Best Bite of SobeWFF (So Far)

Setai chef David Werly's hollowed-out egg filled with caramelized eel topped with a lychee and foie gras foam, black lava salt and jasmine flowers. Consumed at 12:30am at Dim Sum Disco at the Setai.

Let Them Eat Cake @ 1111 Lincoln

The name of the ice sculptor? Vanilla Ice. Yes, I made that up.

Cupcakes were the dominant cake form on display. No complaints here.

New York chef Geoffrey Zakarian and his lovely wife Margaret not saying anything about the restaurant he may or may not open in Miami. And not saying whether the aforementioned restaurant will or will not be located in South Beach.

Burger Bash 2011: It Was a Rare Occasion

Amstel Light's National Contest-winning burger in collaboration with Greenhouse Tavern: twenty per cent lamb, anchovies, fennel slaw on brioche bun. 

Burger recipe winner Danielle Williams and Greenhouse Tavern chef Jonathan Sawyer.

Morimoto, exuding Japanese cool. 

Joseph Phelps Wine Dinner @ The Forge

In case you don't have plans Saturday night during South Beach Wine and Food Fest - February 26, 7:30p and $125 per person. Menu is below.

Tagliatelle, South Beach

South Beach needs another Italian restaurant like it needs another bikini wax joint. And yet – here’s Tagliatelle, peddling vittles from the Boot. Despite its predictability, it’s hard to resist the charms of the place. It's romantic. It's quiet. It's run by French people. It's tucked away in South of Fifth. The spot is owned by restaurateur Matthieu Mineo, a native of Nice with a handful of restaurants on the French Riviera. He's taken over the old Segafredo spot and given it a Mediterranean polish with cream-colored interiors, whitewashed chairs and tables and a stainless steel bar. But now is the time to take advantage of the outdoor patio – a quiet spot on Collins Ave.

The spotlight is on pasta here, as most of it is made in house including the namesake tagliatelle, fettuccini and the gnocchi. The kitchen is headed by Chef Mariano Gravante, previously of Alta Mare and Indochine. Prices are reasonable given the swanky neighborhood: starters are $6-$14, pastas average $15 and most mains are under $25.
There’s also a three-course pre-fixe menu for $23 that runs from 11:30a to 7p daily.
Some things they do well here - good wine, good pasta. Some things they don't do well - bring you food in a timely fashion. Seriously, carve out at least 2.5 hours for dinner. Also, the desserts could be more exciting.
Highlights include the eggplant terrine, homemade fettuccine with porcini mushrooms, the salmon tartar and the frito misto platter piled high with fried calamari, baby octopus and shrimp.

124 Collins Ave, 305.397.8019

Bazaar Brunching @ Cafeina

The few times I've been to Cafeina I've enjoyed it. They've commandeered a pocket of gritty Wynwood and made it feel hip and polished, an urbane oasis in an urban wasteland. Yesterday they launched the first of their Bazaar/brunch hybrids turning an airy gallery space into a pop-up dining room and converting the outdoor courtyard into a flea market for boho goods.
The food (and drinks) took an exceedingly long time to get to the table but once it hit our yellow and white striped place mats we devoured everything like hungover DJ's. Good stuff - a colossal crab cake topped with a poached egg, goat cheese croquettes in guava sauce, truffle fries, apple French toast. My friend pronounced her Bloody Mary on par with Michael's Genuine (blasphemy, I know. But she's a lawyer, the stuff practically runs in her veins). Bottomless mimosas were $20 and got the job done just fine.

There crowd was buzzing with hipsters in the hive, there were Canadian ingénues acting as DJ's. For me it was a kiss-kiss fest of all the media and PR folks I know. If you weren't in that scene you probably would have enjoyed the 70-degree weather and the relaxed atmosphere. There were dogs, kids, nightlife people who kind of look like pimps during the day and LOTS of great sunglasses. Next time I'm up for a leisurely Sunday morning I'll consider coming back, I may just have a snack before I leave the house.

Sundays, 11a-4p.
Cafeina is at 297 NW 23rd St, 305-438-0792.

Dinner in Paradise, January 23

 

The chefs: Douglas Rodriguez (of the De Rod empire), Paula DeSilva and Thorsten Leighty (of the Eden Roc) and Michael Bloise (of American Noodle Bar).

The setting: Paradise's bucolic bounty in Homestead. The temps were cool, the Schnebly's sparkling wine was fruity and the night had A Midsummer Night's Dream mischevious/romantic vibe.

The host: Paradise owner Gabriele Marewski, exuding pioneer woman charm.

A few things have changed with this season's DIP dinners. There are now five courses instead of six (folks complained that dinner ended too late for the drive back up north) and service is brisk and efficient now they've got an army of Johnson And Wales students tending to the tables. They've also installed a cozy firepit area with benches where guests are encouraged to hang out and sip wine and coffee after dinner.

De Rod kicked things off with a shrimp ceviche topped with a stone crab ice cream. The ice cream was gimmicky but it worked fine (things went downhill for De Rod from there). Paula DeSilva's one dish was flawless - a creamy burrata sourced from Pompano frommagier Vito Volpe and heirloom tomatoes from Teena's Pride.

De Rod then came back with a duck egg dish over a parmsean cream surrounded by arugula and oyster mushrooms dressed with a pine nut vinaigrette. It was heavy and unfocused. And it would have been nice to have a piece of toast or something crunchy to go with the goopy egg.

Grouper by Michael Bloise nicely offset with pickled shrimp Pennsylvania chow-chow and tomato-confit rice.

Thorsten Leighty's meringue pyramid with pomelo (a less-juicy grapefruit) and passion fruit sorbet. Delicious, not too-sweet, balanced and refreshing.

Cine Boteco Sunday @ 7p

Vinyl & Kai One Year Anniversary Party

Complimentary cocktails and beer Wednesday Feb. 2 from 9-11pm including ten kegs of domestic import and craft beer. Also Rock and Roll flicks such as Streets of Fire and Rock and Roll High School on their massive projection screens.

Lox-smith

Weekends in a Jewish home = bagels, lox, high-octane coffee and listening to NPR and then arguing about their portrayal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Okay, maybe that's not all Jewish homes. But that's my home.
[smoked salmon breakfast at Hyatt, Key West.]

Brunch @ Mercadito

The cocktails here are creative and strong, the wild creations of mad-scientist drink-ologists The Tippling Bros. And Sunday mornings – for $30 a person – brunch goers can sip to their hearts content. Unlimited cocktails include the Misty Sleeve (blanco tequila with ginger liqueur, Gran Marnier, citrus, hibiscus concentrate and a splash of El Yucateca hot sauce) and the grassy cucumber margarita.

The tequila-soaked feast includes a choice of three dishes served family-style. Mexican pancakes (thin and chewy). Platters of home-made corn tortillas topped with beer battered mahi mahi, shrimp, wild mushrooms, rosemary marinated skirt steak. Huevos ahogados – poached eggs, crispy corn bread, covered in a chipotle-hollandaise sauce. The place buzzes with everyone from scruffy artists to young families.

Saturdays and Sundays, 11:30-3pm, 3252 NE 1st Ave, 786-369-0430.

Cecconi's, Miami Beach

Is it wildly expensive? Yes, it can be.
Will a formally-dressed waiter serve you tuna tartar (mixed with chili and mint) tableside? Yep.
Will you run into Rod Stewart or Marc Jacobs having lunch? Probably.
Is the goat cheese and black truffle pizza worth $40? No. But it's tasty.

Burrata mozzarella and truffles are peppered throughout the menu as are rich bowls of Maine lobster spaghetti. The entire restaurant is outdoors, (there’s a retractable roof in case it rains) allowing for easy dinners under the stars, surrounded by salty ocean breezes.

Sergio Sigala, the former chef of Casa Tua is in the kitchen, and while his food is overwhelmingly straightforward, he does a fine job toiling away in the kitchen feeding the priveleged and pretty.

It's a lazy kind of place. Everyone there always seems to be able to spend two hours on lunch. And even though it's at the Soho House the restaurant is open to non-members, and it’s got a relaxed elegance, meaning it’s not too stuffy for lunch time meetings with clients over thin-crusted pizzas topped with prosciutto and arugula. And it’s still classy enough for a romantic date spent sipping Barolos under mason jar lanterns that hang from wood beams.

At the Soho Beach House
4385 Collins Ave
Miami Beach, FL 33140
786-507-7900

Eurocinema Launches Bistro Theater With Avenue Montaigne @ Wine Depot

New Year's @ DB Bistro Moderne

The extra "e" is for Excellent.

Music, Art and Tapas @ Mai Tardi

Chow Down Grill x Wok Star This Weekend

My favorite Wok Star and my favorite neighborhood dim sum parlor are teaming up this weekend to host a family-style Chinese feast. See details below. More info here.

Pre Christmas Chinese Family Style Lunch
with Chef Josh Marcus, Chow Down Grill

Mandatory RSVP; prepayment on first come, first served basis
Seating is limited to 36
Reservations closes THURSDAY, Dec. 16, TOMORROW!!
Call Chow Down 305-397-8494, mention HOH WOK CLUB, Sun. Dec.19 lunch
Provide number in your group
Prepay $17 per person includes tax and tips
Cash bar: any drinks should be paid separately

Menu:
Starter to share at table: Chow Down Chop Salad (no meat)
Family Style Plate: Steam dumpling with organic chicken and basil, Angus Steak w/ Mongolian BBQ Sauce, Broccolini, pepper, onion (picture shows different veggies, just so you don't expect this!)
Dessert: family style surprise platter to share

Agenda:
As a courtesy to Josh, please be ON TIME...
12pm - arrive, meet and mingle, drinks at bar.
12:45pm - seating at community tables

Hanuka Haiku This Wednesday

Hanukah Haiku featuring Nice Jewish Girls Gone Bad
Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Next@19th (137 NE 19th Street, Miami)
Tel: 305.542.7732

Next@19th proudly presents a night of creativity, humor and entertainment with Hanukah Haiku and Nice Jewish Girls Gone Bad. On the brightest and last night of Hanakuh, poets, artists and writers will come together to share original haikus about Hanukah and Jewish culture at Next@19th in downtown Miami. Slated for December 8, 2010 at 7:00 p.m., this celebration also marks the official launch of the non-profit organization, whose goal is to move Jewish culture forward with an inclusive, cutting-edge program.

Burlesque entertainers Nice Jewish Girls Gone Bad bring a combination of parody and burlesque to the night: a refreshing mix of comedy, cabaret and spoken-word with must-have archetypal characters including the gals who learned to smoke at Hebrew School, got drunk at their Bat Mitzvahs and would rather have more schtuppa than the chupah. In keeping with the theme of the party He’Brew, ‘The Chosen Beer,’ will be on tap throughout the night.

Design Miami Photos

Native Shoes Art Basel Pop-Up

Native Shoes is hosting a pop-up shop this weekend at the Friends With You Rainbow City installation in the Design District. The shoes are sort of the happy love child of Crocs and Ked's or Chuck Taylors. I'm sort of in love with them. Also, they gave me a free pair to try out and I broke them in over a day hard core Baseling and was impressed with how they held up. I got a pair of tiny stompers for my toddler and the little dude loves them, refusing to wear anything but the red slip-ons. And for someone with an amphibious lifestyle ( i.e. constantly navigating water sports or rainy climates) they are truly brilliant, whimsical, and fun. If only the world would embrace wackiness more often. The spongy material is akin to walking on a firm marshmallow. The playful holes provide much needed A/C for overworked toes. There are those who refuse to give in, who shun the mere suggestion that the candy-colored sneaks could be respectable footwear. And to those I say - endure the agony of de feet.
Adult shoes: $49
Kids: $38

Fiat and FADER Party Tonight

Come out tonight and listen to music from DJ Nick Catchdubs and DJ Artime. There will be FREE food and drinks.

RSVP here.

Event is tonight from 8-11pm. The address is 70 NW 25th St, Miami FL 33127
DJ Artime and DJ Nick Catchdubs will have sets. Live art by Jesse Nite and 131 Projects. Complimentary food and beverages.