Kiss Kiss, Bye Bye Miami Spice: Going Out with a Flash at Sra. Martinez

Welcome to October, y’all.  New fall menu items are rolling out today at Michelle Bernstein’s South Florida restaurants.  Suckers that we are for nostalgia, it was time to relish some last bites of summer at Sra. Martinez last night, including the curtain call for her Miami Spice menu.   Favorites included…

Solea at the W South Beach serves tasty but uneven fare

Less is more is a sound gastronomic principle, and certainly one the dining public has been eager to embrace. Sane portions, light sauces, bright flavors? Of course. Food from the Mediterranean, where the less-is-more crowd prefers to weigh anchor, likewise enjoys near-universal appeal — especially in Cuisine of the Sun-conscious…

New Chipotle Hialeah Giving Away Free Burrito, Bowl, Tacos or Salad

They call it food with integrity. We knocked em’ for not having it when they were buying what could have been slave tomatoes.But Chipotle recently struck a deal with Florida company East Coast Growers and Packers to pay fair wages and ensure humane labor practices for Sunshine State tomato workers…

Latina “Chefs” To Chat at Arsht Center

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, in partnership with Johnson & Wales University, is presenting the second season of its’ Celebrity Chef Series for the 2009-2010 season. Over the coming months, three such chef shows will be held on the John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall…

Monday Night Football, Chef’s Club Tailgate Style at BLT Steak

Last Monday, South Florida’s Chefs Club, a network of culinary professionals who meet regularly to eat, talk shop, and crack jokes, got together over a tailgate style feast at the bar of BLT Steak Miami during the Dolphin’s opener against the Colts.Executive Chef Sam Gorenstein says of hosting Chefs Club,…

Redlands Farmer Karen Pruett’s Organic Herbs-N-More

Karen Pruett is a Redlands based Organic Herbs-N-More farmer, grower, and facilitator. She says “I teach squarefoot, or container, gardening. It allows people to grow on a balcony if they’re in a condo or apartment, whatever it is they like to eat. I also do lectures and demonstrations on growing…

Sneak Review: Soleá at W Hotel South Beach

A teeny sneak preview of the New Times restaurant review for next week. Starters, excepting soups and salads, range from $14 to $20; the two pastas are $18 and $24; excepting chicken and salmon, entrees run $38 to $50. Diners don’t expect to get up from the table at a…

Steve Lieber of Rack’s Italian Bistro Wins American Pizza Championship

Miami stand up! Steve Lieber, Director of Operations of Rack’s Italian Bistro and Market in North Miami Beach won the American Pizza Championship. Steve Lieber is officially the American Pizza Champion.He won the recent competition in Orlando with his black truffle pizza. Steve went pie to pie against nine other…

Acufest at The Biltmore Includes Organic Food & Wine Tasting

People get stabbed on the streets of Miami all the time, why not pay to learn about the non violent version at Acufest 2009.The first annual festival promises a day of “acupuncture and healthy living” that includes an organic food and wine tasting with gourmet organic food and over 40…

Miami International Wine Fair Descends On The Beach This Weekend

Legions of frenzied minions of Bacchus, purple lip stained white shirts, orgiastic, drunken trade folk, and 85,000 square feet of organized mayhem. Ok, so mayhem probably isn’t accurate, but it is time for the 8th Annual Miami International Wine Fair, this weekend September 26 – 27 at the Miami Beach…

R.I.P.: Marcel Escoffier

I was sad to learn that Professor Marcel Escoffier passed away last Tuesday. Escoffier was associate professor of Management at Florida International University’s School of Hospitality Management. He taught courses in Food and Beverage Operations and Control, and wrote several books, including co-authoring the influential Management by Menu text. He…

MIA At Biscayne – Food Porn and Other Pictures

MIA at Biscayne (20 Biscayne Blvd., Miami) is a brand new resto-club-lounge on the corner of Biscayne and Flagler with the feel of South Beach in downtown and the look of a millionaire’s playground. MIA at Biscayne’s executive chef Gerdy Rodriguez helms the kitchens, which put out what the restaurant…