I’m not having an affair,” a woman sitting behind us asserts. I can’t tell if she’s defending herself from a lover’s accusation or rejecting the advice of a friend. But without craning around I can describe her: a white-blond, shoulder-length coif — platinum, like the jewelry she’s wearing. How do…
Where: La Estancia Argentina, 17870 Biscayne Blvd., Aventura. (305) 932 6477 What $15 gets you: prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich, your choice of sides, drink, and dessert. La Estancia Argentina isn’t just a restaurant. It’s actually also a general store, which specializes in Argentinean food. The whole concept is strangely inviting,…
Spicy food has lots of benefits for hulking humans. That’s just one reason grown-ups acquire a taste not only for gin but also dark coffee and Tabasco sauce. The plants we think of as aromatic, that we use to liven up our dinners, contain volatile oils and chemical compounds. Those…
Where: Cheen Huaye, 15400 Biscayne Blvd. North Miami Beach, 305-956-2808 What $15 Gets You: Pollo a la Yucateaca, a side of rice, fried plantains and your choice of drinks (and complimentary chips and salsa). My friend had recommended Cheen Huaye, which served Southern Mexican cuisine (not Mexican Southern, I mean…
COMING IN: *La Boîte à Pizza, on Alton Road in South Beach. First U.S. branch of this French franchise, which is also expanding into China. And why not? After all, the word used to describe fajita pizza, or a pie topped with ground beef, tomato, and fried egg, is the…
I just got back from Brooklyn, where street gluttons wait patiently in line 100 minutes or more to crowd into a dinky storefront parlor for the pizza at Di Fara. The old guy behind the counter, Dom DeMarco, is spry and focused; his Neapolitan hand is the only one to…
Dinner in Paradise, a monthly series of charity-driven feasts at Paradise Farms in Homestead, inaugurates its third season this Sunday, December 2nd. Paradise proprietor Gabriele Marewski and Michael Schwartz co-founded the event, which is set outdoors on the farm. “There is something very special about eating great food and drinking…
I’m not bragging, but if it weren’t for me, my parents would never try new food. When I first took them to a Japanese restaurant, Dad squirmed at the sight of raw toro; Mom wondered what reason there could be to eat something rolled in seaweed. Five years later, they…
God bless you, Candida, and your tamales Ah, South Florida in November. The air is finally crisp. The Hurricane sword no longer dangles over our collective head. But best of all, it’s nacatamale season, sucka! I didn’t know it either. I actually found out while trying to hitchhike through Little…
A lot of people congregate at Tequila Ranch, the massive Mexican restaurant at Seminole Paradise, but they’re not flocking there for the guacamole and chips. TR is so relentlessly crowded — no, they don’t take reservations; yes, they hand you a beeper at the door — because it appeals to…
Let me start by stating that I am a fan of Whole Foods Market, and a firm believer in paying more for a tomato that tastes like a tomato. During two recent trips to the new South Miami branch, however, I was surprised to find that a number of items…
You could have knocked me over with a feather. If I hadn’t happened across it accidentally while surfing for Il Bellagio’s phone number, it never would have occurred to me that there could actually be an Internet forum devoted to — I’m not kidding you — kvetching about the goings-on…
We don’t mind celebrating the bounty of the fall harvest; we just don’t want to have to raise, chop, pick, gather, butcher, or forage for it. To say nothing of three full days of mashing, roasting, and baking. That’s why God invented takeout. And it’s why she created women like…
David Bouley’s Evolution closed its’ doors “indefinitely” this past Thursday evening. Sources have it that the Ritz-Carlton South Beach, which had leased the space, evicted the restaurant owners due to a back load of overdue rent payments. Some of Evolution’s purveyors and employees are left holding the bag, too. Mr…
A trio of uniquely themed wine dinners are taking place in area restaurants this coming week. On Tuesday night, beginning at 6:30 p.m., Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar hosts Red Rapture: The All-Red 90+ Wine Dinner. The event highlights five red wines from around the globe that have been…
Critics, including this one, raved about Jeffrey Brana’s clean, fresh cuisine at his short-lived Restaurant Brana in the Gables. Now we’ll get another chance to sample his cooking at The Raleigh Hotel on South Beach, as Brana has been named the property’s new executive chef. His menu should be out…
Stone-crab season in Florida opened to great hoopla three weeks ago. We have five months to chow down as many mustard-dipped forkfuls of claw meat as we can pay for. The game-over bell rings May 15: Then it’s a long, hot, stoneyless summer. Our native crab is one of the…
Samoas save the day (again) Finally, finally, finally: Somebody wanted to interview me. Receiving the request via email was a validation of sorts, a late-in-coming but appreciated recognition of my rightful place among Miami’s elite food critics. Admittedly there were colleagues who attempted to denigrate the honor — it’s astonishing…
I must be the last soul in Fort Lauderdale to suck up a strand of spaghetti at Il Mulino. The joint has been around for two decades, providing heaps of homemade pasta as well as explaining why Tuscans and Milanese are getting as fat as New Brunswickians and Lauderdale Lakers…
Say goodbye to the hot dog cart, Fort Lauderdale. Five years ago, downtown was home to a handful of vendors who slung cased beef on the cheap. I remember one cart at Broward and Federal Highway where you could buy two dogs and a can of soda for $3. Now…
Say cheese! Ink-stained media types mingled over glasses of Cypriot wine at “Bin no. 18 – European Bistro & Wine Bar” the other night. The occasion was a Cyprus Halloumi Dinner hosted by visiting dairy producers such as the Cyprus Dairy Association and Cyprus Association for the Promotion of Milk…
Serve with beans — free, if possible In October, 2003 I wrote a review of Arbetter’s Hot Dogs (8747 SW 40th St.; 305-207-0555) in which I mocked their offer of free baked beans to all customers if and when the Boston Red Sox won the World Series. My point was…
