The Mandarin Oriental, in tandem with TRU Organic Spirits, has launched the first “all-organic cocktail menu” in Miami. Two of the tastiest-sounding tipplers are the Mandarin: TRU Organic Vanilla Vodka, organic tangerine juice, brown sugar and a splash of heavy cream (pictured above). And the Basil Melon: TRU Organic Lemon…
Expecting oysters, foie gras, and caviar to carry you to Valentine’s Day ecstasy is like waiting for Santa to come down the chimney on Christmas Eve. Worse: If you’re not used to eating these rich, luxe comestibles, you may find them working their way through your gastrointestinal tract faster than…
First thing you do is drive to East Kendall. Yes, I know that’s not exactly Miami, but would you have read this if I said “Best Indian food in East Kendall?” I didn’t think so.Next you head to Ayesha’s Kitchen to learn how to cook the best Indian food in…
Champagne and chocolates constitute the dynamic duo of no-brainers for Valentine’s Day. Peterbrooke Chocolatier at 227 Aragon Ave. in Coral Gables has come up with a novel way to team the two: A chocolate-dipped champagne bottle. Now through February 14, customers can bring in their favorite bubbly — or wine…
As Short Order reported last week, Gaia Ristorante, the latest venture of seasoned restaurateur Tom Billante, has opened at 101 Ocean Drive (Hilton Bentley Hotel)– which I erroneously cited as the site of Billante’s last Ocean Drive venue, ViVi. In fact, Prime Italian has moved into that space, and Gaia…
The barrage of burgers continues unabated. Two more Five Guys are poised to proffer their patties to the public — one in the old Dogma space at Washington Ave. and 15th Street in South Beach, the other in Aventura Mall. But a bigger burger banner headline is that Govind Armstrong…
Tomorrow evening, February 5th, the Delano Hotel and its new executive chef Maria Manso will debut the late-night brasserie Plat Bleu. With its oversized tufted camelback sofas, etched mirror floor lamps, and Carrara marble-topped tables, the space is meant to evoke a 1940s French salon. The brasserie moderne menu has…
The latest monthly installment of Dinner in Paradise takes place this Sunday, February 8th. Set outdoors amidst the picturesque rural setting of Gabrielle Marewski’s Paradise Farms in Homestead, an organic, multi-course meal is prepared by a varying set of three top local chefs — and this upcoming feast boasts one…
O Bacalhau Restaurant (804 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables) celebrates its’ grand opening this Wednesday, February 4th, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Guests will get to sip sangría and wine while sampling Chef Fernando Santos’ authentic Portuguese cuisine — including 16 different bacalhau dishes (o boy!). The restaurant is…
Sushi SoBe landed in the lobby of Loews Miami Beach Hotel with less razzmatazz than one might expect — especially in light of the menu having been developed by one of just six Master Sushi Chefs in the United States. That would be Fuji Fujita, executive sushi chef for Loews…
Gaia Ristorante opens today at the Hilton Bentley Hotel at 101 Ocean Drive in South Beach. This is the latest venture from Tommy Billante, the man behind Carpaccio, Luna, and a whole bunch of other successful Italian places. Gaia moves into the space formerly occupied by Vivi, one of Billante’s…
Farm Sanctuary National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus earlier this week recommended that D’Artagnan Inc. discontinue certain advertising claims regarding its Artisan foie gras — specifically that “the liver is not diseased, simply enlarged”, and that the animals are hand-raised “under the strictest of animal…
*”One of the most accomplished, respected, and charismatic chefs in the world.” Of course you’ve probably guessed that we are speaking of Miami’s own Adrianne Calvo, 24-year old chef/owner of Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant & Wine Bar. What’s that? Never heard of her? Well if you’ve got $91.99 to shell out,…
Michelle Bernstein returns as host of WPBT’s popular television show Check, Please! South Florida, and Season 2 , which premieres Monday, March 9th, promises to contain almost as many new twists as the latest episodes of Lost. On second thought, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit; there are really only two…
Another day, another European-style new age trattoria/old world Italian bar/outdoor marketplace/espresso bar/chic urban pizzeria getting set to open. Welcome to RACKS Italian Bistro And Market, owned by Gary Rack, who evidently didn’t like the sound of the name GARYS. Mr. Rack, founder of Boca Raton’s Coal Mine Pizza, sets out…
Admittedly this photo sent to us by the folks at Shaka Jon’s isn’t going to draw any comparisons with the work of André Kertész, but luckily Shaka is about food and drink, not photography. The new downtown restaurant, located at 48 East Flagler Street, offers an informal, low-priced menu of…
There’s all sorts of talk about New Deal this and New Deal that these days, which is fine by Heshy Wilensky, proprietor of the New Deal Kosher Market. Located at 1362 NE 163rd Street in North Miami Beach, it is the only butcher shop in South Florida that has operated…
In light of the upcoming South Beach Wine & Food Festival, I propose a law requiring that no posted photo of any Food Network personality ever exceed the size of a postage stamp. Our fine dining establishments are much improved in terms of the quality of cuisine served, but they’ve…
This Thursday evening, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden will be hosting the Third Annual International Chocolate Festival Kickoff Party. No, I didn’t know about the first two either, but this year’s one-hour shindig (6 to 7 p.m.) features hors d’oeuvres from exceptional chef Edgar Leal of Cacao Restaurant — reason enough…
Apparently even in its’ final moments, the Bush administration’s penchant for pettiness has not yet been exhausted. The latest victim is Roquefort cheese, which has had its’ import duty rate tripled to 300% by the lame duck government. According to an article in The Guardian, the move was taken in…
Waxy O’Connor’s South Beach, hitherto a humble pub, is getting all classy on us. This coming Wednesday, January 21st, marks the restaurant’s first foray into celebrity chef beer dinners. Cindy Hutson, chef/owner of Coral Gable’s beloved Ortanique on the Mile, will be cooking up a four-course dinner matched with appropriate…
Hard to believe that A Fish Called Avalon has been reeling in diners on Ocean Drive for two decades, yet the Avalon Hotel’s seafood establishment is indeed celebrating its’ 20-year anniversary tonight. Congrats to the owners and chef Brian Cantrell for being able to achieve long term success in spite…
