Archive for the ‘Restaurants’ Category
Flor de España
I’m non-committal when it comes to alcoholic drinks. I’m not loyal to any one drink, not even on a given night. But last summer I discovered a cocktail that I love to go back to called Flor de España.
Served at Sra. Martinez, it’s made with Oloroso Sherry, Johnnie Walker Black, egg whites, lemon juice and [...]
South Beach Wine & Food Best of the Best: Of Beast, pork and other stories
At Friday night’s Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best, I was seduced by a little gem of a bite. A foie gras bon bon with quince-champagne gelee on cracked pepper shortbread. Apparently I wasn’t alone. The dish served by chef Naomi Pomeroy and sous chef Mika Paredes of Beast in Portland has gotten love from [...]
Cobaya Dinner No. 3: Previewing Jonathan Eismann’s Fin
I was among 35 diners who caught a preview of Fin Thursday night during the third Cobaya experiment this year. Fin is a small (about 35-seat) seafood restaurant that occupies part of the old Sheba space. The restaurant promises to serve the freshest seafood available off the boat. And did we get fresh seafood – nine courses to be exact.
PBR, pop tarts and pizza – it’s a Michael’s Genuine kind of brunch
It was another beautiful day in Miami. A day perfect for Sunday brunch outdoors in the company of good friends. Our setting was Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, whose Sunday brunch celebrated its fourth week today and visibly isn’t lacking in popularity.
Before fully reviewing the menu, which is split into savory and sweets, plus smaller [...]
First impressions: Talavera
The arrival of Talavera to Coral Gables is a breath of fresh air. More often than not I want to leave the Gables when looking for food, especially at dinnertime. But Talavera shows promise and I’m happy that there’s a new option in the neighborhood.
My first visit was for lunch with Jackie of Kitchen Interviews. [...]
Sneak Peek: The Cape Cod Room
Last Thursday, D and I caught a complimentary sneak peek of Kenneth Lyon’s soon-to-open New England-themed restaurant: The Cape Cod Room. Somewhat hidden inside The Bath Club — a private club along Collins Avenue built in the 1920s — the restaurant channels Lyon’s earlier days and the start of his career as a chef in [...]
First impressions: Hakkasan
For my first Miami Spice dinner I chose to go to Hakkasan, the Fontainebleau locale of Alan Yau’s London restaurant by the same name. Though its Miami Spice menu wasn’t the most appealing among my choices, I wanted to check it out. Arriving at the restaurant from the hotel lobby takes some walking past shops [...]
Bar bites at Area 31
I first noticed Area31 about three months ago when I attended a work function at the Epic Hotel in downtown Miami. I bought one drink at the bar and truthfully didn’t think much about the place after that. Until some weeks later, when prompted by a tweet from the restaurant’s chef, John Critchley, I dragged [...]
Running with the bulls
You’ve probably seen it on TV or in pictures. The bull runners dressed in all white, red scarves around their necks, running away from with the bulls. It happens every summer during Las Fiestas de San Fermin in Pamplona. And starting tomorrow Por Fin is celebrating with two-for-one drinks, flamenco and $5 tapas. The celebration will [...]
Miami Pizza Crawl Part III
Sosta pizza
Heavy pizza eating kicked off my holiday weekend last Thursday during the third installment of the Miami pizza crawl. This time around the group visited three Lincoln Road restaurants: Sosta, Piola and Spris. Overall, this crawl was the weakest of the three crawls but there were some good pies in the mix as well [...]
Cafe Hellas update
Only two days ago I noticed the ‘coming soon’ sign on the door of Cafe Hellas in the Gables. Today, driving home from work I noticed a little something different when I passed by (no, I’m not stalking them; it’s on my evening commute route). Some of the paper on the windows was gone and hours [...]
Greek coming to the Gables?
Walking to Ben & Jerry’s yesterday afternoon, I noticed an interesting sign in the space that 1909 Cafe used to occupy at 70 Aragon Avenue.
Coming Soon
Cafe Hellas
Fine Greek Cuisine
A few online searches yielded little information about Cafe Hellas and who’s behind it. A filing for Cafe Hellas with the Florida Department of Corporations show Ni.Ka [...]
Gusto Fino serves up good sandwiches in Coral Gables
Driving South on Le Jeune toward Miracle Mile, shortly after you pass the Courtyard Marriott on the right side of the road, you may miss the sign on the window that reads Gusto Fino Italian Deli Market. I know I did for months after I moved to the Gables. And even after I took notice, [...]
Miami Pizza Crawl Part II (Updated)
For round two of the pizza showdown, 28 diners met up at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza in Aventura at 6 p.m. to begin the tasting. We then made our way to Pizza Fusion in North Miami Beach and ended at Racks Italian Bistro and Market .
It worked the same as last time, except with more [...]
Chu’s opening in the Gables
Went to the first night of Chu’s grand opening in Coral Gables last night. This is the new establishment of chef O.A. Chu, formerly of Mr. Chu’s in South Beach. They had no menu for me to see yet but the chef’s wife, Norika, said the restaurant will not be doing dim sum as in the old location; [...]
Por Fin at last
I have a confession to make. I live about four blocks away from Por Fin and last night was the first time I ever set foot in the restaurant. A little embarrassing, I know, but sometimes I’m a late adopter like that. Maybe it’s not so bad that I waited, as I hear the Spanish/Mediterranean [...]
Pizza crawl part I (Updated)
All that buzz about pizza in Miami led Frodnesor of Food for Thought to organize a pizza crawl around various (many relatively new) pizza joints in the city. Last night D and I went to the first crawl, where in the company of 13 other diners we tasted the pizzas of Joey’s in Wynwood, Jonathan Eismann’s Pizza [...]
First visit to Yard House
After a productive day of cleaning Sunday, I decided to reward myself with late-night happy hour in the company of friends at Yard House in Merrick Park. Between 10 and 12:30 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday and 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, their selection of 130 beers on tap range from $3.50 to $4.25.
La Moon comes to the Gables
[Gables location closed 12/2009]
One of my favorite comfort food spots is now in the Gables. La Moon Restaurant opened two weeks ago on the corner of Ponce de Leon and Navarre. Now I have the temptation of their Colombian food near work and closer to home. We visited and were quite impressed with the new space. [...]
Miami Spice: Cita’s Italian Chophouse
On a total whim, we headed to Cita’s Italian Chophouse in Coconut Grove last week. Some friends we met at a wine tasting went pre-opening and recommended it but I had kinda forgotten about it. The restaurant has sidewalk seating, and indoor area and a charming patio in the back, where we sat. The menu offers a variety of [...]
