Corn on the cob? No, flan cheesecake with raspberry tajin.   Elevated Mexican cuisine stars at the “New” CHICA Miami. I liked the sound of that, especially since it was coming from celebrity Chef Lorena Garcia whose food and standout presentations I’ve always liked. Together with Miami based 50 Eggs Hospitality’s Culinary Research Director Chef Rishi Kumar  they created a new menu of these Mexican inspired dishes along with CHICA’s signature Latin favorites from South and Central America. With this exciting culinary news in mind, I was happy to return, t ..read more

  Schnitzel challah crispy chicken schnitzel, matbucha, crispy eggplant, tahini, slaw, arugula, onion and fried chili   KooLuLu Miami is another “find”  in my series of chef owner operated restaurants that have very good food that’s also both authentic and reasonably priced. The fact that chef Asaf’s parents were from Yemen and Morocco, he was born and raised in Israel, and worked as a sous chef at a Michelin starred restaurant in Amsterdam and Madrid give you an idea of the culinary excitement in the menu. The name KooLuLu is a sound made to express joy, and Chef Asaf say ..read more

  Massimo Bottura at what they’re calling the world’s most exclusive epicurean event, Once Upon a Kitchen,   A foodie’s auction this week for a good cause, dinner extravaganza, Mad Hatter’s Tea, new restaurant openings, ficelle bakery for a top baguette, and more in Eating News for April ’23. Les Dames d’Escoffier, South Florida Chapter, the leading global professional association for women leaders in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries (I’m a proud member), is  having its first-ever culinary-focused Online Silent Auction. The auction is dedicated to raising funds fo ..read more

  Main Dining Room   Queen Miami Beach is now the restaurant to top . Its décor is stunning, over the top, but in a stylish way. It exudes glamour, as in Hollywood in its heyday. The food we had was delicious, beautifully presented, and the service friendly and attentive. We went on a Tuesday, just under two months after opening, and the place was full. Miami is loving it. Yes, it’s pricey, comparable to the most expensive restaurants in the city, but it’s worth it. And then there’s a way you can check it out for a lot less.   On the 5th street corridor of Miami Beach, Queen i ..read more

Wedding cake (pavlova)   What Cuban restaurant do I recommend? That’s a question I frequently get, especially when friends are having out of town visitors. Since there hasn’t been one I really like, there was no recommendation, at least until now. Mr. W, Cuban born, and a Cuban friend convinced me to try Havana Harrys, and my English girlfriend and I are now converts. Why?     First, the atmosphere. The restaurant is casual and easy, two large spaces and a bar with TV where what obviously were regulars, enjoying their lunch. There’s no outdoor seating.  An adjacent area is ..read more

  Along with the high priced, glitzy restaurants moving into Miami, I’m  happy to see more honest, reasonably priced eateries with delicious food opening up, like my newest find, Lira Beirut Eatery in Wynwood. Lira is the creation of joint Lebanese and Italian investors including one who owns a restaurant chain in Lebanon (quite a combo right?). They went all out to make it authentic, from the Chef who makes everything in house and décor graced by works of Lebanese artists and artisanal light fixtures, to the furnishings and food products. How authentic is it? The Lebanese communit ..read more

  STK Miami has always been unlike any other top steakhouse in Miami. And now they’ve picked up their game. Of course there’s the prime Angus beef and a selection of primo seafood that you’d expect, but there’s much more. None of the traditional clubby steakhouse décor but rather, a “glam” ambiance, loungey music and delicious food, all of which come together to create what STK has called “vibe dining.”And now, fully a third of the menu is devoted to steaks and every imaginable topping and sauce, plus steaks divided into small, medium and large sizes which I wish more steakhouses would d ..read more

  Udon Noodles Though I love, even crave vegetables, full disclosure, I’ve never been to a plant based restaurant.  It never seemed to me that a meal could be totally satisfying without meat (you know what a carnivore I am!), chicken or fish. The turning point was a lunch at  Planta Queen in Coconut Grove, with a menu inspired by Executive Chef David Lee’s favorite dishes from across Asia. Hmmm, thoughts of new twists on sushi, dumplings, bao buns. Would they be delicious and exciting? Yes, they were, very. My girlfriend thought the same.   The restaurant, in CocoWal ..read more

As in many parts of Miami these days, the restaurant scene is heating up in the Design District, with several new additions including Northern Italian entry Contessa Miami from the owners of Carbone, Dirty French Steakhouse, Sadelle’s and more. My Italian girlfriend who, when it comes to food from her country is the toughest critic I know, loved everything we had in a recent lunch. And I concurred. In fact, when lunching with her, the exact same menu at an earlier lunch was a repeat performance for me. In the “buzz” quotient department, Contessa  is taking on Swan, though the atmosphere ..read more

Thinking about starting off the new year learning to cook or bake new dishes? A pavlova maybe? Or how about a new option for your catering needs, from small private dinners to teas and large events. Or maybe you or your adult child wants to become a culinary professional? Here’s a great new place I recently found and loved the event they put on for me and a good friend. It’s one of the top culinary schools in Miami  that provides all of the above, the Mariano Moreno Culinary Institute in Coral Gables. The institute has impressive professional credentials as a school for culinary profess ..read more