Bengal’s contemporary two-level space is lovely. Walls of pastel mint green are minimally adorned with brightly colored sconces that illuminate the restaurant at night; during lunchtime, a soothing natural light comes in courtesy of floor-to-ceiling storefront windows. Tables on terrazzo floors are topped with white linen over maroon undercloths that…
Lee Klein I won’t blame Pro Chile, a trade group promoting the wares of that lush Latin American country, for my eyeglasses being lost. I had them when I arrived for the Taste Chile! lunch being held at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach. I had put them on to…
It isn’t usual for me to feed possum, but when I saw this one in back of our apartment, with five babies on her back, I placed down some imported Gruyére. She gobbled the treat with undisguised gusto, which I attribute to her prior experiences with cheese most likely being…
Le Bouchon du Grove has long been one of Coconut Grove’s best restaurants: The French fare is solid, prices are reasonable, and a boisterous ambiance beckons. So upon hearing of a second bistro with the same owners, I expected something special. Yet like so many movie sequels, Le P’tit Paris…
Sparks are flying. Jackhammers are blasting. Snakepits of wire cover the floors of the Fontainebleau Hotel. Will it be ready to open November 16, after a three-year, $1 billion makeover? “Absolutely,” says Bryan O’Shields, the hotel’s senior vice president of food and beverage. Echoing his optimism is Sean O’Connell, the…
Illustration by Alex Izaguirre The Obama election affects not only the whole world, but also the food world. Here are ten predictions on how this might play out: Hula girls will replace mariachi bands as the most annoying dining distraction, and restaurant owners will find it increasingly profitable to put…
Ahnvee, a Cajun-Creole restaurant and “laid-back lounge” will open at 621 Washington Avenue (the old “Strand” location) in late-2008/early 2009. Executive chef Tom Azar, most recently having served the same function at Emeril’s Miami Beach, will be putting out skillet cornbread with honey butter glaze; fried alligator; crawfish-and-rice croquettes, and…
I’m not saying Chef Allen’s décor used to be dull, but when I first reviewed the restaurant, one of my dinner guests fell asleep at the table. Granted she was only nine years old. And she was medicated owing to an allergic reaction. But still — the place wasn’t exactly…
Lee Klein The 2008 Miami International Wine Fair, at the Miami Beach Convention Center, featured the usual aisles of wines and wine sellers, and the usual throngs of wine enthusiasts, and the usual clique of ink-stained wretches such as me who were there to scribble some notes while, of course,…
Come January, chef Jonathan Eismann of Pacific TIme fame will be opening Pizzavolante (“flying pizza”) at 3918 N. Miami Avenue, in the Design District. According to Eismann, the contemporary-styled 900 square foot space will be offering “creative wood-oven pizza” with organic and local ingredients, and “some gluten-free products”. Emphasis will…
Tickets for the 2009 South Beach Wine and Food Festival go on sale this coming Monday, October 27. We mention this because in past years tickets have sold out very quickly — especially for the more popular events, such as Rachel Ray’s Burger Bash ($200), Bubble Q ($350), and Wine…
This past week the Miami Herald’s “Diet and Nutrition” page featured a “Nutrition Quiz” that touted the benefits of niacin. These include raising “good” HDL cholesterol by as much as 35% — “plus, it purportedly helps your skin and hair”. What specific foods does this quiz — which “purportedly” is…
“Shalom, y’all” might sound like the start of a Southern politician’s stump speech in Boca Raton, but it is in fact one of the mottos posted at Sara’s Vegetarian Café in North Miami. So is “good, hot, and a heckuva lot,” which likely refers to the hefty portions but could…
“Saving the Earth, One Pizza at a Time” is the motto of Pizza Fusion, the first ever organic pizza franchise that is getting set to open at 14815 Biscayne Boulevard in mid-November. The Fort Lauderdale based restaurant chain offers pizza, ciabatta sandwiches, salads, desserts, and organic beers and wines, all…
QSR Magazine has completed its’ 2008 Quick-Service Drive-Thru Performance Study, and Chick-fil-A took home the gold as America’s Best Drive-Thru 2008. Sherri Daye Scott, editor of QSR, explained the reasons behind the chicken chain’s success: “No bells and whistles, no out-of-the box training systems. Just a strategy focused on getting…
Michelle Bernstein Michelle Bernstein hopes to have her new tapas place open “before Art Basel”. She says the menu is “almost done”, and will include items such as boquerones, tortilla española, and artesanal Jamón Serrano. “We’re going to do blood sausage and stuff like that, and I’m playing with all…
Change might carry a lot of currency these days, but Nemo is having none of it. When co-owners Myles Chefetz and Michael Schwartz opened the artsy neighborhood café in 1995, it was the hottest haunt in town (and Esquire magazine’s pick for one of America’s best new restaurants). It looks…
El Palacio de los Jugos, which makes the best batidos, arepas, lechon asado — heck, let me just say it’s my favorite Cuban joint in town — is negotiating a lease for a new location across the street from the Federal Courthouse in downtown Miami. Owners Beatrize and Reinaldo Bermudez…
Janet and Greta Podleski. During which of the following world-famous events did the pizza industry report the highest number of deliveries? a) the final episode of Survivor I b) Superbowl XXXXVII c) the O.J. Simpson Bronco chase d) the opening night of the first Gulf War This is one of…
Peru to the Yucatan in 88 blocks. That’s the distance on Biscayne Boulevard between the new Sabor a Perú at 29th Street and the relocated Burritos Grill Café at 117th. The former is a small, informal 30-seat space, so clean and shiny it looks like it could be a fast-food…
I recently received an email from the New York publisher of an upcoming cookbook featuring American recipes and accompanying backstories from all 50 states. The writer is a well known cookbook author and longtime food columnist for a major publication, and it seems as though she isn’t happy with the…
This morning, I erroneously reported that Michy’s was moving into the Domo Japones space. Michelle logged on to set the story straight: Hi Lee, Just so you and everyone knows, Michy’s is not and never will be moving. We are opening a Tapas Restaurant, a dream for my husband David…
