Jean Paul's House

Jean Paul’s House, a date-friendly restaurant from former La Cofradia chef Jean Paul Desmaison, occupies a quaint cottage in Wynwood. The space is decked out in artfully-scuffed chairs, circular mirrors and a communal picnic table. An L-shaped bar provides ample room for solo diners or those popping in for happy hour cocktails. There are plans for a gourmet market in the back as well as takeout pizza counter and a small wine-tasting bar.
Italian, American and Latin dishes pepper the menu but Peruvian classics like ceviche and lomo saltado (steak stir-fry) anchor the offerings. And the Peruvian spirit pisco find its way into dishes like the crispy pork belly and the passion fruit tart. Prices are wallet-friendly with snacks for $3, starters $9-$11 and mains $16-$29.

Start things off with the homemade potato chips and black mint sauce or the garbanzos sautéed with spinach and chorizo. Starters include three types of cured fish – a flounder tiradito topped with avocado, a salmon sashimi and a traditional ceviche. The eggplant carpaccio brings thinly sliced grilled eggplant topped with shaved reggiano cheese and a drizzle of olive oil while the beet salad is a colorful combo of yellow beets, avocado and blood orange. Mains include braised short ribs over polenta, a bouillabaisse with lobster stock and red snapper cooked with white wine and grilled lemon.

Pastry chef Lamyaa Samir (Soho Beach House) curates a dessert menu with items like Peppercorn Genoise, an Italian sponge cake topped with figs and balsamic glaze and a passion fruit tartelette with a mango piscojito sauce and toasted meringue.

J + G Grill, Bal Harbour

Miami gets another celeb-chef restaurant with the first Florida outpost of J + G Grill, a bistro from French toque Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Housed in the opulent new St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort the cathedral-like dining room overlooks the ocean and the resort’s pools through double-height floor-to-ceiling windows. The room exudes a soothing Zen mix of grey herringbone wall panels, slate-colored banquettes, plush carpeting and oversized silver pendant lights. An outdoor patio with lush landscaping and mod furniture works well in the evenings.

The kitchen is helmed by chef de cuisine Richard Gras (Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay) who executes classics from the Jean-Georges canon like hamachi sashimi and black truffle pizza. Prices are in line with the posh surroundings with starters $10-$32, mains $24-$45 and sides $8-$10.

Dinner starts with slices of crusty baguette and multi-grain bread and a soybean spread. From there starters like parsnip soup with coconut foam and peekytoe crab cake with pink grapefruit showcase the chef’s farm-to-table approach. Florida hearts of palm and heirloom tomatoes are showcased in a delicate salad dressed with shards of coconut while the black truffle pizza with fontina cheese could easily be a main dish. Fish dishes include a local red snapper with sweet and sour jus and a roasted grouper with black beans and cilantro. Meat lovers can go for the Flintstones-sized milk-fed veal chop in a sherry marinade nestled in a pistachio pesto along with roasted cauliflower. The soy-glazed short rib with apple-jalapeno pueree is hearty enough to be shared.

Sides like black truffle cheese fritters and sautéed maitake mushrooms round out the eclectic feast.

Pastry chef Antonio Bachour (W South Beach) gets creative with sweets like the key lime vacherin made with coconut meringue and chunks of mango and the Grand Marnier soufflé with mandarin orange sorbet. But ice cream lovers shouldn’t miss the salted caramel sundae made with homemade ice cream topped with popcorn and peanuts.

9703 Collins Ave Bal Harbour, FL 33154 (305) 993-3333

Unknwn, A Store

It turns out LeBron James is quite the retailer and his baby Unknwn is packed with unique finds. To help you understand this retail miracle, here's some vital data…
Seconds it will take to walk across the corridor from J. Crew to the store: 30
Number of LeBron’s friends who are collaborating on the store: 4
Per cent of that team that have worked with Kanye on clothing lines: 25
Percent chance you’ll catch LeBron there stocking the shelves: 0
Percent chance you’ll catch him hosting a paparazzi-packed opening party: 100

iPads festooned to the sneaker display wall: 45
Vintage Miami Hurricanes t-shirts in stock: 1
Percent chance you’ll pair it with the 60’s aviation jacket for sale: 50
Listening stations where you’ll try out Beats by Dr. Dre headphones: 1
Tables stocked with Barbara Kruger art books, Jay-Z’s Decoded and old LIFE mags: 2
Percent chance you’ll curl up with all three and a mug of eggnog: 95
19501 Biscayne Blvd Aventura, FL 33180

Nine, Hotel Breakwater

Newsflash: there's actually good Italian food on Ocean Drive. Crazy, I know. But consider Nine, an alfresco Italian enclave now open at the Hotel Breakwater your new excuse to sit outside on Ocean Drive.
So yes, it’s time to take the touristy strip back from the t-shirt hawkers and the daiquiri swillers. Because this place is legit. The chef’s from the Amalfi Coast. He worked at Escopazzo. And he makes his own bread, pasta and burrata cheese in house.

Inside the restored hotel there’s a tasteful dining room with polished terrazzo floors and cushy purple couches but we’d like to draw your attention to the spacious outdoor terrace. And the menu of rustic, greatest-hits-of Italy cuisine.

This is where you'll go on lazy evenings when you feel like sitting outside and sharing a bottle of Chianti with good company while supping on bowls of tagliatelle pasta with lobster and chili sauce.
 Hotel Breakwater 940 Ocean Drive Miami Beach, Florida 33139 305-532-2362

Vesper American Brasserie

The revamped Shelborne on South Beach is now to the polished Vesper, a clandestine supper club serving upscale American standards. Tucked away in the back of the hotel by the pool, the restaurant is entered via the kitchen, giving it a mafia-movie vibe (although the name is a reference from an Ian Fleming James Bond novels). The petite dining room done up in wood paneling, leather banquettes and black and white photos feels like the interior of a yacht or an underground gentlemen’s club. A large patio offers al fresco seating with white couches and candlelight, as well as ocean breezes and pool views.

Chef Frank Ferreiro (Prime Italian) presides over the menu of upscale comfort food by keeping things simple and portions generous. Prices are on par with SoBe hotel dining spots. Starters are $12-$16, mains $25-$52, sides are $7-$9.

The gratis bread basket features homemade corn bread, cheese bread and ciabatta rolls. The artichoke-spinach dip served warm in a mini-casserole dish is large enough for four while seafood lovers will appreciate the colossal crab cocktail. The Caesar salad doesn’t break the mold with its sourdough croutons and well-dressed romaine and the iceberg wedge comes with Nuskee bacon. Mains include a gargantuan platter of shrimp scampi over linguine, a Shepherd’s pie made with Kobe beef wagyu and a grilled branzino bathed in a champagne lemon-butter sauce over roasted corn. Four cuts of steak available include a twelve-ounce filet with choice of black truffle or gorgonzola butters.

Desserts include the diet-busting “zeppoli” fried oreos encased in fluffy fried dough served with chocolate dipping sauce, a platter of donuts accompanied by a vanilla milkshake and key lime cheesecake.

1801 Collins Avenue, 305-341-1500

MLT: A Grilled Cheese Joint in South Beach

There's a new grilled cheese joint in town (actually, it's probably the only grilled cheese joint in town that's not a food truck) and it's name is, appropriately, MLT. It's on a clubby stretch of Washington which is perfect for the genre, considering plenty of tipsy nightlifers will find hangover-curing solace in their gut-busting menu of Philly Cheesesteaks, fried chicken on biscuits and namesake gooey sandwiches.

Despite the blue collar leanings, the place actually makes an effort to make everything from scratch, including the maple gravy drizzled over the fried chicken and waffles, the tomato bisque that comes with the grilled cheese and the key lime mayo dipping sauce you'll receive with an order of onion rings.

1541 Washington Ave
Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 672-1541

A Look Inside the New St. Regis Bal Harbour

It's been over four years since we bid farewell to the old Sheraton Bal Harbour, the Morris Lapidus hotel originally known at the Americana. During that time I watched the new St. Regis go up in my neighborhood, one concrete mixer at a time. Walked down the beach path flanking its pool deck and wondered how the new place would feel compared to the old, which was loosing a bit of its glamour but still held on to its retro cool by virtue of its unique design.
Last Thursday was the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new structure - a three-tower campus that includes the luxury hotel sandwiched between two condo towers. There was the traditional champagne-sabering associated with the St. Regis brand (they saber a bottle every day. That day it was a pricey Krug. I made sure to have a glass.)

The post-opening reception was a congenial way to see the interior of the hotel. Fancy bites of salmon tartar and key lime tarts, plenty of champagne and a crowd that was clearly interested in seeing the new product.

I'll reserve the opinion on the design of the new building until I've been there a few more times and had a chance to really soak up the vibe. One thing is for sure - we're not in Lapidus territory anymore. The interiors were designed by Yabu Pushelberg, a firm known for other local projects like DB Bistro Moderne at the JW Marriott downtown, with trademark muted tones and double-height scale. Walking in, you're meant to feel like you've entered someone's home (albeit a multi-million dollar home) so there's no grand lobby and traditional reception desk. Instead you'll find this sitting area and then a corridor of mirrors festooned with chandeliers.

Further in, you come across this deer sculpture made of crystal balls and the check-in desks - which are sit-down desks. Introductory room rates start at $675, by the way, and expect those to climb to $800 for peak season. And all 243 guest rooms face the ocean.

There's a glass-enclosed wine cellar in the lobby cocktail bar (they've got 2500 labels in stock). And a nice terrace overlooking the ocean. There's also J+G Grill, a restaurant developed by celeb chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten (more on that at another time).

Do I miss the old Sheraton? Sure, it's sad to see architectural gems go. But I'm gratified by new development and hopeful this place will succeed. If they bring their trademark level of top-notch service and studied elegance to the city, it's certainly something to celebrate. Lord knows, the beach could use a few places where everyone from the valet to the cocktail server treats you with respect.

The Latest in Happy Hours

China Grill, South Beach
The thrill of happy hour is that it lasts for a short window of time. But it’s also thrilling to crack that window wide open. Like eight hours open, every day of the week. It’s happening at China Grill’s bar where cocktails are two for one and apps like Lobster Pancakes and Spicy Beef & Scallion Dumplings go for less than $10.
Daily from 12-8pm, China Grill, 404 Washington Ave, 305-534-2211

Crave, Coral Gables
Happy hour is usually a weekday blow-off-some-steam kind of thing. But we’re not opposed to getting Sunday in on the action. So consider Crave’s three-hour window of drink specials–beers are $4 and sliders, sushi and wings go for less than $6–a precursor to the week…or a really late brunch.
Sundays-Fridays, 3-6pm, Crave, 4250 Salzedo St, 305-444-4595

Cruising With Michael Schwartz

By now you've no doubt heard that Michael Schwartz and his team are heading up operations aboard Royal Caribbean's tasting-only restaurant 150 Central Park. Last month we were invited aboard to taste the goods at a six-course feast. Each dish showcased what the chef does well - straightforward presentations of simply prepared but well-executed food with great ingredient sourcing. The menu was also a Greatest Hits of Michael's since many of the dishes were delicate, tasting-portion sized version of the classics you'll find on his restaurant's regular menu. Herewith, the night in pictures.

Homemade ricotta with local beets.

Jumbo lump crab cake with carrot butter sauce.

Chef holding court with sommelier Eric Larkee on the right. 

Black cod with whipped parsnip and baby bok choy.

Harris Ranch short rib with romesco sauce.

Hedy's milk chocolate cremoso made it on board along with the espresso semifreddo.

The dining room where you'll partake of this bounty.

Fancy shmancy menus.

Chatting With Michael Schwartz

Demonstrating how to make ricotta cheese aboard Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas.

Michael Schwartz. The man. The chef. The empire (chefpire?). It seems like every other week we hear of something new going on with our guy in the Design District. A new pizza place, cheffing aboard cruise ships and pretty soon helming the kitchen at the Raleigh. How does he do it? Oh, and did you know he's got a TV pilot in the works? A few q's with the busy man, below:

APD: With all the recent developments how have you been able to focus and how do you divide your time now?

MS:It's not easy, especially since I like to be involved in all the details.There are definitely more meetings and sometimes I feel like a ping pong ball. But we keep a great calendar, which itself is its own monster, and things are divided up and scheduled to a t. But I guess the real answer to your question is my team. I have surrounded myself with great people that make it all possible, and we just try to keep up with it all.

APD: What are you most excited about for the coming year?
MS: Some great news is that after a year of making and trying to sell a TV pilot to cable, with all the ups and downs that go along with that, we found a home on public television. It's called The Local Table, it's a food/travel show that highlights slow food and the people behind the small, family businesses that produce the food that feeds our communities around the country. It's about sourcing what's seasonal and cooking with the freshest, local ingredients. PBS just gave us the green light, with WLRN onboard as our presenting station to national, and sponsors are showing interest. It goes to show how when you keep at something you believe in, things will work out. We wanted to make our show the way we want it to be without bending to please a certain demographic or get certain ratings, and PBS will make that possible. I'm really excited for the chance to work more on that. We'll shoot in the spring of 2012, for a first season airing in the fall.

APD: Any other projects in the pipeline or is this it for a while?
MS: We're always looking ahead and are open to new partnerships that can become new projects or business opportunities... It's always a challenge trying to balance it all and still participate in the great charity events and food festivals I get asked to do. Those are really great... While they are more one-time things, I get a chance to have fun and catch up with some of my friends in the industry. I've had to bow out of some of those lately which is a bummer, but I was able to give Hedy an opportunity to take some of those on, with is great fun and great exposure for her. So I guess it all works out. For me, for the coming year, I'd have to say the Raleigh is top of mind, as is the new relationship with Royal Caribbean, and making sure Harry's and MGFD stay on the ball and have longevity. I thought nothing could top 2010, but this year was unreal. I can only imagine what 2012 will bring!

Chasing the Dragon: Back in China Again

It's been four years since my last jaunt to the Orient. And that was after visiting the continent three times in a 16-month period. So, yes, this was a fun revisit. We hit Beijing and Shanghai, spending more time in the highly-styley Shanghai corridor. Major changes have occurred since I was last there - the Olympics came and went, leaving behind some impressive architecture and, it seemed, a more-relaxed approach to Westerners. Also, the financial crisis took its toll, although both cities seemed as bustling and busy as ever.

Whampoa Club restaurant at Three on the Bund.

But the rampant construction that cluttered the streets of both cities with cranes, cement trucks and bamboo scaffolding seems to have dissipated. There's a new big tower in Shanghai - the World Financial Center, with a Park Hyatt hotel occupying the 79th-93rd floors of its 101 stories. And the "new" section of Shanghai - Pudong - is now a sprawling space-age urban landscape with shiny skyscrapers and Boca Raton-style gated communities containing McMansions. Some random thoughts and observations:
- Spitting (and exuberant loogie hocking) is still a big thing here, so don't be surprised if you get a little phlegm on your shoes.
- Apparently they make soup dumplings as big as tennis balls and stick straws in them, coconut-style.

 - Pollution is still bad but seems to have gotten slightly more manageable. Either that, or we caught some uncharacteristically sunny autumn days.
- The Great Cyberwall of China is still in effect. Last time I was there I was unable to use blogger or access my blog. Same again this time, and also no access to Twitter of Facebook in Beijing. In Shanghai, things were better, with access to all of those sites, although when I mentioned this to a hotel exec she said that was because I was logging on via the hotel's Internet connection. Apparently, household Internet users in China don't have access.
- Bookmarked for next time: Dinner at 100 Century Avenue, the 91st-floor restaurant at the top of the WFC at the Park Hyatt. Place was jazzy, fun and reminded me of the Setai.
- Best fashion discovery: cool Chinese sneaker brand Feiyue (apparently coveted by French hipsters). For $17 you get these sensational high-tops. Found at tiny sneaker store located at 130 Nanchang Lu (at Sinan Rd).

First Bites of Barceloneta

Barceoneta, the third installment of the Pubbelly empire, opened a few weeks ago. I feasted at a friends and fam dinner the night before they opened and experienced some very good things. The atmosphere is great, although I found myself thinking the music was too loud. Which then depressed me because that means I'm getting old. (Side note: one day I'll write a blog post on the best spots in the city to actually have a conversation and where the music is great but unobtrusive.). But back to the food.

Dinner starts off with complimentary “pica pica,” house made marinated olives. Then it was on to plates of pan con tomate (tomato-rubbed baguette slices - fresh and tangy). The brandada de bacalao, a salted codfish spread, was a bit rich but the mini-loaf of bread imported from Spain was good for absorbing the salty fishy goodness. Plates of roasted padron peppers tossed with sea salt followed along with piquillo peppers are stuffed with garrotxa cheese. The “butifarra” is homemade pork sausage spiked with brandy and cream. Best dish of the night: the “coca” flatbread (below), a rich melange of foie gras, grilled eggplant and chives.

Didn't have high hopes for dessert - I see the PB crew as excelling more at savory dishes but the Torrejas were lovely and light - fluffy egg-soaked slices of bread pan-fried to a crisp. The chocolate souffle wasn't bad either. Overall, a fun new spot to go for drinks and delicious tapas.

1400 20th St
Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 538-9299

Open Up at Open Kitchen

Good things are happening in Bay Harbor Islands, the site of chef Sandra Stefani's new Open Kitchen. The place is overwhelmingly quaint, with a great selection of wines and craft beers and a chalkboard menu of daily lunch specials - things like oriechette with arugula pesto and mozzarella and turkey meatloaf. The cafe is only open for lunch but Stefani still hosts her famous Italian cooking classes on Saturdays (limited to eight students) where you participate in creating a four-course meal that is then enjoyed with the entire class afterwards. There's also a great family-style take out menu available on those night when you don't want to cook but still love the idea of a giant pan of braised short ribs simmering in your oven. They'll make it happen.

Gourmet staples - beer, wine and chocolate.

A delicate potato-asparagus soup.

1071 95 St, Bay Harbor
305-865-0090

Lamb Tacos for Strength @ Mercadito

You have exactly eight more days to take advantage of chef Andrew Balick's Tacos for Strength, the sale of which benefits Share Out Strength. Balick (formerly of Pied a Terre) was just recently named chef de cuisine at The DiLido Beach Club at the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. I stopped in last week and tasted these Mediteranean lovelies - a nice combo of braised lamb shank, curried Greek yogurt and pickled minted-carrot salad which reminded me the of the spicy Moroccan carrot salad my Israeli friend makes. So yes, he nailed the flavors. Four tacos are $16. Also, you can order these as party of their slamming Miami Spice menu (which includes a cocktail!).
3252 NE 1st Ave
786-369-0430

First Taste of Phuc Yea!

Are pop-up restaurants the new food truck? The pop-up, or temporary eatery,  has become ubiquitous in cities like San Francisco, DC, New York and LA so it would seem natural for Miami to jump on the guerrilla gourmet trend, albeit a few years late to the scene, as to be expected.
The first contender: Phuc Yea!, a Vietnamese sit-down from former Blue Piano maestros Aniece Meinhold and Cesar Zapata. He cooks, she takes care of everything else. Rounding out the team is newbie Daniel Treiman, a recent transplant from New York with experience cooking at Momofuku and Eleven Madison Park (so yes, he's foodie-approved). The recipes are inspired by her Vietnamese mother's cooking. The space is a downtown falafel counter transformed into a cozy, dimly-lit Asian spot with Ikea curtains and butcher block paper on the tables. The place will stay open through December 8, which means you have only the next three months to check it out.

The decor: Ikea chic.

It's all earnest and fun and I'm a big supporter of anything Aniece does because her taste in wine and food is top notch as evidenced by her stints at Fratelli Lyon and Blue Piano. I first encountered Cesar's cooking at Blue Piano through a torrid, decadent parade of small plates, all of which were delicious. So yes, the kitchen is in good hands. I got a sneak peek at the menu last night and enjoyed every delicate, elegant bite. Fellow blogger Blind Tastes joined me to graze and we sampled a smattering of dishes, all of which had clean, vivid flavors and were not too heavy. Notes of fish sauce tempered with vinegar, fried shallots adding crunch and texture, cilantro and shiso leaves giving everything a fresh, herby kick.

Fish n' chips = fried sardines and lotus chips.

Crispy Pig Ear Salad with watermelon and daikon.

Duck Confit with picked bock choy, mushrooms, daikon and more of those addictive lotus chips.

Address: 19 SE 2nd Ave, downtown
(786) 383-2408

No Crumb Left Behind @ Crumb on Parchment

I'm a little late to the Crumb on Parchment lovefest. All it takes is a rainy day for me to sift through my pics  and realize I never posted these beauties. Really, it's a lovely addition to the Miami lunch scene. And the Miami bakery scene which is slowly, slowly growing (albeit at a slower clip than the burger scene. Egads. Enough with the ground meat. Give me some more of this luscious coconut cake!)

It's Michelle Bernstein's place and she's clearly a perfectionist. Every damn detail about the place is welcoming  and well-considered. Self-serve coffee and water station. Comfortable couches flanked by coffee tables topped with interesting coffee table books. Tangerine centerpieces for crying out loud. Where am I? In a Diane Keaton movie? I love it!

3930 NE 2nd Ave
Miami, FL 33137
(305) 572-9444