Calle Ocho Patrol: Las Tapas de Rosa

If you are Latin and have a pulse, you are either going to the Calle Ocho Festival today or know someone who is. Well, at the end of what promises to be a crowded and loud day, stop at Las Tapas de Rosa. This little gem in a strip mall…

The Alibi Inside Lost Weekend Makes Real Philly Cheese Steaks

The Alibi is a restaurant in a corner by the bar at South Beach drinking hang Lost Weekend. On the menu are authentic South Philly cheese steaks with Amoroso bread rolls flown in from the Rebel Capital, pizza, burgers, veggie sandwiches, shrimp po boys, wings, a pulled pork sandwich, handcut…

Sneak Review: Brickell Irish Pub

A tasty tidbit of our upcoming St. Patrick’s Day-themed Cafe review:What differentiates a “pub snack” from a “starter” is vague. The first category includes fish dip, buffalo shrimp, mozzarella sticks, and potato skins; the latter brings, among other things, chicken wings, chicken tenders, and beef sliders. We advise to avoid…

Wine Know-How for the Rest of Us: A Q&A with Mark Oldman

When you’re not a wine connoisseur it’s refreshing to have someone explain wine to you without pretense and with humor, instead of turning their nose up when you struggle to pronounce gewürztraminer. Mark Oldman, the author of Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine, taught a seminar on pairing comfort foods with…

Lamborghini’s Caffé Corsa Cruises Into Gulfstream Park

Tonino Lamborghini, whose father Ferruccio brought us that dream of a sports car, has opened Tonino Lamborghini’s Caffé Corsa at the new Village at Gulfstream Park in Hallendale. Italian-born executive chef Paolo Del Papa, besides having the best name of any Italian chef in town, will be serving up homemade…

Abbey Brewing Company To Close?

That’s what people are Yelping about right now. The popular South Beach pub, at 1115 16th Street, has developed a large and loyal following over many years, and apparently it is being forced to close down because the building it is located in has been sold. A person answering the…

New Cavalli Supper Club Brings Sicily to Aventura

When I first heard about the Cavalli Supper Club in Aventura, I thought of Roberto Cavalli. Then I thought of that show about horses, which I saw and…well, I’m no theater critic. What were we talking about?Girls in bright red dresses. Yes, that is who will greet you when you…

Poisson Perfection: Philippe Ruiz’s Maine Halibut Filet Aux Aromates

In last week’s two-part interview with Philippe Ruiz, executive chef of the Biltmore’s Palme d’Or and all around nice guy, the James Beard Award nominee described his food as “simple, classic/modern, generous, and appetizing.” When asked for an example we could recreate at home, without pause he shared the recipe…

Florida Tomato Freeze, Tomato Price Hike, A Dr. Evil Scheme

The great tomato price hike of 2010 is the direct result of the great Florida tomato freeze. But who is behind the freeze, and who stands to profit from it? Dr Evil, that’s who. By the time you read this message, tomato prices may already be at 100 billion dollars…

Interview with Philippe Ruiz of Biltmore’s Palme d’Or, Part Two

Here’s Part Deux of our interview with Philippe Ruiz, executive chef of Palme d’Or at the Biltmore. Read the first part of the interview here. 
You often cook for celebrities and dignitaries. Who was the most impressive or the one who made you the most nervous?I think everybody is important. How…

United Plates of America Now Casting

Do you like television, Top Chef, Project Runway? Skip this post if you do, having an idea might give you a headache.For everybody else — all five of you — here’s your opportunity to embarrass yourself on national TV. United Plates of America, a new show on NBC where one…

Interview with Philippe Ruiz of Biltmore’s Palme d’Or, Part One

While some of the top-name chefs manning kitchens in Miami are busy working on bacon-infused ice creams and three-pound slabs of steak, the Biltmore’s chef Philippe Ruiz continues to focus on making light, classic French dishes with a modern edge, often using just a few natural, high-quality ingredients. Thankfully the critics…

Florida’s Modern-Day Slavery Museum Tours the State

If each slave-picked Florida tomato you ate caused a tooth to fall out, you’d be reduced to bleeding gums in a matter of cheeseburgers.In the winter, most of America’s tomatoes come from Florida, especially the fields of Immokalee, close to Naples, in Collier County, just west of Dade.Unfortunately, the tradition…

Hone Your Culinary Skills with Chef Alan Hughes

Ready for culinary boot camp? Former One Ninety chef Alan Hughes will be teaching eight three-hour classes in his kitchen starting March 14. The classes, limited to five students, will cover a range of topics starting with the basics. In the first class, students will learn knife techniques, kitchen organization…