Throw a monkey wrench into your evening plans with this Monkey Wrench cocktail from Pizza & Burger by Michael Mina {4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.674.4636}. We’ve got the recipe, below!
Mix two ounces Pierre Fernando Dry Curaçao, 3/4 ounce lemon, 3/4 ounce simple syrup, and one egg white. Double shake and double strain the mixture, and pour over ice. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor
Photo Credit: Fontainebleau Miami Beach
Creamy Polenta with a Fricassee of Mushrooms from Scarpetta by Scott Conant
serves four
Ingredients
Creamy Polenta:
2 c heavy cream
2 c milk
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, more to taste
2/3 c cornmeal, preferably coarsely ground
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
1 tsp fresh chives, chopped (optional)
Fricassee of Mushrooms:
1/4 c olive oil
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
2 c mixed domestic and wild mushrooms, sliced or cut into naturally occurring pieces
1/2 c chicken reduction
1 Tbsp fresh chives, snipped
1/2 tsp white truffle oil
Method
For the polenta: In a heavy-based saucepan, combine the cream and milk and heat over medium-high heat, just until small bubbles begin to appear on the surface. Add the salt. Whisk the cream and milk until very frothy. Add the polenta and continue to whisk the mixture as it comes to a boil. Continue whisking for an additional three minutes. Reduce heat to very low. Cover the pan and cook the polenta, stirring every five minutes or so, until the cornmeal is completely cooked and quite tender. (This usually takes one hour and 45 minutes! Be patient; even if the polenta has thickened and seems good after an hour, cooking it longer will make it even better.) If you aren’t using a nonstick pan, as the polenta cooks, a skin will form on the bottom and sides of the pan. This will give the polenta a slightly toasty flavor.
For the fricassee: In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring until they just begin to color on the edges. Add the mushrooms and cook until the liquid is released. Add chicken reduction. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a bubbling simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. (You can prepare the mushrooms ahead up to this point; reheat them over medium-high heat just before serving.) Toss the mushrooms with the chives and drizzle a little truffle oil over the mushrooms. Be careful not to cook the truffle oil more than a few seconds, because the flavor and the aroma will dissipate quickly.
To serve: Just before serving, stir in the butter, grana Padano, and chives, if you decided to use them. The polenta should pour from the spoon as you serve it, and will thicken as it cools. If necessary, you can thin the polenta with a little milk just before serving. Divide the polenta among heated bowls or plates. Spoon some fricassee of mushrooms and its cooking juices over each serving of polenta. Enjoy!
Scarpetta by Scott Conant is located at 4441 Collins Avenue.
Hello word
Café Roval
It’s always nice to treat your beau to dinner somewhere special. While we’ve already made a list of our favorite places to celebrate Valentine’s Day 2018, here are some haute spots where you can show your love every other day of the year. With their beautiful ambiance, unbeatable chefs, and top-notch service, we’ll even argue that these four spots are some of the most romantic restaurants in all of the Magic City.
Dolce Italian
Nothing says “it’s amore!” like a peek into charming Italy, and The Gale Hotel’s Dolce Italian {1690 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.975.2550} gives you just that. Book a cozy leather banquette in the upstairs, wood-paneled dining room, or if the weather’s nice, grab a seat on the breezy, Collins-Avenue patio. While you’re there, order a bottle of wine, indulge in cheese from the mozzarella bar, split an authentic Neapolitan pizza or Prosciutto and Burrata plate, and for an ending as sweet as your love, share desserts like Chocolate Cake with a hazelnut gelato, Tiramisu, or a Butterscotch Budino with salted caramel and a chocolate chip cookie. If you don’t want the date to end when the meal does, just head downstairs to The Regent Cocktail Club. Here, you can “cheers” to your future with a 1940’s-inspired, handcrafted cocktail, like the Hemingway with Bacardi Superior, grapefruit, luxardo maraschino, and lime.
Nobu Miami
When it comes to haute sushi, it’s almost impossible to compete with Nobu {4525 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.695.3232}. Sitting in the newly-minted Nobu Eden Roc Hotel, this haven of fine-dining serves refined Japanese-Peruvian fare, like Pan Seared Scallops with Jalapeño Salsa, melt-in-your-mouth Wagyu Aji Amarillo Tacos, Lobster Tempura Sushi Maki, and Black Cod with Miso. Inside, the glamorous space is filled with bamboo accents, sculptural chandeliers, brown banquettes, dim, romantic lighting, and of course, dazzling Miami locals; and for a peek outside, floor-to-ceiling windows overlook Miami Beach’s sandy shores. You don’t just go here to eat with your love—you go to be noticed.
Café Roval
With its lush green meditation gardens, quaint pond, torchlit tables, Buddha statue, and inside, antique European vibes, Café Roval {5808 NE 4 Court, Miami, Morningside; 786.953.7850} is as romantic as it gets. Once an old water pump house, restaurateur Mark Soyka revamped the 1920’s, oolite coral-covered space and turned it into a Mediterranean restaurant. Go here with your special someone and share Mezze with warm pita bread, fava bean hummus, tahini sauce, fried cauliflower with capers and lemon, and more. For the main, try Chef Curtis Rhodes’ Pumpkin Swordfish or Short Rib with three-cheese torchio and garlic kale. Then, for dessert, finish the meal on a high note! Let your waiter recommend a dessert wine, and share the Sticky Date Pudding with caramel soak and vanilla ice cream.
Wolfgang’s Steakhouse
If you’re a couple that likes steak, look no further than Wolfgang’s Steakhouse {315 South Biscayne Boulevard, Downtown Miami; 305.487.7130}. Here, this Miami location of the upscale national steakhouse serves back-to-the-basics steaks that are cooked to perfection and served in an elegant setting with five-star service. Bring your love, get a table on the second-floor terrace (it has the best views of Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline), and start with Sizzling Canadian Bacon served by the slice or Wolfgang’s Crab Cake. No matter what steak you choose, pair it with the Lobster Mac and Cheese, Steak Fries, or German Potatoes. Whatever you choose, one thing’s for sure: you’ll both end the night cuddling in a happy food coma.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor
Get a Bloody Mary at The Strand Bar & Grill’s Sunday Brunch.
In Miami, we don’t take our hotel life lightly. So now that the iconic Carillon Miami Wellness Resort is turning 60, you better believe every corner of the resort is celebrating! That includes its barely three-month-old, but already-popular neighborhood restaurant and bar, The Strand Bar & Grill {6801 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.514.7474}.
To really give this luxurious, wellness-inspired resort the respect it deserves, The Strand Bar & Grill has added a few must-try food events to its weekly calendar. Kicking it off with something we all know and love—a good drink deal—the restaurant has added a new happy hour from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily, as well as a Thursday Champagne special. Grab your friends and go to happy hour, where you can enjoy specially-priced beer, wine, cocktails, and light bites. Then, on Thursdays, get the weekend started early with $60 bottles of Henriot champagne all day long, in honor of the resort’s 60th anniversary.
Even more exciting, however, is The Strand Bar & Grill’s new Sunday brunch, which will kick off this Sunday, February 11, and continue weekly through the end of the year. Running from Noon to 4 p.m., it’s here that Executive Chef Stephen Ullrich and the Carillon’s in-house expert nutritionist, Monika Arenas, collaborate to create a decadent brunch with guilt-free options for health-conscious brunch lovers. Expect Chef Ullrich’s sweet-and-savory brunch classics: like the Bucatini Carbonara with guanciale, black pepper, chives, and parmesan; Sheep’s Milk Ricotta with gala apples, truffle honey, and Strand toast; Sunday Burger with bacon-onion jam, avocado, heirloom tomato, and romaine lettuce; and Brunch Burrito with scrambled eggs, chorizo, potato, bell peppers, and manchego. If you’re craving something a little lighter, there are plenty of options for that, too. Graze on organic dishes like Tabbouleh with couscous, tomato, cucumber, mint, olive, and lemon vinaigrette; Smoked Carrot Hummus with pepitas, vadouvan, and house-made lavash; the Green Breakfast Bowl with kale, feta, quinoa, almonds, avocado, and a hard-boiled egg; or Eggs in Purgatory with baked eggs, spicy tomato sauce, white beans, feta, red onion, and migas.
To really give you a reason to celebrate, pair it all with bottomless mimosas and rosé for just $25 per person while you sway to live music from jazz-reggae-pop group, Miami Musicians Band.
Reservations for brunch are recommended and can be made here. Reduced valet parking is available for $10 with restaurant validation.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor
Asian Night Bazaar at The Setai, Miami Beach
Set by the Chinese lunisolar calendar, the Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China. Every year, it starts on month 12, day 23 of that calendar, which—in 2018—happens to fall on this Friday, February 16. Celebrations last for two weeks, and every year, they pay homage to a new animal in the zodiac calendar. This Friday, China will begin their two-week-long celebrations for the “Year of the Dog,” and much like China… Miami will join in on the fun.
Read below for three places in Miami where you can celebrate the Year of the Dog. And like we say in America: “Happy New Year!”
The Setai, Miami Beach
2001 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.520.6000
It’s that time of year again! This Friday, the hotel’s Asian Night Bazaar will once again transport guests to the “Forbidden City” for a night. Running from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., this celebration will include an Asian-themed food marketplace in the hotel’s stunning courtyard, where attendees can indulge in food stations serving Jaya’s signature Pan-Asian cuisine. Priced at just $45 per person, enjoy Bao Buns, Dim Sum, Asian skewers, a welcome drink, one complimentary cocktail of your choice, and more. Asian Night Bazaar will start this Friday, February 16, and will continue every Friday for a limited amount of time.
Hakkasan
4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 877.326.7412
Chinese New Year in Miami wouldn’t be complete without a celebration at its most popular Cantonese restaurant, Hakkasan, at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Here, start with a performance of the Chinese Lion Dance, an ancient Chinese tradition believed to bring good luck and fortune, at 8 p.m. at Bleau Bar. After the parade is over, move to the restaurant and indulge in a special “Year of the Dog” dinner. Priced at just $118 per person, this prix-fixe menu includes plates made with ingredients believed to bring good luck and prosperity in the New Year: like Chilean Sea Bass with a kumquat glaze, Wok-Fried Native Lobster steeped in superior stock, and Lamb Tenderloin in seaweed soy. Reservations are recommended and are available between 6 p.m and Midnight.
Villa Azur
309 23 Street, Miami Beach; 305.763.8688
Celebrate the Chinese New Year with a special dinner party at Villa Azur—complete with Asian-inspired live dancers, artists, dragons, and DJs on deck. Executive Chef Philippe Ruiz has created a Chinese-inspired specials menu just for the occasion, which includes a la carte plates like Maine Lobster Dumplings with langoustine broth and emoki mushroom, Whole Steamed Rock Cod with fresh ginger and soy sauce, Crispy Duck Breast with baby bok choy and sweet-and-sour sauce, and for dessert, Mango Pudding with lime sorbet and fresh mint. Reservations are recommended and can be made for 6:30 p.m. or later.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor
Wagyu Tartare from Seaspice
serves one
Ingredients
Wagyu Tartare:
1 tsp capers, minced
1 tsp cornichons, minced
A pinch of parsley, minced
A pinch of chives, finely chopped
1 tsp red onion, finely brunoise
1/4 tsp fish sauce
3 oz Wagyu meat, finely minced
1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Quail egg yolk
1 baguette crisp
Dressing:
2 c ketchup
1/2 c Dijon
1/2 c brandy
1/4 c caper water (the liquid leftover from a jar of capers)
1/4 c cornichon water (the liquid leftover from a jar of cornichons)
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp Tabasco sauce
3 egg yolks
3/4 Tbsp xanthan gum
1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
For the tartare: Put the minced meat in a bowl. Add in capers, cornichons, red onions, parsley, chives, fish sauce, and extra virgin olive oil.
For the dressing: Mix the ketchup and Dijon together in a coupe or food processor. While it’s running slowly, add in the brandy, caper and cornichon water, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce. Add in the three egg yolks, one at a time. Let the machine run for five minutes. Slowly add in the extra virgin olive oil. Lastly, add in the xanthan gum. Let the machine run for three more minutes.
To serve: Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of dressing to the tartare. Mix really well. Pipe into shells and top off with the baguette crisp and quail egg yolk, as pictured. Enjoy!
Seaspice is located at 422 NW North River Drive.
Chinese Lion Dance at Fontainebleau Miami Beach
Here’s what’s going on in Miami this week:
Tuesday, February 13: Snail Social
Tonight, head to Stiltsville Fish Bar {1787 Purdy Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.353.0477} as Slow Food Miami presents its “Snail Social” roaming Happy Hour. Start with a complimentary glass of wine, draft beer or a mojito, and munch on Snail Social offerings like Smoked Fish Dip with cherry wood-smoked local catch, a Surf & Turf Basket, an Emerald Coast Fried Oysters Sammy with key lime aioli, and more. This event runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets cost $15 per person and can be purchased here. All proceeds benefit South Florida farms that were affected by Hurricane Irma.
Wednesday, February 14: Valentine’s Day!
Make your Valentine’s (or Galentine’s) Day a great one! Click here to find out where to celebrate.
Thursday, February 15: Pineapples & Pizza
Matador Bar {2901 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.257.4600} is back again with its monthly pizza and cocktail party! This installment will feature a Smoked Salmon, Dill Mascarpone and Everything Crust Pizza, an Absolut Elyx Pineapple Cocktail, and live music by The Spam Allstars. The event will start at 9 p.m., and the deal includes one pizza and one cocktail for $35 total.
Friday, February 16: Chinese New Year
Start with a performance of the Chinese Lion Dance at Bleau Bar, an ancient Chinese tradition believed to bring good luck and fortune, and move onto a special “Year of the Dog” dinner menu at Hakkasan {4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 877.326.7412}. For just $118 per person, this prix-fixe dinner includes dishes made with ingredients believed to bring good luck and prosperity in the New Year: like Chilean Sea Bass with a kumquat glaze, Wok-Fried Native Lobster in superior stock, and Lamb Tenderloin in seaweed soy. The dance will begin at 8 p.m., and you can make reservations to have dinner immediately after.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor
Dwayne Wade has returned home to the Miami Heat! And in honor of his return, all of Miami is celebrating–including Tacology {701 South Miami Avenue, Brickell; 786.347.5368}, which has come up with the new D-Wade Shot. With a flame that represents how “on fire” Miami Heat is going to be, this shot is the only way to kick-off game day.
Available now through the month of May, try it at Tacology and come home and make it for all of your friends. Here’s how:
Pour 1/2 ounce Grand Marnier, 1/2 ounce Bacardi 151, and one ounce Maestro Dobel Tequila in a shot glass. Sprinkle with cinnamon and set it on fire.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor
Executive Chef Santiago Gomez
Just one year ago, Miami got its first-ever Mexican-style marketplace and taqueria, a place we all know and love as Tacology {701 South Miami Avenue, Brickell; 786.347.5368}. Jutting out of the fourth floor of posh Brickell City Centre, almost “floating” over shoppers passing by below, this restaurant is made up of a variety of kitchens—one for veggies, salads, juices, grab-and-go breakfast, desserts, coffee, craft cocktails, and “hot grill” food. This open-terrace “mercado” is as hip and eclectic as the food is tasty, with electric-purple lights and welcoming booths designed to make you feel like you’re in your (very cool) home away from home. It has become such a mainstay that now, just one year after it opened, we Miamians still love it more and more.
We sat down with the guy behind it all, Executive Chef Santiago Gomez, to talk about the first year and gear up for the second. Here’s what the Mexican-food guru had to say:
Your restaurant, Tacology, just celebrated one year. Was it everything you expected?
Yes! It has been one of the most successful openings I’ve ever had. We thought about success, but we never thought about what we would accomplish with all this.
What do you most remember about year one? Is there one memory that stands out from the rest?
The opening of Tacology was crazy! We thought we were only going to welcome about 60 people, but more than 300 showed up during our first lunch service. It was incredible.
What does Tacology bring to the Miami food scene that other Mexican restaurants don’t? What is the best thing to order at Tacology?
Tacology is a concept. Here, we serve real Mexican street tacos made from scratch every day. We bring ingredients straight from Mexico, like corn, but also make creative tacos; like the Shrimp Taco, which is crusted in quinoa and served with a chipotle agave sauce.
As a Chef, what’s your favorite part about what you do?
Cooking and creating!
Miami is really taking the “food hall/market” concept by storm, but Tacology was the first to bring it to Brickell. Why do you think the market concept is such a good fit in South Florida?
Florida needs these concepts; specifically those where you can find different options in one single space, like Tacology. With our mercado-style setting, we offer multiple stations, including: tacos, ceviche, desserts, juices, salads, and a bar.
Do you drink your margaritas with salt or without salt?
With salt!
What’s your favorite taco?
Carnitas, for sure. They are the best!
Reflecting on the past year, is there anything you would do differently in year two?
Not at all! My motto is: “Just keep cooking and creating.”
Is there anything new you want to try?
Not particularly, but I will be making changes to the salad and taco stations. Stay tuned for updates!
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor