-late March.”We’re…

Tonight: Food Truck Meet Up on Bird and 65th

You can get your tasty treats in “La Souwesera” once again tonight from 5:30 to 9 at SW 65th Avenue and Bird Road AKA Miami Street Food Court. You will see a vacant lot, illuminated only by the food trucks. Tonight, Nacho Mama’s Grill from Key Largo will sling their…

Moonchine’s New Lounge: Garden 71

The fast growing and perhaps too busy Biscayne corridor welcomes a new hot spot. Lounge 71 at Moonchine (7100 Biscayne Blvd.)The restaurant has long served Thai, sushi and Vietnamese food. There is both indoor and outdoor seating. The new garden lounge spins beats while you sip drinks. You can also expect…

Grilled Chicken Chipotle Sandwich: Get it While it Lasts

​We first discovered the grilled chicken chipotle sandwich ($2.79) from Pollo Tropical upon the recommendation of a friend who had to convince us to try it, knowing that we refused to eat Pollo Tropical until the day came when we became trapped inside one of the restaurants during a plague…

Catch Grill + Bar To Open In Marriott Biscayne Bay

The Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay’s $31 million dollar renovation is nearing completion. When the dust settles next month, Catch Grill + Bar will be a gleaming new restaurant within, with glistening bay and marina views. The look promises to be that of a “sleek steakhouse,” but the menu will focus…

Green Table Artisan Kitchen & Bistro Coming; Whisk Gourmet Moving

Green Table Artisan Kitchen & Bistro hasn’t opened yet, but from what we can tell, owner Monica Rios is serious about regionally sourced, artisanal food.Rios arrived in Miami eight years ago from Venezuela and she quickly started transitioning from accounting to cooking. She attended culinary school and worked at restaurants…

Tapas & Tintos Set to Open in Midtown

South Beach fave Tapas & Tintos looks like it’s going to open its second outpost on the corner of 36th and NE 2nd Avenue at the former Kafa Cafe spot. Known more for nightly musical features than food, Tapas & Tintos will bring some much needed variety and spice to…

Chef Claudio Bravo, Garcia’s Seafood-Cooking Carnivore

Last week Garcia’s co-owner, Luis Garcia told us about his talented executive chef Claudio Bravo [read the first and second parts of the story here] so we sat down with both gentlemen to talk turkey… uh, tuna.New Times: Where are you from originally, chef?Claudio Bravo: I came from Cuba and…

Blue Sky Food by the Pound: A Cuban Speaks Out

There are few things in life sadder than a has-been. Once any person, place, or thing has established itself as glorious, it is painful and heart wrenching to watch it fall from grace, akin to imagining Dorian Gray’s beauty decay on fast forward. Blue Sky Food by the Pound has…

Top 5 Vegan Restaurants in South Florida

Vegan restaurants in Miami are rare. For the most part, they cater to a granola-munching, Birkenstock-wearing demographic, but neglect the rest of us who just like to eat. Maybe veganism would be more widely accepted if it struck a balance between looking appetizing and providing an environment where the masses…

Miami Dolphins CEO Mike Dee Hearts Garcia’s

This is a continuation of yesterday’s interview with Luis Garcia. You can read the first part here.Who are your diners?Mondays to Fridays we have a certain crowd for lunch. I can tell you who is coming in. I have three lunches: nurses and secretaries, doctors and presidents, and ex-CEOs who…

Sneak Review: Chu’s Taiwan Kitchen & Bar

A little dim sum taste of next week’s Cafe review:One non-dim sum starter you should strongly consider is a real Taiwanese treat: Five-spiced silverfish brings tiny, smelt-like fish battered and wok-fried to light, puffy perfection. Hot red chilies, jalapeño rings, scallions, and peanuts come tangled with the seafood stogies, which…

Garcia’s: The Family, The Business, and… the Dolphins?

​Garcia’s is more than just a quarter-of-a-century old restaurant. It’s a multifaceted story incorporating a family legacy, a wholesale business, a market, and occasionally, Suite 343 at Sun Life Stadium. Huh? Yep, feeding the hoity-toity box at the Dolphin home games is a new leap of faith for the Garcia…