Restaurants

Monica Auslander, dietitian to the Miami Marlins and Soho Beach House, thinks everyone should seek plant-strong options that are light on sugar and heavy on nutrients.

A scoop of milky almond purée is smeared across a gray ceramic plate. Then comes a heap of arugula, glistening chunks of golden orange, bits of almond, and a generous drizzle of a rich, nutty, and slightly sweet Jerez vinaigrette.

March was a tough month for Miami’s food scene. While some promising eateries opened, it was the closings that made the news.In March, some of South Florida’s most loved ans respected eateries shuttered abruptly. Philadelphia’s Dizengoff and Federal Donuts, Proof Pizza & Pasta, and Fort Lauderdale’s Hot & Soul all closed.Cold pressed juice chain, Jugofresh closed all its locations with owner Matthew Sherman listing out the reasons why in a stunning display of transparency.

Miami Beach’s Hank & Harry’s Deli, a New York-style delicatessen founded by local restaurateurs Buzzy Sklar and Richard Booth, is now open in South Miami at 5958 S. Dixie Hwy. The outpost marks the largest location yet for the mini-chain, which recently opened a stall in Aventura Mall’s Treats Food Hall.

On a recent Saturday afternoon in Coconut Grove’s Peacock Park, rays of sunshine peeked through oversize umbrellas, and birds chattered in trees. Almost every outdoor seat was occupied. Bubbly drinks and plates of avocado toast and baked eggs dotted each table.

Kahwa Coffee, a Florida roaster based in St. Petersburg, debuts a Miami location today in Miami Beach’s Sunset Harbour neighborhood.

Next to Greynolds Park in North Miami Beach, find the charming new coffee shop the Alchemist. Tucked inside a complex of unassuming houses on West Dixie Highway, the quiet retreat sits inside a barn-like structure, where it serves fresh-baked Belgian waffles and churns out 24-hour cold brew.

Pastry chef Max Santiago is returning to television. The former Salty Donut and Sugar Factory chef, who won first place on Cooking Channel’s Sugar Showdown in September 2016, will appear on Food Network’s Best Baker in America, premiering Monday, May 7.

There’s no place prettier than Planta. Open less than a month, David Grutman’s chic, new, all-vegan SoFi spot is already a hotbed for celebrity visitors and Miami’s elite — and its plant-based menu appeals to eaters of all kinds.

Miami’s croqueta game is strong. The tubular snack is scarfed up as breakfast with a cafecito, in sandwiches for lunch, and in upscale restaurants as a prelude to an evening meal.  So how do you shake up Miami’s croqueta scene? Start a service that delivers handcrafted croquetas in both traditional and creative flavors.

Easter would not be complete without pastel-colored confections and creamy chocolate eggs. Find your springtime favorites or start a new tradition with one of these Easter-themed sweets. From cookie-dough morsels stuffed with Cadbury eggs to bunny cake pops, these treats are egg-cellent additions to your holiday…

The most egg-citing time of year is almost here. In Miami, an Easter celebration wouldn’t be complete without a themed brunch overlooking Biscayne Bay or inside a swanky South Beach hotel. Hop over to one of the many Miami restaurants offering specials on Sunday, April 1. Reservations are strongly suggested or…

If lobster and truffle mac ‘n’ cheese sound like a match made in heaven, you can meet your dream bowl at a new I Heart Mac & Cheese restaurant near you. The dish, prepared with Maine lobster, Muenster cheese, and scallions, is finished with a lobster cream sauce and white truffle oil, all for $9.95.

It’s not a high-end international buffet brunch without a tomahawk rib eye, a duck confit-and-fig tart, or lobster and chorizo strata. At least, not if you’re considering partaking of Pier Sixty-Six Hotel & Marina’s new monthly Sunday brunch.

Whole Foods is expanding its reach in South Florida with the opening of its sixth store in Broward County. The new Fort Lauderdale market will be located on the corner of North Federal Highway and SE 17th Street, making it the 17th South Florida location.

One of Delray Beach’s most popular purveyors of tacos and margaritas, El Camino Mezcal & Tequila Bar, will open an outpost in Fort Lauderdale this weekend. It’s adding a bottomless brunch to the mix, something the Palm Beach County location doesn’t offer.

Whether you’re sharing ham croquetas and cafecito window-side or cutting into crisp bistec empanizado after a long night out, Sergio’s is a Miami tradition.

Crudos Fusion Art, a colorful 50-seat bistro serving Asian and Latin American fusion dishes, opened quietly in Wynwood this past December. The restaurant, helmed by executive chef and co-owner Edixon Hernandez, offers whimsical creations that befit Miami’s arts district.

The time has finally come. The Salty Donut will open a second location, in South Miami inside the former Fox’s Sherron Inn, a local icon that closed in 2015 after operating nearly 70 years.

Taquiza, the South Beach taco stand best known for serving traditional tacos by chef Steve Santana, is opening a second location.

On a brisk Miami evening, waiters weave around patio tables like dancers, delivering warm beef entrées and vibrant cocktails. The clatter of utensils and exchange of gossip fills the courtyard, while diners dip toasted bread into pools of olive oil. It’s about 7 p.m., and dinner traffic begins to pick…