Meet Your Miami Food Blogger is back, with a very special start to 2013 featuring who is perhaps the closest there is to a real food critic in our beloved Miami: Mr. Frodnesor from the www.foodforthoughtmiami.com blog.

His posts are insightful and always informative to read. He also commands the Miami Underground dining movement Cobaya together with The Chowfather and SteveBM.

Enjoy his interview,

Gj: How long have you been blogging about food?

F: It will be four years this month.

Gj: Where does your passion for food come from?

F: My parents were good enough to bring my sister and I on trips to Europe at a fairly young age and we were in restaurants a lot. Not necessarily super-fancy places, but it was exciting to order dishes when you didn’t know what they were – and sometimes, anyway, I’d find something great. Plus, it used to gross my sister out whenever I’d eat anything “cute” – duck, lamb, veal – and that was the ideal motivation to try different things.

Gj: What is the best meal you’ve ever had?

F: It’s difficult to pick, but it might be the lunch I had at Asador Etxebarri in the Spanish Basque Country a few years ago. Everything at Etxebarri is done on a charcoal grill, the chef sources fantastic ingredients from nearby and around Spain, and cooks them perfectly.

Gj: What is your favorite restaurant in the whole world?

F: I always struggle to pick “favorites,” and I’m breaking my own “Fight Club” rule here by mentioning it, but Sushi Deli (a/k/a Japanese Market) probably fits the bill. I’ve been going there for years, it’s only a couple miles from my house, I’m there nearly every week, and every time Chef Michio serves me something wonderful. I can’t think of any other place that has so consistently made me happy.

Gj: If you could live in another food city which would it be

F: Of the cities I’ve been to: San Sebastian, Spain. From modest tapas bars to Michelin three-stars, it is a gastronomic paradise. Of those I’ve not yet been to: Tokyo – I think I could eat very well there.

Gj: What can’t you go on a week without eating?

F: Lately, it’s the ramen at Momi Ramen. I’m mental for it, especially the takana nameko ramen.

Gj: Name one ingredient we will always find in your fridge

F: Butter. Currently, it’s this Minerva Dairy Amish butter that is ridiculously good on just about anything.

Gj: If you could add a restaurant to Miami which one would it be and why

F: I’d bring back Talula, Andrea Curto and Frank Randazzo’s place on the Beach. I’d bring back their sous chef Kyle Foster, too.

Gj: Which pop-up would you like to see come to town?

F: This is something I’m often actively involved in through Cobaya, so I’d hate to give away any surprises.

Gj: Who’s your favorite local chef

F: That’s kind of like asking which is your favorite child – even if I had one, I couldn’t answer without getting in trouble. But honestly, what makes me happy is not just one chef, but Miami’s community of chefs. For years Michael Schwartz and Michelle Bernstein deservedly have been the king and queen of Miami’s dining scene, but lately there’s much more: Kevin Cory’s impeccable bento boxes and sushi at Naoe, Micah Edelstein’s whimsy at Nemesis, Gabe Fenton’s great work at Bourbon Steak, Giorgio Rapicavoli’s playful food at Eating House, Josh Marcus’s new-school old-school deli, young talent like Brad Kilgore, plus lots more.

Gj: Do you cook and if so where did you learn

F: I’m an infrequent but enthusiastic cook. I picked up some basics from my parents, but most of my cooking is self-taught from books and TV (back in the day of the “dump and stir” cooking shows).

Gj: What’s your favorite cookbook

F: I don’t actually look up recipes from it regularly, but the Zuni Cafe cookbook may be the one that has most influenced my home cooking. Judy Rodgers does a great job of describing cooking techniques, and of providing vivid descriptions of the sensations of cooking – the sounds, the smells, the visual clues to look for. My basic reference book is the James Beard Cookbook. I find myself using several recipes out of the Momofuku book often because they’re so simple and effective, like his “quick pickles” and the salt and sugar rubbed pork for his bo ssam. Anya von Bremzen’s New Spanish Table has some great tapas recipes.

Gj: What’s your favorite food related book

F: I really love the Oishinbo series of Japanese comics that were republished in a series of compilations with English translations. The “story” is about a journalist/gourmand whose newspaper commissions him to create the “Ultimate Menu” – and along the way it provides great insights into many aspects of Japanese cuisine. I seriously have learned more about Japanese food from these comics than any other source. I only recently “discovered” Jim Harrison, whose collection “The Raw and the Cooked” is just some great, gutsy, poetic food writing.

Gj: One food trend you would like to see dissapear

F: How about food trends generally? I’d love to see more chefs who look to do their own thing and find their own voice, rather than just try to latch on to the latest trend. Sure it’s harder, and it’s riskier, but potentially so much more rewarding.

Gj: Favorite drink Alcoholic and non alcoholic

F: For hard liquor, I’m primarily a bourbon drinker. Other than a well-made old fashioned or a gin and tonic, I’m not usually big on cocktails, though I could drink the Sonny Rollins at Michael’s Genuine all day and night, and had a really nice pisco based barrel-aged cocktail my last visit to The Dutch. But I like wine at least as much if not more, especially from the Rhone and Burgundy, and pinots and syrahs from Sonoma and Anderson Valley. Non-alcoholic? Water.

This week I had the pleasure of spending a few days inside the Fontainebleau which gave me the opportunity to sweep their “Imports” trifecta, and found a great Dim Sum place in Pembroke Pines.

Impressive is the word that first comes to mind to describe the vast array of well known, out-of-town Chefs, restaurateurs and restaurant Groups that have over the past few years graced Miami with their established presences. Daniel Boulud, Andrew Carmellini, Jose Andres, Jean Georges Vongerichten, Michael Mina, Scott Connant, Makoto Okuwa, Laurent Tourondel, Alfred Portale, Danny Meyer, Hung Huynh, Zuma and Hakkasan and the most notable “Imports”, most of which I have had the pleasure to try. These “Imports” are located almost in their entirety within large hotels, for what I’m assuming are strictly restaurant business industry reasons. Large hotels probably have the deep pockets to fund large-scale concepts, backed up by the default clientele from tourists and business visitors. The well established name from out of town provides the incentive for the locals to have in their own backyard food from star chefs otherwise hundreds of miles away.

Three of these imports are located within the largest, most opulent hotel in town, the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach. Scarpetta, Hakkasan and Gotham Steak offer the hotel’s visitors a wide arrange of culinary offerings to make sure no palate goes unfulfilled. I recently spent almost 3 days at the Fointainebleau for work reasons and it provided me the perfect opportunity to catch up with these three restaurants, two of which I hadn’t been before. Below are my impressions.

Scarpetta: My favorite of the three, Scott Connant’s second location out of a total of 4 opened in 2008 and has since been subject to great accolade. Easily one of the best Italian restaurants in town, a fail proof place where you can either go simple and have a really good pasta dish, of you can splurge and go for the Chef’s tasting menu. The bread basket includes a nice warm selection including ciabatta and an irresistible tasty salami filled roll. I had their signature “three ingredient” pasta which consists of spaghetti with tomato sauce and basil. Nothing more, nothing less, and a dish that quiet possibly has no competition in the three ingredient category (apart for Blue Collar’s Juicy Burger and Josh’s Deli’s Corned Beef on Rye of course). Worth the drive, the valet parking, the walk to the restaurant alone. Other pasta dishes also worked, lamb with minted bread crumbs, seafood Scialatelli, and overall a great level of service and ambiance. This is the best place to go eat inside the fortress that is the Fointainebleau in my opinion.

Three Ingredient Magic

Hakkasan: Silver medal for me, only because I guess the older you get the less you appreciate restaurants that aim to be more like nightclubs than places of food worship. From the minute you get there you understand this place is not aimed at culinary enthusiasts, but rather at champagne popping night owls. The bar was crammed with young adults sipping martinis and discussing the next best way to burn cash. If this place doesn’t have a dress code, it should have no problem implementing one since everyone there seems to be under the impression there is one. The food, my main interest of course was good. No complaints, just plain and simple straight up commercial Asian flare perfectly executed and served as you would expect from such a successful institution (they have recently opened in New York and San Francisco). A crispy duck salad was particularly enjoyable and well seasoned, and the ribs were fall of the bone, sticky and sweet. Shrimp dishes were nicely paired with sesame and almond, and the crab and squid dishes, although a bit greasy, had great flavor. Given my recent discoveries of Silver Palace and China Pavillion (see below), I probably wouldn’t drive all the way to Miami Beach for my next Chinese fix. But if for any reason I need to throw a party in the near future, this place will definitely be at the top of my list.

Gotham Steak: I have been to Gotham in New York and it is, without a question, one of the great NYC classics when it comes to fine dining (it goes back 27 years). This younger sibling in the form of a steakhouse has the finesse on the menu from Mr. Portale, reflected in the delicate porcini ravioli and the spanish octopus with summer squash, orzo, chorizo, pimento aioli that started us off. Steak selection is ample, and is well balanced with seafood options for the non-carnivorous. My steak was perfectly cooked but slightly salty, and unfortunately my creamed spinach side seemed more like wilted spinach with just milk added. The difficult thing for Gotham Steak I guess is that is not only has it some tough competition “in house” from Scarpetta and Hakkasan, it also has some even tougher competition in the steakhouse category a few yards up the road with 1500 degrees at the Eden Rock, and a few miles South with places like blt and Red.

Overall some great options inside the Fontainebleau, people staying there can’t complain and could probably spend a good few days there without having to leave. Us locals are lucky to have such great “Imports” to choose from should one desire.

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My recent hunger for great Chinese food landed me at China Pavillion Dim Sum restaurant in Pembroke Pines. How did I end up there? You may recall how I ended up at Silver Palace, by asking the only Chinese person in town I knew of course, and it was right there where, through a candid conversation with the Chinese family at the table next to us, that China Pavillion came up. Next thing I know we were driving up there on a Sunday at noon.

The place, as was Silver Palace, was packed with Chinese folk, a welcome sign. We were, once again, the only Westerners in the room. Ordering was guided thanks to a pen and pencil system supported by a very useful and very graphic guide of all the dim sum available. People always ask, did they have carts? Which I don’t see the point of, if the dim sum is great what difference does it make if it is rolled out on a cart or brought to you straight from the kitchen? I still don’t get it.

There are seventy one Dim Sum options on the menu between, puffs, dumplings, rolls, pastes, noodles and puddings.

The few options I went for where more on the safe side, shrimp dumplings, pork buns, deep fried shrimp, and some incredible sweet, fluffy “puffs” filled with sweet and sour pork that were my favorites. The shrimp had great flavor, palatable from the soft dumplings. One needs to go here and have the pork buns to understand why the newer Miami Asian restaurants attempting to do pork buns are so criticized. All the fillings where delicious, pork, duck, shrimp.

Puffy Porky Goodness

There are plenty of options for the more adventurous, as are the well know chicken feet. I may dive further into the deep end on my next visit which will be very soon. I loved this place. I had read many people’s comments on social media sites about how dreadful the service was but my ladies were great. Maybe I got lucky. Well worth the drive and I hope one of the local dim sum experts (are you reading this Ed?) makes the trip there soon so I can be proven wrong.

See you next week

Gj

This week I had Korean sweetbreads at Michy’s, ate what is probably the best pizza in South Florida, and finally made it to La Latina.

Perhaps I’m mistaken, but I have only but recently noticed a few American restaurants dwelling into the Far East with a few dishes that explore flavors from Asian countries. If it’s not anything new and I am indeed mistaken, I, in any case , welcome such risk taking and have liked the few items I’ve recently tasted. The nice thing is that it is just one or two dishes from a menu of perhaps 25-30 items, so it’s not a disastrous Epcot center type attempt at including all continents on your menu, as so many places have failed miserably at. I recall a not so far distant experience at a restaurant that shall remain unnamed where I could count at least 7 different countries on the menu, spanning 4 continents. Pasta, Hoummus, Sushi, Onion Soup?

Michy’s needs no introduction. It has firmly consolidated itself as one of the best restaurants in town and a recent visit reassured so. The place was humming and a crowd was gathered at the bar waiting to be seated, so Miami’s love for Mrs. Bernstein remains intact. I took some friends from out of town and everyone was happy with their starters, which included the succulent egg and truffle polenta, a deliciously prepared foie gras and an interesting Burrata with a greater beet than tomato content (it works). My starter and what led me to this post was sweetbreads that had been deepfried and placed inside lettuce wraps with some Kimchi, “Korean Style”. The spice was there and made for a welcome distinction to her traditional new american menu.

Korean Sweetbreads

The main courses were are winners. I couldn’t resist ordering the braised short rib, which I have always unequivocally ordered there and I always refuse to order something else. I simply haven’t found a better braised short rib in town. Hopefully one day I will find that recipe somewhere. The pasta dishes were also nicely and slightly changed from previous versions, which makes the menu appealing for regulars. The steak frites was spot on as always.

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Everyone loves pizza right? I certainly do and ever since local pizza lover The Chowfather announced he had discovered the best pizza in South Florida at Oceano Pizzeria in Lantana, I’ve been wanting to check it out. Their pizza really has no option, it really has to be the best in the State because it’s one tough fish to catch. It only opens a few hours a day, from 5.30 pm until they “run out of ingredients”, which depends of course on how many pizzas are ordered; this can be anything in between 3-5 hours. Specially if you are driving up from Miami, make sure you get there early, close to opening time, because the other factor to take into consideration is that locals adore this place and by 6pm you may find yourself having to wait at least one hour for a table (the place is small). The artisan, hand crafted, attention to detail nature of of the ellaboration, by the chef and owner using his single brick oven also makes the amazing pies come out at a rate of one, maybe two at a time, which adds time to the process. It’s a labour of love thing, depending on your luck. We got there at 6.30pm on a Saturday and left at 9.30pm, so if you add the two hours from a roundtrip drive it can become a 5 hour deal, but it IS worth it. The pizza dough is soft in the middle with smoked crust outside, the acute slivers of tomato sauce and the homemade mozzarella pair nicely with delicately oiled basil leaves. They have a serious combination of traditional and more adventourous toppings, all sourced localy and freshly prepared on the day (nothing makes it to the next day). They also offer some dishes outside of their pizza of which we tried a few and they were quite nice, specially a pulled pork on toast with creamy fondue and watercress.

Regular Cheese Pizza

If you are a true pizza lover, go there soon but plan to go early. If you just like pizza make sure you stop by Lantana next time you take a road trip up North.

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Finally this week I also got to try La Latina, the Venezuelan food spot in midtown. I’m going to be biased here, but properly biased since I should know right? Well I do, and one of the main reasons I don’t eat arepas outside my house here in Miami is because my experiences have been dreadful, as if the arepas were made by someone that is neither from Venezuela nor knows how to cook.

Until now. La Latina benefits from the fact that it is owned and run by Venezuelans, and by some Venezuelans with good taste and appreciation for flavour. They are quite the innovators too, allowing you to order from the comfort of your own computer or phone. The dough of the arepas is soft, and the outside slightly crunchy. As it should be. The empanadas dough has a slight sweet taste, which throws them in the Andean region and make them taste even better. The fillings, equally as important as the arepa itself and well seasoned and finely selected. I particularly enjoyed what they did with their signature arepa, combining gouda with avocado and bacon. The sides and other menu items were also very tasty and aim to please any type of appetite. Tequeños are a must, specially dipped in Hot sauce, and the plantain baskets filled with chicken are a delightful single bite.

La Latina Arepa

They are open late (5am) on Fridays and Saturdays which is handy given the proximity to a few well known watering holes, because as you may or not know there is nothing better than being drunk at 3am and having a couple of Catira arepas (not that I would know, but I’ve heard).

See you next week

Gj

This week I experienced how great french fries got even greater, went to the Paul Kahan pop-up at Harry’s pizzeria, visited Momi Ramen and was magnificently larded at 1500 degrees.

Can you take something great and make it Greater? Daniel Serfer can. The man behind Blue Collar, one of my favorite places to eat in town always manages to impress with either something new on his menu, a new twist on an old favorite, or a combination of both. This week I went there for brunch, and upon ordering what is my favorite burger in town, I was impressed by the greater outside crisp and inside softness of the french fries. These were already great, probably best in town, but this was another level. Danny explained it was consequence of hand cutting them, something costly but probably worth it. Hopefully this will become a Blue Collar fixed feature, and if not I will probably volunteer to hand cut mine on the spot next time I go there. Potato heaven.

Real Juicy Cheeseburger

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By now if you a) live in Miami and b) like great food and are not attending the amazing pop-ups that the Genuine Hospitality Group (Michael’s Genuine, Harry’s Pizzeria, Cypress Room) are organizing, you’re missing out. Missing out big. I have attended 4 of these now, and in all my posts I have said the same thing, so I won’t beat that drum again. Miss them at your own risk. This particular one was another walkaway and included all the known ingredients: exposure to an award winning chef from out of town, fantastic limitless food and a great environment set-up to share with a great group of people, most of which were familiar faces.

Paul Kahan is probably to Chicago what Michael Schwartz is to Miami, a genre creator, an influencer, a gradual empire builder of which locals are immensely proud. His restaurants in Chicago include Blackbird, The Publican, avec, and Publican Quality Meats, the latter being the subject matter of the night’s pop-up. The appetizers included a creamy chicken liver pate on crostini topped with “agridolce” chilies, taleggio cheese focaccia with truffles and a Florida fish crudo. A blood sausage followed and was one of the highlights of the night, beautifully crafted and paired with squid, the kind of surf n’ turf I really like. A pork loin was moist and tender, benefiting from fatty olives and the acid in the green’s vinaigrette.

Paul Kahan

The pasta course was right down my alley, since I have a thing for seafood pasta dishes made crunchy with breadcrumbs and made spicy with chilies. The lamb shoulder for main course had immense depth of flavor and the selection of sides was its best ally: generously creamed escarole and polenta with olive oil preserved mushrooms. For dessert we had some individual sized pannetone french toast style coated in sugar that when dipped in the preserved lemon custard made you wish you could ask for a doggie bag so you could repeat at breakfast.

The food standard at these events is very high and a lot of dedication and preparation goes into them. Nothing is improvised, chefs fly in for a reconnaissance visit to scout local produce a month in advance and work the menu from there. Invited chefs bring in an extra pair of hands from their exec teams, and the entire top rank of the Genuine kitchen is always there, as are the rest of the members of the Genuine hospitality group team. I hate to sound like a broken record, but you should all go to these, even if it means having to skip eating out in South Beach a few times to make room in your budget. All things considered, there is no match in terms of value for these pop-up dinners at Harry’s. Once again thank you Michael Schwartz & Co. for pulling these off.

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Over the last two years of madness in restaurant openings that Miami has experienced, there have been a few places that upon simple entry have made me feel as if I were somewhere else. The bar at Yardbird on opening week had that effect on me, packed with young, tattooed, cool looking hipsters drinking off colorful marmalade jars. Combined with the industrial wood intense ample space made me think “is this Miami Beach?”. The outdoor terrace of Mandolin has a similar effect on me, making me believe for brief periods of time I’m somewhere close to the Mediterranean.

Perhaps it was the influence of a rarely cold and gray winter day for Miami, but my first visit to Momi Ramen made me feel again as if I were somewhere else. It’s a small, but impeccably built place and the food lives up to the hype that has quickly surrounded this Brickell newcomer. There aren’t many choices on the menu at Momi, but you don’t need them. The pork belly ramen I had was so good I could go back and have that same dish every time and probably never get tired of it. The chef has put in the years way out East, so he should know; good for him and good for you too. No Western interpretation here. This is how ramen should be. The ‘extra’ spice, nicely placed on the side consists of an oil marinated tiny green Chile, finely chopped making it easy for you to control how hot you like your bowl. Again, this is the real deal, so please, no ordering diet coke. You won’t get it in any case, since sake and beer are the only drinks available, and it’s what you should have. I went for a crispy cold Hiko’s dry and I couldn’t have asked for a better pairing.

Pork Belly Tonkkotsu Ramen

Glad to see Brickell add such an interesting and great food place to its otherwise inauthentic food scene.

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Finally, I recently went back to one of my favorites, 1500 degrees at the Eden Roc and am happy to report it continues to be as great as when it opened almost two years ago. I took some Spanish restaurateur friends that were in town and they were pleased and impressed. Meat temperatures were flawless, tender and seasoned well. Sides also winners, particularly the Carolina rice grits with chorizo.

The one new great thing I had though, and is something I hadn’t seen on the menu before, was a La Quercia cured lardo, local tomato spread “crostini”. It was similar to the Pan Tumaca from Spain, grilled bread with tomato (heirloom tomato from Teena’s Pride Homestead Florida) rubbed on it. Lardo is made by curing strips of fatback with herbs and spices and La Quercia is an Iowa based maker of some of the best salumi in the country. Are you salivating yet? The lardo slices are placed on top of the crusty bread with tomato and is lightly placed under a broiler, making it surrender and turn kind of into melted cheese. I need not say more. One of the best bites so far this year.

La Quercia Lardo Crostini

See you next week,

Gj

This week I found a pretty decent Chinese restaurant, finally made it to Juvia and tried design district newcomer Oak Tavern.

A lot of debate has been going on about the state of Chinese restaurants in Miami recently on the twitterverse. Ho made someone nauseous recently, Tropical is no longer what is used to be, so on and so forth. So I recently asked my tennis club’s manager, which happens to have chinese heritage, a simple question: “where does your family eat?” And she mentioned two places: Silver Palace and South Garden. I decided to visit the former recently and both me and my guests were pretty satisfied. On first impression upon arrival we suspected we had a winner in our hands, since the place was packed and we were the only Western eyed. The place is no shiny silver cup, so you may not want to choose it for a first date (or for any date for that matter). But if you’re craving some real authentic Chinese, this is the place. The menu is quite extensive and includes all the classic items, the egg rolls, the wontons, the crab rangoons, plus many rice, vegetable and protein options. All conveniently numbered so the ordering is easier with your very friendly but not-so-fluent in english waitress. A couple of staple dishes seem to be quite popular, the roast duck and the whole fried fish, the latter innocently swimming in a tank at the back of the room waiting to be caught with a fishnet right after being ordered! Which in its on right is a spectacle worth alone the trip to Kendall.

The egg rolls were not as greasy as I was expecting them to be, and had a decent amount of filling. Fried wontons were excessive and probably not worth ordering, just a mountain of the deep fried doughs with a super sweet red sauce next to them. Egg drop soup was hot, savory and gelatinous as expected.

The special fried rice was spot on, with right amounts of pork and vegetables. The sweet n sour chicken was too sweet for my taste but tender inside. The roast duck was the highlight, with crispy skin and chunky breast pieces, neatly presented on a large plate with allowed for drippings to accumulate, which served as superb dipping matter.

Fortune cookies and a ridiculously cheap check (30$) made for a nice ending.

On a side note, the man on the table next to us (Chinese of course) affirmed Silver Palace was indeed the best, but for Dim Sum he suggested China Pavillion, so soon we shall be wandering up north to find out all about it.

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Next, I finally made it to Juvia. Can’t believe it had been so long specially since I’ve known Laurent (Cantineaux, one of the executive chefs) since the Atlantique days back in Caracas, a place where I was always well fed. We went “carte blanche” and had Laurent send us his best selection, which consisted of about 10 plates. The starters were mostly raw fish dishes which had been nicely paired with either a delicate sauce or a combination of herbs and vegetables, or in the case of my favorite, the hamachi, a spicy foam. That hamachi dish was special, particularly given my fondness for all things hot, and unexpectedly hot. From the second round of plates I enjoyed the chino oyster, helped by a nice crunch from crispy onion slivers and a tangy black bean sauce; a prawn dish with the classic peruvian style aji amarillo sauce lacked seasoning but made up with a cilantro kick and sweetness from potato. Another peruvian inspired dish, the Causa croquette was a pleasure to eat since it combined the deep fried main character with tuna “bacon” and more of that great aji amarillo sauce.

From the mains, the scallops with broccolini, mushrooms and capers were great, as was the chilean sea bass, quiet a generous filet I must admit and cleverly paired with maple glazed eggplants and palm heart “strings”. The pig confit was moist and nicely topped with crispy skin, both rectangular pieces on a puddle of honey ginger glaze.

A great baba rum finished us off , its advantage to my favorite from Buena Vista Deli probably lying in its undetectable spice contained within the delicate syrup at the bottom of the plate.

There is nothing new I can say about Juvia that hasnt been said. Yes it is probably the restaurant with the best view in Miami, yes it is indeed expensive and the food, which I found to be very good, has some tough competition eastbound and westbound. But it’s a great place and I’m sure everyone can find that special occasion to go and celebrate there once or twice a year. A great addition to the culinary graveyard that is Lincoln road no doubt.

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Oak Tavern opened recently in the Design District and after a couple of visits it has gained my respect. The place is nicely done, with large indoor and outdoor dining areas you wouldn’t expect from the low key entrance on 40th street. The outdoor terrace has a large Oak tree in the middle which is decorated by some red paper lamps which make it a beatiful sight and setting at night. This is the place to bring that first date, not Silver Palace!

Behind it is David Bracha, a New York chef/restauranteur with more than 20 years of career in Miami, and mostly know to all for his popular River Oyster & Seafood restaurant in Downtown.

The menu is bold and extensive, aiming to tease every desire. It includes the famous oysters from River plus a series of crudo dishes, a charcuterie section most of which is homemade, wood oven pizzas, small plates and large plates. Flavors range from Asian to Europe and back home to America without hesitation.

I ordered a pizza with a little skepticism since my favorite in town was a stone throw away (Harry’s). I was pleasantly surprised, the outside crust and insides resembling the Neapolitan style pizzas you can’t get in town.

All of the small plates had great combination of flavor and presentation. The scallops were seared to perfection and beautifully wrapped in bacon and sided with lentils, the octopus chargrilled nicely and paired with chickpeas. A bison carpaccio benefited from crispy shiitakes and truffle based aioli, and a beet salad was beautifully seasoned and came along with soft creamy goat cheese. Fava beans were gorgeous, with fatty duck prosciutto and a perfectly poached egg sitting atop a crispy baguette slice. The pastas were also a hit, one creamy and with decent pieces of cod, another with sea urchin and shaved bottarga.

On my second visit for lunch I ventured east, and tried the crispy thai fish salad and the Bahn Mi. Again with hesistation, since you wouldn’t expect Asian food to be included in what seems to be a modern American food restaurant, but I can say they worked. The salad had a powerful spicy punch which was balanced with the sweetness in the dressing and the cherry tomatoes plus the softness of the flaky crispy white fish. I’m no expert when it comes to Bahn Mi, but this one tasted great. The pork belly and foie gras really came through, and the benefited from the crunch from the vegetables.

On my second visit I also tried their homemade charcuterie, which was fine but slightly dry for my taste. Fish croquettes were great and a bacon marmalade crostini was sweet, creamy and crunchy to the bite; a winner.

The service was great on both occasions, the wine and beer selection plentiful, including one of my favorites, White Rascal. Desserts are simple but satisfying.

A great option in the Design District for lunch or dinner.

Gj

The next classic reviewed with Chef Joshua Marcus of Josh’s Deli and Chef Daniel Serfer of Blue Collar is a fantastic, almost 20 year old Italian American restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale.

Name: Cafe Martorano

Location: 3343 E Oakland Park Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308

Guest Reviewer: Chef Brandon Whitestone

Verdict: Go

Kodak Moments

Ever since I’ve known Danny Serfer he’s been telling me Cafe Martorano is the best restaurant in all Florida, so when we decided to start the Classics reviews, this had to be one of the very first. Danny should know, being a local boy and having been to probably every classic restaurant in Miami Dade/Broward you could think of.

Despite there being a sister Martorano’s closer to Miami, at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood, Danny insisted we needed to go to the original one, located on Oakland Park Blvd in Ft. Lauderdale. Quite a drive for just dinner if you’re in Miami, but well worth it and hence its inclusion in our reviews list. It is indeed quite possibly one of the best classic restaurants around.

Upon arrival, Cafe Martorano gives the impression it’s part restaurant/part nightclub and rightly so: we didn’t get to stay late enough to witness it firsthand but I understand after 10pm there is some serious DJ action going on and things get funky.

It is no secret that restaurants that offer extended hours club like entertainment are the cash cows of the industry, the Taos, the STKs, the Buddha Bars of this world. But it is also not a secret that the food at these places is commercial and lacking personality, which is ok for these places and their crowds. Apart from Andres Carne de Res in Bogota, I have never had a meal I can remember at a place where there was music past midnight and above 100 decibels. Cafe Martorano may very well be another exception to this rule, since the food is indeed outstanding.

Steve Martorano is the owner and executive chef behind the South Philly inspired Italian cuisine, paying tribute to his origins. He started out selling sandwiches from his apartment in Philadelphia and in 1993 he opened the Cafe on Oakland Park Blvd. The menu is extensive and has a great combination of classic, popular Italian dishes and a wide range of proteins to suit every taste. Martorano doesn’t make his own pasta, he proudly uses an exclusive brand of the dry type, but the execution and the fact that it is boiled to order puts to shame many restaurants in Miami that lure customers with the “we make our own pasta” song. His tomato sauces are all made with D.O.P. (Denominazione d’ Origine Protetta) San Marzano tomatos .

There are more that 20 options to kick you off, between the Antipasti and his classics and salads. There are even a few choices for the adventurous type, like tripe and pigs’ feet / skin. The mozzarella, one of the highlights of the meal, is made in house and was probably as good as the best I have ever had, at Torrisi up in NYC. Although tripe is not my cup of tea, the succulent tomato sauce made it quite delicious. We also tried the mortadella spread, made with bologna and served with crispy baguette slices that have been smeared with olive oil. Its the sort of stuff you wish your mom had when you were a kid to send you in that lunchbox. The meatballs, one of the Martorano classics, were soft and had a robust herb presence; the salad they are combined with and the ricotta make up an amazing bite. The other classic we tasted was the Philly cheesesteak, and one you take a bite into it, it all comes clear; if selling these puppies is how Martorano started making a living for himself, its no surprise he’s been so successful. I believe this is probably his main business card, what better way to portray his origins. The bread is crunchy and fatty and the contents are screaming with hot, gooey flavor.

The mains include 13 different pasta dishes and 10 main protein large plates. Our emphasis was on the pastas, and we tried the bucatini carbonara, / Amatriciana and the clams fettuccine. The balance between sauce and pasta was perfect, the “al dente” not just a sales pitch on the menu. Protein contents were just right, and I’m happy to say my recent disappointment with pasta dishes in Miami was happily overcome. If there is a place to eat pasta, this is it.

A word on the service: Cafe Martorano is run like a ship, a tight ship. The food arrived quickly and the dirty plates disappear even quicker. No glass has the chance to breath empty, and so swift is the service that when the veal Parmigiana arrived, I couldn’t even take a picture of it since our waiter already knew we where sharing. He divided it in four equal pieces in a second, and of course my patrons waited no time for me to point and shoot. It was delicious by the way. Another winner.

For dessert we had a cannoli (of course) and a waffle? Odd choice for dessert but Danny was in waffle mode. The plate decor seemed too party themed with color sprinkles and smarties spread around, but the bites immediately dissipate any negativity your eyes might have created for you. A great ending to a great meal.

Gj

This week I went to the brand new Khong River House , I took a good friend of mine on a 6 hour Miami Layover and I finally made it to Pincho Factory.