There’s no way anyone who lives in Miami doesn’t know this rustic whitewashed wooden fish house with the knotty-pine-paneled interior. It’s everyone’s neighborhood joint, even for those who don’t live in the neighborhood. Because, besides being on a busy Biscayne corner, it has that look, the one that somehow speaks…
Casa Rolo’s Café has the distinction of being one of Thomas Kramer’s first victims. This was back in 1997, when the über-developer with a penchant for disorderly conduct was in the process of reconstructing the low-rise, low-rent tip of South Beach. Rolo’s had been around since 1986, and I had…
Even a few words into this review you might already be thinking, “Geez, she sounds a whole lot less moronic this week.” And if the strange symbols on the back of the menu at Yakko-San are to be believed, you might be right. Because on recent visits to this restaurant,…
When I read that the Florida Marlins’ brain trust (okay, wrong word, but you know what I mean) had changed concessionaires during the off-season, I didn’t assume it was solely because of my blistering review last year of their ballpark food. “I’d like to think it was my description of…
Located two blocks north of Miracle Mile, informal Italian deli La Gastronomia is easily overlooked. This is not because the food is forgettable but because the casual eatery is relatively small (two rustic rooms); relatively understated (no big sign, no touts out front); and, mainly, buried in a wall-to-wall packed…
To most Americans Danish cuisine means three things: herring, lots more herring, and Tuborg beer. And of the three, only the last really has caught on. Despite the fact that it is said Danes have a different herring preparation for every day of the year, none of the 365 has…
Clarke’s is a new “diner” on South Beach, but there’s something not quite dinerish about the place. Part of the problem might be that it’s located in a historic coral house, which isn’t the sort of backdrop you expect for fare like “Frenchy toast,” “cheesey chicken,” and “I scream sundae.”…
Until recently when one person in a couple wanted Indian food and the other wanted to grab a sub sandwich, the only solution was divorce. For the past two years, though, Silver Spoon Subs & Grill has been putting marriage counselors out of business. Here at this miniscule Indi-Italian (yes,…
Hold on to your hats, especially the flat ones — it’s time for the First Annual Flapjack Flip-Off. Our four contestants: the Original Pancake House and the International House of Pancakes, for obvious reasons; S&S Diner, because it’s the sort of landmark diner you’d expect to have great pancakes; and,…
There is no such thing as authentic Italian cuisine, at least not in Italy. That’s because until about 150 years ago, there was no such thing as Italy. Before political union there were a couple of dozen independent regions, and in terms of food culture, that proud individuality still exists…
An antique jukebox spins old-time country, rock, and blues at SoBe Bar-B-Q, a bare-bones 50-seat restaurant that opened a few months back on Washington Avenue. Proprietor Paul Orofino, who used to own Serendipity nightclub in Coconut Grove, tries to keep the party spirit going here not just by providing nifty…
Sometimes I imagine other restaurant reviewers sitting plushly in front of giant, high-resolution computer screens, scrolling long lists of dining recommendations e-mailed to them by their well-organized, rigorously maintained network of knowledgeable food contacts. My own method of choosing places to review is, contrary to what some might think, only…
Kane Concourse is a pretty exciting stretch of road if one is looking for, say, a cardiogram. As far as food goes, though, even Arthur Godfrey Road, with its almost unbroken stretch of banks, is more promising for people looking for a little lunch. Culinary excitement in the 96th Street…
If you live on South Beach, chances are you’ve walked down Washington Avenue and passed the tiny, triangular-shape La Molienda on many occasions, probably peeking in with piqued curiosity each and every time. It’s an unusual space in that it takes the notion of storefront restaurant to the extreme –…
When Shoji Sushi opened in mid-March, it was an occasion of great relief. After all, the particular block of lower Collins Avenue on which Shoji is located was perhaps the only one in SoBe that didn’t already house two or three sushi bars; weary south of Fifth-sters were tired of…
Thai food originated in the mountainous valleys of southwestern China, then the homeland of tribes who, between the Sixth and Thirteenth centuries, would emigrate southward into what is now Thailand. Siam River Thai Cuisine originated in North Miami Beach in 1991 and nine months ago expanded southward with a sister…
Next time you have out-of-town visitors who insist on cruising Calle Ocho (invariably a disappointment as a sightseeing site since tourists, not getting that it’s just a normal working neighborhood, always expect some sorta cute Disneyworld: Cuba!), or next time you get the 2:00 a.m. desire for something a bit…
Fresh is the word when it comes to fish, and it doesn’t take a Sherlock Holmes to deduce that the seafood shanties in Watson Island Marina, one of the first stops for local commercial fishing boats, would be an opportune place to purchase some of the very freshest. Two weathered…
When the former owners of Mezzanotte finally closed that long-running fashionista-favorite restaurant/nightclub last year and opened Carnevale, a self-billed “Venetian café,” two questions instantly occurred to me: Would this really be like eating in Venice? And, since the space’s former occupant was so model-friendly, could you get blow in the…
Since opening on the southern tip of South Beach in 1995, Nemo has consistently been rated as one of Miami’s very best restaurants. Like the proprietors of many of the United States’ other highly touted contemporary dining establishments (The French Laundry, Chez Panisse, Spago, et cetera), co-owners Myles Chafetz and…
When dinner hour approaches at Captain Jim’s, a friendly fish market that’s also an informal (five Formica tables) restaurant, everybody eats in, even if they’ve just come for take-out. That’s because while the crowd waits for orders or service, the personnel behind the fish counter (who remain friendly even when…
It was in 1899 that Italy’s Queen Margherita and King Umberto I, in a public-relations move calculated to foster an affinity with the common folk, took a royal traipse into Naples for some pizza. In their honor the pizzaiolo commissioned for the event what is believed to be the first…
