The many fans of Casa Toscana have been mourning the loss of the Upper Eastside’s cool trattoria, but Sandra Stefani has resurfaced in Bay Harbor Islands with Open Kitchen. Stefani’s light touch with Italian/Mediterranean cuisine is evident in the new lunch spot’s array of soups, salads, sandwiches, pastas, and chalkboard specials…
For all of my recent harping about hype, we at Short Order have certainly done our part for Yardbird Southern Table & Bar. Back in April we announced its coming; in August we told you of its delay. The official opening date was posted by us in September. Then, just…
The annual lull of summer that slows our city has apparently affected even the opening and closing of dining establishments. It’s as though it’s just too damn hot to consider hanging up new signage or taking down old ones. “It can wait” was the theme of September, as only a…
Giant rounds of Jewish-style onion-rye bread float through my dreams, float through clear blue sky, float in slow motion as though taking part in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Behind the rye are enormous loaves of pumpernickel bread, hearty grain breads encrusted with oats and seeds, bright yellow challah breads,…
Egg and Dart: Sleek Greek in the Design District
“This is what the food movement used to be all about — honesty and integrity — not hype.” That’s Alice Waters talking about Edward Behr’s The Art of Eating, a quarterly food publication since 1986 and now a new cookbook subtitled “Essential Recipes From The First 25 Years.”Authenticity and simplicity…
The most apt adjective for many Miami restaurants is overrated. With a nonstop public-relations machine grinding out release after release of hyped-up claims about this place and that, and food bloggers eagerly rewording the PR praises in exchange for unspecified future favors, the public is fed more than enough reminders…
I made it to the Peacock Garden Café for the first time this week. The indoor/outdoor Coconut Grove restaurant debuted this past April 7, so guess you could say it took me long enough. Behind the project are Lalo Durazo and Oscar del Rivero, the team responsible for Jaguar Ceviche and Talavera…
Four Seasons Hotel Miami has announced that its new property restaurant, which replaces Acqua, will be Edge, Steak & Bar. “A dynamic destination” is how general manager Simon Pettigrew describes the “nontraditional” steak-house concept.Executive chef Aaron Brooks, who comes from Boston’s Four Seasons, has created a menu of simply grilled…
Kane Steakhouse is able, but it’s not Miami’s greatest
Fame is a treacherous double-edged sword. On the one edge: Had I walked into a regular diner or coffee shop, ordered a chicken salad sandwich and chicken pot pie, and received the equivalent of what I got at Crumb On Parchment, I would have been rather satisfied.But it was surprising…
We spoke by phone with Lee Schrager this week about upcoming new events at the 2012 South Beach Wine & Food Festival (February 23 through 26). Monday was part one; today we talk about BubbleQ losing its Bubble, the one-of-a-kind affair at 1111 Lincoln, and the grand closing party that…
I start my phone conversation with Lee Schrager by telling him about a recently unearthed 1991 issue of Food Arts magazine that featured the Miami dining scene of the time. “Did you say 1991?” he asks as though he’s heard wrong. I add that he merited mention and quotes about South…
As explained in yesterday’s introductory Michael Bloise Twitterview part one, the following “twitterview” is an unedited back and forth between the Sushi Samba chef and me in queries and answers of 140 characters or less.It’s sort of like a regular interview, except the format prevents the interviewee from dawdling off…
Michael Bloise’s Italian grandmother introduced him to the cooking of southern Italy. By watching his Vietnamese mother in the kitchen, he learned the delicate subtleties of Asian cuisine. And global travels opened up numerous other gastronomic vistas.Then came more formal education in Miami — first studying at Johnson & Wales…
LouLou Le Petit Bistro: Tasty but inconsistent
We recognized Zuma as Best New Restaurant in our most recent “Best of Miami” issue. Yet a number of other excellent dining establishments have come to town over the past year — many since our “Best Of” issue was written. Here are five other newcomers for which we are grateful:…
Gastronomic simplicity is a mantra these days. You hear it over and over: Quality over quantity. Less is more. Keep it basic. Keep it healthy. Don’t overload the plate. Let the natural flavors of the food come through.For the most part, Miami restaurant dinner plates are cleaner and lighter than…
Maybe the news got past me because I was out of town…or just out of the loop. Or maybe Norman’s 180 was such a nonentity in the local dining scene that nobody noticed that it was gone.But not only is it no more, but according to Shane, a front desk…
This week we are looking into South Beach 20 years ago. By 1991, Tony Goldman (Wish, Wynwood Kitchen & Bar, etc.) had already scooped up some twenty properties in the area, and owned the restaurant Lucky’s in his Park Central Hotel. He described the South Beach clientele back then as…
“The Beach is a trendy place,” says Lee Brian Schrager. “Who knows what will be in vogue next year or even next month?””It’s like Cannes and Nice in the Forties,” adds Tony Goldman. “More and more people are bound to start vacationing here.”These remarks come from a recently unearthed (from…
Tudor House puts quality over quantity
