I got that sinking feeling in my stomach.

Was it really a restaurant, I wondered at that point, or a front for something more unsavory?

Was this was going to be one of those failures associated with any step into the unknown?

And then we walked in….

Three small rooms. Fake grapes dangling from a funky ceiling. A squirrel saying hello from the vines.

Mismatched plates and silverware.

Artwork and objets d’art had a thrift store vibe, maybe one step above bordello or one step shy of kitchsy. A definite“my abuela decorated these room day by day over the past 50 years” feel. Very home-made, low-key and personal.

We were hooked.

Then we met Elvis.

Elvis Sanchez. The manager.

(I know! Only in Miami, am I right?)

He greeted us and told us our table would be a 15 minute wait.

Elvis shared that a family of ten in the backroom was lingering over their meal. Each family member was wearing Easter bunny ears and just so happy to be with one another. They were slowing the whole place down, he said.

Then he explained that he ran the restaurant. His sister and her husband, a chef from Paris, owned it. The sister had been in LA chasing an acting career. She met her Parisian chef husband while working at a restaurant to support herself. (Now that’s a Hollywood story!) Her parents back in Miami got sick. They returned to Miami to care for the parents and opened La Fresa Francesa.

Somewhere in that story-telling, I stopped feeling like a customer anxiously waiting for a table and started to feel like part of the family.

The food is French with a hint of Cuba.

We hit La Fresa Francesa about 2:30 PM. It was a transition moment between the brunch and dinner menus. We went for both.

Like the French, we started with apertifs. The drinks were light and refreshing, with just a hint of alcohol. Not too sweet. Not too acidic. Just an opening to the meal, giving us a moment to discuss the menu and relax in the seats.

I ordered La Pompette Limonade, homemade lemonade mixed with Lillet Blanc, macerated strawberries and a splash of sparkling wine.

It was served in what appeared to be beer mug. With a straw. Light, refreshing and large enough to savor the entire meal.

The Bellini was made with guava juice instead of the more traditional peach puree, in honor of the Cuban neighborhood. The classic Lillet Blanc was served over ice with a slice of orange on top.

And then the food arrived.

The escargots. Perfectly, unapologetically French. Out of the shell and swimming in garlic, butter parsley sauce. The thinly sliced baguette was perfect for dunking into those little indents holding the butter sauce; the lettuce had a hint of garlic.

The Steak Frites. Classically prepared steakiness. Prepared, as someone said, with “NASA-like” precision. And it comes with a LOT of crispy fries.

The mussels. I was hoping for the blue cheese sauce but mine was filled with roasted tomatoes. The mussels were small and tender. And again, a LOT of crispy fries.

Banannas foster crepes. Come on! The thick cut media noche bread (a soft slightly sweet and egg rich Cuban bread similar to brioche or challah) was soaked in a traditional custard and topped with caramelized bananas. Let’s just call it abundant.

After the meal, I ordered a very civilized coffee cortado for dessert but immediately had coffee envy as the more traditionally Cuban Café Bombas started arriving. Sweetened condensed milk, covered by a rich espresso.

OMG goodness.

For dessert, one of us ordered the crème brulee. I can’t speak to it as the orderer doesn’t share but judging by his face, it was a success.

The Bottom Line:

$354 for 5 people ($71/person)

The other Bottom Line:

We sat and ate and drank and talked for nearly four hours. Yes, the service is a tad slow. But more than that, the well-worn atmosphere, the warm and personal service, the simply elegant French food with those Cuban twists invites you to stay. To talk. To relax and laugh.

And that’s the true bottom line.

La Fresa Francesa
59 W 3rd St
Hialeah, FL 33010
786-717-6886
Menu: lafresafrancesa.com

Let me know what you think. And please share any favorite hidden gems you’ve experienced.

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Steak houses, on the other hand, are not my thing. If you say steak house, I think white table clothes, wood-paneled walls, private and smelly cigar rooms. Pretension personified. The kind of place where corporate expense accounts rule.

Sunny’s Steakhouse Miami is different!

It combines subtlety with hip-and-happening,

It’s tucked into a quiet, dark street in a quiet, dark corner of Little River. No sign. Just a dark door. Very speak-easy.

And there’s parking, a rarity in the Miami restaurant world. A customer lot adjoins the restaurant and accommodates most diners most of the time. No endless driving around, looking for a spot, as is “de rigeur” for so many of Miami’s popular spots.

Walk in, and the welcoming hostess or host greets you like you are arriving at a private party.

The place opens its arms to so many different groups of people. You’ll see families with kids, girl-friend dinners, special date nights and tech-bros ordering those $1000 bottles of wine.

(And no worries: There’s a perfect great $10 happy hour cab franc!)

The vibe is fun, modern, friendly, a little irreverent.

And mostly open-air. It’s built around a huge banyon tree covered in twinkle lights.

Even the inside part of the restaurant is open to the outside. And lined with mirrors and palm trees. The whole place happily glitters.

The cooking is serious. And creative.

You can put together a generous meal for the table, with items that appeal to everyone (even the vegetarians and vegans, bless their hearts). Its whole ethos is gathering around the table and passing the plates around.

The steak at Sunny’s isn’t just a menu category—it’s the center of gravity.

There are 7 steak options, but the 16 ounce waygu NY Strip steak exemplifies what Sunny’s is going for.

Yes, it’s expensive ($148) but shareable and worth the money.

The cut is classic steakhouse – a balance of tender and chewy with that signature fat cap. The typically American or Australian wagyu has rich marbling and a steak-like structure….not melt-away butter.

The preparation is perfection.

It’s cooked over a very hot live oak wood fire, which brings a subtle-but-definitely-there smokiness and caramelized crust. The heat creates the hard sear and deep crust; the oak wood burns clean, with a particular aromatic smoke that is neither heavy or ashy.

And then there’s the in-house dry aging that concentrates the beef flavor and slight nuttiness or funk.

Overwhelmed by the menu? Here’s an order strategy for you:

• Wagyu NY strip (centerpiece)

• Parker House rolls + honey butter (non-negotiable)

• French Fries (cuz, common on! Steak and fries is like bread and butter, horse and carriage, Jack and Jill, you get the picture.)

• Any salad or veggie. I love the gem salad. It’s special.

• At least one sauce. Or maybe all of them. There’s bone marrow vinaigrette, pineapple hot sauce, classic bearnaise, potato butter, perigourdine (a rich. French sauce of stock, a little wine, shallots and black trufflese) and salsa verde. They all have a light, acidic balance to the steak.

The Reservation Scene

It’s admittedly hard. But the bar is walk-in only and is the only place you can get what is widely known as the best burger in town. $29, including the fries.

And it’s always worth a try. I walked in with a friend without a reservation on a random Monday night and we got a great table. Another night, there were last minute reservations available. It’s always worth a try.

If you give it a go:

Sit back, settle in, and let the table do its thing.

Pass the plates, share the fries, sip the wine.

Somewhere along the way—between the first cut into the perfectly seared steak and the last swipe through a sauce you didn’t know you needed—you realize this isn’t really about steak at all.

It’s about how good food, when it’s handled with care, creativity, and just the right amount of irreverence, shifts the energy at the table. It loosens things. It pulls people in. It makes the night feel a little more generous, a little more alive.

In a city where so many restaurants are more about flash and sizzle, Sunny’s makes you forget about the scene. Instead, you focus on your friends, your conversation, and how good it feels to be there.

And that’s a win.

The Bill for 4: $293.78 (pre-tip):

• 2 orders Parker House rolls
  1 gem salad
  2 orders hanger steaks
  1 creamed spinach

  1 bernaise sauce
  1 peppercorn sauce
  1 tomato salad
  1 Miller lite
  1 Tangueray
  3 glasses wine
  1 cheese cake (yum)

Sunny’s Miami
7357 NW Miami Court
Miami, FL 33150
Email: hello@sunnysmmia.com

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It’s a constant buzz. And it’s intoxicating.

And yet, even the most urban among us yearns for something a little simpler. Slower. Greener. Quieter. Rooted.

That yearning led my friend Meriden and I to get in the car, drive 15 minutes past the airport, another 15 minutes through big-box-store land, and then — a snap of the fingers later — to long vistas of green farmland and funky hand painted signs leading us to wooden farm stands. It’s Homestead, a rural, subtropical agricultural enclave that sits in the same congressional district as all those glossy hotels and hard-to-get restaurant reservations,

It’s a little piece of heaven.

Here’s the cool thing. It’s not just in Miami. Every US city is within an hour of a farm.

The USDA has been tracking this for years: farming doesn’t just live in far-away places. It lives right up against metro life — in the borderland where the suburbs end and the soil begins.

Yes, getting to farms and farm stands can be a hassle. Yes, you have to get in the car, drive a minute, deal with traffic and time. And you may think, “Why bother? There’s a Whole Foods (or Trader Joe’s or Publix or Costco, or whatever) so close by.”

Here’s the answer. A visit is a respite from city life. It’s a quieter space where the air smells less recycled and the vistas are vast.

And the food - the food - is fresh and alive and straight from the source — often picked that morning.

Think lettuce – we found so many kinds of lettuce – romaine and arugula and sorrel and butterhead. The list goes on. Each lettuce has its own taste. Sorrel tastes like lemon – who knew. And the arugula had a healthy bitter bite.

If you live in a US City, do a quick search and get out into those farmlands when you can. And yes, winter has its own version of farm joy — storage apples, local cheese, smoked fish, pickles, maple syrup season around the corner.

Here’s a Miami farm tour guide that will get you home by lunch.

Seriously, if you leave by 9 on Saturday morning, you’ll be home to make lunch from all the yummy fresh food you buy.

Up first: Knaus Berry Farm

Knaus Berry Farm is legend. And it deserves to be. It’s the cinnamon rolls.

Honestly, it’s worth it to travel from wherever you are to Miami, just to experience those cinnamon rolls. I’m going to try to put in words what these rolls are like, but know it’s only a pathetic stab at describing the best pastry in the world.

They are 4” square. Hand-rolled into the typical snail shape. Served out of the oven warm. Gooey, yeasty, dripping with buttery cinnamon goodness. Not too sweet, mind you. And no fussy raisons or nuts. Just a super sticky bun, baked to caramelized perfection.

$2. each, but buy a dozen ($17.40) and keep them in the freezer. Trust me.

And PS: The new Knaus Berry (opened this year in a new location) is not as down-home and funky as the old Knaus Berry, but, at least the time I was there, the line was non-existent. We got a coffee, sat on a bench and took a quick trip to heaven.

Go to Borek farm for tomatoes and fresh greens.

Knaus Berry is about indulgence. Borek Farms is about the land, the soil, the heritage. Michael Borek is a 3^rd generation family farmer. He became known for growing tomatoes. Those tomatoes caught the attention of famous Miami chefs and he has grown - right into lettuces. All manner of crisp, tasty greens.

This place is simpler, less well known outside of restaurant circles, but definitely worth a visit.

Robert is Here Fruit Stand is irresistible.

Another legend in its own time, Robert is Here has more fruits than I knew existed in the world – as well as a collection of rescued animals, including goats and tortoises and emus.

The exotic fruit selection blew me away. Beyond the typical mangoes and passion fruits there s stuff like guanabana (sour sop), sapodilla, tamarind, black sapote, cacao pods, you name it, they’ve got it.

And the emu eggs, which are the size of a small planet and great for baking, i’m told.

They are also famous for their milkshakes.

And then there’s this!

A nice lady at Borek Farm gave us her recipe for not-fried, not green Fried Green Tomatoes. So simple! So delicious!

Bottom Line:

Miami will always be sexy and enticing. But sometimes the most restorative thing you can do for your body, your soul and your palate is drive toward the dirt.

The route:

Knaus Berry
16790 SW 177th Ave
Miami FL
Open Tuesday - Sunday, 8AM - 5PM

Robert is Here
19200 SW 344th St
Homestead, FL 33034
Open everyday, 9AM - 6PM

Michael Burek Farm
19101 SW 147 Ave
Miami FL 33187
Open Saturday, 12 - 4

Want more farm tours? Here’s the skinny on a Martha’s Vineyard farm-stand crawl.

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Hakkasan is all James Bond: it’s global elegance personified. The sleek, sexy and handsome outside covers discipline, order and restraint behind the scenes. There is no hint of Jason Bourne’s grit or spontaneity.

Hakkasan translates literally to “guest mountain”. Hakka means “guest people” and is a reference to the Hakka, a migratory Chinese tribe known for resilience and strong culinary traditions. San means mountain. So, the name aims big and high; it’s designed to evoke Chinese food as a global, traveling culture.

The name fits the place. The restaurant has a migratory element. Eleven Hakkasans span the globe. Think London, Las Vengas, Dubai, Doha, Mexico City, Miami Beach. Places like that.

Hakkasan is a place where people dress up and spend money.

As you would expect of a high-end global chain, there is a “this could be anywhere” feel to the place, when “the anywhere” is intentionally opulent and polished.

The black wood panels ooze Chinese mythology, with snakes and rams in high relief. Walking through the restaurant you feel surrounded by velvety darkness and a late night pulse, with music that is pumped in from the same play list, at the same decibel, at every Hakkesan around the world. If you don’t like a pulsating base as a background to your dinner, this place is not for you.

I’m generally more fascinated by the smaller, one-of-a-kind chef driven restaurants meant to showcase the cultural heritage or foods of the chef, or the neighborhood, but Hakkasan has definite appeal if you are looking for a “go big or go home” night out.

The food is Cantonese-ish.

The food at Hakkasan is rooted in Cantonese tradition, interpreted for its “see and be seen” customer. The kitchen is clearly skilled and competent. I’m guessing they don’t make many mistakes here; night to night you will encounter the same high level of presentation, sophisticated technique and complex texture and taste.

The Peking Duck is perfect.

The skin is thin and crispy and separated from the meat, the way it is supposed to be. The soft pancakes are so thin they are barely there, and yet they hold up to the duck, the thinly sliced cucumber and the hoisin sauce. It’s a dish of contrasts and I want to go back just to order it again, at the bar, because of its perfection.

The short ribs are another specialty and they are a wow; showing off the kitchen’s skill and technique.

The pieces are cut into squares, resembling brownies (I know! A little odd!). The first bite – oh the first bite! – is deeply unami, silky smooth, slightly smokey and tender without being fatty. How do they do that? It is slow cooked for 3 or 4 hours, according to our waitperson. But the technique goes way beyond that. Ahh, the secrets of a skilled chef!

The restaurant is also known for dim sum, which are beautifully arranged in a bamboo steamer basket. I loved the colors. The tastes, unfortunately, were a little bland and indistinguishable to me.

We also tried the colorful Chicken Kung Pao.

I think of this dish as Friday night take out from the local Chinese place - back when local Chinese places were everywhere. But this dish rose high about that bar. The chicken was tender and nicely spiced.

And this dessert is as fluffy and light as it looks:

The Mango custard with grapefruit, calamansi (those citrus slices), meringue and coconut sorbet, is full of contrasting textures and not too sweet - the right ending to the meal.

The wait person explained that the wine list (both by the glass and bottle) is chosen to complement the food. We chose a Sancerre that I loved; it arrived cold and grassy and grapefruity and minerally. It was wonderful on its own and with the food.

The Cost.

This is a very expensive restaurant – no ifs, ands or buts about it. Because my wonderful friends treated me, (thank you so much!), I can’t tell you what it costs.

The bottom line.

Hakkasan knows what it’s doing and it’s been doing it a long time. Go there for a luxury, seductive experience, a night out in a pulsating global city. While the food feels more like corporate vision than a chef’s creative intention, it is damn good.

If you go, or have been, let me know what you think:

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Hakkasan Miami
Located in the Fontainebleau Hotel
4441 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33140
305-538-2000
https://taogroup.com/venues/hakkasan-miami/

El Carajo is anything but a “what the hell” experience.

It’s a gas station. It’s a gas station rest stop. It’s a bakery. It’s a wine store. It’s a Spanish restaurant. If you don’t believe me, take a look at these two pictures. The first is what you see when you walk in the door and turn left. And second is what is happening when you turn right:

The restaurant’s back story

In 1982, Richard Fonseco fled Cuba and came to Miami. To start his new life, he purchased an operating gas station and repair shop right there on US 1.

Shortly after, Richard met wine - and it was love at first sip. An entrepreneurial man, he started to sell some wine in the repair shop —a weird, creative and oddly successful experiment.

As time evolved, he replaced the repair shop with a carwash but the wine business was growing and a wine shop ultimately replaced the carwash. As his children grew up, they were drawn to the wine and the food. They added the restaurant in 2005 after a trip to Spain.

Many people fall in love with the food when traveling and want to bring it home - but Richard’s kids actually did it!

What’s it like to go to El Carajo

There is a warmth to this place; it feels exactly like what it is: a well-loved and mature family business. There is nothing fancy or flashy. You could be in a neighborhood-y Spanish restaurant in a small town, albeit one with a wall painted to look like an Italian courtyard. The clientele feels oh-so-local.

On my first visit, we tried the paella and it sadly fell short of my expectations. It was comforting and tasty but lacked the signature crunchy rice bottom that is typical of great Spanish paella.

The tapas, however, shine.

The datiles envueltos en tocino (dried dates wrapped in Spanish chorizo and bacon) were the best I have ever had. The dried dates make each bite compact and full of sweet and smokey flavor without that oozy-fatty feel.

The gammas al ajillo - shrimp in a traditional garlic/olive oil sauce heavy heavy heavy on the garlic - was served prickly hot, just like it’s supposed to be. I’m not sure what was better with the garlic sauce - the shrimp or the bread.

I’m a huge potato freak and I tend to order Patatas Bravas in all Spanish restaurants. This version had crispy bites of potatoes with just the right amount of Brava sauce and creamy aioli. Bravas sauce is a smoky, spicy, tangy sauce made from tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and spices like sweet and smoked pepper. In some version, it overwhelms the potatoes and makes them soggy. But not at El Carajo. No, no. The sauce is used in a restrained manner, leaving the potatoes nice and crispy.

The third time I went (and yes, the fourth time is coming up!) we tried the Pinchos de Carne:

If you like beef, these skewers are tender and delicious.

The wine was brilliant with the food. I enjoyed a Tempranillo called Torres Altos Ibericos Crianza Rioja. It was velvety smooth, dark colored and a touch of spice that was complemented the food. And it was $10/glass.

One of my dining companions wanted something close to her favorite Sauvignon Blanc and got it in the Pazo Das Bruxas Albarino. Pazo Das Bruxas means “House of Witches” and was inspired by myths of Galician witches conjuring up spirits and dance in old country houses known as Pazos. You’ve got to love that story for a wine brand.

In summary:

If I were a grading woman, I’d say the El Carajo experience is an A+. It’s just so happy: full of animated conversations and bottles of wine and, well, a life feeling of life joyfully lived.

I’m going back!

The cost of it all: $118 (including tax/not tip) for 3:

• Garlic shrimp

• Patatas bravas

• Alcachofast Al Ajillo

• Datile Envueltos en Tocin

• Tarta de la noche with ice cream

• 2 glasses of the red wine

• 2 glass of the white wine

• 2 beers.

El Carajo
2465 SW 17th Ave
Miami FL 33145
305-856-2424

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My friend and I walked into the Bamboo Room, a hidden high class tiki bar in the back of the Esme Hotel in Miami Beach. We sat at the bar. Turns out the bar was made from Al Capone’s gambling table. The place is owned by the people who carry on the Trader Vic’s legacy.

Anyone remember Trader Vic’s? It was a hot Polynesian-themed restaurant that opened in LA in the 1930s and spread all the way to mid-town Manhattan; a definite legend in its own time. The founder, Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr., a.k.a. Vic, claims to be the inventor of the Mai-Tai.

My grandfather loved Trader Vic’s. The last time I saw him, we were having lunch at the Trader Vic’s in St. Louis, my home town. At the Bamboo Room, I was drowning in memories and nostalgia before I even got to the rum.

Louis, the chatty (but not too chatty) bartender with Cuban roots made us MaiTai’s from the original Trader Vic’s recipe of 1944. I am not a cocktail person but this drink could turn me into one. It is the original recipe, made with lime, orgeat, orange curaçao and aged rum. Orgeat (pronounced “ore-zha”) is the secret ingredient in a Mai Tai. It’s made from almonds, sugar and orange flower. It results in an almondy, not too sweet, perfectly balanced, highly drinkable…ok, way too drinkable…MaiTai. With rock candy swizzle stick on top, for that extra nostalgic wallop.

To seal the deal on what a wonderful place the Bamboo Room is, we met two 40-something women from Queens at Al Capone’s former gambling table. These were real deal roller derby women. Repeat. They skated in roller derbies around the country. And they are such good friends, they finish each other’s sentences. One is now a psychotherapist; the other owns a vintage clothing store. They looked like roller derby women - tough, strong, quirky, happy, friendly.

After we paid and began to gather our belongings, Louis handed us a parting gift: a sip of Brugal’s 1888 dark rum. OMG! Rich and complex, caramel but, again, not too sweet.

Can you ever, I mean ever, imagine a better cocktail bar night.

What we paid for two MaiTais, including tax and tip:

a hefty $59.34. And worth every penny.

The Bamboo Room
Esme Hotel Miami Beach
1438 Washington Ave.
Miami Beach FL 33139
Bamboo Room

Every cocktail bar story has to be about more than delicious cocktails. That’s why I loved the Bamboo Room. Do you have any cocktail bar stories to share?

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But there I was, arriving at Double Luck, a fairly new (6 month old) Chinese restaurant on 79^th St in Miami, at 6:15.

And I have to say, they had me at hello. Actually, they had me before we got to the hello part.

I felt positive vibes approaching the front door. I can’t explain the feeling but it had something to do with the logo over the door. Seriously! The logo! The typeface had a vaguely old-school, diner feel to it. And the crescent moon shining above the verbiage felt happy.

In China, the crescent moon signals new beginnings and this restaurant is certainly that.

For those who know Miami, the restaurant sits at the foot of the 79^th St bridge, on the Miami side, a neighborhood that is reinventing itself. Across the street are not one but two “Extra Space Storage” warehouses. The space used to be the New Schnitzel House. Before that, it was the Old Schnitzel House. There is history in that building.

And now it’s Double Luck, a recent hot spot brought to you by the owners/chefs at Tam Tam, a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant also in Miami.

Walking inside, the place glows. In fact it almost pulsates, with red lanterns and red booths and, I don’t know, just a red glow. Red is everywhere here; the Chinese associate red with life force and vital energy; it literally wards off misfortune and invites prosperity. I say, bring it on.

Double luck food reimagines Chinese-American classics while introducing more unfamiliar dishes as well.

Chef Adrian Ochoa is a “Miami Boy” from Kendall who worked his way up from bus boy at Eating House to sous chef at Ghee, then to TamTam before taking over the top position here. His Dad is Cuban and his Mom is Guatemalan. He learned to cook at Ghee and his talents, curiosity and drove him deeper into Asian food. He built the menu at Double Luck around familiar Cantonese foods like crab ragoon, pork belly, sweet and sour chicken - and brought to it a sharper lens, serious culinary creds and some new twists and turns.

We ordered small for two people – meaning we split an appetizer, a vegetable, and a main dish.

For the appetizer, we ordered the Aromatic Duck Salad. It was more green salad than duck and very herby, some might say redolent, with cilantro and watercress. The dressing was duck dripping-infused oil. (I think that’s what the wait person said). It was refreshing and clean and had unusual depth. We cleaned that plate and I wanted more!

The Tempura Eggplant, another appetizer, looked like a corndog…and kind of tasted like one too. A good corndog, hot and crunchy on the outside and soft and mushy inside. But still a corndog. It sat on a sauce that looked tomato based, with chili oil (not too hot) and fish sauce. Not a fave, but I’m not a corndog fan.

The seafood soup, called Seafood Delight, was a home run. A rich broth formed the base. Then came “layered in” thin fried noodles that retained a little crunch as they sank into the soup. On top was the fish – some scallops, shrimp, octopus, as well as thinly sliced beans and carrots. Satisfying, comforting, a little tangy, a good order.

We missed some of the “go to” menu items - like the Hennessey orange chicken which gets set gloriously aflame! But there’s always next time.

The creative wine list complements the menu surprising well.

I had the Txakoli Txomin Extaniz, a white wine from the Basque region of Spain - a crispy, zesty white that stood up to the food.

The Breaking Bread Muscat, from California, is a skin-contact orange wine that tasted a bit like a very light fruity cocktail with apricot, marmalade and tropical fruit.

What it Costs: $138.00 before tip, for two.

• aromatic duck salad

• eggplant tempura

• Seafood delight

• 4 glasses of wine

Contacting Double Luck:

Double Luck Miami
1085 NE 79th St, Miami, FL 33138
admin@doubleluckmiami.com
305-675-4287

If you go, let me know what you think! And if you have any ideas for restaurants to try, lay them on me!

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I had my doubts at first. As Miamians know (and as a warning to people who may find themselves in Miami in the future), driving to Wynwood is never easy. It’s a fight with the traffic, the tourists, and the limited parking. This restaurant is located on a particularly narrow and crowded street and parking felt impossible. It was an easy decision to turn my car over to the valet, who pointed me to the entrance to the garden restaurant.

The minute I walked through the entrance gate, the hassle of Miami driving disappeared.

Rosemary’s lives in a restored warehouse in Wynwood but I never made it inside the restaurant. I walked through the gate onto a large brick patio that accommodates both a bar and a whole lot of tables.

The place gives off the vibes of a a sun-dappled family owned restaurant in an Italian seaside town. It’s not flashy or aiming to impress; instead it’s welcoming, an invitation to join a family meal.

The tables are divided into sections, separated by herb gardens where rosemary and fennel and basil look very happy. Key lime and kumquat and lemon trees surround the tables. It’s both fresh and intimate; I want to clip a few of those herbs to take home!

Twinkling lights form an overhead canopy. The urban air feels fresh. There’s a low murmur of voices and conversation is easy.

Meet Carlos Suarez, the owner.

Carlos Suarez is the owner. Over the past 12 or so years, he has launched several Rosemary restaurants in New York City, all of which feature food from local farms. The restaurant in the West Village even has its own rooftop farm. Yup, that’s right, a farm on a roof in the middle of Manhattan.

He lived in Miami for a number of years when he was growing up and now says he didn’t have a choice about opening Rosemary’s here. “Miami is home. It was always going to call me back.”

His family lives in Lucca, Italy - a small, romantic looking town in Tuscany. Hence the connection to Italy.

Most of the food at Rosemary’s is sourced locally. Their on-site garden is cultivated in partnership with Little River Cooperative, an urban farm and nursery run by Muriel Ovaries and Tiffany Noe. Muriel and Tiffany started out as farmers and now help other local people design and maintain gardens.

Rosemary’s also sources produce from local, specialty farms like Tiny Farm, Borek Farms, where tomatoes flourish, and Swank Specialty Produce. All three of these places offer CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), so you can order your own farm-to-table ingredients, often delivered to your door.

Rosemary’s menu reflects all these seasonal ingredients.

Bottom line: Miami doesn’t feel like a backdrop for this Italian restaurant; it’s more like a living, breathing character in the story. Maybe that’s because of Suarez’ personal connection to both Miami and Lucca or maybe it’s just intention well executed. Whichever, it works!

The food at Rosemary’s

As a group of 5, we enjoyed a lot of delicious food.

One of the starters we chose was the artichoke appetizer, a recent addition to the menu. For me, it was the star of the evening and a reason to return for another meal. It’s a whole artichoke served with a unami-rich but not fishy-tasting anchovy butter.

They wouldn’t divulge the secret to making the dish, but it tasted like the artichokes were both steamed and roasted until perfectly tender and then drizzled with anchovy-infused butter sauce. I’m guessing there was also a bit of garlic and lemon juice involved. Our table of five devoured two orders in about 5 minutes.

The next favorite, and a specialty of the house, is the orecchiette: little disks of pasta, each one pressed by thumb, cradling a sauce of broccoli rabe, fiery wisps of Fresno chili, and crumbles of sausage that left a rich, smoky trace on the tongue. The pieces of sausages snuggle perfectly into the thumb prints, melding the tastes.

I’m not a meatball fan but the meatballs, a mix of beef, pork, prosciutto and fresh ricotta, are tastier than most.

The linguine with Florida rock shrimp is a bowl of lemony and garlicy goodness. The bomba chili, a spicy southern Italian condiment from Calabria, adds some spice. And the bread crumbs on top added crunch.

For an apertif, I tried Rosemary’s Spritz, their version of Aperol Spritz. It’s made with cappelletti, Prosecco rosemary and orange peel. Cappelletti is a wine-based aperitif, slightly sweet, pleasantly dry and a world more appealing (at least to me) than Aperol. It’s less sweet, less bitter, a little earthier than Aperol, which is made from botanicals like citrus oils, rhubarb, gentian root, cinchona bark and other secret ingredients. I’ll go with the wine based spirit anytime!

The wine-by-the glass list is nicely curated. All Italian, of course, including some wines they bottle and brand as Rosemary’s. They are sourced from a variety of regions, including Tuscany, Sicily, Compania, and Piedmont.

Final thought:

If you’re lucky enough to find yourself in Rosemary’s garden, sometime near twilight, with a plate of artichokes and a Rosemary Spritz, savor the moment and leave as happy as our group did!

The Particulars:

The order:

Rosemary’s focaccia
2 orders, Crispy Artichokes
Chopped Salad siciliana
Linguini with Florida rock shrimp
Orecchiette with home made sausage
Cavatelli with mixed mushrooms
Bronzino with kale, borlotti beans, salsa verde
Meatballs made of beef, pork, prosciutto, fresh ricotta
Olive oil cake with blueberry compote, whipped cream

2 Rosemary’s Spritz
8 glasses of wine

What it cost:

$522.80, including tax and tip for 5 people
$104.56 per person

How to find Rosemary’s

Rosemary’s Miami
322 NW 25th St.
Wynwood FL 33127

Been to any cool places lately! Please share!

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The event was Snail of Approval, Slow Food Miami’s signature event. Chefs and producers committed to local, seasonal, sustainable sourcing come together to showcase what they make from this fresh food.

It’s a fund raiser for the organization whose mission is to help elementary school kids grow and eat food that is healthy and tasty, in a sustainable and affordable way.

It’s a friendly competition, where all attendees are given one token and told to drop it into a jar on the table of their favorite chef/restaurant/sample.

It’s an opportunity to taste creations from many wonderful chefs and really focus on the food - without being distracted by the ambiance and service and varying noise levels.

Here is my list of favorite foods and chefs

My winners’ token went to Chef Niven Patel’s Ghee Indian Kitchen.

I’m normally not a fan of Indian food; it’s a little mushy for me. But Chef Niven Patel, of Ghee Indian Kitchen, shared his Sweet Potato Chaat with chutney, chick peas and pepitas and it blew me away! (Not because of the wind:).

Chaat is an Indian street food, built around the potato, my favorite food in the universe. It’s basically a mash-up of ingredients and flavors. The base usually potato, followed by some vegetables and a topping. Chaat comes from the Hindu word meaning lick, as in lick your fingers, which is exactly what I did after eating this dish.

The base of Chef Niven’s was sweet potatoes, the topping was some finally chopped pepitas. A bite produced a distinct blend of sweet and sour and spicey and earthy flavors. The texture wasn’t at all mushy; in fact it was a delicate dish finished with a satisfactory crunch.

Chef Niven is a warm and friendly guy. He owns Ghee as well as Playa on Miami Beach. The Playa folks shared a citrus-y crudo that was also light and refreshing.

Chef Niven is so committed to the value of local food that 35% of the produce at his restaurant comes from his own farm in Homestead. He says the local climate is very similar to India’s, which means the vegetables and herbs he uses are quintessentially fresh.

PS: Ghee Kitchen has earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand award for three consecutive years. The Bib honors restaurants offering affordable refined cuisine.

My runners up were Boia De, Rosemary’s and Kotjin.

Boia De means “OMG!” in Italian and it’s definitely the right name for this sought after restaurant in Miami. It was the first table we hit after entering the pool area of the Eden Roc. Everyone loves Boia De and for good reason - the food is outstanding. Voting for Boia De would have been a no brainer.

They served a ricotta gnocchi with local cherry tomato pomodoro that was perfectly cooked hot, and layered in flavored, despite the windy conditions. However, it was just too easy to vote for an already highly and widely acclaimed restaurant, don’t you think?

Rosemary’s is a new restaurant in Miami/Wynwood, with sister locations in New York. They offered up a Yellowfin Tuna Crudo with citrus, bronze fennel and an herb puree that was light, complex, refreshing and delicious. The restaurant has a small garden on site. Kind of cool! I’m excited to go and visit.

Kojin, in Coral Gables won my vote for most unusual treat. Kojin is the Japanese god of fire, the hearth and the kitchen and the restaurant serves American food inspired by Japanese flavors and techniques. At Snail of Approval, they served a tamarind cake with fish sauce toffee.

Yup, you heard that right. A tamarind cake with a fish sauce toffee on top.

It is utterly and completely delicious. It is like an understated, softly spicey, not too sweet cupcake. There is no fish taste whatsoever, but there is that tantalizing and somewhat addictive unami sensation. It is such a crazy concept, at least in my mind, that I went searching for the recipe. If you are interested in seeing the ingredients, click here. I think I’m going to give it a try!

And then there is Chef Allen!

Chef Allen Susser is a special guy on the Miami Food scene. A Brooklynite by birth, he’s been in Miami a long time, owned several eponymous restaurants, used to host monthly communal vegetarian dinners outside of the Arsht until all the highway construction started. He now serves as a chef and consultant and is both a guide and grounding force in Slow Food Miami.

Here he is at the dinner making and serving pan roasted mushrooms with a truffle Romanesco sauce.

Snail of Approval is an annual event worth your time and money.

Wandering around the tables on this windy night, I was struck how, in a city that moves fast and builds faster, Snail of Approval asks us to slow down, take small bites, and experience what food is, where it comes from and how it celebrates connections - to the land, other people, and an organization that honors both.

Slow Food is a national organization you can check out. Each city has its own Snail of Approval event. No matter where you live, you can check out their amazing work.es

My winner and runners’ up list:

Ghee’s Indian Kitchen
63NW 24th St (Wynwood)
Miami, FL
305-395-3431

Boia De
5205 NE 2nd Ave
Miami, FL 33137
786-209-6310

Rosemary’s
322 NW 25th St. (Wynwood)
Miami FL 33127
(305) 486-2424

Kojin
803 Ponce De Leon
Coral Gables, FL 33134
(786) 747-1404

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Buying these fresh and healthy provisions straight from the growers and makers is the perfect antidote to the chaos and malaise of the world. You are supporting hard working local folks who are growing and making delicious food in earth-friendly ways. Plus it’s fun. You wander around, outside, talking to other shoppers and vendors as you drift from stall to stall. It’s a happy place! It’s a vibrant, open-air celebration of good food, good community and diversity.

Here are three great markets in Miami. They are located within 10 miles of one another. Each has its own personality and sensibility; each reflects its neighborhood in a unique way. Each is worth a visit.

Coconut Grove Farmers’ Market: organic goods and a countercultural feel in Miami’s Oldest Neighborhood.

This is the place to find your Zen.

Every Saturday, 85 or so vegan and vegetarian vendors tightly pack themselves into an empty lot in one of Miami’s oldest neighborhoods. The vendors are small and local and unendingly enthusiastic about the ”good for you/good for the planet” foods and drinks and jewelry and clothes they sell. In addition to a wide assortment of fresh veggies and fruit, you can find tumeric root and raw vegan pies, hummus and shakshuka, marijuana brownies and blueberry juice and vegan ice cream and vegetarian soup. There are also palm readers, crystal sellers, jewelry makers.

I couldn’t resist buying some of the fresh fruit pie that Glaser Organic Farms sells, along with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, coconut milk, fresh vegan salads. The pie is literally all fruit and absolutely amazing:

The centerpiece of the market is a large stand of locally grown fruits and vegetables from Glaser Organic Farms. Glaser launched this market in the 1970s and it continues to reflect the soul of 1960s/1970s counter-culture.

There is so much on offer, from micro greens to fresh tortillas with yummy fillings to a whole bunch of Greek desserts.

And art too! I couldn’t resist a 5 year old girl selling her own artwork. Her rose is now on display at my house:

Vendors are generous with their samples, and speak with enthusiasm about helping you make your life better. In a city that grows sleeker and shinier by the minute, this market remains definitely and defiantly analog.

The market is open every Saturday, rain or shine, from 10 – 7:00 p.m.

Coconut Grove Organic Farmers’ Market
3300 Grand Ave.,
Coconut Grove, FL 33133.

Legion Park Farmers Market: the heartbeat of a neighborhood.

Legion Park is in the Miami’s MIMO District; MIMO stands for Miami Modern, an architectural style born in the 1950s.

MIMO is where mid-century modern meets the tropics. It’s playful, polished, a little decadent, full of pastel colors, neon lights, curvy-lines, dramatic porticos. It celebrates postwar prosperity and the new car culture. It’s like a perfectly mixed cocktail served poolside under a neon sign saying “PARTY”. It’s worth a visit even if you don’t go to the Market.

But go to the market!

It’s in Legion Park, at the center of the MIMO district. In contrast to the “let’s party” MIMO aesthetic, Legion Park is rooted, enduring, peaceful. Built in the 1920’s and dedicated to the American Legion, it is a civic anchor, a quiet gathering place. The market is held every Saturday morning, as is a well-attended yoga class under a huge banyon tree.

The market is run by the Urban Oasis Project, a non-profit that is very committed to the Miami food scene. Their goal is to make fresh, local, healthy food accessible to everyone, and especially people in underserved communities. They run two farmer’s markets, they accept SNAP benefits and double the value of the SNAP benefit through their own program. They provide mobile markets, education programs in schools, and food deliveries throughout Miami. Put your order in here, and they will deliver to your door on Saturdays for $10.

The market itself has about 30 - 40 vendors that sell fresh and local fruits and vegetables, seafood, pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed beef and pork and ready to eat foods from barbecue beef to vegan-anything.

It’s worth a trip to get some of these mushrooms and fresh eggs:

….as well as fresh arugula (sells out early), fresh spice mixes, and freshly dried fruit (yup, an oxymoron) and amazing Indian specialities.

Legion Park Farmers’ Market
6601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33138.
Tel: (786) 427-4698
urbanoasisproject.org.

Viscaya Farmers’ Market: a former private estate and farmland.

The Sunday market at Viscaya is part of the Viscaya Village.

It all started with James Deering, a turn-of-the-last-century Chicago industrialist who created a tropical estate to rival the great estates he visited on one of those grand, cross-Europe tours. He hired craftsmen to create a mansion that would reflect his love of art, architecture and nature.

He also created a farm to provide the mansion with fresh produce, herbs and livestock.

The mansion is now a museum and the farm is now the Farmers’ Market.

The market is smaller than the others - about 30 vendors. It has fresh fruits and vegetables, of course, but leans into prepared food from local vendors. Take a walk with me and see some of what’s on offer:

There is a snow cone vendor called Spoonbill Snowballs from (seriously) Somewhere, Florida. He somehow incorporates those totally amazing cinnamon buns from Knaus Berry Farm in Homestead into his icy treats.

There is Chinese dim sum and a barbecue vendor and empanadas and incredible cakes:

Plus, you can take your food and eat it at picnic tables or go over and wander the grounds of the Mansion across the street.

This market is also brought to you by Urban Oasis Project, one of the most effective food non-profits in the Miami area.

Viscaya Farmers’ Market
3250 S Miami Ave,
Miami, FL 33129
Phone: (786) 600-0120
Sundays, 9:30 - 3:30

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I’ve always wanted to make a decent pizza. And I mean real pizza – the kind with a perfect balance of crisp and char in the crust, as well as a chewy edge. And toppings that don’t turn the whole thing into a soggy mess. (Been there, done that, not a good thing.)

So, when I learned about the pizza-making class at Mister 01, a restaurant famous for its deliciously creative pies and perfect crusts, I went for it. And took some friends. It was a party!

The School Is Cool!

It’s in front of the Mister 01 restaurant in a part of Miami known as Wynwood. The classroom could have been hidden in the back of the restaurant or in a windowless room somewhere. But no. The classroom is in the front of the restaurant, with windows facing the street and the restaurant’s entrance. While our skills might not have deserved to be front and center, it was still fun to see and be seen as we made the dough (from scratch), kneaded it, stretched it, spun it, topped it, baked it and ate it.

Our leaders, Chef Alvin and Oriana, made the whole experience instructive and a ton of fun.

It starts with the flour.

I always assumed making pizza dough was simple—mix together flour, water, yeast, salt, knead it a bit, and done. And yet! As anyone who has ever worked with dough well knows, there are many many ways the whole project can fail.

Here are some of the secrets Chef Alvin shared with us to up your success making pizza at home.

Use 00 Flour. It’s a finely ground Italian flour, made from the soft, white interior of the grain. It’s got less bran and germ, making it the gold standard for pizza and pasta dough because it’s less likely to tear. All purpose flour just isn’t strong enough. I ordered the Caputo brand 00 flour from Amazon.

Put the flour and yeast in the bowl and mix until the water is absorbed. No small task! Then mix in olive oil and salt. Keep those fingers working hard.

Dough has a mind of its own - don’t rush it.

Once the dough is mixed, put it on the table and knead, knead, knead. This is work! Ten minutes of work! It’s fun to have friends around when kneading because laughter is definitely part of the process. Almost everyone wanted to stop kneading when the dough was good enough, but Chef Alvin kept us kneading until the dough was very smooth and strong and shaped into a perfect ball.

Next we cut it up into pieces and shaped it into perfectly round balls. At this point the dough has to rest/ferment/do its thing for 3 days.

The fermentation process is one of the secrets to a tasty dough with the right texture. Cold fermentation (in the fridge) allows the gluten to develop naturally and makes the dough taste better.

Next comes the stretch and the toss!

We didn’t have three days to spend at Mister 01, so they brought out some thoroughly rested dough for us to work with and form into the bottom of our pizza. Pizza dough needs to be at room temperature in order to stretch properly.

Here’s Chef Alvin demonstrating how to turn the balls into the soon-to-be crust. The trick here is to add lots of that 00 flour and push and turn the pizza until it looks just right. (This is a fun video! Watch it!)

The toppings: less is more.

Mister 01 is known for its simple yet elevated pizza toppings—fresh tomato sauce, fior di latte mozzarella, truffle oil, spicy salami.

My favorite is Coffee Paolo — tomato sauce, mozzarella, gorgonzola, honey, coffee (yes, coffee! Fresh coffee grounds) and spicey salami Calabrese. It is SO GOOD.

But even Coffee Paolo pizza is topped with a very light hand and a less is more philosophy.

I rebelled a little about this less is more dictate. I wanted extra cheese. Maybe a little extra sauce. Just a touch more pepperoni. But as I loaded up my pizza, the chef shook his head. Too heavy, the crust won’t bake properly.

So I pared back. Here are some of our final products. Everyone seemed to crave the olives:

Putting my new found skills to work at home

I am far, far from a master pizzaiolo now, but I walked away from Mister 01 with a new respect for the craft. Pizza-making isn’t just about slapping ingredients on a crust—it’s about technique, patience, and letting the simple, high-quality ingredients shine.

My first solo attempt resulted in an oddly shaped, semi-burnt masterpiece. The biggest challenge was transferring the loaded pizza dough onto a pan.

That said, my 550 degree oven cooked the pizza quickly and deliciously.

I’m definitely going to try this again. But first I’m going to order a pizza stone from Amazon.

Have you ever tried making pizza from scratch? What’s your biggest challenge? Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear your dough disasters and triumphs!

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Four years later, it’s an official restaurant called Sunny’s. Just Sunny’s. They dropped the Steakhouse in the name to add seafood, a lot of it, and pasta. But steak is still a primary offering. And so are the martinis. And that gorgeous banyon tree is still the centerpiece.

The New Sunny’s

The ambiance nods to the glamour associated with old-time steakhouses. But don’t think dark wood and a formal-to-the-point-of-pretentious waitstaff.

This place has a mid-century, warm and breezy feel. You can dress up a little – or not – and be totally comfortable here. This is not a business account place. It is not a hip/trendy place with a loud bass pounding through the speakers. It’s a place for the rest of us: those looking for a fun, welcoming destination restaurant with good food and drinks. An easy place to stop by after work or maybe even after the beach. A great place to celebrate a birthday.

It’s glitters with Christmas lights and mirrors and palm trees.

Old-time New York music is in the background – think Frank Sinatra or the ilk. The staff is so welcoming I thought I was at a sorority rush party, with everyone bending over backwards to make me feel wanted and at home.

If you are getting the impression I liked this place, you are absolutely right.

It’s fun.

And I haven’t even gotten to the food and drink yet.

The Food and Drink are simply great.

I started with the Green Ghoul, which I remembered liking at Jaguar Sun, the owners’ former restaurant.

It’s a tequila, mezcal, poblano, cucumber, and lime concoction. It’s on the acidic side, but how can you not like a Mexican-derived drink that arrives in a cactus-themed glass.

Martinis are “the thing” here. It’s a salad-bar-at-lunch experience. First you pick what gin or vodka you want from a list of options. Next you pick how dry or dirty or whatever you want it, what you want added, what size. I’m told there are upwards of 150 combinations. Seemed kind of fun.

I’ll go out on a limb here and say this is not a place for vegans, or probably even vegetarians unless you are the pescatarian sort. The main menu items are fish (quite a big raw bar selection), pastas, meat and steak, and three great salad options.

Oh, and the Parker House rolls. Parker House rolls were created in 1870 at the Boston Parker House Hotel. The rolls are soft, crustless, buttery, and easy to pull apart.

Sunny’s version has a dark, salty top, a soft buttery interior and is served with honey butter. This is a “just do it” kind of order.

We started with the tuna tartar: incredibly fresh tuna, color-coordinated with the plate, with these delightfully crispy, salty things on top that may or may not have been crumbled potato chips.

The gem salad was a bright and fresh starter. The main dish, Waygu Picanha steak, was perfectly cooked but a tad tough. We ordered the bone marrow vinaigrette as the sauce. It was an excellent choice! It added an earthy dimension with a little kick.

The French Fries deserve their own headline.

I could go on and on about the fries. I’m a fry-freak and these could be some of the best I’ve ever had. Hot. Incredibly crispy without being overly cooked. The right amount of salt. I think, in the end, the crispiness blew me away.

Bottom Line:

I’d call Sunny’s a Major Restaurant. But unlike other big-deal spaces in Miami, it’s not the product of big flashy names (I’m look at you Carbone’s) or a big hotel or restaurant group. It’s two local guys who have “done good”. It’s pricey but not over-the-top. It’s delicious. And it has that fun vibe that appeals to everyone from 8 to 80.

What it costs $217 for two, including tax and tip

Green Ghoul
Martini
Parker House Rolls
Tuna tartar
Gem Salad
10 oz waygu steak
French Fries
Glass of pinot noir

Full disclosure: this is a guesstimate of the cost. I never saw the bill!

Where to find Sunny’s

Sunny’s Miami
7357 NW Miami Ct,
Miami, FL 33150
Opens 5:30 PM

Reservations: resy.com

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Miami and Martha’s Vineyard are our specialty - but we get around! Also, hear about interesting wines and cocktails!

The tree is like a magnet; it draws you in. It’s got shade and benches, sure, but also a mystical energy all its own. People believe it has the power to grant wishes. Hard to know, but it feels good to write down your wish and pin it to a branch.

Casa Vigil fits right into this slightly eccentric neighborhood.

Alejandro Vigil is the star behind Casa Vigil.

He comes with a mind-blowing resume. He owns two restaurants, one in Mendoza and this one in Miami, as well as an international reputation as a wine maker. Some call him the Messi of Wine.

The Mendoza Casa Vigil has a Michelin star and it’s listed as one of the “Fifty Best Restaurants in South America”.

He is also the wine director of Catena Zapata, one of the world’s best vineyards. His own boutique winery holds the highest rating ever given to a pure Cab Franc by Robert Parker.

He is a former “enfant terrible” who grew to focus his passion on food and wine.

Casa Vigil reflects Alejandro’s creative and allegory-seeking approach to food and wine.

You can see his rebellious, creative, thoughtful and vaguely religious spirit at play throughout the restaurant and the wines that he produces.

When Alejandro began work on his Miami restaurant, he sought out a design that references Dante’s Divine Comedy, an after-life story of a soul’s journey to achieve divine justice. The allegory describes three stops on the journey: Hell, Purgatory and Paradise.

In a neighborhood where other stores have names like Aura Portal, the Contesta Rock Hair, Peek-a-Treat ice cream and the House of Findings, a reference to Dante’s Divine Comedy feels right at home. I admit I’m struggling with how to apply the allegory to the restaurant’s design, although it does have three distinct areas (a main dining room, and outdoor terrace and a rooftop terrace).

At Casa Vigil, “mi casa es tu casa”.

That’s Alejandro’s motto. The space feels warm and embracing and the staff is friendly, knowledgeable and delightful.

We tried three menu items:

Beef Carpaccio. This version is carpaccio in its purist form. There’s no arugula in sight, no attempt to turn it into a salad-y thing. Just mild, buttery soft, tender-as-tears thinly sliced and pounded beef sprinkled with grated parmesan. It melts in your mouth.

Roasted Cauliflower. The vegetable lands on the table as a plump, ripe flower. It’s perfectly cooked in the Josper, a special charcoal fired oven that can roast as well as grill and allows the cook to have total control over the end product. This cauliflower has just the right amount of softness in the center and crispiness outside. It tastes like it was literally injected with the perfect amount of butter; it’s neither heavy nor oily; it’s simply an addictive blend of butter and cauliflower, sitting on a a bright sunchoke puree and parsley sauce and dribbled with a few fried chickpeas.

Branzino. Another product of that Josper I covet. Look at that crispy skin; you can practically hear the crunch. Inside, the fish filet is buttery soft, without a bone in sight. The sauce was a mixture of pureed pumpkin and ginger.

Enimigo Wine: naturally fermented and a great value.

I ordered a glass of one of the signature wines: El Enemigo Malbec, 2020.

It’s medium body, full of black fruits and cherries, with a long finish. I love it. And so do the professionals. Vinous rates it 94; Robert Parker and James Suckling 92.

The winery itself is high and dry, in the mountains of Mendoza. Vigil is an experimenter and ferments the grapes with no added yeast. The wines taste as much like the land the grapes come from as possible. They rest in Alsatian oak barrels, the kind of barrels used in wine making 100 years ago.

The techniques – and the care it takes to implement them - produce unique, drinkable and, surprisingly affordable wines.

The brand name, Enimigo, means Enemy in Spanish. It’s another mystical reference; this time to the internal battles that we fight with ourselves, when we are trying to bring our lives and visions into the world. It also the battle over our own soul (hence the Divine Comedy association!)

It’s all a bit heady, but so is the wine. And I love a good story!

This particular bottle sells retail for about $25 a bottle. The price makes it a great buy for the taste experience.

What we spent: $158 (including tip) for two. $79/person.

2 glasses of El Enimigo
A beer
Beef Carpaccio
Roasted Cauliflower
Roasted Branzino

Where to find Casa Vigil:

Casa Vigil
5020 NE 2nd Ave,
Miami, FL 33137
Mondays closed
786.803.8460

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Pastis began life as a beloved New York restaurant, an icon that helped turn the Meatpacking district from gritty to glam. Ultimately it became part of the Starr group, a sprawling restaurant company known for theatrical backdrops, consistent food and welcoming service.

Pastis Miami was launched year ago. It mimics its NY sibling restaurant in many ways: an impressively curved zinc bar, white subway tile, those woven French bistro chairs, lots of gleaming glass and brass. The outdoor garden is somewhat open to the sky and full of that sultry Floridian air, which makes it a bit more Miami in feel. But still, even the garden gives off that French vibe.

The menu is what you would expect: steak frites, moules frites, pommes frites. Perfect pommes frites in fact. Also, escargot, duck confit, soupe a l’oignon gratinee, artichoke a la barigoule, salade niçoise, and a perfect Cheeseburger a la Americaine. You get the picture. You can also find some iconic Italian treats, like Linguini Vongole and Spaghetti Bolognese.

Pastis is a trip down memory lane.

Take the classic deeply garlicy, buttery, steaming, bubbly escargots, for example. Served in the traditional cast iron caquelon (that’s the round pan that has little cups, just big enough for the snail and garlic butter), the dish took me right back to Beaune, France, the wine capital of Burgundy. I remembered sitting in a lively square, on a mild summer evening. It was one of my first nights in France, ever. Wanting to be cool and French, I ordered Escargot de Bourgogne, the emblematic dish of Burgundy and France. I remember putting that little delight in my mouth and thinking I was as happy in that moment as it was possible to be. It’s rare to find escargot out of France that are quite as good as this version. Look carefully at the video below and you can see all that bubbly, sizzling goodness.

For one of my dining companions, Pastis itself is the source of happy memories. Over twenty years ago, in the depths of a painful divorce, she caught up with her high school boyfriend at Pastis in NYC. She hadn’t seen him in over 20 years. She walked in wondering what he might look like. Evidently, he was wondering the same thing when he walked in. They saw each, realized they looked the same, ate some lunch, drank some wine and talked the afternoon away. Twenty years later they celebrated their continuing conversation and partnership by dining, where else, but Pastis in Miami.

Most of what we ordered shone brightly; there was one disappointment.

Our night as Pastis was an end-of-winter/beginning-of-spring celebration. It started with drinks, the most impressive of which was “Mangue a Trois”, a cold, refreshing, perfectly balanced drink made from Kettle One Citroen, mango, passion fruit, vanilla and, la piece de resistance, a side of sparkling wine in a petite pitcher.

The Citroen is vodka infused with lemon and lime. It’s bright and light and perfect with the passion fruit and mango. Pour a little of the sparkly wine into the drink, take a sip, and your mouth sparkles and smiles.

In addition to the magnificent and memory-provoking escargot (discussed above), we had the artichoke appetizer. Crispy, savory, with the vaguest hint of sweetness, you can thank the menu-planner at Pastis for including this classic Italian dish on their French menu.

It’s flayed out like a flower and served with aioli. You do not have to navigate those prickly ends or the chokey interior of the vegetable; every bit of this dish is edible. If there is more than one person at dinner, my advice is to order more than one of these dishes.

For entrees, we ordered that Cheeseburger a la Americaine (a double burger with the fixin’s), the Chicken Paillard and the Artichokes a la Barigoule. The paillard was the best I have ever had. It‘s a big portion, paper thin, tender, slightly crispy on the outside, served with a fresh green salad. Perfect. And you can never, ever go wrong with the burger.

I admit to being disappointed in the Artichokes a la Barigoule. I am an artichoke lover and after experiencing that wonderful appetizer, my expectations were high. Artichokes a la Barigoule is a classic spring dish from Province. In its highest form, fresh artichoke hearts are braised in white wine and olive oil and stewed with some carrots, onions and aromatics. It should be as light and bright and fresh as a spring morning. This version tasted like canned artichokes with overly cooked carrots and onions, more bland and boiled than fresh and crisp.

And then we get to dessert. Profiteroles, of course. Four of them in a serving. Three form a platform and the fourth balances on top. It’s a bit of an acrobatic presentation, a little indulgent, a little precarious. In the end, you want to dive in before it topples over. And it’s delicious.

The “choux” (or pastry) is light and not too sweet. It’s filled with ice cream and dribbled with just the right amount of chocolate sauce. It’s a great dessert to share.

The wine

I found the wine list extensive, expensive and overwhelming. It’s mainly French, as you would expect.

We ended up ordering from the “by the glass” menu. I wanted red wine and when I scanned the options, what popped were the high prices ($33. for a 5 ounce glass of wine? What????). Not leaning to that level of indulgence, I defaulted to the cheapest 5 ounce glass (a 2020 French Malbec for $15) that was perfectly fine - easy to drink, balanced, but not distinguished. In the end, I felt the “by the glass” list was a result of a corporate strategy to encourage indulgence over exploration of different wines. It was a bit of a disappointment.

After I got home, I took a second look at the list. I recognized there are some interesting selections at not over-the-top prices. Perhaps I over-reacted to those $30+ glasses. When I go back, I promise myself I won’t be so hasty and dismissive of the choices!

Plates and prices

$392 or $78.40 per person, including tax and tip.

1 artichoke appetizer
1 escargot (6 to the order)
2 cheeseburgers a la americaine with fries
2 chicken paillard
1 artichoke a la barigoule
1 profiterole plate
1 cocktail
5 glasses of wine

Pastis

480 NW 26th St
Miami FL 33127
305-686-3050
Open for lunch, brunch and dinner
www.Pastismiami.com

Welcome to Month 4 of Trusted Tables! Thanks to all of you for reading, responding, and encouraging me.

Now I have a bigger ask: I’d like your advice! What, other than Miami restaurants, would you like to read about? Restaurants in other places? Food and culture reports? Wine and cocktails? Farmers’ Markets (my favorite place to go)? Food and travel in other places?

Leave a comment with any of your feedback, ideas, etc.

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You get Phuc Yea, where you can expect the unexpected. I mean, if you’ve got the “whatever” to call yourself Phuc Yea, you have to be aiming for a bit of an “out there” experience.

Phuc, by the way, is pronounced “fook” in Vietnamese and means blessings. So yea, the chef, Cezar Zapata and his wife/business partner, Aniece Meinhold have a shared and slightly off beat sense of humor.

A night of the unexpected

Phuc Yea doesn’t look like a Vietnamese restaurant. It’s housed in a former “MiMo on Bibo” 1950s hotel. MiMo on BiBo is short for Miami Modern (an architectural style) on Biscayne Boulevard (Miami’s main street). The place is a little bit Mediterranean, a little bit Asian, a little bit street-art, and a little bit Vietnam. In other words, it’s eclectic and funky and filled with unexpected delights.

As part of my night at Phuc Yea, my friends and I unexpectedly ran into another friend, a happy regular, who recommended we start our meal with a margarita style drink called “Bringing Home the Boys.” Talk about fusion! Tequila is the recommended drink at a Vietnamese/Cajun restaurant? And the drink is called Bringing Home the Boys, a seeming reference to the not-great ending to the not-great war, which most people in the bar/restaurant aren’t old enough to remember anyway. Or at least that’s how I interpreted the whole thing.

But put all that aside, the charming (and cute!) bartender sets the tone here and he’s all about a good time!  

I always order a cocktail with a lot of hope – I hope that it’s not too sweet, not too citrusy, not too acidic. Generally I’m disappointed. But I gotta’ say, “Bringing home the Boys” didn’t disappoint. Balanced in terms of flavor, more refreshing than alcohol’y, it features Cuervo blanco tequila, carpano bianco (a winey-tasting vermouth), cucumber, cilantro and lemongrass. It’s one of those drinks that is so refreshing it is a little too easy to drink. I could have gulped it like juice and ordered another. But I restrained myself.

Ok, but what kind of restaurant is Phuc Yea really?

The restaurant is allegedly a Vietnamese restaurant. But. It promotes itself as “100% conceptual”.

What does that mean? Well, Vietnamese food is the backbone of the menu.

You’ll find food with layers of flavor, sweet mixed with sour, salty, spicey. There’s one pho on the menu, as well as one noodle dish. And, of course, the marvelously light, vaguely sweet and always delicious bao buns are a mainstay, as is nuoc cham - that’s the ubiquitous sweet/sour/slightly spicy dipping sauce you find in Vietnamese and Thai restaurants. You know the one - it’s a light lemon color and can have bits of red pepper and/or jalapeno floating delicately on the surface.

What’s unexpected is the Latin/Cajun/Vietnamese fusion thing. That mash-up produces more robust food and flavors than you might expect in a Vietnamese restaurant. In fact, we left feeling unexpectedly stuffed — sadly too stuffed to attempt dessert.

What is Vietnames/Latin/Cajun fusion food like?

Our friend, the neighborhood regular, told us to start with the caramely/saucy chicken wings and homemade pickles, but we ignored his advice in favor of the Broccoli Bao.

We were looking for a little “good for you” veggie in our meal. What unexpectedly arrived was a big crispy fried broccoli branch, that looked more like a good sized meatball stuffed into that itty bitty bao bun.

The broccoli meatball is “dressed” with pineapple sweet’n’sour sauce, sriracha aioli, pickles, jalapeno and herbs. The whole thing has a meaty taste and texture. The sauces, which are, at once, sweet and spicy and earthy, fill the mouth with complex flavors. It’s great. And filling. I could have started and ended my meal with that one broccoli bao and left satisfied and full.

We also ordered the crispy imperial rolls – known in Vietnam as cha gio. These particular ones are filled with ground shrimp, pork, mushrooms, carrots and jicama, wrapped in rice paper and lightly fried. They are served with lettuce. Wrap the little bundles of goodness in the lettuce, dip them into the Nuoc Cham sauce and enjoy.

Next came two hearty, meat-y main courses: the smoked short rib and the crispy “Masistas de Puerco”.

The short rib is hickory smoked with a carmel-y fish sauce, sesame and herbage. Herbage refers to the larger, leafy, edible parts of plants – like carrot tops or kale and other lettuces. It was amazingly moist and smokey flavored (I love a good smokey flavor!) and easy to pick or fork into edible pieces.

If you are questioning the Latin influence at Phuc Yea (hard to do after the margarita, but still, it’s allegedly a Vietnamese restaurant), it smacks you in the face when you see Masistas de Puerco on the menu. Masistas de Puerto is a traditional Cuban dish that is essentially marinated pork chunks fried in pork fat. This version is served with 5 spice onion, tomato, lemongrass and more herbage. Like the beef, it was moist but a tad less flavorful than I would have expected.

Why go back to Phuc Yea?

Phuc Yea offers an off-the-beaten-track restaurant that speaks to the chef’s unique point of view. A sense of joy winds around the restaurant’s rabbit warren of rooms and eclectic menu. The neighborhood is full of 1950s motels built to be reminiscent of cars with tail fins, sleek military jets and Hollywood sets. A fun, funky vibe, a great bar, and oddly-satisfying fusion food. It has earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand for the past three years, meaning it is a high quality restaurant and good value for the area it is in.

Bottom line, I’m going back to try the green papaya salad, the sweet soy glazed oyster mushrooms, and the signature house noodles served with oyster sauce, garlic butter and parmesan cheese. Let me know if you want to come with me!

Plates and Prices

$290.58. That’s $96.86 per person, including tax and tip.

3 Bring Home the Boys
3 glasses of wine
1 Crispy Imperial Roll
2 Broccoli Bao
1 extra order Bao Buns
1 Smoked Short Rib
1 Crispy Masitas de Puerco

Phuc Yea
7100 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305-602-3710
reservations through Open Table

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But first, a news flash!

One of my favorite Miami restaurants, Entre Nos, was just given a Michelin star. Trustedtables posted about Entre Nos in January. I’m so happy that Michelin confirmed my opinion of this restaurant, located literally in what is a coffee shop by day. The restaurant is helmed by two young, super-star chefs who are creating their menu from locally sourced and sustainably produced food. Here’s a link to the review:

Now let’s move on to Grand Central from Nuno Grullon

Nuno Grullon is already an award winner. Uptown 66, his first restaurant, is a taqueria in MiMo that started as a pop-up during COVID. In October 2023, he won the “United States of Taco” competition on Good Morning America.

Although known and clearly loved for his tacos, his friends were gaga over his drop-dead smash burger which he would prepare for them when the restaurant was closed.

Nuno knew he wanted to showcase his burger in a new restaurant. He was also intrigued by a particular space on a busy part of Biscayne Blvd in Little River. Chef Nuno would drive by this space, thinking about his burger. When he saw the space open up for rent, he grabbed it.

Trust me when I say this restaurant is small but mighty. Literally the width of an alley, it sits in a funky strip of even funkier stores. It’s so narrow it’s easy to miss. Inside, you’ll find white-washed walls and seating for up to 24 people (with 7 of those 24 at the bar).

Unlike its namesake in the middle of New York, this Grand Central is simplicity personified, the kind of place you’d find hidden in the old part of some quaint, historic European town. It is quiet. The night we were there, the noise level was low. Music played softly in the background and it was easy to converse with friends/dining companions.

Chef Nuno is French trained and the restaurant plays on his vision of bringing the French sensibility to American food.

After we got seated, Carol, our server, brought us some still-warm, very flakey, homemade biscuits and butter under a pretty little glass dome. A little bit of the US South in taste and a little bit French in presentation!

She also brought us Grand Central’s highly curated menu. I’m becoming very fond of these small menus that are typically found in chef-driven restaurants. I love the idea of putting myself into the hands of the culinary professional, knowing he or she has given a lot of thought and best effort to the choices. The infamous burger is the lead-off item and the star of the menu, but our table went a different direction. We started with the artichoke appetizer.

The yellow sauce is a hollandaise. The artichoke hearts are perfectly cooked and topped with some salsa verde and pecorino. It’s a variation on the way I serve artichokes at home, cooked simply and served with a buttery mayonnaise. But it was so much more sophisticated and nuanced than what I can produce. We loved it.

Next we explored the fish side of the menu. The sea bream was unavailable the night we were there. Instead we enjoyed a perfectly cooked trout, crispy on the outside, moist and flakey inside, served with black rice, spring asparagus and a butter sauce on the side. The portion is generously substantial!

We also tried the prawns, served over saffron rice with a few nicely cooked exotic mushrooms. The prawn dish is very rich, much more so than the trout. The prawns themselves are, well, the essence of what prawns should be. Succulent for sure. Sweet. Briney. With a hint of ocean and a slight char from the grill.

Bottom line for me: I’m going back to Grand Central. I want to try the burger and fries for sure! And there’s an intriguing truffle version of a chicken pot pie, served with elegance and sophistication, that has my name on it.

Plus the prices here are more than reasonable.

Plates and Prices: $206.04, including taxes and tip. $68.68 per person

3 glasses of wine
1 beer
2 orders of the trout
1 order of the shrimp

Grand Central
7919 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33138
305-456-3088
Parking in lot beside Biscayne Optical, next door

Have you been to a restaurant in Little River? If so, share your comments so we can build a greater shared knowledge of this terrific Miami neighborhood. If you want to send me on a mission to try a place, let me know that as well. Just hit the comment section! I’d love to hear from you.

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Local markets give you a taste for a region’s culinary life.

Farmers’ markets all over the world share many similarities; stalls, farm grown produce, probably some cheeses and meats and home-made goods. And yet each one is different. Going to a local market gives you a feeling for a city’s culinary life and a taste of what the soil and the weather can actually produce.

Plus it’s just more fun buying real stuff from real people. They are happy to tell you about what they grow and make. They are happy to support all the other people selling at the market.

Tell me that shopping at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods is more convenient and I’ll agree. It serves its purpose. But, for me anyway, selecting plastic wrapped fruits and vegetables imported from a huge, impersonal farm probably far far away takes some of the joy out of the shopping and some of the tastiness out of the eating.

What you’ll find at the Legion Park Farmers’ Market in Miami.

Look for the beautiful Spanish oak-draped banyon tree and views of the water. The park is small, quiet, filled with locals. On Saturday morning at 10, there is a popular yoga class you can join.

Hungry when you arrive? You can immediately buy coffee, freshly-made juice, bakery items like muffins and croissants and empanadas. Eat them under the trees or at the waters’ edge.

Then explore the fresh-tasting, nutritionally-rich and visually beautiful produce from iconic farms like Little River Cooperative and French Farms.

Chris French launched French Farms 3 years ago. He sells to local chefs directly and was named "best farmer in miami" by the Miami New Times! He uses organic practices and is in the process of applying for official organic certification from the USDA.  Heralded as a natural born farmer, he also happens to have an engineering background. He’s known to have or create a tool for every task. He occasionally hosts very special dinners at the farm in Homestead.

Seriously, how could anyone resist these naturally grown veggies that no pesticide has touched:

Paradise Farms is known for creating the most nutritionally dense and delicious harvests by using regenerative farming techniques. They offer the edible flowers (shown above), sweet tomatoes and a large assortment of exotic mushrooms. Check out the photo below to see the simple way I prepared a lunch with these ingredients. There’s a recipe there as well!

Bonus: A recipe for a simple farm-to-table lunch at home.

When I got home from the market, I wanted a delicious, healthy and easy to make lunch from some of the things I bought. I was also starved and needed it to be fast.

I sliced and pan-fried some mushrooms in butter and served them with sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, chopped fresh scallions and a dab of cilantro chutney from Nisha’s for lunch. To finish it, I sprinkled it with some salt and dribbled some olive oil over the plate. That’s the recipe. The result is beautiful to look at, taste-y to eat, nutritionally rich. What more can you ask for?

Have I convinced you yet? If not, here’s “my close” about why to go to a farmers’ market.

Go to be part of a community who recognizes and celebrates the value of local producers.

Go to explore the products the community is producing.

Go to meet and buy directly from growers/makers. The market is a deeply personal experience for these hard-working, creative folks. They care about producing foods in a way that supports the environment and their customers. They want to meet you and the other producers.

Go to buy local and support sustainable farming.

Go to enrich your lives and your bodies.

You won’t regret it.

Want the food but not the trip to the market? That can be arranged.

Urban Oasis Project is a nonprofit gem you need to know about. They bring together and promote local growers in the greater Miami area. They run several farmers markets.

And the best news yet: if you don’t want to go to one, you can order directly from them and they will deliver this amazing food right to your door.

Legion Park Farmers Market
6447 NE 7th Ave.
Miami FL 33138
305-795-1826

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If you are anywhere near Miami, or plan to come to Miami, or know someone going to Miami and looking for restaurant recommendations,  here’s some advice: go to Edan Bistro.

Admittedly,  I have a tendency to “love the one I’m with” and Edan Bistro is the last one I was with, so to speak.

But this restaurant is the real deal, the top of the mountain, the end of the rainbow, a magical combination of creativity and comfort that expresses itself in a “make yourself at home” feeling. The food soars and service feels authentically friendly. The Chef is part of the serving team. After pouring me a glass of wine, he left the almost finished bottle on the table. That’s restaurant generosity!

Edan Bistro is in Miami Shores, a small residential community just north of the actual city of Miami. It’s across the street from a Taco Bell and Marco Glass and Mirror. In other words, in a city of fancy venues, Edan Bistro chose a more quotidian spot. The space is unassuming and fits right into the neighborhood.

Walking up to it, here’s what you see:

Inside, the restaurant feels more like a comfortable, upscale coffee shop than a place that serves heart-throbbingly, spine-tingling good food at a great price. Notice: no music and well-spaced tables! You can have a conversation.

Chef Aitor is the talent.

Chef Aitor Garate Berasaluze is the creator, a master of Basque cuisine, a culinary super-star. At 29 years old, he has an impressive resume that includes work at a 3 Star Michelin restaurant, a Ritz Carlton and the one star Asador Etxebarri. He was also the head chef at LEKU, another Michelin-starred restaurant in Miami.

Edan Bistro is his first brick and mortar effort and he serves as creative visionary, head chef, sommelier and wait person. Amazing.

What we had:

Crispy artichoke and tuna tartar. Truly the freshest tuna I've ever had. The crispy chokes are underneath (they are from real artichokes) and are surrounded by cheese crisps.  

The Carbonara is a specialty. The large rigatoni arrives at the table with a very lightly cooked egg yolk on top. The chef comes to the table, pops the egg onto the pasta and mixes in the dish in front of your eyes. The crispy pancetta contrasts with the creamy dish perfectly.

Gambas al ajillo salad: a bed of potato and egg salad with garlic and chipotle mayo, topped by perfectly cooked shrimp. Addictive.

Basque cheese cake. I loved the almost-burnt top, the not too sweet, slightly carmel-y taste and the impossibly smooth texture, the creamy-custard-like center. No words can do it justice. The pictures will provide a hint:

The Wine

The wine list is highly curated (I love that), Spanish (duh!) and well priced. We started with Agusti torello rosa Trepat, catalunia, an effervescent rose. It was zesty and exuberant introduction to the meal.

Vergel de la bodega de pinoso. A natural white wine, a mix of airen and sauvignon blanc was light, a little peachy, a soft complement to the food.

Plates and Prices.

$135. for two, including taxes and tip. $67. per person

3 glasses of wine
3 plates to share: the shrimp, the carbonara, the tuna
The cheesecake

Edan Bistro
650 NE 125th St.
North Miami, FL 33161
305-517-6801
reservations: opentable.com.

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Neya, which means intentional and full of purpose in Hebrew, is a chef-driven, sexy, night-clubby place offering craft cocktails and an inviting selection of Israeli wine. It’s anchored by a creative Tel-Avivian chef who pulls together a complex and ever-changing menu that is certified kosher, meaning it follows a strict set of rules for preparing and serving food.

Motek means sweetie in Hebrew and the place is, well, sweet. It’s bright, light, quiet. It calls itself fast-casual, which means the food is more familiar, solidly good and dependable night to night. It’s “kosher style”, meaning it kinda-sorta-maybe has some kosher elements.

I love that two restaurants representing the same multi-ethnic culinary tradition can demonstrate such different approaches, philosophies and experiences.

Here’s the deeper dive:

Neya. Intense. Full of purpose.

Neya sits in Surfside, a residential community north of Miami Beach. It’s across the street from the Megan David Synagogue. The restaurant is certified Kosher.

The religious intention contrasts with the sexy look of the place. It’s very Frank Sinatra loungy, with round booths, leather, wood, a back lit bar provides the light. 

It’s dark. It’s also loud. Very very loud. The sound bounces off every surface. By 8:30 the Miami-beat music is at an uncomfortably high decibel level. I’m sitting at the bar with a friend and we are shouting at one another, mostly yelling “What?” The waiter comes up and asks us if we want anything and when we tell him, he says “What?”.

Despite the club scene vibe, my fellow eaters are anything but clubby. It’s a mix of younger and older people; most are conservatively dressed. Many of the men wear yamakas, a sign of respect at a meal. At one long table, a rabbi in his Borsalino (black wide-rimmed fedora hat) is sitting at the center of a large table

Most are here to eat, not party. But that doesn’t stop the owner’s wife from circulating around the room, offering shots to everyone. The shot is cold, anise-y, a little citrus-y. The recipe changes night by night. It feels like a generous offering that creates a sense of “we are all happily and generously here together”.

The food’s the thing at Neya.

It’s inventive, complex, colorful, and creative. The menu leans to small plates, although there are some main courses. It’s lots of veggies and fish prepared imaginatively. There is no pork meat or chicken or shell -fish (that’s the kosher part).

You won’t miss what’s not here because what is here is high on flavor.

The pita bread is “home made” in house and arrives hot and puffy. A total yum.

The Tuna crispy rice with lemon aoli, tomato and tahini tastes like a classic crispy rice sushi. The rice is as crispy as it should be. The tuna is lightly spiced, but there is a jalapena on top that was just too hot for me.

Roasted eggplant with Ethiopian tahini, yogurt, jalapeno was the star of our night. It looks pretty on the plate when it arrives. The secret ingredient is the Ethiopian tahini, known as the “gold standard” of tahini thanks to the sesame seeds grown in the mountains. The server tells us to mix up the dish. It got very messy as you can see:

I can’t exactly describe the taste except to say the swirl of flavors and textures is remarkably wonderful.

We ordered the kohlrabi special. Kohlrabi is a green vegetable about the size of an orange. It’s loaded with good-for-you fiber, vitamin C, potassium, even some protein. It’s tastes a little like a broccoli stem. This version was stuffed and was just bland compared to everything else we had.  

Neya also offers a “treat” of fried pita chips: crispy outside, a little chewy inside, a subtle hint of cinnamon. I say, “Chef! Will you please please package and sell these chips! More people need to eat them!”

The wine list leans heavily to Israeli wines.

Jewish wine is frequently associated with Manischewitz, a horribly sweet wine served at Passover, but in reality Israel is producing some of the most vibrant wine around now, according to wine experts. And the wine should be good - it’s been produced in the area for over 10,000 years. For example, remember that guy who figured out how to turn water into wine? The current wine makers do not have the same magical powers as that certain famous carpenter, but they are artisans, working hard to express their regions and vineyards in authentic ways.

We tried three different wines by the glass. Two were part of the HAI series, which are produced to be food-friendly and distributed outside of Israel.

• HAI Emerald Riesling is a great glass to have at the start of a meal. It’s fresh, dry, a little apple-y – a bright delight!

• HAI Merlot struck me as very smooth, somewhat rich and a good complement to the rich vegetable dishes.

• Tishbi Cabernet Syrah is a classic house wine. Young, light, and dry.

Plates and Prices

$200.34 for 2, including tax and tip. $100.15/person

4 glasses of wine
Roasted eggplant
Kohlrabi special
Tuna Crispy rice
pita

Neya
9491 Harding Ave
Surfside FL 33154
305-452-0768
Neyarestaurant.com

Motek.

Motek means Sweetie in Hebrew. It’s a perfect descriptor. This popular local chain describes itself as a “clean, friendly happy setting”. And it is.

Motek in Coral Gables is a swirl of white walls, green hanging plants, white lights shaped like globes and sparkling clear wine glasses.

It’s also quiet. No trouble having a conversation here!

The food is dependably good.

My dining partners come here every week. They love the thick and creamy hummus (it takes 3 days to get the proper consistency) served with pan roasted mushrooms. They also love the chicken schwarma plate, small pieces of spiced and cooked chicken with a house salad and more hummus. There were also perfectly pan-fried artichokes.

I ordered the arayes burger, a beef kufta kebab in a pita with a schmere of tahini and harissa aioli. Arayes is a classic Levantine dish. Levant refers collectively to eastern Meditteranean countries like Cyprus, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Turkey.

The Arayes is delicious. The beef is stuffed in the pita and grilled perfectly so the bread has some crunch that contrasts with the juicy, slightly spicy beef inside. It’s served with an abundance of very hot, very crispy fries. Easy to like!

The Wine

Arneis from Piedmont is on the wine list. Known as the “white Barolo”, it was on the verge of extinction in the 1970s and has fought its way back to respectability. I can’t resist Barolo, so I had to try it. It’s lovely - aromatic, peach-y and apple-y.

We also had the Albarino, a classic, as well as a French Merlot.

The Charro beer is from Mexico - an interesting mash-up in an Israeli restaurant. But very refreshing.

Plates and Prices:

$245 for 3, including taxes and tip. $81.66 per person

Mushroom hummus
Grilled artichokes
Arayes burger
chicken shawarma plate
5 glasses wine
2 beers

Motek Coral Gables
45 Miracle Mile
Miami FL 33134
305-396-8547
Motekcafe.com

Please let me know what you think about Israel food and wine. I love hearing from you.

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I’m not talking about what I used to think of as Jewish food.

Growing up in St. Louis, Jewish food meant wonderful stuff like chicken soup in all its manifestations - with noodles, with matzo balls, with whatever. It also meant like pastrami sandwiches (too fatty and salty!), bagels (delicious but too bready!), herring on toast (really???) and gefelte fish (slimy,  tasteless and disgusting IMHO). It’s was the stuff everyone found so exciting in Katz’s in NYC.

What many people think of as “Jewish Food” is food Jews found in places like Poland and the Ukraine a long time ago. They adapted the traditional foods of Eastern Europe and eventually brought it to the US.

But the world has changed, Israel has changed, and now we have something known as Israeli food.  

Israeli food is a brother from a different mother.  

Israeli food is now the food of people immigrating to and living in Israel. It’s a glorious melting pot that showcases the foods and cultures of Jews and Palestinians, Arabs and Moroccans, Spaniards and Italians. It is based on foods found in the Mediterranean — beans (hummus), grains, tomatoes, olives, pasta and fish.

The epicenter of the current Israeli food movement is TelAviv. According to one celebrity chef:

“It reflects a young generation inspired by each other’s differences and totally unafraid to experiment...It’s an ethos evolved beyond food, it’s a celebration of international exchange.” Eyal Hen. 19 Cleveland, New York City.

Take the simple pita pocket as an example:

“You start with pita which is Arab. You put in hummus, also Arab. Add a spicey sauce, maybe from North Africa. A bit of a finely chopped tomato/cucumber salad (Israeli) and, at the center, pork schnitzel, from Austria.”. Nir Avieli, Ben Gurion University

Miami is hotbed of Israeli restaurants 

Fabulous places like Abbale Tel Aviv in South Beach, Branja in Upper Buena Vista (the chef is from Tel Aviv), Neya (a kosher Israeli spot in Surfside), and the ever growing Motek collection are just the tip of the ice berg.  

Each is helmed by a chef from Tel Aviv. Each ventures far from standard fare like hummus,  tabbuleh and falafel. Each is unique, reflecting the personality and creativity of their chef/owners. And each incorporates the foods, flavors and cultures of Israel and surrounding countries in inventive ways. 

Let me tell you about two of these places:

Abbale Tel Aviv

I am smitten with this place. The patio feels like an intimate garden party. One garden wall is covered in red flowers. Are they roses? I’m not really sure but they cast a rosy romantic glow on the entire garden dining area. The other side of the garden is a burst of lush green plants. The twinkle-lights are my stars and the whole place feels a little like heaven. It’s a small, reasonably quiet restaurant that opens its arms and embraces you.

Martinique, a member of the wait staff, welcomes our table. She is chill, knowledgeable and personable. She remembers me from my visit last year!

It’s a Friday night and Abbale offers Shabbat dinner. Shabbat is the celebration that kicks off the Jewish sabbath, a day of rest. It’s a time to share a meal with friends and family. Tonight two large tables join this weekly ritual. It feels good to be next to the people enjoying their family and friends. It makes everything feel a little more alive, a little more meaningful, a little more special. A bit of Jewish hakuna matata.

Whenever you go, start with the fire baked za’atar laffa. It’s a crispy, warm flatbread, topped with olive oil and za’atar. Za’atar, a spice, typically includes sumac, thyme, marjoram sesame seeds, salt. The actual recipe varies by its creator, but it results in a combination that is subtle yet aromatic, rich but not overpowering, deep yet slightly tangy. Israelis, Arabs and Egyptians all embrace za’atar and have made it integral to their cooking.

The charred eggplant baladi is well cooked slices of eggplant covered in a colorful and well arranged chopped salad of peppers (Turkish and urfa)  and onion and tomato. Urfa pepper is a dried Turkish chili pepper that is smokey and raisin like in flavor.

The two fishes - Grilled octopus and Moroccan spiced fish – also come sitting on top of a colorful mélange of flavorful vegetables and herbs. The fish, in both dishes, is beautifully grilled.

Wine by the glass list.

The wine by the glass list is small and structured to complement the food. We dove into the white wines.

Domaine Andre Vatan Les Charmes Sancerre is from a small family vineyard in the Loire valley. The wine is lemony and citrusy, with a smokiness and complexity that comes from the minerally soil.

The Buketo White is Greek, a blend of Malagousia, ssyrtiko, and Sauvignon Blanc. Buketo literally means bouquet and the story is the grapes are picked and assembled like a bouquet of flowers. I can’t exactly picture the process, but I loved the wine. It’s got that peach/apricot thing going on, with the freshness of the sauvignon blanc and the minerality of the Assyrtiko.

Plates and Prices

285.75 with tax and tip. $95.25/person

Fire baked laffa
Eggplant baladi
Grilled octopus
Moroccan spiced local fish
Crème brulee
3 glasses Vatan Sancerre
3 Glasses buketo white

Abbale Telaviv
864 Commerce St.
Miami Beach Fl 33139
305-587-4242

Branja

Walk into Branja and you feel the rebellious energy and creative vision of Chef and Owner Tom Aviv.

Young, hip, totally tattooed, he’s everywhere, in the kitchen making sure it’s humming, in the dining room talking to guests, often personally bringing surprises for diners to taste.

There’s an indoor/outdoor feel to the place, as most of it is on a large patio covered with a glass umbrella-like ceiling.

The feel is Morocco – blues and oranges and live greenery and an honest-to-god tree in the middle. It’s colorful and energetic, even on quiet nights.

The food is designed to surprise. Like many restaurants that live on a creative edge, individual dishes range from “ok” to “OMG this is so great!”. Personally I admire these types of restaurants, with chefs trying to stand out from the crowd. I’m totally willing to forgive and immediately forget a creative miss.

This was a night to over-order and that’s exactly what happened.

A standout for me was the fish and bread, a ceviche-style dish with cilantro, mint, balsamic glaze, basil oil, and aioli on top of grilled sourdough bread. Another not to be missed item was the fish shwarma, a melange of fish dusted with Jerusalem spices, pine nuts, paprika oil, labneh tahini, and mango amba syrup. 

What’s special here.

The pita! Just order it! Some say it’s the best in Miami.

Bloody Bravas. Crispy roasted potatoes! A spicy bloody mary powder! And aioli sauce with a dash of Worcestershire. Potatoes are my “stranded on a desert island”food and of all the potatoes in all the world, I’d want this version.

Fish and bread may reference an Israeli-flavored bruschetta or an open faced fish sandwich, although the comparison insults this dish. The chewiness of the bread, the herby-ness of the fish, the lightness of it all. It’s a great way to start the meal.

Lemonada bucatini is flavored with lemons, peppers, amba and crème fraiche. This lemony pasta blew us away. The bucatini is a nod to Italy. The crème fraiche adds a smoothness without being too rich. Amba, the secret ingredient, adds a little sweetness, a little earthiness and slight spiciness. It is typically made with pickled green mangoes, vinegar, turmeric, chilis. Originally Indian, Iraqi Jews introduced Amba to Israel in the 1950s; it is now one of the most common condiments in the country. You can probably find it at Trader Joes!

Wine

I do love a small, well chosen wine list and that’s what Branja’s got, with wines from Israel, France, Greece and the US. We experimented with the Israeli wine: Tabot Adamo Malbec, 2018. It comes from the Upper Galilee region and is full of forest and plums and tobacco. It’s great with the complex flavors of the food.

Plates and Prices

$243. With tax and tip.

Monopolio Clara
3 glasses malbec
Fish and bread
Frito misto
Bloody bavas
Limonamba bucatini
Fishwarma

Branja
5010 NE 2nd Ave
Miami, FL 33137​
786-765-5555

Next week we’ll visit two more Israeli places: Motek and Neya.

In the meantime, let me know what you think of Israeli food in the Comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.

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