Cafe Emunah, Part Deux

Dined at Cafe Emunah again recently. Gastronomic happiness ensued. This time we tried the house-made porcini papardelle with fresh cremini & portabella, baby red chard and a drizzle of truffle oil. A half portion is $13 and was more than enough for two people to share.

The "Enlightened Encrusted Salmon Cakes" consist of kataifi-encrusted salmon, pan-seared & served over asian slaw with coconut curry aioli & drizzled with key lime oil. An interesting take on an old standby.

And sushi of course. Sushi chef Fernando has captured my heart. Here's a Rich Gold Roll, a Moses Roll and the Emunah roll.

We also tried this fantastic organic beer called Foret. Boutique beers are my new obsession. I think this one is sold at Whole Foods. It went well with the fish and pasta.

To Do This Weekend: FREE Miami

• Free admission to the Wolfsonian Fridays after 6pm.

• Saturday is Macy's South Beach Grand Re-Opening Party.

• Rock the Bells all day Saturday.

• Free Yoga at Lululemon Sunday morning 10:30 am.

• Free Sundays at Fairchild Tropical Garden.

A Restaurant - Design District

A is a quiet restaurant that has a loyal neighborhood following and is also gaining recognition from Miami food writers. The food is organic, the style of cooking is French and seasonal and the atmosphere is laid back. Another great perk is that you can bring your own wine and drink to your heart's content. That's right, it's BYOB with no corkage fee!
We tried the tofu and mushroom dish (above) with at least 4 different types of mushrooms and flageolet beans it was hearty and satisfying. The grilled avocado stuffed with spinach was delicate and creamy. We also tried the poached pears with Gorgonzola and the homemade sausages. Prices are $8-$16, very affordable for such inventive cuisine.

Adress is 4582 NE Second Ave, Design District. (305) 572-9902.

Santo Restaurant

Santo opened last year amidst a slew of new upscale restaurants on Lincoln Road including Quattro and O Asian Grill. The latter two have hogged much of the spotlight and little has been said of Santo and its sophisticated decor, thoughtful waitstaff and fine food. Now that Cory Smith, the former sous chef at Pacific Time, is in the kitchen there is much to talk about. And Santo is part of Miami Spice, a great opportunity to try the restaurant at a fraction of the price (the entrees hover around $30 so it's quite a deal). We stopped by for dinner last week and, despite a few kinks, had a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
We started with the Tuna Duo and were presented with a generous portion of fresh fish both seared and in a sashimi tower.

The Asian spring rolls, filled with crunchy napa cabbage, shitake mushrooms, and scallions, managed to straddle the sensitive line of being fried yet tasting light. The ginger chili dipping sauce added adequate fire to the rolls.

The menu veers to Asian, Italian and Mexican influences. The food is well-executed though perhaps now that Smith is in the kitchen, the cuisine will assume a more defined direction. Our waiter warned us that the mahi-mahi was very spicy, but we loved the jerk-like seasoning on the meaty fish. The rest of the dish had a sweetness overkill with sweet potato puree and a mango-heavy tropical salsa. Luckily the red snapper was nicely balanced with a roasted poblano pepper, black bean corn salsa and a rich tomato fondue. There's a lot going on in the dish (it comes topped with onion rings), but sometimes it is that cacophony of flavors wherein dining sublimity is found.
I am a fiend for side dishes, maybe it has to do with my mezze/tapas-loving side, but ordering smaller dishes always seems more exciting. The one side dish we ordered, buttery gnocchi, was absolutely lovely. The little dumplings were pan-seared to crispiness and came topped with an oregano pesto. The molten chocolate souffle won't win any awards for creativity but is nicely presented oozing with chocolatey goodness and vanilla ice cream.
Throughout the meal the chef sends out little tastes of things not listed on the menu like a sumptuous sweet pea soup with toasted baguette and a lobster tartare. Santo's servers are a magical bunch; virtually attitude-free and incredibly efficient, we never had to ask for an extra fork or wait 30 seconds before a plate was cleared. The dining room is stylish and cavernous, with 25-foot tall ceilings and space for 100 diners, yet each table feels private. There is also a massive lounge whose entrance is at the rear of the restaurant. By 11pm the space was crowded with pretty young things.
Santo Restaurant is located at 430 Lincoln Road, South Beach.

Rock the Bells this Saturday!

Miami International Wine Fair

It's coming soon. Lots of good events on the schedule. Compared with some of the ticket prices for the South Beach Wine and Food Fest, these events are actually affordable. There are some tastings for $15 or $25. Highlights of the program include the 2nd Annual South Florida Wine and Food Pairing Competition, a one-of-a-kind epicurean challenge that will bring together the top chef-sommelier teams in South Florida for an opportunity to earn over $5,000 in prizes and the recognition of the region’s top wine & food critics happening on Sunday September 9th , from 3PM to 5PM.

Battle of the Chefs: Ortanique vs. Chispa

Last week's Battle of the Chef's was the culmination of the culinary competition that has been rocking Coral Gables all summer. A crowd of 200 packed the La Cuisine Gourmet showroom and everyone was whooping it up during the competition (thanks to beer from Peroni and a wine from Cavia). The teams were Cindy Hutson of Ortanique on the Mile (below) and Jesse Souza of Chispa.

Both teams had to create 4 dishes from a mystery bag of ingredients which included: oysters, rack of lamb, rabbit, yuca, marshmallow cream, blueberries, duck fat, truffle oil and shredded coconut. The pressure was quite palpable but the the two teams chopped, boiled, braised, fried and spun sugar like champs. Hutson's team won, but it all looked good. Too bad only the judges got to taste the winnings. The winning dishes below included applewood smoked bacon wrapped oysters with yuca fries and citrus cheesecake with spun sugar and marshmellow cream.

Delectable dishes from the Chispa team included rack of lamb with roasted peaches, Greek yogurt sauce and crumbled feta and a trio of tarts.

Top Chef 3 Miami

Here's a clip from Wednesday night's episode. The gang goes shopping and Howie criticizes tricolore pasta. C'mon, Howie, everybody likes a good multi-colored pasta every now and then.
PS - Rocco Dispirito as guest judge!

Miami Restaurant Chatter

• Funkshion is closed, closed, closed.
  
• A North Miami Beach branch of Two Chefs will be opening in the former Blue Oyster Grill space on 123rd west of the bridge.
• Greek resto Ouzo in the old Madiba space in South Beach.
• Por Fin opening in the Gables.
• Rosa Mexicano opening mid-August.
  

Plum TV Cooks Up Some Features

Plum TV has launched their Miami Beach site and it's worth checking out. They have great photography and nice short video pieces. In particular I am loving the "Compliments of the Chef" feature. In this episode Chef Clay Conley of Azul at the Mandarin Oriental prepares ricotta gnocchi with sausage bolognese sauce. Of course I watched this on an empty and will be fiending gnocchi for the rest of the day. It looks heavenly. Clay Conley is ADORABLE. I had no idea he was smokin hot. It's a toss up now between him and Govind Armstrong for cutest chef in Miami.

Tzfat: Yemenite Bread and Mysticism

This dude is not an actor playing a guy who makes Yemenite yeast bread all day along. He really is that guy, and that really is the way he dresses. Tzfat is just that kind of a place. I was impressed with this fellow's entrepreneurial sensibilities. It's not often you find people working in the mystical city. Mostly they're studying, playing musical instruments, or you know, mysticizing. This was my first encounter with Lachuch, a spongy Yemenite bread that is cooked in a cast-iron frying pan. It was delicious. I shall be back for more, my bearded friend! He tops each order with a variety of fresh ingredients including basil, tomatoes, red onions and olive oil. The texture reminded me of Ethiopian injera bread but the crispy bottom is what sold me. For 10 shekels ($2.50) it's a great snack.

Jerusalem: Avichail Bakery

In Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox neighborhood sits a no-frills straightforward bakery. Their mini-croissants are airy and dense with sweet cheese, their borekas crisp and covered with toasted sesame seeds. Sheets of chocolate cake and mounds of almond cookies are constantly being refreshed. Everything we chose was straight out of the oven.
I only visit Avichail Bakery (est. 1932) in the wee hours of the morning. They are open 24 hours (except for Friday and Saturday) and for those of you who have never been to the Meah Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem, there is a surprising nightlife in the religious 'hoods. At 2 am people are out stocking up on challah rolls, rugelah and cinnamon buns. Stopping at the bakery is a nice cap to an evening visit to the Western Wall (a place which is also bumping all hours of the night).

Miami Spice Homework

Been doing my homework. Most menus are up on the site. Observations thus far:

• Social Miami's menu wins the most points for variety and selection - you get to choose any 3 plates in any combination from a LONG list of options.
  
• The Setai offers the best value, only because the regular menu is incredibly expensive. For all the plebians out there, this a chance to taste the nectar. Ditto for Karu & Y.
  
• Devito's menu looks BORING. House salad, salmon or pasta and panna cotta? Please.
• Escopazzo looks good, lots to choose from and they went organic this year!
  

Jerusalem Pictures

Taken from a balcony at the Jerusalem Municipality.

A model of the Second Temple at the Israel Museum. Herod was the original mega-developer.

Wedding preparations outside the Great Synagogue on King George St. The summer in Israel is non-stop wedding season.

A Persian carpet-covered cross-walk.

Tel Aviv: Maganda Restaurant

Maganda is located the Yemenite section of town, near the Carmel Market. The fare is standard Yemenite home cooking. No less than five salads and fresh pita greet when you sit down. The green techina was superb. Vegetables stuffed with rice and beef, Morocan cigars and crunchy falafel rounded out the gut-busting meal.
Address: 26 Rechov Rabbi Meir, Keren Hataymanim

Rem Designs an Airport

My new favorite Design blog is dezeen, mostly because it is run by a gaggle of saucy Brits. And because they get all the interesting design updates. The photo above is from their post on Rem Koolhaas's new design for the airport at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It features two terminals - one for the 2 million people traveling to Mecca on pilgrimage and the other for the Saudi Royal Family. Mmmkay....

Garden Party!

Friday B-b-que @ Grass

Lincoln Road Resto Shake-ups

Two bits of info regarding the now-shuttered spaces of Pacific Time and Cafeteria:

• Touch Restaurant owner David Tornek has signed the lease for the former Pacific Time space with plans to become a steakhouse.

• A Guess store has signed the lease for the space that was formerly Cafeteria South Beach. They plan to open in October.

Supermarket Frustrations

Food shopping in South Florida can be a maddening enterprise. Publix has a virtual monoploy over supermarket chains, farmer's markets are rare and hard to come by, and the general attitude of shoppers down here can make for a Darwinian exercise in who can snag the last bag of basil in a survival-of-the-fittest kind of way. Paula from Mango & Lime has a great post about this very topic. She nails it, right down to the cart "traffic" and line-cutting riots.