Dining Deals, Coral Gables Edition

Red Koi Thai & Sushi Lounge
317 Miracle Mile / 305-446-2690
Celebrate the last days of summer with the $5 Summer Lunch Special at Red Koi Thai & Sushi Lounge, now through September 30.

Tarpon Bend Raw Bar & Grill
65 Miracle Mile / 305-444-3210
Refresh your thirst with $3.50 fresh fruit mojitos and $1 tacos during Mojito Madness every Thursday from 3 to 9 p.m.

Por Fin Restaurant & Lounge
2500 Ponce de Leon Blvd / 305-441-0107
Stop by Por Fin Restaurant & Lounge for daily specials, now through September 30.

· Monday Locals Night: Show your Florida license or Coral Gables business card to receive 20 percent off the entire bill.
· Tuesday Date Night: Bring along a date or friend to receive a complimentary bottle of wine when ordering from the special three-course menu.
· Wednesday Wine Day: Take 50 percent off any bottle of wine.
· Thursday Happy Hour: Celebrate with two-for-one cocktails, beer and wine, with $5 tapas.
· Sunday Paella Day: Have a fiesta with a free carafe of red sangria with every two paellas ordered.
· Daily Sunsetter Special: Dine 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and receive 25 percent off the entire bill.

Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe
124 Miracle Mile / 305-445-4567
Enjoy select Coral Gables restaurants and they will waive their corkage fee with wines purchased from Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe. The offer runs until September 30 in conjunction with Miami Spice. Participating restaurants include Ortanique on the Mile, Por Fin Restaurant & Lounge, Pascal’s on Ponce, Houston’s, Tarpon Bend Raw Bar & Grill, La Cofradia, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Spris.

Peterbrooke Chocolatier
227 Aragon Avenue / 305-446-3131
Escape the Miami heat on Wintry Wednesdays at Peterbrooke Chocolatier. Receive a single scoop of gelato for 99 cents every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Cold Stone Creamery
261 Miracle Mile / 305-403-7000
Monday Madness: Get a free Kid's Create Your Own (ice cream plus one mix-in) with the purchase of a medium Love It Signature Creation, shake or smoothie.
Twofer Tuesday: Buy one Kid's Create Your Own and get one free.
Waffle Wednesday: Receive a free plain waffle cone or bowl with the purchase of a medium Love It or a large Gotta Have It Signature Creation.
Thirsty Thursday:Get one half-off any size shake or smoothie from noon to 5 p.m.
Fast Lane Friday: Receive $1 off all cakes and cupcakes

Fratelli Lyon's Spice-Like Menu

Saturday Nights @ The Setai

In case you can't read the fine print - complimentary Negroni cocktails from 9-10pm. And the restaurant is participating in Miami Spice.

Cafe Prima Pasta Pours One Out For MJ

Les you think the North Beach pasta joint is only about the meatballs and red sauce, they're here to remind you that they've got heart. A heart that mourns the loss of the King of Pop.

Lobster Corn Dogs @ Le Meridien

Soon after I wrote about the lobster corn dogs at La Marea at The Tides it was brought to my attention that another restaurant in town, The Restaurant at Le Meridien in Sunny Isles, was also doing their own version of the high-end low-brow snack. Actually, it was the chef himself who alerted me to this, in the form of an email something to the effect of "Wtf? I been doing these for years!" It was a bit more articulate than that, but that's what he meant. So I hopped over to the condo canyon on A1A and claimed a table by the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the pool and the ocean in the too-empty-for-this-good-a-restaurant dining room.



The lobster corn dogs are on the bar menu, but if you ask nicely they'll bring them to you in the dining room. They're $12 for two crispy fritters. These differ from the pups at La Marea, as the chef there forms the lobster mousse into actual sausages and then coats and fries them. These were more like lobster tails breaded with a cornmeal and pancake batter, which added welcome sweetness, and served with a mango dipping sauce. While I was there I decided to take a look at the rest of the menu and discovered some surprising gems.



The truffle mac and cheese, for one. It's actually a delicate bowl of orzo bathed in a not-too-heavy cream sauce offset with a veal demi glace mixed with a sherry gastrique to cut the richness. Chef Tom Ryhneer used to work as a saucier and the man takes his drizzles seriously. Chef's got a good team there, with sous chef Tommy Nguyen who previously worked the kitchen at the ill-fated Nikki Coconut Grove (good food, cheesy atmosphere). He describes the menu as "food for the times," meaning, he wishes he could put more lobster into things - like the petite grilled cheese sandwich that comes with the fantastic roasted tomato soup, but he's trying to keep the prices down and offer something attractive to the hordes of tourists that populate the beachy 'burb. So the few things directed at that crowd - the spinach artichoke dip, the vegetable quesadilla - aren't really the things worth trekking to the hotel for. But the mac and cheese is, as is the churrasco with a fantastic roasted corn relish and the mini steak tacos with cilantro cream. Prices are relatively low, too, with most mains under $25 and starters average $10.

Brunch @ Eos at the Viceroy

When it comes to brunch at Eos the cup is always half full. Or actually, completely full, or bottomless, as in my cup runneth over with champagne and spiked tomato juice. Mimosas and Bloody Marys are free with any brunch order and refills are kindly accommodated. Brunch items starts at $12 for a cast-iron skillet of roasted eggs, grits, bacon and gruyere to $16 for Mediterranean Eggs Benedict (creamed spinach and kefalotiri cheese). These mimosas are made with fresh-squeezed juice and the Bloodys are spicy and well-mixed. Organic eggs and coffee are another nice touch.

The "New York Power Breakfast" is generous platter of house-cured salmon with silky deviled eggs, chopped capers and whipped cream cheese. The buttermilk pancakes were recently lauded as the best in Miami by Lee Klein in The New Times and, while I can't begin to assess the city's flapjack output, I will say those were some of the best pancakes I've ever had - fluffy, comforting discs of pillowy breakfasty delight. There are 3 fritattas to choose from and the wild mushroom, ricotta and leek was fantastic. It's also served in a cast-iron skillet, keeping it warm enough to last through two rounds of mimosas.

So if you're reading this on Sunday morning and have yet to make brunch plans, you should head over to those skyscrapers on Brickell. The place was empty last weekend, which is a shame, but also means it's sort of an undiscovered deal. Also, starting this Sunday, you get free entrance to the pool party at Club 50, the Viceroy's 50th-floor club. In case you want to chase those mimosas with amazing views of the city.
Oh, and valet is free too.
The brunch menu is here.
Eos is at 485 Brickell Ave, 305-503-4400.

Caviar Kaspia Miami

Miami has yet to catch on to the one-dish restaurants popular in other food cities (like New York's mac and cheese-heavy 'Smac and Belgian fry mecca Pomme Frites) but we were recently blessed with the opening of French import Caviar Kaspia, serving the Parisian restaurant's namesake fish roe and other smoked fishies. But caviar is expensive and the owners have the shit luck of opening a pricey caviar restaurant right now, during a financial climate when all anyone wants to do is pontificate on pizza crusts and burger toppings.
So they've expanded the menu a bit and added some traditional French dishes like duck confit salad (delicious, but still pricey at $22) and a lunch time Croque Madmoiselle made with smoked salmon and salmon roe. Salmon roe is the way to go if you don't want to spend a lot but still want to experience those lovely pearls of salty oceanic goodness. The salmon roe blinis are $22 for 1 oz. of fish eggs that come with fluffy pancakes and feather-light creme fraiche. Kaspia is famous for their baked potatoe and if you're looking to splurge, this might be the fanciest spud in town. The potatoe is presented with a creamy mash made with chives and creme fraiche and topped with caviar from their list which ranges from $49 for a 1/2 ounce of Imperial Baeri to $360 for an ounce of wild Iranian golden Oscietra. We went with the modest Imperial Baerie and it was a lovely combo, the silky potato enlivened by the slightly iodized roe that pop with mineral saltiness with each bite.

Located at 1220 Collins Ave.

Bar Rosso Has A Blog

And it's kinda cute, with photos from events and videos of wine tastings. What other restaurants out there have well-maintained blogs (and by well-maintained I mean posting at least once a week)?

Daily Happy Hour @ Meat Market

So in addition to their sort-of-recently launched Friday happy hour, Meat Market will now be running these daily bar specials seven days a week from 5-8pm.
Here's the bar menu:

3 CHILLED SHRIMP
SERVED WITH 10 THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING AND COCKTAIL SAUCE
10

MEAT MARKET DAILY CEVICHE
10

KOBE SLIDERS SERVED WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND MANGO MUSTARD
10

TUNA TARTARE TOPPED WITH FRESH AVOCADO MOLE
10

CRISPY CRABTAIL MEDALLION
SERVED WITH PASSIONFRUIT AND PONZU STIR-FRIED ASIAN VEGGIES
10

OYSTERS BY THE PIECE SERVED WITH COCKTAIL SAUCE AND HORSERADISH
1.50 EACH

SANGRIA
ESTANCIA SHIRAZ & DR. LOOSEN ‘L’ RIESLING,
PINEAPPLE ∞ MANGO ∞ ORANGE ∞ PEACH
6


915 LINCOLN ROAD MIAMI BEACH 305.532.0088

Taste of the Nation Miami Discount Code

The 40-restaurant, open-barred, crazy smorgasbord that is Taste of the Nation isn't until Thursday, so I've pretty much been fasting since Sunday. You think I'm kidding? Let's take a trip down gorge-fest lane, shall we?
Remember the Ritz-Carlton's dessert buffet for Taste of the Nation '07? I was still sweating varlhona chocolate essence days after. And what about The Oceanaire's amazing raw bar last year? Cured salmon from The Setai. Duck and shiitake from Blue Door. Kobe sliders, for chrissakes. It'll be a food-nanza. And it's all for a good cause.
In case you needed any more reason to pony up for three hours of open bar and hobnobbing with local chefs, here's a discount code that will save you $20.

7-10pm, July 30, Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, use code VIP20MIA for $20 off, tickets here.

Miami Spice-Like Menus @ Books and Books

The Food Gang Is Now A Kosher Steakhouse

The folks who own Cine Citta, the kosher dairy spot in Surfside, have expanded their kosher-empire (koshe-pire?) and opened Cine Citta Grill, a "meat" restaurant in the old Food Gang space. The menu covers the usual kosh-meat territory - chicken dishes, pastas, steaks, salads. Mains are priced in the $30's. Peeked in and noticed that they haven't touched the decor - same fruit photos on the wall, same furniture. Looks like they didn't even have time to have new signs made up. That's cool. Color photocopies are tres classy.

My Night With Adrian Grenier

Well, actually, not so much.
Alas.
Does it count if we were both at the same party?
Adrian was too busy hosting the debut of the Entourage Bungalow at the W South Beach. And he wasn't the only cast memmber in attendance either. A tubby Rex Lee, who plays Lloyd, (or "LLOYD!" in Jeremy Piven's voice) and Perrey Reeves, the actress who plays Ari's wife (skin and bones, btw).



So for $10k a night you can pretend you're Vince Chase, navigating the treacherous world of South Beach nightlife while on vacay. Here's what you get:
Entourage Bungalow experience (for up to 4 guests)
Limousine transportation to/from airport
WOW Cabana at WET, including beverage and food
Complimentary dinner at Soleà
VIP access and bottle service at WALL
Courtside Coronas and reservation at Swoosh, W South Beach’s basketball court
Bliss bag of goodies
Private Cruise with full crew, lunch and limo to arrive in style
2 Entourage Bungalow branded Jet Skis
Golf foursome at Diplomat Golf Course



If you attended the party you got a chance to play video games with Adrian, brush up against his sweaty back (it was rilly, rilly hot out last night. I picked the wrong night to wear Krelwear. Karelle, if you're reading this, I love your stuff but deep July is not the time to break out the knits), eat your fill of burgers and kabobs at the rooftop barbecue and sip Entourage-themed Grey Goose cocktails all night long.
I think Vince would approve.

Tasting the Riviera Maya @ Azul

The Mandarin Oriental is hosting guest chef Ignacio Granda Del Gallego from their Riviera Maya resort this week for a series of special menu tastings in which he's collaborating with Azul chef Clay Conley and Cafe Sambal's Eduardo Quintana. We were invited to check out the six-course dinner menu and it was interesting to see how the two chefs worked together to create a menu where the guest chef was able to strut his stuff while the home team - chef Conley - chimed in with some witty dishes that complimented the Mexican fiesta.



It was my first time at Azul and I was blown away by how gorgeous the place is. The Mandarin is unique because it's sort of set back from downtown on Brickell Key and it feels like it's on its own island. When you walk in the first thing you see is the sparkling glass-encased open kitchen where the chefs are clanging, steaming, and sauteing up a storm, which always gets me in the mood for a food-nanza. The dining room is a multi-level affair with marble surfaces, floor-to-ceiling views of the bay and plush seats. And they seem to be doing well in this economy despite the pricey menu and the off-the-beaten path location. The dining room was buzzing with well-dressed Latins and a table of ten celebrating a birthday right next to us. Steady business like that is probably due to good service and food, of which we had plenty. Here's the menu and my hastily-composed observations.

Hamachi Ceviche, Chilies, Lime, Camote, Green Goddess, Crispy Yucca Salad
2005 Lackner-Tinnacher “Ried Gamitz,” Gelber Muskateller, Styria, Austria
AZUL Chef Clay Conley

****
Pork Pibil Gyozas, Habanero Chutney & Black Bean
2007 Vincent Girardin, Chardonnay, St. Véran, Burgundy, France
Guest Chef Ignacio Granda Del Gallego

****
Lobster A La Talla, Poblano Puree, Plantain & Adobo
2007 Brandborg, Pinot Noir, Umpqua Valley, Oregon
Guest Chef Ignacio Granda Del Gallego

****
Porcini Crusted Lamb Loin, Miso-Quince Compote, Bok Choy & Almonds
2002 Spadafora “Schietto,” Syrah, Sicily, Italy
Guest Chef Ignacio Granda Del Gallego

****
Young Mimolette, Masa Harina, Tomato & Chili Soup
2000 Abtei Muri, Pinot Bianco, Südtirol-Alto Adige, Italy
AZUL Chef Clay Conley

****
Bing Cherry Pearls, White Chocolate Pistachio Ice Cream, Valrhona Chocolate Sponge
2005 Castaño, Monastrell, Yecla, Spain
AZUL Pastry Chef Anthony Miller

So as you can see the guest chef dominates the middle three courses with chef Conley bookending the meal with a tiradito first course (above) and a fifth "chese" course of young mimolette, a yellow cheese similar to cheddar that he coaxed into a high-end quesadilla, a playful nod at the Mexican theme.
The tiradito was an explosion of flavors - very assertive lime which is fine by me, and a Green Godess dressing which the chef said is made of cilantro, mint, dijon mustard and olive oil. The fried yuca lent satisfying crunch to the dish.
Favorite dish of the night was the porcini-crusted lamb loin. A petite portion but immensely flavorful, the meat was cooked to just medium and almost velvety in texture. The miso-quince paste lent a delicious dimension to the dish, deftly balancing the nuttiness of the miso with the caramel sweetness of the fruit. A ridiculously elegant dipping sauce.
Favorite wine was the Brandborg Pinot Noir, a nice accompaniment to the grilled lobster and its not-too-spicy poblano puree (actually I would have prefferred some more fire to the dish, though the lobster was incredibly fresh).
Portions weren't too big so when dessert came around I wasn't feeling too stuffed (but gluttonous, yes, definitely feeling gluttonous at that point). Nonetheless was able to polish off the Valrhona chocolate cake which came with pistachio dust instead of ice cream and a porcelain spoon containing a wiggly cherry "pearl," sort of concentrated cherry juice encased in a thin cherry skin.
The tasting menu is priced at $95, or $165 with the wine pairings. Yes, it's pricey but then again, it saves you a trip to Mexico...

Haley Starr Trunk Show @ The Sagamore

Dinner Help By Way of Yelp

To get you in the Miami Spice mood, there's a little pre-party this week in the form of Yelp Restaurant Week. The bonus is that the three-course menus are only $25 which is practically the cost of valet at some South Beach joints (W South Beach, I'm looking at you and your $24 valet. That smarts, yes it does). Menus below. More info here.

660
1. Andalusian Gazpacho or Risotto & Mushroom Croquetas
2. Pappardelle Carbonara or Half Chicken "Al Mattone" or Moules-Frites
3. Liquid Center Chocolate Cake or Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

Alta Mar
1. Peruvian Style Ceviche or Peruvian Style Tiradito or Bahamian Conch Salad
2. Grouper Ravioli or Yellowjack with mustard sauce or Breaded Filet of Mackerel
3. Passion Fruit Mousse with Crème Anglaise or Tiramisu

Au Pied de Cochon
1. Warm Crispy Camembert Cheese, Beetroot & Apple Salad or Escargots Vol au Vent Provencale
2. Grilled Salmon Filet or Grilled Andouillette or Duck Confit Parmentier
3. Red Fruit Clafoutis, Raspberry Sorbet or Apple Tatin Tart, Sour cream, Caramel Sauce

Cafe Sambal
1. Organic Greens Salad or Pork and Shrimp Shu Mai
2. Salmon Teriyak or Wok Seared Kobe beef or Chicken Pad Thai or Tofu Vegetable Pad Thai
3. Mango Rice Pudding or Coconut Flan

Casa Toscana
1. Sausage, cannellini beans, tomatoes, and greens casserole or Mixed Plate
2. Spaghetti with littleneck clams or Pappardelle with mini veal meatballs or Risotto of the day prepared with vegetables seafood or meats
3. Homemade amaretti gelato or Ricotta almonds chocolate figs semifredo

Escopazzo
1. Eggplant timbale or Baby arugula salad or Beet carpaccio with celery salad
2. Pasta or risotto of the day or Large shellshaped pasta or Pennette or Crepes filled with ham, fontina cheese and cabbage or Giancarla's fish stew
3. Selection of homemade desserts


Grazianos Brickell
1. Grilled Homemade Argentine Style Sausage or Bay Scallops Involtini
2. Hand Cut Angus Sirloin Steak or Egg Pappardelle or Grilled Free-Range Chicken Breast
3. Graziano's caramel filled (Dulce De Leche) crepes Flambé with orange liquor or Argentine style cake

Jaguar
1. Choice of three Ceviche Spoons
2. Mexican Tortilla Lasagna or Rice Platter "Chino del Chifa" or Chopped Celia's Salad with Chicken
3. Palomas de Cajeta or Flan de Queso

La Cofradia
1. Pears and Manchego Salad or Goat Cheese and Yuca Croquettes or Tapa of Ceviche
2. Chicken Saltado or Salmon with Scallops or Fettuccini
3. Peruvian Style Dulce de Leche Topped with Port Meringue or Sorbets

Pacific Time
1. Hot and Sour Popcorn Shrimp or Sesame Chicken Salad
2. Skirt Steak or Grilled Fish Szechuan Style or Spaghettini
3. Drunken Grape Parfait or Vanilla Creme Brulee

Red Koi
1. Tuna Tartar or Tuna Yuke or Thai Combination Platter
2. Chicken Teriyaki or Santini Roll or Mitch Roll
3. Fried Ice Cream or Thai Donuts or Green Tea Ice Cream


Red, The Steakhouse
1. "Red" House Salad or Classic Caesar
2. Bucatini, Meatball, Red Lead or CAB Prime Sirloin Steak or Fish du jour
3. Housemade Sorbet or Molten Chocolate Cake

inca 2010 Cruise Collection @ W South Beach

Oh hello there, you in regular-people-land.
Perhaps you haven't noticed, but our humble city has been taken over by leggy Amazonian gazelles this week. And none of them are wearing more than a stitch of lycra or python or leather or silk. And they are beyond bronze-tanned. We're talking glistening caramel-colored limbs. It's the latest. All of it was on display last night at the debut of local boutique inca's 2010 Cruise Collection.
Let's itemize what we learned last night:
1) It does not cool down at night. No, the temp hovers statically at around 90 degrees, even at 11pm which is when the show finally started (after the Grey Goose open bar shut down and a thousand hot, sweaty fashionistas nearly rioted).
2) All gift bags should contain a baggie of chocolate-covered popcorn from Peterbrooke and a Vitamin water as these gift bags thoughtfully did. Munching on the salty-sweet popcorn and chugging the water was certainly a fine way to pass the time as we waited for the show to start. Nothing beats eating chocolate in the presence of models!
3) The inca collection is super-sexy and nicely captures that Miami mix of blingy Latina hotness and Euro vacation goddess. The black leather (was it leather? it looked like leather) string bikini and one-shoulder swimsuit got the most applause while the fur-trimmed shawls seemed an odd suggestion on such a steamy night.
4) WET, as the W pool area prefers to be called, is pretty damn swank with striped cabana beds, a massive pool and a lively bamboo tikki bar.

Caymus Wine Dinner @ Eos

Is it just me, or are the wine dinners coming fast and furious? This one's at Eos at the Viceroy on Tuesday July 21st, 7-9pm. Vineyard is Caymus, four courses including a reception. Cost is $95 including valet. Menu is here. Enjoy.

Silverado Wine Dinner @ Blue Door, July 22

Six courses with wines for $85 sounds liked a pretty good deal when you consider that one main course at Blue Door is usually around thirty bucks. Here's a link to the menu.

Free "Food, Inc." Screening