The internets were abuzz yesterday after WPLG's Dirty Dining blog took a stroll down Giralda in the Gables and found plenty of health code violations.

There's the usual stuff, like grease accumulation on the floor of Randazzo's (which is probably more of a hazard to the cooks than to diners), a few dead roaches at Archie's Gourmet Pizza, which might make us think twice about eating at these places but probably won't compel us to avoid it altogether. But here's what really angered us, from the entry for Las Vegas:

“Identity of food product misrepresented. selling SWAI for GROUPER”

A stroll down Giralda. Part 1 [Dirty Dining]
The Cooler [South Florida Daily Blog]
Dirty Dining Series Takes on Giralda Ave. [Coral Gables]

Photo: Dirty Dining

There will, of course, be sushi and cocktails for those who aren't quite so flexible, and all of the bar proceeds will benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade. The party starts at 7 p.m. and is RSVP only; today's your last chance to call 305-864-3434 x105 to reserve a spot.

RA Sushi Grand Opening [All Purpose Dark]
RA Sushi [MenuPages]
RA Sushi [Official Site]

Photo, of the Viva Las Vegas roll at RA Sushi: jellybeanjill13/flickr

Quick. Glance at the new menu at Chef Allen's. What's the first thing that comes to mind? For us, we thought of Michael's Genuine Food & Drink — maybe it's just that the first word on the menu is "snacks," but the structure is similar. Once you get past the snacks section, you realize of course that the menus are completely different. But that's just the first thing that came to mind.

The most obvious difference between the old and new menus is the lack of a regular tasting menu. Perhaps the tasting menu had fallen out of favor with diners, or maybe it's a result of the economic slowdown; diners are less likely to splurge on a tasting menu. As far as prices go, Chef Allen has kept them very reasonable; the new streamlined menu likely helps to keep costs down.

The self-professed new focus is local, sustainable seafood, of which there's plenty on the menu. That said, there's also some non-local options like swordfish, Maine lobster and yellowfin tuna.

What do you think of the new menu?

New Chef Allen's Menu
Chef Allen's [MenuPages]
Chef Allen's [Official Site]

La Marea is one of our favorite South Beach spots, so we'll definitely be checking out this Happy Hour, which includes $8 limoncello popsicle martinis, $5 beer & wine and a complimentary tapas sampler with the first round of drinks. TGIF!

La Marea [MenuPages]
La Marea [Official Site]

We were just going through some Herald stories and found one we'd missed from earlier this week about the murder of one of the Che Sopranos Pizza & Pasta owners. Maximiliano DeVita, who founded the Italian-Argentine restaurants with his brother Leandro, was killed after a dispute with an 80-year-old neighbor.

DeVita owned a unit at 7625 Harding Ave. in North Beach, and recently rented it to a new tenant.

[Orlando] Alonso, who neighbors said had a history of harassing residents, refused to allow the tenant to move in, DeVita's friends and family said.

The new tenant called DeVita to complain. His wife, Valeria DeVita, dropped her husband off at the apartment while delivering food to clients Friday night.

''DeVita knocked on [Alonso's] door in order to talk to him about harassing his tenant,'' according to a Miami Beach police report.

Alonso, a retiree with no criminal past in Florida, grabbed his .38 caliber revolver and answered the door.

He later told police that DeVita ``began insulting him verbally.''

According to police, Alonso walked away, tossed the gun on the sofa and put on a pair of shorts.

But DeVita continued insulting him, Alonso said, making him so angry he picked the gun back up.

He squeezed off one round, according to police. ``He observed Mr. DeVita dropped to the walkway and [Alonso] shut the front door and purposely did not call 911.''

All three Che Sopranos locations are staying open despite the tragedy.

Condo clash ends in killing [Miami Herald]
Che Sopranos Pizza & Pasta [MenuPages]
Che Sopranos Pizza & Pasta [Official Site]

Michael's Genuine Food & Drink isn't participating in Miami Spice, but that doesn't mean the restaurant isn't joining in the prix-fixe fun. From Sunday, August 3 until Tuesday, September 30, the restaurant will offer prix-fixe lunch and dinner specials of $22 and $35, respectively. The catch — it's not available on Fridays and Saturdays. We've included the menu after the jump.

Michael's Genuine Food & Drink [MenuPages]
Michael's Genuine Food & Drink [Official Site]

Continue reading "Michael's Genuine Joins In the Prix-Fixe Fun" »

Looks like Palm Restaurant, one of the original Merrick Park tenants, has closed up, according to an article in today's Herald:

The Palm, the swanky steak house that adorned its walls with caricatures of celebrities like tennis star Pete Sampras, singer Jewel and Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle (pictured), has called it quits in Coral Gables.

One of the original Village at Merrick Park restaurants, The Palm served its last meal on Sunday, the company's Washington, D.C., headquarters confirmed.

Since The Palm opened in October 2002, Fleming's and Morton's had joined it on the Gables steak-house scene along with veterans Ruth's Chris and Christy's. Service continues at The Palm's longtime Bay Harbor Islands restaurant, according to a manager there. The chain has more than two dozen locations nationwide.

Gables Palm is gone [Miami Herald]
Palm Restaurant [MenuPages]
Palm Restaurant [Official Site]

Photo: mag3737/flickr

Abokado in Mary Brickell Village has gotten a reputation for being a bit too pricey, and we’re guessing that’s behind the restaurant’s initiative to offer prix-fixe deals, such as the three-course business lunch and the three-hour Abokado Social happy hour (from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.). We popped in after work on Friday to give the lower-priced happy hour menu a sampling. Select cocktails and house wine were $6 (yes, that’s first on the list—it was happy hour after all), rolls were $7, and hand rolls were $5 or $6. Also on the menu is a single Abokado Nacho—a delicious concoction of spicy tuna, avocado and cucumber served atop a deep-fried tempura shiso leaf. While this is one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant, consuming more than one Nacho tends to make people reach for the Rolaids, so we were pleased to see that a single leaf was available for ordering. In total, we had three rolls (the spicy tuna roll is amazing but hot, hot, hot!) and two drinks, and our bill came out to roughly $40. The amount is comparable to what we spend at some of our other fave sushi spots, so color us sold on Abokado Social.

A photo of the menu after the jump...

Abokado [Official Site]
Abokado [MenuPages]

Continue reading "Abokado Gets Social" »

Tobacco Road is celebrating 96 years on Monday, and in honor of the birthday, the restaurant is offering 96-cent burgers. Stop by on Monday between 11:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. for your cheap burger. You can't just show up empty-handed though; print out this page and show it to them when you get there. Keep in mind that you also have to eat it there; no cheap burger take-outs.

Tobacco Road [MenuPages]
Tobacco Road [Official Site]

Photo: RetoTo/flickr

Looks like Chef Allen's will be undergoing some renovations this week; the restaurant is closed for the rest of the month and won't re-open until August 1. According to the press release, it'll sport "a sleeker, modernized interior, including a larger bar area, a private wine room, and two party rooms." A new menu is in the works as well that will focus on locally caught sustainable fish and regional produce. All this in a week and a half? Seems ambitious.

Chef Allen's [MenuPages]
Chef Allen's [Official Site]

The Herald's got a good roundup of barbecue spots in Miami that venture away from the usual spots. (Except for Texas de Brazil. The couldn't find a better Latin-influenced barbecue joint than a humungous chain?)

We're craving the 'cue from Mama Lucy's in particular:

On Friday and Saturday evenings you'll find Lexuses, SUVs, antique convertibles and rundown pick-ups squished together in the tiny lot where people stand in line for the full slab ($21), half slab ($13) or for the regular rib sandwich ($6.50). The barbecue is a smoky, sweet, supple pork flesh doused in a rich crimson sauce bejeweled with fine black pepper dots. There's a cinnamon-y finish that leaves your fingertips smelling like a world where cholesterol is myth and caloric obsession, an abomination. The barbecue is served with a couple of slices of white bread -- a naked sponge cake for those who love the sauce just as much, (if not more than), the meat. Owner Jack Homes opened the venue 14 years ago as a tribute to the recipes of his late grandmother Lucy Palmer -- a native of Brunswick, Ga., who worked as a Miami-Dade metro bus driver for 25 years.

BBQ scene in Miami is smoking hot [Miami Herald]

Cita’s Italian Chophouse opens today in Coconut Grove. We can’t wait to try it, particularly since owner Ed Benitez is also bringing on board pastry chef Antonio Bachour (ex- of Nobu, Talula and DeVito). The Grove can pose difficulties for even the best of restaurateurs (the fabulous Christabelle’s Quarter was pitifully empty for brunch this weekend), but Benitez’s heart appears to be fully invested in the endeavor. “I wanted to create the kind of restaurant that I would visit regularly and welcome as a part of my community. I was emphatic about creating a concept where the food quality and service were absolute top-of-the-line, with an atmosphere as down-to-earth as the Grove itself,” he says. The 1,475 square foot restaurant was built out and designed by Benitez himself, who is also an avid fisherman. Cita’s will be serving premium cuts of beef, day boat fish selections and pastas made in-house daily.

These are the restaurant hours:
Dinner, Sunday – Thursday, 5 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. - midnight.
Brunch, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

If you beat us to sampling it, don’t forget to report back!

Cita's Italian Chophouse [Official Site]

We reported just yesterday that the folks behind Joley are temporarily running the restaurant at The Sagamore. But today we learned that rumor has it that its replacement will be an outpost of event empresario Barton G's restaurant. What a perfect fit — his artistic culinary creations (check out his Sashimi Snow Cones and Crispy Popcorn Shrimp) are perfectly paired to SoBe's "Art Hotel"...

The Sagamore [Official Site]
Joley Running The Restaurant At The Sagamore [MP: South Florida]
Barton G [MenuPages]
Barton G [Official Site]

We've got three new steakhouses coming our way, because clearly we have not yet had our fill of red meat. These really seem like the wrong types of places to be opening during a recession, right? Anyway, here they are:

• Morton's hasn't quite saturated the market enough, despite the recent opening of the branch in Coral Gables. A new Morton's will open up in The Crown apartment building on 40th Street and Collins Avenue on Miami Beach sometime either late this year or early next year. We imagine it'll likely be the latter. The company is also planning to open its first branch in Broward County later this year in the Broward Financial Center in Fort Lauderdale.

• BLT Steak, Laurent Tourondel's take on the American steakhouse, has chosen Miami Beach as its fifth location. It'll be located inside the Betsy Hotel. We made a couple of phone calls, but no one could give any specific information about the progress of the restaurant, except that it will be opening in the fall.

• Cita's Italian Chophouse definitely has an opening date: July 22. It's opening at 3176 Commodore Plaza in Coconut Grove. The focus, we're told, will be premium cuts of beef, fresh fish and homemade pastas. We're still working on getting a menu, but here are a few sample dishes: veal-pork-beef meatballs topped with whipped ricotta, fried basil and tomato sauce; papardelle with beef tenderloin, porcini mushrooms and wild herbs in a Cognac sauce; short ribs marinated in Barolo for 24 hours before being braised topped with whipped ricotta; and for dessert, something called chocolate sabotage, a sampling of five chocolate desserts.

A tipster who chatted up Chef John Suley of at the mango festival last weekend let us know that Grand Crew Restaurant Group, the company behind Cafe Joley and Joley Restaurant is currently running the restaurant in the old Social spot. So we called up the hotel and got confirmation; Grand Crew is in there temporarily, until the hotel can find a more permanent tenant. In the meantime, it's going by the name of the Sagamore Restaurant.

UPDATE: We just received a copy of the menu. Looks like it's just a $38 three-course prix fixe. Entree options are: grilled chicken breast with garlic potato puree, sauteed spinach and honey shallot sauce; steak frites, hangar steak and bearnaise sauce; seared halibut, forbidden rice mushrooms with sake sesame sauce; and pappardelle with goat cheese, peas, lemon olive oil and basil. We'll have the rest of the menu online tomorrow.

Cafe Joley [MenuPages]
Cafe Joley [Official Site]
Joley Restaurant [MenuPages]
Sagamore Hotel [Official Site]

Didn't get your fill of Fourth of July celebrations? Move on to French national festivities.

In honor of France’s fête nationale, Bastille Day, the Biltmore’s French restaurant Palme D'Or will host a succulent feast tonight led by native French Chef Philippe Ruiz, who has created a five-course menu accompanied by wine pairings.

The evening’s festivities will also include a complimentary glass of Perrrier-Jouet Champagne upon arrival, live entertainment by French Canadian singer Manon Robert, and a commemorative gift courtesy of the hotel’s Executive Pastry Chef Olivier Rodriguez. Call 305-913-3203. Dinner is $69 per person; with wine pairing $119.00 per person plus tax and gratuity.

Palme D'Or [MenuPages]
Palme D'Or [Official Site]

This China Grill Management restaurant has been scaling down operations for the past month, but this week was the former hot spot's last. Even the bar at Social Miami at Sagamore, which remained open as the dining section was slowly dismantled, is officially closed now (although you can still get a drink at the Sagamore Hotel-operated bar near the lobby area). We wonder what new venture will take its place?

Social Miami at Sagamore [MenuPages]
Social Miami at Sagamore [Official Site]

You all know that the Mango Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is happening this weekend, right? We went last year and had a lovely time, although unfortunately this year we won't be able to make it. It's worth the entrance fee just to see the vast collection of mangos on display, despite the fact that it was difficult fighting the temptation to grab one, peel it and dig right in.

This year's festival theme is "Mangos of Africa," and among the curator's choice selections are two cultivars from South Africa and one from Egypt. There will be different varieties of mango to sample, mango trees to buy for your own backyard, and all sorts of dishes made with mangos by local chefs.

And in honor of the mango festival, we present Chef Allen Susser demonstrating how to best cut a mango:

Mango Festival at Fairchild [Official Site]
Mangos Mangos Everywhere! [MP: South Florida]
Chef Allen's [MenuPages]
Chef Allen's [Official Site]

Aromas del Peru [MenuPages]
Aromas del Peru [Official Site]

Photo: Masala Cha/flickr

Gail Shepherd over at the New Times brought our attention to the regional locavore guide in the latest issue of Food & Wine. The magazine tapped local expert Allen Susser of Chef Allen's for information. He has some excellent suggestions, although what most interested us was the part about how he trades free meals with his customers in exchange for mangoes from their backyards. You've probably got to bring a whole bunch of mangoes, but we've seen how many fruits these local trees produce — that shouldn't be a problem.

Food & Wine's Guide for Florida Locavores [Short Order]
Locavore Resources: Southeast [Food & Wine]
Chef Allen's [MenuPages]
Chef Allen's [Official Site]

Photo: Nancy Galdo/flickr

Can’t wait until Miami Spice for the opportunity to experience the city’s best dining without denting your wallet? The eating extravaganza is still a month away, but 1 Bleu at The Regent is offering a Miami Spice Preview menu Mondays through Thursdays through the month of July. The promotion invites diners to experience a three-course meal at the Cordon Bleu-affiliated destination for $23 for lunch and $36 for dinner.

Dinner appetizers include choices such as Hawaiian yellowfin tuna carpaccio, Serrano ham with melon, and a salad of organic greens, wild berries, toasted almonds and crumbled feta cheese. Second course selections include Florida grouper served in a salsa verde, alongside clams, sweet peas and a potato confit; and a fragrant civet of duck served with lentils and citrus scented salmon with carnaroli. For dessert, choose from a Bleu Chocolate Bar served with chocolate mousse or coconut almond ice cream and Greek yogurt panna cotta, complemented by a wild berry consommé and honey tuile.

1 Bleu [MenuPages]
1 Bleu [Official Site]

Forgive my enthusiasm, but nothing brings out my inner cheerleader like sushi that thrills both my palate and my wallet. The new RA Sushi outpost in South Miami, which opened last week, satisfies both of those requirements. I've been to Ra Sushi before, at the chain's Palm Beach Gardens location, but my memories of that visit consist of a room that was cavernous but largely empty, and rolls that weren't bad, but weren't memorable either. Either the menu's changed, or this location is spicing things up, because my Saturday afternoon dining experience was excellent.

For a brand new spot, I was surprised at how many people were there at 3:30 pm. I was also pleasantly surprised at the attentive staff, who didn't let a water glass remain unfilled or an empty dish sit on the table for more than a few seconds. Upon introducing herself, the waitress immediately explained to us that the restaurant has two different kitchens, and that items from the hot and cold menus will come out at different times and independently of each other, so that we could plan our meal accordingly.

I wasn't terribly hungry on my visit, so I've yet to try several of the dishes that were calling out to me (Pineapple Cheese Wontons and Scallop Tempura, I'll be back for you!). But my Tunacado — slices of barely-seared Ahi tuna paired with just-ripe avocado — was light, healthy and tasted heaven-sent, particularly since I've been mourning the disappearance of a similar dish from Domo Japones' salad list). My husband's Viva Las Vegas roll was a mouthful (steer clear of it on a first date), but its spicy kick was well worth the disdainful look I received from fellow diners after trying to eat a piece in a single bite.

It was too early for cocktails on my visit, but the drink prices almost tempted me into indulging in a midday happy hour. The martinis were almost all $8, and the signature drinks were $7. Bottoms up!

RA Sushi [MenuPages]
RA Sushi [Official Site]

Kitchen 305 recently opened up at the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort, in the space previously occupied by Chef Michael Blum's Michael's Kitchen. The 3,200-square-foot eatery is outfitted with an open kitchen, eight-person chef’s table, 100-inch flat screen and a 40-foot bar. Check it out for yourself during this cooking demo, summer prix-fixe menu launch and book signing by celeb chef Marc Cummings.

Celebrity chef Marc Cummings, a trained and certified Master Chef at the prestigious Cordon Bleu in Paris and author of Tastes of the World: 50 Original Recipes for World Class Entertaining, will make a special guest appearance on July 11 and July 12 to launch the Kitchen 305 summer prix-fixe menu, which will be available through the end of August.

The four-course, $24 menu ($36 with wine-pairings) includes the signature Blue Medal Caesar Salad, which has been awarded five Blue Medals by the Master Instructors at the Cordon Bleu; a 22-Minute Parmesan Shrimp Risotto, a dish that won top in its competition against rivals of the Cordon Bleu, the Escoffier of Paris, and a So, So Juicy Rosemary Chicken in Brown Butter. Save room for dessert, a homemade Not Your Grandma’s Strawberry Shortcake topped with a Grand Marnier Cream.

Chef Marc Cummings will demo the menu to the public on Friday and Saturday evening at 7:30 pm. Added entertainment includes chef trade secrets — like how to cut an onion without letting your eyes water — followed by a cookbook signing. Tastes of the World will be available for purchase for $15.

Cooking demos begin at 7:30 pm Friday, July 11, 2008 and Saturday, July 12, 2008. For reservations, please call 305.749.2110.

Kitchen 305 [MenuPages]
Kitchen 305 [Official Site]

Chocoholics can't quite complain about Peterbrooke Chocolatier's modus operandi. The Jacksonville, FL-born chocolate company dips everything from Oreos and pretzels to potato chips and s'mores in mouth-watering European chocolate. According to the company, they're even the people who invented chocolate-covered popcorn. Now, Peterbrooke is posing a threat to waistlines across Coral Gables, with the opening this week of its sweet shop at 227 Aragon Avenue (305-446-3131). On top of all the diet damage it already poses, the chocolatier plans to remain open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, just in case any of us should suffer from a late-night case of the munchies. Somebody please get me a bigger pair of pants!

Peterbrooke Chocolatier [Official Site]

As much as you hate to waste a perfect-for-a-getaway three-day weekend, astronomical airfares and gas prices have you grounded this 4th of July. But just because you’re staying in town doesn’t mean you’re doomed to trying to figure out the mechanics of that long-forgotten grill that’s lurking somewhere in your garage (let’s face it: fireworks are much more fun when they’re intentional). There are plenty of local festivities that offer barbecue and picnic opportunities—but we’ve rounded up the ones with grub so good you’ll be seeing stars:

Acqualina’s Annual 4th of July Barbeque: The celebration takes place at Costa Grill (pictured below), the resort’s Hamptons-style beachfront dining option, and will feature a full barbeque from the restaurant, as well as pasta selections from Acqualina’s other to-die-for dining spot, Il Mulino. 12pm-4pm. Tickets are $55 for adults and $27.50 for children. 305.534.0081 ext 14. 17875 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach.

Coconut Grove July 4th Celebration: The idyllic Grove streets will be packed with people this Friday, as well as the usual suspects: food stands, music and fireworks. The part that packs a punch? The neighborhood tradition includes a hot dog eating contest. 4pm-10pm. Free. 305.221.9395. Peacock Park, 2820 McFarlane Rd., Coconut Grove.

4th of July Family Fest: If hot dog consumption isn’t where you excel, show off your grill skills at this fest’s Rib Cook-Off contest. There will also be a live reggae concert with Inner Circle, and fireworks after dark. 4pm-9pm. Free. 305.634.5791. Charles Hadley Park, 1350 N.W. 50th St., Miami.

Upper Eastside Miami’s 11th Annual 4th of July Celebration: This family-friendly gathering features children’s rides, music, fireworks—and, if you’re seeking to inspire your tots to pick up some domestic traits, lunch prepared by the Boy Scouts. At 7pm, Taste Catering will deliver dinner. Event is free, dinner is $15. 6445 N.E. 7th Ave. at Biscayne Boulevard.

Regent Bal Harbour 4th of July Celebration: Beat the heat at Aqua Soleil, the ultraluxe Regent Bal Harbour’s poolside eatery, with a “casual” buffet menu consisting of Kobe burgers, grilled skirt steak and other delectable bites. 12pm-10pm. Tickets are $65 per person. 305.445.5400. 10295 Collins Ave., Bal Harbour.

Gigi and Liza Meoli, the owners of Ouzo's Mediterranean Bistro, likely need a shot of the Greek liqueur after which their Mediterranean dining spot is named. Last September, the couple traded a locale on 71st Street on Miami Beach for a new space in Sunset Harbour—a piece of prime real estate that came with a hefty $30,000 lease. But this spring, Florida Power & Light erected construction fences that virtually block access to the restaurant, as the company works on the electrical transmission lines between Overtown and West Avenue.

Liza Meoli told the Miami SunPost that restaurant activity dropped from an average Friday-night revenue of $8,000 from 150 customers, to a meager $2,000 from 40 customers. Meoli also told the paper that they had to borrow money from friends to make rent one month, and that they were late on their lease payment the following month.

But who better than restaurateurs to make lemonade (or rather, a lemonade stand) out of lemons? In order to boost business, the Meolis created Mystery Mondays: an undisclosed five-course menu served on that day and which will change every week. With executive chef Pablo Cittadini at the helm and signature dishes that range from grilled octopus to a whole Mediterranean dorada, we can’t wait to be surprised.

Collateral Damage [Miami SunPost]
Ouzo's Mediterranean Bistro [MenuPages]
Ouzo's Mediterranean Bistro [Official Site]

You know you’ve found real Cuban comfort food when your plate is piled high with greasy goodness and the only green comes from a wedge of lime. In Westchester, Rio Cristal has been serving up platters of mariquitas and mojo, bacalao a la vizcaina, masas de puerco, and palomilla steak for over 25 years. The unassuming place offers down home cooking and a relaxed family atmosphere. When I have out of town guests, Rio Cristal always makes the itinerary for its authentic criollo cooking and more than generous portions.

One of my family’s favorite moments at Rio Cristal comes when our unsuspecting guest is served the house specialty — a Rio Cristal palomilla steak and French fries (pictured). You can barely see the steak under all the golden hand-cut fries. Their eyes usually bug out of their heads and hands anxiously pat the paunch, as if checking capacity. After a good laugh, the waiter brings over an extra plate for the fries and everyone tucks in.

Other family favorites include the pollo a la plancha, a butterflied chicken breast flattened even further on the grill, the bacalao, salted codfish in a tomato-based sauce, and, of course, the black beans and rice. Despite our bulging bellies, we always find room for dessert and rarely miss out on Rio Cristal’s creamy flan de leche.

Rio Cristal [Official Site]

El Novillo has long been one of my family's favorite restaurants to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or special event. The decor of the restaurant instantly transports you to another time and place, where you feel as though you have been invited dine at a Nicaraguan hacienda.

A special occasion dinner always starts with a pitcher of sangria and a plate of assorted appetizers. The sangria is not too sweet, just how we like it and the variety of the appetizers ensures that everyone will find something that they like, whether it is the kielbasa, spare ribs, beans and tortilla, taquitos, fried cheese, or my favorite: vigoron, Nicaraguan cole slaw with yuca and chicharron. Most main courses provide a protein served with a trio of tasty sides, plantain chips, sweet plantains, and gallo pinto (red beans and rice), as well as a side salad. The restaurant's signature dish is the churrasco steak which comes in three sizes: the 8 oz. "Baby," 12 oz. "El Novillo," and the 16 oz. "Big Daddy". My family also likes the chicken churrasco and the Nicaraguan fajitas, but we recommend avoiding the Medallions Marchand de Vin as the sauce masks the flavor of the meat. When we have room, we also order the tres leches, which is, without exception, one of the best tres leches commercially available in Miami.

El Novillo [MenuPages]
El Novillo [Official Site]

Yesterday we had lunch at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink. Michael's is always a pleasure from the service down to the dollop of whip cream on your dessert, and yesterday was no exception. At 12:30, the restaurant was bustling and we were seated at the at the adjacent art gallery that serves as a second dining room. Trying to be virtuous, we ordered the spicy beef salad and were pleasantly surprised to find that it contained an equal ratio of roughage to beef. The perfectly cooked beef sat on a bed of tender napa cabbage curls marinated in spicy kimchee. Micro-greens cooled the palate adding a sophisticated crunch. Bites from our significant other's caprese sandwich, made with heirloom tomatos and a piece of baguette good enough to eat on its own, also soothed the burn. A side order of broccoli rabe seemed well cooked, but less flavorful, although this may just have been the result of comparing it to the heightened flavor of the beef salad.

Michael's Genuine Food & Drink [MenuPages]
Michael's Genuine Food & Drink [Official Site]

Looks like Artfish on the Mile is gone, according to some very observant chowhounds. It's a shame, because we heard that it was really quite good. But it's not surprising, given this exceptionally slow summer and the insanely high rents on the Mile. It didn't even last a year.

Coral Gables 6/24/08 Dinner $25-35 p/p (w/o alcohol). What's a hot spot for that kind of money? [Chowhound]
Artfish on the Mile [MenuPages]

Conventional supermarkets may provide convenient and reliable shopping, but they lack personality and charm. However, there are a few hold-outs from the old days that forgo air-conditioning for local flavor. These markets may not have menus, but they do serve up some signature dishes.

El Palacio de los Jugos: Located on the northwest corner of Flagler and 57th Avenue, this market has all the criollo goodies you can ask for. Watch a man hack open a coconut with a machete, buy freshly made cheese and guava sandwiches, or chew on the best chicharrónes in Miami. 5721 W Flagler St, 305-264-4557

Pinecrest Wayside Market (pictured): Order fresh juices and yogurt muffins to go or sit underneath the oak trees to pass the time. 10070 SW 57th Ave, 305-661-6717

Robert is Here: A Redland classic, Robert is Here has been around for over 45 years selling the finest Redland tropical fruit. The Redland revitalization program now makes this place easier to find; just follow the signs. 19200 SW 344th St in Homestead, 305-246-1592

Knaus Berry Farm: Run by the Mennonites, this bakery/farmer’s market makes a mean cinnamon bun and an even better strawberry shake. A South Florida favorite, the farm is only open through the winter growing season, but it is certainly something to put on your radar. 15980 SW 248th Street, 305-247-0668

It's weird to see how little is left of the Orange Bowl. Sad too. We accidentally drove past it recently and were surprised to see how much had been taken down. We knew it was coming down, but it didn't register until we turned onto NW 6th Street and were up close and personal with the crumbling stadium.

But, enough about the past. We're writing today about the future of the site, which will soon be the Marlins' new home. It's not the best site for a baseball stadium (no public transit!), but, well, Orange Bowl it is! Of course, team ownership is expecting that the stadium will usher in some sort of renewal of the neighborhood:

The vision is to create growth and development with shops and restaurants surrounding the new Marlins home, which is scheduled to open in 2011.

"The stadium is going to spur baseball-related development, and it's going to change Little Havana," [team president David] Samson said. "It's Little Havana's turn. That whole area is going to become like a redesign area."

One reader from Ireland caught Samson's attention with a request to include an Irish pub in the ballpark.

Considering that the stadium is being built in the heart of Little Havana, Samson replied: "Do Irish pubs serve Cuban coffee?"

"I didn't get a response back," Samson said.

Another reader suggested the building of a restaurant in the ballpark, similar to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, where people can enter from the street.

"I can picture a restaurant where you can enter both inside and outside the stadium," Samson said. "I don't know if that is going to happen yet. That is something that has been suggested."

Here's what we'd love to see inside the ballpark: a concourse with outposts of local restaurants similar to that of Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. We're thinking Cuban sandwiches, empanadas, arepas and mariquitas would make excellent ballpark food. A good fish fry place would be great too; we remember enjoying some excellent fried fish at PNC Park while taking in a Pirates game. And we bet an inside-the-park Pollo Tropical would do very well.

Marlins working on new stadium visuals [MLB]