Taverna Opa is perfectly named, the word “opa” being a carefree yelp of joy — the Greek version of “yippee!” The place sizzles like lamb on a spit — Middle Eastern music blares, belly dancers jingle, patrons partake of Greek tabletop dancing, fire-grilled foods emit aromatic smoke balls, hundreds of…
Oceanview outdoor restaurants on Miami Beach are like the weather is in the rest of the nation: “Everybody talks about the weather,” as the nineteenth-century saying goes, “but nobody does anything about it.” Of course nobody has to do anything about it down here; perfect beach weather — and lots…
Although Haitian-born, chef Ivan Dorvil’s previous culinary experience has been everywhere but. His formal schooling was in Montreal, supplemented by some informal munching-his-way-around-Europe time. His previous executive chef jobs were at mid-Beach’s Middle Eastern Oasis Café (back when it first opened, to raves, in the mid-1990s), and in a couple…
Some (me) liken it to the Super Bowl, Oscar night, and New Year’s Eve all rolled into one. Others (my editors) see it as a self-indulgent waste of space that could be put to better use — like maybe reviewing a restaurant. Still the Flapjack Flip-Off is steamrolling into its…
Little Italian Tavern used to be housed in front of a Hallandale trailer park, and was critically and popularly acclaimed for solid, home-cooked Italian fare, friendly service, and low, low prices. Ten months ago owners Juan and Diana Rubin transferred Tavern to North Miami Beach, in the space occupied many…
What’s the difference between a “gastropub” and a restaurant? Nothing, as far as I can tell. A recent New York Times restaurant review that described a hot new place’s food as “gastro-pub cuisine” went on to list everything from pasta to lamb chops to cheesecake — which sure doesn’t sound…
The roast chicken of my dreams is sexy, not spartan — bursting with juice, tender yet firm, and very important, served splendidly dressed in its own succulent skin rather than cruelly stripped of this tasty protective covering by cooks whose claims to health consciousness fool only the most gullible or…
Astor Place Bar & Grill, with chef Johnny Vinczencz at the helm, was not too long ago considered one of the Beach’s better dining establishments. Thus it came as something of a surprise when Hotel Astor owner Karim Masri shut the restaurant for extensive renovations, and re-opened it in December…
Cooking is not just about nourishment, or even about taste. It’s about, well, everything: An area’s food is as much a key to understanding a culture as is its history. This is not an original thought, at least not from me. Ever since Food Studies became as chic and serious…
To say that Bali Café is the top Indonesian restaurant in Miami is just as true, and misleading, as lauding Robert De Niro for being the finest actor in Meet the Parents. Both are better than that, and Bali is in fact the best restaurant in downtown Miami. Period. And…
I don’t make a habit of reading press releases or studying menus prior to reviewing, partly in the belief this leads to fresher, less studied perceptions that are closer to those of a typical diner, and partly because of a lifelong aversion to research. Every now and then, though, I…
When a South Beach resident wants just a nice light bite in a stylish setting, there are roughly a zillion places to go; it’s probably harder to find a single South Beach block where one can not get a designer salad — or crêpes, or panini, or whatever meat/fish/veggie carpaccio…
Boats, beaches, bingo, and beer would all make the lengthy list of “Things Floridians Like More Than Books.” Yet while we are not, overall, the most literate of Americans, here and there are signs of intelligent life. For proof you need look no further than Books & Books, both on…
Since sabor is the Spanish word for flavor, one wonders: Why did the owners so name an Italian restaurant? Was sapore taken already? According to a quick look in the Miami area phone books — nope. The Italian word is still up for grabs. But in terms of ethnic identity…
It has become apparent in recent months that Miami restaurants are finally catching on to certain dining trends that have long been established elsewhere around the country — like, for instance, an emphasis on letting foods speak for themselves in clean and sensible fashion. David Bracha, chef/owner of the new…
There are many local restaurants that are enjoyable because they are so typical of what Miami now is and does best: perfectly put-together upscale glamour. And then there are restaurants that are enjoyable because they are atypical of what Miami now is, but shining examples of what we could be,…
It’s understandable if you haven’t yet heard about Casa Tua (pronounced “too-ah”). After all it doesn’t advertise, and there’s no signage on the restaurant, which, to daytime passersby on Seventeenth Street in South Beach, appears to be nothing more than a stunning stone Mediterranean-style beach house. An iron fence and…
Does the old expression discuss going “from feast to famine” or “from famine to feast”? I’d always thought the former, especially while trying to find a decent pizza when I first moved down here from New York City a decade ago. But after experiencing Pizza Libre, the latter won’t leave…
A great sandwich consists of great bread plus great filling (GS=GB+GF). What makes a great bread is freshness, flavor, and texture. The breads at Zooz are baked on site, right before your eyes if you arrive early enough, steam rising from a seven-grain bread as the baker sliced it into…
If you have read anything about the Coral Gables restaurant Cacao 1737 (though there hasn’t been much to read — the lack of buzz especially odd since Edgar Leal was perhaps the most buzz-producing young chef in Venezuela before he relocated to the now-defunct restaurant Zur in Miami Beach not…
From the outside, this small, unassuming downtown lunchroom with the ubiquitous coffee/pastry window on the street looks like a typical Cuban joint — and sure enough, it was La Carreta for almost a quarter-century. Then Argentine owners took over a couple of years ago. Now rechristened and redecorated, Floridita, as…
I’d like to offer a big warm welcome to all you frigid foodies flying in from afar for the second annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival this weekend, and at the same time ask that you please remove your galoshes at the door. Congratulations to those who’ve managed to…
