Life is too short for fake wine, fake cheese, and fake people. It was a sentiment held by Leor Barak, founder of Wilton Manors-based New York Grilled Cheese Co., until recently. Over the past few years, the restaurateur says, he’d been harassed by his very vocal clientele for not offering a vegan alternative of his popular grilled cheese sandwiches.
Dessert Wars, the largest sweets event in South Florida, returns this Saturday, January 21. Think of it as a pop-up version of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. From Sweet Melody ice cream to Happylicious cookie dough and Nummies baked goods, more than 30 vendors that specialize in all things sugary will compete at this third-annual festival.
No place in Miami serves Chinese food quite like Chinese Guy. It’s clear the moment you step inside the compact 30-seater, which is nestled in a dark corner of a far-flung West Flagler Street strip mall. On nearly every table, plates are piled high with neon-orange pumpkin wedges and sunflower-yellow…
“Charter boat!” Sig Ozols barks when he answers his cell phone. For years, the burly 50-year-old with the long blond hair of a Viking (even though he’s Latvian) has run a 48-foot sport fishing boat out of Coconut Grove’s Dinner Key Marina. He began fishing nearly three decades ago after his dad, fresh from a divorce, asked him to drive his car and some clothes to Florida from Indianapolis. He was hooked immediately, like so many from the frozen North lured by the swaying palm trees and balmy breezes. “He just asked me to check it out, and I never went back,” Ozols says.
For the past several years, Pamela Wasabi has worn many hats in the Miami community: fashion blogger, pop-up shop owner, art director, health coach, plant-based chef, cooking instructor, and more. Now the ambitious entrepreneur is adding two new titles to the list: author and vegan baker. Wasabi’s book has been in the works since she decided to dedicate herself to a career as a plant-based chef in 2014.
American Harvest, a healthy, fast-casual concept, has opened at Brickell City Centre.
If there is one restaurant line worth waiting in, the grand-opening party for the Halal Guys’ first South Florida location (2268 S. University Dr., Davie) would be it. The New York City-based chain has announced it will throw a daylong celebration beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, January 21.
When Melissa Sosa and Zak Stern thought about a fish salad sandwich for Stern’s Wynwood bakery, which opened with a limited menu on Wednesday, they ran into a problem.
Scott Linquist — best known for Miami’s favorite taqueria, Coyo — debuted Olla in December 2016. The new eatery swaps tacos for multiregional Mexican dishes such as moles and pork belly cochinita. Less than two months later, Olla (pronounced oi-ya) is ready for brunch.
Near the left corner in the lobby of the Townhouse Hotel in Miami Beach, a dim light leads down a flight of stairs. A few steps later, find an entryway surrounded by walls lined with obscure anime drawings. As of November 2016, K Ramen Burger Beer has made this small space its home, whipping up an eclectic batch of dinnertime plates.
You won’t hurt Judy Czerenda’s feelings if you tell her the veggie burger she serves tastes exactly like a McDonald’s cheeseburger. “It’s not at all offensive,” says Czerenda, who runs the two-month-old Now Burger booth at the Yellow Green Farmers Market. “There’s a reason McDonald’s is one of the biggest restaurant chains in the country. They spent millions to create their burger, and if mine tastes just as good without any bad ingredients, it’s not disparaging. It’s great.”
Remember that warm cinnamon bun from Knaus Berry Farm that was stuffed inside fluffy 24-hour brioche dough from the Salty Donut? It’s back. Beginning January 17, visit the Salty Donut for its legendary sticky-bun doughnut. Drowned in a roasted-pecan-toffee-rum glaze and topped with a caramelized pecans, the cinnamon-roll/doughnut mashup will be available through January 29.
Brimstone Woodfire Grill is opening its first Miami-Dade location at CityPlace Doral this week, one of 20 eateries set to launch at the new mixed-use retail complex located at 3450 NW 83rd Ave. It joins restaurants such as Cooper’s Hawk Winery, Baires Grill, and the Rusty Bucket Restaurant & Tavern.
Doughnuts proved to be one of Miami’s strongest food trends in 2016. Last year saw quite a few openings, including the Salty Donut, Honeybee, and Mojo Donuts & Fried Chicken, as well as the revival of Velvet Creme. It also saw the launch of Donuts!, a festival where hundreds gathered at the Wynwood Yard for coffee, booze, and dozens of variations on the classic doughnut. (Think guava and cheese, Kentucky bourbon bacon, and a vegan treat made with shredded coconut meat.)
Tap 42, the Fort Lauderdale-based eatery known for craft beer and indulgent plates, will open in March in midtown Miami Taking over the former Apeiro Kitchen & Bar space (3252 NE First Ave.), the 6,150-square-foot restaurant was expected to debut in November, but its opening was delayed. This marks the fourth Tap 42 in South Florida and the second in Miami-Dade. The first Miami-area Tap 42 opened in Coral Gables in May 2016.
In a 2010 segment of 60 Minutes, chef José Andrés told Anderson Cooper “meat is slightly boring” while “vegetables and fruits are sexy.” The pioneer of molecular gastronomy didn’t share his thoughts on fish during the interview, but his latest eatery, Bazaar Mar, says it all. The James Beard Award-winning…
Growing up in Miami, locals hear certain phrases often, like “bro,” “bueno,” and “ay dios mio.” One that stuck in the mind of Alec Fernandez came from fellow Cubans placing their orders at the neighborhood bakery or lunch counter: “Dos croquetas.” “I would hear it so often everywhere I went, it got me thinking,” Fernandez says. “Miami doesn’t have anyone making nontraditional croquetas, so I would. My plan was to take the croqueta to the next level.”
Brickell City Centre is known for high-end shopping and chi-chi downtown dining, but that’s not what the Pubbelly Boys’ chef Jose Mendin had in mind when he chose the complex for the next Pubbelly Sushi location. After a soft opening Friday for friends and family, the new Brickell location officially opens its doors today, bringing to the growing downtown scene what Mendin likes to think of as your friendly neighborhood sushi restaurant, turned up a notch.
Lolo’s Surf Cantina is now open nightly for dinner service, bringing Baja-inspired Mexican eats to Miami Beach’s South of Fifth neighborhood. Created by chef/partner Richard Ampudia and Plan Do See, a global hospitality brand based in Japan, the beachside space is located inside the recently refurbished Stanton South Beach Hotel (161 Ocean Dr.).
Miami’s culinary world has drastically changed in the past few years. No longer relying on chains or famous faces, the city has seen its chefs come into their own, cooking passionate dishes filled with creativity that speak to Miami’s vast roots and multiple cultures. That doesn’t mean, however, that out-of-town restaurateurs and chefs can’t thrive in our environment.
If you’re looking for classic Italian food in a homey setting, Strega Gastropub is a good choice. The recently opened North Beach eatery, which will celebrate its official grand opening January 27, concentrates solely on rustic cuisine from the Boot, and does it well. Owned by chef Rosanna Torchia, Strega is located at 928 71st St. in the Normandy Isles neighborhood of Miami Beach.
Javier Ramirez had a better 2016 than most. Despite his native Venezuela plummeting further into chaos, the energy analyst and hedge-fund risk manager saw doors open at Brickell’s Bachour Bakery + Bistro and Wynwood’s Cake Thai Kitchen, where he has partnered with some of the city’s most exciting chefs to create polished standalone projects. Food & Wine named Brad Kilgore of Alter, another of Ramirez’s partners, one of America’s best new chefs.
