What’s the deal, you might ask, with a place that a) mis-spells paradise, b) creates a brand around books and bread, when, arguably, it is principally a wine bar/store and c) is incredibly hard to find (the entrance is off a back parking lot, not the street)
Well, the deal is this: Paradis is a 21st century, hipster reincarnation of Cheers. It’s a place where “everybody knows your name”. People walk in, hug the 3 owners and walk behind the bar to pick up food and drinks. Happily, it just as comfortable for newbies like me and my friend Jane as it is for regulars.
Paradis Books and Bread cements my recently formed vision of Miami Shores as a cool neighborhood-y place to visit and live. It’s a one-of-a-kind place. More accurately, it’s a three-of-a-kind place. There’s the buzz of a wine bar/wine store with a curated list of natural wines, thanks to Bianca Sanon, an owner and sommelier. There’s the homey smell of baking bread, thanks to Brian Wright, an owner, bar-tender and bread aficionado. And there’s the quiet intensity of a book store/library, thanks to Audrey Wright, an owner, librarian, sister of Brian, friend of Bianca. The magic of the place - and there is definitely magic here - is that it is a collective of three people. It reflects each of the owners’ imaginations and visions of paradise. Plus the food is damn good.
Let’s start with the wine.
We had a long talk with Bianca , the sommelier and girlfriend of Brian Wright, the breadbaker. (I said it was a collective and I meant it.)
Bianca has filled the wine store with a carefully curated selection of natural wines. Natural wines are produced with as little human manipulation as possible. Think of the process as how life happens: you give the grapes and the fermentation the best conditions you can in order to get to the best outcome. In its purest form, the grapes are grown organically, with no intervention. No chemicals in the soil or the pest control. No yeast or sugar added to the wine. No temperature control in the cellars. But when it comes to natural wine, there are no particular rules. It’s an unregulated nomenclature, so the line between natural and “regular” wines can be thin.
The ”by the glass” menu at Paradis is small but the good news about being at a combination wine bar and store is that Bianca can pick out a bottle “just for you”. And she might even give you the retail (vs. the restaurant) price!
She chose a red wine for us: Les Justices 'La Petite Folle' 2021
We loved it. It’s fresh, a little spicy, and has all those cherry, plum, blueberry flavors. There’s no sulfites - which means no headaches! It’s from the Loire valley, an area where the sandy porous soil provides enough – but too much – water. The grape from this area is particular area (Saumur-Champigny) is principally cab franc with a little cabernet sauvignon sometowns thrown in.
For food, we had the white bean hummus and parsley with home made bread, the baby potatoes with black garlic and charred scallion aioli and the kale salad with spiced cashews, pickled radishes and pecorino.
It’s an eclectic meal, to be sure; it was also distinctive and deliciously satisfying. As a potato freak, I particularly loved those roasted potatoes and dipping sauce. The kale was well-prepared, clean-tasting and just good. And look at that bread. Brian definitely knows what he’s doing.
I wish we’d also ordered a tinned fish and the oyster mushrooms with fresh cheese, garlic oil and smoked chili on focaccia, which looked amazing as it passed us by. I will definitely go back and try them at some point.
Total cost: $111.24 for two, before tip. That’s a great deal. That cost covered:
—kale salad
—roasted potates
—white bean hummus
—2 glasses of wine by the glass
—Bottle of Les Justice Petite Folle (we took home 1/2 of the bottle:)
—one ginger cookie
—one cardamon tea cake
The Particulars:
Paradis Books and Bread
12631 West Dixie Highway
Normal Miami FL 33161 (aka Miami Shores)
954-232-4776
pbb.cafe
Inspires me to come to Miami. Almost. 😉