If you love Venezuelan cooking, you’re in luck—award-winning Venezuelan gastronomist, Carlos Garcia, who reigns as Co-Owner and Executive Chef of the famed Alto Restaurant in Caracas, is bringing his first restaurant to the Magic City this fall. This soon-to-be hotspot will be called Obra Kitchen Table, will sit on the ground floor of the Jade at Brickell building, and will mark the chef’s first venture in the United States. Regarded as one of Venezuela’s most sought-after chefs, Garcia himself will helm the kitchen; which will serve lunch and dinner plates bursting with Chilean, Peruvian, Argentine, Brazilian, Venezuelan, Colombian, and Mexican flavors. If his Caracas restaurant is any indication, every dish at Obra will be a gastronomic feat not to be missed… which is why we’re so glad we won’t have to wait until fall to taste it for ourselves.
Exactly one week from today, the man himself will make his Magic City debut at La Mar by Gastón Acurio {500 Brickell Key Drive, Brickell Key; 305.913.8358} with a special, two-day “pop up” of Obra Kitchen Table. Taking place on Friday, August 25 and Saturday, August 26, Obra will pop up during during dinner service only. On those evenings, guests of the restaurant will have the option to order from either Obra’s “sneak peak” menu or the regular dinner menu at La Mar by Gastón Acurio (which is also delicious, by the way).
Excited? We thought you might be. Here’s what you can expect to find during next weekend’s “sneak peak” of Obra Kitchen Table:
Appetizers
King Prawn Crudo, $29
With pickled green papaya salad and coconut vinaigrette
Aji Dulce Crème Brûlée, $19
With foie gras confetti
Reina Pepiada Gocha, $15
Arepa stuffed with chicken, sofrito, and avocado salad
Entrées
Bucatini Octopus Carbonara, $23
Tuna Charcoal, $29
With spicy sofrito and salted vegetables
Veal Ossobucco in Asado Negro Sauce, $55
With toasted carrot purée
Dessert
Low Hanging Fruit, $11
Mango bajito
Reservations are required for Obra’s “sneak peek.” Making the weekend both delicious and charitable, a portion of the proceeds will benefit Voices for Children through Mandarin Oriental, Miami’s annual FANtastic Match program.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

Here in Miami, August is that wonderful time of year where the last month of Miami Spa Month overlaps with the first month of Miami Spice—meaning you can fuse $23 and $39 lunch, brunch and dinner menus with luxurious spa treatments starting at just $109. Keeping this in mind, take a break during these last two weeks of August and indulge in an impromptu, oceanfront “daycation”filled with good food and good pampering.
Read below for our top four Miami Beach hotels honoring both Miami Spice and Miami Spa Month, and of course, what to do while you’re there.
The Betsy South Beach
Get there at… 9 a.m.
Have you seen the rooftop pool? Grab a lounge chair and slip into vacation mode.
Eat at… LT Steak & Seafood {1440 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach; 305.673.0044}.
For just $23, you can get a three-course lunch with plates like Warm Heirloom Cherry Tomato “Caprese” with burrata and cucumber-basil water, Gigli Pomodoro with summer squash, a BBQ Short-Rib Sandwich, a Passion Fruit – Lime Tart with roasted cotton candy marshmallows, and more.
Spend your afternoon… in the spa!
Thanks to Miami Spa Month, you can get a full-body cleansing and moisturizing treatment at The Betsy Wellness Garden & Spa for just $109. Called “The Enlightenment,” this 50-minute treatment starts by washing away excess oils and moisturizing the skin, then applies a kaolin clay masque to exfoliate, soothe lines, and reduce the appearance of pores.
Finish with… drinks.
Head to the lobby bar for $5 glasses of select wines from 5 to 6:30 p.m. daily.
Faena Miami Beach
Get there at… 10 a.m.
Start with a 50-minute Tierra Santa Masaje de Coco at the hotel spa, Tierra Santa Healing House, for just $139. This nourishing and relaxing massage uses virgin coconut oil to soothe away specific areas of tension. Call ahead to make an appointment!
Eat at… Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann {3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.655.5600}.
It’s lunchtime! On the Miami Spice menu, get plates like Carrots and Blood Orange Salad, Local Grouper “Crudo,” Wood Oven Empanadas with hand-cut prime fillet, Wood Oven Summer Squash with sweet corn and feta cheese, Dulce de Leche Flan, and more.
Spend your afternoon… at the beach.
No explanation needed.
Finish with… dinner at Pao by Paul Qui {3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.655.5600}. 
Pao by Paul Qui serves up modern Asian cuisine with an imaginative twist. For $39, get a three-course feast of plates like Kinilaw with cobia and heart of palm, Binchotan Scallops, East Side King Fried Chicken with roasted banana ketchup, slow-cooked Pork Adobo, and Gulay Curry with  summer vegetables, Japanese sweet potatoes, leaves, and flowers.
Fontainebleau Miami Beach
Get there at… 9 a.m.
Hit the pool! The cabanas are to die for.
Eat at… La Côte.
It’s literally right next to the pool and serves light, perfect-for-summer Mediterranean fare. (And whatever you order, pair it with the restaurant’s signature rosé. Paradise!)
Spend your afternoon…  at Lapis.
Have you heard of Lapis Spa’s “Water Journey?” Anyone who books an appointment gets to experience a range of water therapies, from rain tunnels and a steam room, to therapeutic showers, jet baths, and Jacuzzis. After you do, book an aromatic 80-minute Swedish massage from the hotel’s Miami Spa Month package, where (for just $109!) you can revive and renew your spirit with aromatic oils like pine, eucalyptus, and lavender.
Finish with… Miami Spice dinner at StripSteak by Michael Mina {4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 877.326.7412}.
At this Michael Mina mainstay, get a three-course dinner of plates like Ricotta Cavatelli, Roasted Corn Soup, Grilled Beef Churrasco, Pan-Seared Striped Bass, and Passion Fruit Panna Cotta… all for just $39.
The Setai Hotel, Miami Beach
Get there at… sunrise.
Watch the sunrise from the hotel’s private beach! Then lather up and stay on that beach until lunch.
Eat at… The Ocean Grill.
On second thought, don’t leave the beach. The Ocean Grill—which sits right on the sand, under an Asian-inspired cabana—serves up a Mediterranean menu with Grilled Spanish Octopus, Yellowfin Tuna Tartar, Mediterranean Branzino, Truffle Pizza, and more.
Spend your afternoon… going from the spa to the pool!
During Miami Spa Month, The Spa at The Setai is offering its 60-minute Fresh Skin Ritual for just $109. This treatment starts by exfoliating guests with an aromatic mixture of with apricot oil, shea butter, bamboo powder, and an elixir of four teas, and then moves on to a gentle massage. Once you’re fully relaxed, relax even more. By making an appointment at the spa, you automatically get access to The Setai’s three pools all day long!
Finish with… dinner at Jaya at The Setai {2001 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.520.6000}.
For just $39, your Miami Spice menu will treat you to haute Pan-Asian plates like Vietnamese Chicken, Poke Salmon, Goy-Kai No Ceviche, Barbeque Pork Ribs, Tuna, Edamame, and even Chicken Poke.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

Now in it’s 16th year, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB)’s Miami Spice program is bigger and better than ever. Don’t believe us? Tonight will prove it. For the first time ever, you can head to Miami’s only modern-day, Latin-inspired dinner and cabaret club, El Tucán {1111 SW 1 Avenue, Brickell; 305.535.0065}, for a one-night-only evening of haute Cuban cuisine, cocktails, dancing, and music... all in the name of Miami Spice.
And at El Tucán, you don’t just get a show; you get transported to another world: 1940’s Cuba, to be exact. Paying homage to that bygone era of glitz and glamour, this 21st-century cabaret promises everything from Afro-Latin to Parisian pop. It’s all performed by both renowned and emerging DJs from around the world, and a permanent 11-piece Latin-jazz orchestra curated by two-time Grammy award-winning pianist, composer, and producer Marlow Rosado. Only open on the weekends, this theater-style restaurant is the only one of its kind in the Magic City, so when the curtain goes up at 8 p.m., get ready for some Miami sophistication like you’ve never seen before. While they watch, diners will get a three-course meal from El Tucán’s Miami Spice menu—like Tostones con Ceviche de Wahoo, Ahi Tuna Taquitos, Anticucho de Res, Matcha Green Tea Molten Lava Cake, and more—as well as complimentary cocktails from Miami Spice sponsors Stella Artois, Ketel One Vodka, Don Julio Tequila, Bulleit Bourbon, Zacapa Rum, Chandon California, Terrazas de los Andes, and FIJI Water.
Want to make sure you have a really good time? Take advantage of Miami Spice’s partnership with Lyft so you don’t have to worry about driving. New users will get 20% off 2 rides with the code MIAMISPICE17, and existing users will get 20% off 2 rides with the code MIAMITEMPTATIONS. See you there!
This one-time-only event is priced at $55 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. For more information about Miami Spice, visit ILoveMiamiSpice.com.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

If you dropped by 40 Island Avenue in Miami Beach some 50 years ago, the image would be pleasantly familiar: vacationers emerging from trendy Studebakers and Hudson Hornets, children eyeing the splash-worthy bayside swimming pool, women elegantly done up in high heels and Jackie O dresses, martinis in hand. The patina of age would only slightly obscure what we know of today as The Standard Spa, Miami Beach, a world-class spa and resort destination in Miami Beach.
That’s because, for the last 50 years, the property has aged with remarkable grace, poise, and relevance.
In the 1950s, the scenic site began life as The Monterrey Resort Motel—a setting worthy of vista-painted postcards and the envy of travelers across the globe. It remained a motel destination for a dozen years, until revered Miami architect Norman Giller introduced a spa to the property in classic MiMo style in 1963. In 1980, the property was bought out and converted to a nursing home—which remained until visionary André Balazs discovered the site in the early 2000s.
What followed was a heartfelt renovation of the property designed to restore it to its former glory, while bringing it full force into the 21st century. Balazs, a passionate collector of midcentury furniture, saw huge potential in the property—not as a hotel with a spa, but as a spa with a hotel. And beyond the rudiments of luxury accommodations, Balazs envisioned it as a beautiful, enduring showcase of the midcentury modern aesthetic that gave it rise. To that end, he curated individual design pieces from Denmark to round out the renovated property, gilding an already dynamic setting.
When The Standard opened its doors to an eager public in 2005, it was a true revelation; Balazs had managed to honor the property’s storied history while ensuring modern conveniences were never an afterthought. And as any spa and hotel property crafted with love and purpose, The Standard was built with a complete experience in mind. To wit, the soon-christened Lido Lounge brought the services of spa and hotel together—a space as much an exhibit of 1950s design as it was a convergence of luxury, relaxation, community, and fine dining.
The culinary program at The Standard has always been one inspired by healthy living—a creative catalogue of Mediterranean flavors that mirror what one would find on the azure coasts of southern Europe. But this, too, has evolved in the 10-plus years since The Standard opened.
As one might imagine, the original Lido Lounge favorites were a seamless blend of seafood-forward dishes and Italian-French flavors. The perennial classic Branzino still holds sway on the menu, while reimagined comfort foods like Lasagna—layered with squash, cashew nut cheese, and veggie sausage—bridge healthful dining and classic comforts. These dishes, while clearly an evolution of the old staples, have become the property’s new standards.
And yet, more evolution was in store. Eager to leverage an inimitable outdoor space adjacent to the pool and the bay, the kitchen soon saw increasing interest in alfresco dining. Balazs and his team—ever in tune with guest interest and shifting trends—adapted. Shortly after 2010, the hotel installed a grill outdoors to accommodate weekend barbecues. This became so popular that Balazs had an entire kitchen built to serve the growing bayside revelers. Little surprise, then, that the dining focus shifted entirely to the then-crowned Bayside Grill, complete with a canopy to guard against capricious shifts in weather.
Indoors, the Lido Lounge continues to serve as a private event space, or—on busier evenings—an extension of the Bayside Grill. And with the shift in venue has come a shift in menu. Chef Oscar Rubin, in collaboration with a devoted kitchen team, has introduced new menu items that carry the Mediterranean “sun-kissed” ethos to the next level. “Lite” bites, like the Burratina with spring pea crème and Ouzo-Cured Salmon, dock alongside farm-fresh features à la Heirloom Tomato Salad with kefir yogurt, Zucchini Blossom Pasta, and sea-focused entrées best showcased in the Caribbean Lobster Tail and Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi. These transitions evince a strong organic foundation, and a near-obsession with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients.
Naturally, a thoughtfully assembled global wine list—featuring a healthy selection of biodynamic wines—brings the health-and-leisure ethos full circle. But while The Standard and its nested concepts have grown with elegance, it ensures that well-being extends beyond the reaches of spa treatments, luxury accommodations, environmentally conscious winemaking, and world-class meals. In fact, the staff affirms the property is about far more than that—it’s about a global responsibility that ensures liberty, equality, and freedom for everyone.
Ambitious for a spa/hotel property? Perhaps. But The Standard is making good on its commitment, articulated earlier this year in the brand’s revised mission statement. And to start, they are honing in on what they have done so well since day one: crafting an unparalleled dining experience.
Launched in July, The Standard will host the Chefs Stand Up series, headlined by notable female chefs. These pop-up dinners will not only showcase exemplary culinary talent, but will benefit charities across Miami and the nation whose mission is consonant with the values of freedom and equality. There will be more such dinners and pop-ups to come, but for The Standard, it is important that the long-revered destination becomes the standard-bearer for business leaders who understand the need to be civically engaged.
At the end of the day, this is really what The Standard is about. Yes, their dedication to service is unmatched; yes, their aesthetic is both keenly crafted and historically on point; and yes, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better spa, hotel, or dining experience in Florida. But while new standards are set on property daily in dining and hospitality, so, too, are new commitments made—to a better Miami, a better nation, and a better world.
Let that be The Standard that gracefully lives on until the next midcentury.
Chefs Stand Up
Launched in July 2017, this dining series allows patrons to experience eminent talent while offering support to non-profits working to end inequality and deprivation all over the world. Tickets are $95 and include drinks, tax, and gratuity. All of the proceeds go to a charity of the chef’s choice. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit standardhotels.com/miami-beach. [Readers: The Standard is offering DiningOut readers a special discount to the series with the code DININGOUT!] August 23—Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson (Food & Wine Best New Chef 2017), Kismet (LA) Benefitting Charity: Planned Parenthood September 21—Angela Dimayuga (James Beard Rising Star Chef Nominee 2016), Mission Chinese Food (NY) Benefitting Charity: National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
Happy dining!
By Jeffrey Steen | Managing Editor

Next Wednesday, August 16, is National Rum Day—and that needs no explanation. To celebrate, follow the masses and drink some of the tastiest rum drinks in the Magic City. To help you get started, read below for seven of our favorites, and more importantly, where to find them. Cheers!
The Perfect Hemingway, $15
Diplomatico Exclusiva and Blanco, luxardo maraschino, and grapefruit
Where to get it: StripSteak by Michael Mina {4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 877.326.7412}.
Jungle Bird, $18
Flor de Caña seven-year-old rum, Campari, lime juice, simple syrup, and pineapple juice on the rocks, all garnished with fresh, skewered pineapple
Where to get it: Matador Bar {2901 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.257.4600}
Maduro “Mai Tai,” $12
Dark Rum, Orgeat, Vanilla, and Banana Liqueur
Where to get it: Glass & Vine {2820 McFarlane Road, Coconut Grove; 305.200.5268}
Cuba Libre, $8
Bacardi Gold, fresh lime juice, and Coca Cola
Where to get it: Dolce Italian {1690 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.975.2550}
Let Me Bayou A Drink
Bayou dark rum, mint, ginger, and lemon juice
Where to get it: Soyka {5556 NE 4 Court, Miami; 305.759.3117}
Guayabera, $14
Rum Zacapa 23, guava juice, lemon juice, and Sprite
Where to get it: Wynwood Kitchen & Bar {2550 NE 2 Avenue, Wynwood; 305.722.8959}
The Nando, $13
Malibu rum and Midori
Where to get it: Sawa Restaurant & Lounge {360 San Lorenzo Avenue, Coral Gables; 305.447.6555}

Piña Colada “Pineapple,” $22
Silver rum and piña colada mix, served in pineapple
Where to get it: DiLido Beach Club {1 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach; 786.276.4000}
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

It’s the last month of summer… so let’s go out with a bang. And because we’re in the Magic City, there’s no better place to “go big or go home” than at Collins Avenue’s most extravagant hotel, the Faena Miami Beach. Read below for a few ways to do it big (food-wise!) this month at the hotel’s two main restaurants: Pao by Paul Qui {3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.655.5600} and Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann {3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.655.5600}.
Grilling Masterclass with Francis Mallmann
Saturday, August 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann
This weekend, Faena’s very own Argentinian gaucho, Francis Mallmann, will teach his signature live-fire cooking techniques in a three-hour cooking class. The class will take place in the Tree of Life, and after the class, all participants will get to sit down and join Chef Francis in a wine-pairing lunch served family-style. As if that’s not enough already, every guest will leave with an autographed copy of the chef’s best-selling cookbook, “Seven Fires.” This class and lunch is priced at $400 per person, excluding tax and gratuity.
Art of Crudo Class with Chef Paul Qui
Sunday, August 20 at 1 p.m. at Pao by Paul Qui
James Beard Award-winning chef Paul Qui knows a thing or two about crudo; and he wants to share that knowledge with you, too. Sip on a mouthwatering muddled cocktail and watch and listen as Chef Paul himself teaches you how to prepare, slice, marinate, and cure crudo like ceviche, sashimi, carpaccio, and more. After it’s all prepared, it’s time to eat—so pull up a chair and feast on your crudo with the rest of the group. This class and lunch is priced at $125 per person, excluding tax and gratuity.
“I Love Sushi” Omakase Dinner
Wednesday, August 23 at 7 p.m. at Pao by Paul Qui
In terms of dining, the Japanese tradition of “omakase” means to let the chef choose your food for you… so there’s no telling what you’ll get. Later this month, Chef Paul’s Omakase Dinner will follow suit, as he mixes signature small plates with surprise Japanese-inspired sushi dishes—creating a meal that you, and your tastebuds, won’t be able to forget. This dinner is priced at $125 per person, excluding tax and gratuity.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor