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Get your Spice warm-up in July.

Lobster Bar Sea Grille Miami Beach

Who’s ready to eat?!

Miami Spice is the most wonderful time of year for South Florida foodies. Created by the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, this two-month promotion highlights some of Miami’s top, often most expensive restaurants by offering prix-fixe lunch, brunch, and dinner menus at affordable prices. Every meal is three courses, with lunch and brunch priced at $23 per person and dinner priced at $39 per person.

Since the inception of the Miami Spice Restaurant Program in 2001, an estimated one million Miami Spice meals have been served all over the Magic City. Now in its 18th year, the program will kick-off on August 1 and run through September 30, 2019. With more than 200 restaurants participating in every Miami neighborhood—like Miami Beach, Brickell, Downtown, Coral Gables, South Miami, Wynwood, Sunny Isles, Bal Harbour, and beyond—this is a great opportunity for locals and visitors alike to get a taste of Miami’s diverse, ever-evolving, and delicious culinary scene for a steal.

Lucky for diners, you don’t have to wait until August 1 to see what’s in store. All participating Miami Spice restaurants and their menus can be found here. Plus, read below for two exciting Miami Spice events that are open to the public. 

Thursday, July 18: Miami Spice Mash-Up with Ariete x Fooq’s Collab

Join Chef Michael Beltran of Ariete {3540 Main Highway, Coconut Grove; 305.640.5862} and Chef Victoriano Hernandez of Fooq’s {1035 N Miami Avenue, Miami; 786.536.2749} as they create a one-night-only menu that pairs Ariete’s New American style with Fooq’s Persian-French influences. Taking place at Ariete, this Miami Spice event will highlight dishes from the upcoming Spice menus at both restaurants. All three courses will feature one dish from each chef, and the meal will include cocktails from Miami Spice sponsors Stella Artois, JNSQ Rose, JNSQ Sauvignon, and ABSOLUT® JUICE Strawberry & Apple. This event is priced at $55 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Reservations can be made by sending an email to [email protected].

Wednesday, July 31: Miami Spice Kick-Off Event

Celebrate everything Spice with a culinary tasting experience featuring bites from a selection of Miami Spice restaurants, as well as live entertainment and wine, beer, and cocktails from participating sponsors. This event will take place at Jungle Island {111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami; 305.400.7000}. Tickets are priced at $50 per person for general admission and $100 per person for VIP. VIP tickets include complimentary drinks from sponsors. All tickets can be purchased here.

Happy dining!

By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

Check out the latest dining news and events, all happening in Miami this week

StripSteak by Michael Mina at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach

Here is this week’s Miami food news:

All Week Long: Let’s Do Lunch at Sardinia Enoteca Ristorante
Every Monday through Friday, from Noon to 4 p.m., get a three-course lunch for just $24 at Sardinia Enoteca Ristorante {1801 Purdy Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.531.2228}.

Tuesday, July 9: Interactive Wine Dinner with Beaulieu Vineyard at BLT Prime 
This Tuesday, go to BLT Prime Miami {4400 NW 87 Avenue, Doral; 305.591.6606} and kick off a series of six monthly dinners created to showcase the best in global food and wine. On this night, BLT Prime’s Chef de Cuisine Tim Elmore will create a custom four-course menu to pair with wines from Beaulieu Vineyard, in Napa Valley. Dinner will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. in the restaurant’s Nicklaus Private Dining Room, and will be led by both Chef Elmore and a representative from Beaulieu Vineyard. Click here to see the full, one-night-only dinner menu and accompanying wines.

Thursday, July 11: Cigar Social at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach
Every Thursday, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., head to StripSteak by Michael Mina {4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 877.326.7412}for delicious spirit and cigar pairings on the outdoor terrace. All guests who attend will get to taste three expressions of Aberfeldy Scotch, while mixologists educate them on the choice of scotch and cigar pairing. This event is priced at $25 per person, excluding tax and gratuity.

Happy dining!

By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

A new summer cocktail at BLT Prime

Next time you’re in Doral, make sure you stop by BLT Prime {4400 NW 87 Avenue, Doral; 305.591.6606} and try a Monkey on the Shoulder. Because we know you’ll love it, we’ve included the recipe below.

Here’s how it’s made:

Fill a shaker with ice. Pour 2 ounces Monkey Shoulder, a 1/2 ounce of pear liqueur, a 1/2 ounce of simple syrup, 3/4 of an ounce of lemon juice, and a dash of orange bitters. Shake it 4 times. Strain over ice. Garnish with an orange twist and 2 raspberries.

Take your tastebuds on a trip next Tuesday, July 9

We always have a reason to go to BLT Prime Miami {4400 NW 87 Avenue, Doral; 305.591.6606}. Located in the Trump National Doral, and boasting unrivaled views of the prestigious Blue Monster golf course, this modern American steakhouse serves a menu of top-quality steaks, seafood, New and Old-World wines, and handcrafted cocktails that loyal patrons crave. And starting next week, we’re excited to share something new to get excited about at the Doral mainstay: an interactive wine dinner with vintner Beaulieu Vineyard on Tuesday, July 9. 

This event is just the first of a series of six monthly dinners that were created to showcase the best in global food and wine. On one Tuesday each month through December 2019, BLT Prime’s Chef de Cuisine Tim Elmore will create a custom four-course menu to pair with wines from a handpicked visiting winery. Each dinner will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. in the restaurant’s Nicklaus Private Dining Room, and will be led by both Chef Elmore and representatives from the chosen vintner. The series will highlight revered wine regions like Argentina, Tuscany, Sicily, California, and Spain, and Chef Elmore will provide tasting notes and insight into the flavor profiles of every paired course. 

Next Tuesday, the first wine dinner will take guests on a culinary journey to Napa Valley, where Beaulieu Vineyard has been producing leading varietals of chardonnay, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot since 1900. Click here to see the full, one-night-only dinner menu and accompanying wines.

After you love the first dinner, mark your calendars for the rest! Here are the dates and featured winemakers for the remainder of the 2019 Wine Dinner series:

Tuesday, August 6: Susana Balbo Wines
Tuesday, September 10: Ricasoli
Tuesday, October 8: Donnafugata
Tuesday, November 5: Michael Mondavi Family Estate
Tuesday, December 10: Celler Vall Llach

Tickets are priced at $135 per person and can be purchased online or by calling the restaurant. 

Happy dining!

By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

You don’t want to miss out on these Miami gems

Mediterranean olives

Miami is no stranger to Mediterranean food. From crowd-pleasing Greek restaurants to serviceable falafel joints and Middle Eastern markets, there’s always been a way to get your za’atar fix. But what we’re finally seeing is ambitious chefs and restaurateurs nimbly adapting the ancient cuisine of the Middle East to that of the Mediterranean—dubbed “Middleterranean” by the food press—to cater to our city’s increasingly global palate. Meaning: Greek, Turkish, Persian, Lebanese, Israeli, Egyptian, Moroccan, and everything in between. What makes all of this so exciting is that Miami diners can finally experience the splendor of this culinary heritage in upscale restaurants where the setting, and not just the food, are as regal as a sultan’s crashpad (and if you’re lucky the cocktails are great, too).

From the folksy to the fancy, we’ve explored the best Mediterranean spots in the city and are tipping you off to some of their best dishes.

Byblos {1545 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.604.5700}

The swankiest of the bunch, this stylish spot peddles “Middleterranean”  cooking via Toronto where its polished sibling restaurants have already garnered a loyal following and critical nods. For this outpost—their first in the U.S.—Owner Charles  Khabouth was excited about the fact that they could install a wood-burning oven in the space. “It was a tremendous expense, but now we can make authentic ‘pide’ bread. And you really need the right char and the right crust, which only this type of oven can provide,” explained the Lebanon-born  Khabouth. The Turkish bread gets topped with maitake mushrooms, spinach and Dukkah seasoning, and black truffles and haloumi cheese for an indulgent Levantine mash-up.

Executive Chef Ben Heaton is British but one would hardly know it given the kitchen’s confidence with dishes of tangy-sweet housemade labneh, barbari bread dusted with za’atar, and crispy eggplant with tahini aïoli. The cocktails also play with Middle Eastern flavors with drinks like the Gulab with rose-infused vodka and pomegranate syrup and the Arak Frappe made with the anise-flavored liquor and orange blossom water and honey.

Must try: The “sweet jeweled rice,” a traditional Persian wedding dish is an undeniable draw. Fragrant with saffron and festooned with pistachios, marcona almonds, shredded carrots, pomegranates, and barberries, it radiates color and texture and is emblematic of the elaborate and labor-intensive dishes common to Persian cooking. But the main allure is the fluffy rice’s sheer, unadulterated deliciousness. The kitchen makes each pot to order, and it easily feeds four as a side dish to the kitchen’s Turkish manti dumplings filled with smoked eggplant and the Cornish hen stewed in a herbaceous “sabzi” sauce.

Cleo South Beach {1776 Collins Avenue, South Beach; 305.534.2536}

This contemporary Mediterranean haunt on the ground floor of the Redbury hotel is a hit with the South Beach visitors and locals alike. Moroccan-born Executive Chef Danny Elmaleh has created a Pan-Arab journey with focus on the food of North Africa comprising a dizzying amount of small plates. And while his menu covers plenty of bases, it never strays far from its roots dishes, like harissa carrots, lamb shwarma, Moroccan fried chicken, and eggplant Moussaka.

Must try: The spicy Moroccan “cigars.” Finger food of the Maghreb, these delights are composed of spiced ground beef rolled up in phyllo sheets and fried. Cleo serves them in a bowl of thick labneh yogurt sauce, which tempers the heat from cumin, allspice, and cayenne in the meat.

Etzel Itzik Deli {18757 West Dixie Highway, Miami; 305.937.1546}

Say you’re craving a real shakshuka experience, complete with a side of pillowy pita bread and pitchers of mint-lemonade; then you should head to this no-frills North Miami joint where owner Itzik  Younis has been presiding over a menu of Israeli classics for almost 20 years. With the clatter of complimentary small salads (pickles, beets , carrots, chickpeas, coleslaw, and corn) that hit the table the minute you sit down, the experience is the closest you’ll get to Tel Aviv in Dade County.

Must try: The “hummus foul” is the closest dish you’ll get that mimics the fast-casual lunch of Israel’s hummus-only restaurants (also called “hummusiyas”). The large platter of chickpea dip is doused with stewed fava beans and topped with a healthy serving of tahini and a hard boiled egg along side with their thick pita bread.

By Sara Liss, contributing writer

Check out the latest dining news and events, all happening in Miami this week

Italian Bubbles + Brunch at Cibo Wine Bar

Here is this week’s Miami food news:

Wednesday, July 2: Summer Sweets Cooking Class at Plant Miami
Head to Plant Miami {105 NE 24 Street, Wynwood; 305.814.5365} and learn how to create healthy, delicious sweets that are raw, gluten-free, and free from processed sugar. Led by Chef Carla Martins, this workshop will teach guests how to make gourmet desserts like White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, Passionfruit Mousse, Blueberry Pie, and Mango Lime Parfait. The class will run from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Participation is priced at $125 per person and includes all necessary equipment, ingredients, recipes, an apron to be worn during class, and printed educational materials that students can take home.

Thursday, July 4: Independence Day at Morton’s The Steakhouse
Celebrate the Fourth of July with a special Power Hour at Morton’s The Steakhouse {2333 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Coral Gables; 305.442.1662}. From 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., head to the bar and get beer, wine, and cocktails priced at $5.50, $8.50, and $9.50, respectively. Select bar bites will be priced between $7 and $9 per dish.

Sunday, July 7: Italian Bubbles & Brunch at Cibo Wine Bar Coral Gables
Head to Cibo Wine Bar Coral Gables {45 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables; 305.442.4925} for its standing Sunday brunch! Every Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., get a buffet brunch for $39 per person, excluding tax and gratuity, and reduced-priced Champagne.

Happy dining!

By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor