California may be the current capital of healthy living, but South Florida is coming up fast. Just ask Vitality Bowls, a California-based chain (with additional locations in Colorado, Indiana and Texas) that’s bringing its plant-based fare to South Beach starting this month. The company, dubbed a “casual superfood cafe,” specializes…
If you’re a woman in the culinary field looking for the next step in your career, the James Beard Foundation is offering 22 opportunities for mentorships with some of the best restaurants in the country through its women in culinary leadership grants. 19 chefs and restaurateurs throughout the country are…
Terry Watts started selling food on Liberty City street corners nearly two decades ago. After years of developing a rub (he won’t divulge the recipe) and hosting cookouts for friends, the pleas to turn his hobby into a business grew relentless. “Everyone said ‘you need to be on the corner,’”…
In just a few years, When Matthew Sherman opened Jugofresh in Miami Beach in March 2012, he wasn’t expecting his cold pressed juices to develop into a lifestyle brand, but Jugofresh connected with the residents of Miami looking for a healthier respite from their hedonistic existence whether it be a…
With the coming of the new year, you might have made a resolution to eat healthier or even to go vegan. According to the National Institutes of Health, adults who eat a more plant-based diet can increase their odds of living longer. Most people are aware of the various benefits…
Coconut Grove has seen its fair share of ups and downs. The neighborhood, one of the oldest in Miami, has been an enclave of the boating class, the wealthy, and the bohemian. Most recently, the tree-lined community has had a resurgence in building and development. With upscale housing comes renewed…
Amidst all the exciting happenings in Wynwood, you may have missed the grand opening of the Wynwood Yard, which after some weather related delays took place at the end of November. That said, this pop-up community gathering space on NW 29th street between NW 1st Avenue and North Miami Avenue,…
The roasted eggplant dip at Driftwood Room, the new restaurant at the revamped Nautilus South Beach Hotel, arrives packed inside a charred zucchini. Diners have two options: Plunge the accompanying pita slices into the tangy eggplant, or cut right into the zucchini and enjoy two tasty vegetables in one bite,…
It’s a new month and a new year. Before we wipe the slate clean, here’s one last look back on the restaurants that opened and closed in Miami this past month and this past year. In December, restaurants hustled to open before the city’s most lucrative time of the year…
Miami’s restaurant scene is a hotbed of activity. Each month, despite some prophecies of doom and gloom, our city’s openings far outweigh any closures. With celebrity chefs, small indie restaurateurs, and foreign investors all wanting to feed you a piece of the proverbial pie, there’s a lot of speculation to…
As we wind down 2015, it’s time to take a look in the rear-view mirror before we turn to the new year and all its possibilities. This past year, we’ve eaten a lot of food and tried a lot of restaurants in Miami. With our culinary scene doing nothing but…
For chef Santiago Gomez, there’s more to cooking than creating tasty food. He says it’s about fusing one culture with another by making dishes that represent both origin and destination. This is something Gomez likes to do at Brickell restaurant Cantina La Veinte. The new-wave Mexican eatery, helmed by Gomez,…
Renato Viola’s signature pizzas aren’t suited for delivery or take out. Here’s the problem. You order the vegetarian Star Michele ($14.90) or spicy salami flecked Star Luca ($14.90) and by the time the celestial-shaped beauty hits your kitchen table its delicate crunch is lost. The hassle of parking and finding…
Another New Year’s Eve is over and all you have to show for it is a dull, throbbing pain in your skull and a wallet devoid of cash. Sure, the night, fueled by champagne and dancing was great, but what you really need right now is a gallon of coffee…
New Year’s Eve, the big annual celebration fueled by champagne and resolutions, is this week. However, what’s even more important is the major refuel known as New Year’s Day brunch. Many people celebrate the annual brunch with family and friends, hosting a celebration at home filled with good vibes and…
When Alfredo Patino opened Bin No. 18 (1800 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 786-235-7575) on the boundary between downtown Miami and Edgewater in late 2006, nightfall was a warning sign. “It was prostitutes and crackheads,” he says. But the condo buildings now towering over Biscayne Boulevard were already approved. The writing was…
Andy Rodriguez and Amanda Pizarro love two things: Miami and fancy doughnuts. However, the foodie-obsessed couple discovered a disconnect between the pair. Most cities see craft doughnut shops as often as frozen yogurt stores and juice bars. But in Miami, they’re few and far between, with many defaulting to Krispy Kreme,…
Anyone could be sitting in the dim recesses of Pinch Kitchen. One recent night, six older women in country-club-ready sweatsuits gather around wine and clay bowls piled with bitter brassicas with a fresh snowfall of salty ricotta salata. Nearby, a young couple on what seems to be a first date…
Michelle Bernstein has quite the year. In 2015, Bernstein has seen positive reviews come in for her Seagrape at the Thompson Miami Beach hotel, which opened in November 2014 and reopened her eponymous Michy’s as Cena by Michy. The chef, who admits she has emerged from what appeared to be a…
There are many items that I still want even after getting a mixer for Christmas, and a portable induction burner with its own carrying case is one of them. Celebrity chef Ming Tasi ensures me that my home — and life — is not complete without one. The chef is…
Vegan dining in Miami is a world away from what it was a few years ago. With Seed Food & Wine Festival making national news, new vegan eateries popping up all over the place, and meat-strong chefs incorporating plants into their menus, South Florida is finally coming into its own…
For years developer Scott Robins and his half brother Craig Robins, along with others like the late Tony Goldman and Mark Soyka, elped lift South Beach out of abject obscurity. They played a big role in making it the crowded tourist mecca it is today. Lately his longtime business partner turned…
