It's like Burger King is just looking for negative press. The company is under fire over a recent ad for the "Texican whopper," a cheeseburger with chiles and spicy mayonnaise which is available in Europe. The Mexican ambassador to Spain saw it and took offense at the inappropriate use of the Mexican flag, which is draped over a wrestler like a poncho. No word yet on whether or not BK will drop the ad.
Burger King ad angers ambassador [Reuters]
Paula Deen was showing the crowd exactly how loose her pants were. Then, they fell, and Short Order caught it on camera. Enjoy.
Video: Paula Deen's Pants Fall Down on Stage [Short Order]
Mmm....pork buns. They just hit the spot sometimes. They're not too easy to find around here, although a few Chinese restaurants include them on their dim sum menus. Some of these restaurants offer baked pork buns too; not sure how that tastes, as we've only ever had steamed ones, but if the filling is the same, you can't go wrong.
• Kon Chau, renowned for some of the best dim sum in Miami, offers both steamed and baked pork buns.
• At Singing Bamboo, you can get two steamed pork buns for $2.95.
• Toa Toa serves baked or steamed BBQ pork buns or pork buns with chives.
• And, finally, check out Pink Buddha for more steamed roast pork buns!
We're approaching the best time of year in South Florida. The weather is slowly cooling to more comfortable temperatures and stone crabs are back; the official commercial stone crab season begins today. Try celebrating at one of these local spots:
• Joe's Stone Crab is the place to go, of course. If you're not willing to wait in line for a table, try the take-away.
• 3030 Ocean offers a twist on the standard stone crab dish: stone crab ravioli.
• Chico's Cantina makes stone crab enchiladas, which come on a lightly fried corn tortilla with cilantro, garlic, jack cheese and a red chile sauce.
Joe's Stone Crab [MenuPages]
Joe's Stone Crab [Official Site]
3030 Ocean [MenuPages]
3030 Ocean [Official Site]
Chico's Cantina [MenuPages]
Chico's Cantina [Official Site]
photo: DDanzig/flickr
A perfectly fried chicken is a beautiful thing, with a salty, crunchy skin and moist meat underneath. If you too have been hit by a fried chicken craving, here are a few places to try:
• The Mahogany Grille's fried chicken is made Southern-style with a buttermilk batter, and it comes with the perfect accompaniments: mac-and-cheese and collard greens. According to one MP user, you should specify if you want white meat; it seems dark is the default.
• For Cuban-style fried chicken, made with mojo seasoning and generally accompanied with thin french fries, head to Islas Canarias Restaurant.
• Maryland Fried Chicken specializes in it, of course, and you can order by section of the bird (breast, thigh, wing). No mac-and-cheese, but they do have okra and jalapeno poppers.
Every once in a while, a craving for Thai curry strikes. It happened last night, so I had to round up some coconut milk and pineapple to go with the red curry paste that a friend had brought me from Thailand. Red curry will do, but my favorite these days is panang curry
• The panang curry isn't on the lunch menu at Siam River, but you can get it with beef or chicken for dinner. I hear the sushi is very fresh too.
• Siam Lotus Room "looks grubby on the outside but inside is quite lovely," according to a MP user. Not only do they offer the standard chicken or beef options, but there's a salmon panang entree as well.
• The panang curry at Galanga Restaurant comes highly recommended by a MP user. For some reason only red curry is available for lunch (is panang not a lunchtime thing?), but for dinner choose from tofu, seafood, chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, squid or scallops for your panang curry.
Siam River [MenuPages]
Siam River [Official Site]
Siam Lotus Room [MenuPages]
Siam Lotus Room [Official Site]
Galanga Restaurant [MenuPages]
Galanga Restaurant [Official Site]
Bad idea. Soon after tasting it, we realized that maybe two portions might have been better. My appetite suddenly appeared, and my boyfriend had to fight for what was, in reality, his snack. It doesn't look like all that much from the photo, but trust me, that chili sauce is magical — a perfect blend of heat and flavor.
After the jump, some more of the food highlights from our 10 days in Seoul...
Mr Bean goes to a fancy restaurant for his birthday and orders steak tartare, not knowing that he'd be presented with a plate of raw meat. Not one to apologize for the misunderstanding and send it back, he gets a bit creative. Enjoy!
Mr Bean --- Restaurant [YouTube]
Insane. I cannot fathom putting away that much food on a daily basis. The man is eating for four (or more) adults, which naturally makes him a legend in Ann Arbor restaurants. Just imagine the terror in a restaurateur's eyes as he watches Phelps approach an all-you-can-eat buffet. Or perhaps those have been quietly removed from menus in Ann Arbor since his arrival.
If you care to see his daily diet in more detail, check out the graphic from today's New York Post after the jump:
Continue reading "What It Takes To Feed An Olympic Champion" »
Photo of plain cheesecake, above: chernwei/flickr
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
We absolutely love Southern food, and we did our very best to eat as much of it as possible during our four days in Georgia. Here we present the photographic evidence:
In honor of National Waiters and Waitresses Day, we present "Waiters Who are Nauseated by Food," a skit from the Dana Carvey Show featuring Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell way back in the mid-1990s. On this day in which we honor those who bring us our food in restaurants, let's all thank God that they don't act like this pair.
Waiters who are Nauseated by Food [YouTube]
Jaguar [MenuPages]
Jaguar [Official Site]
Photo: Masala Cha/Flickr
We were first introduced to lomo saltado by a Peruvian-Japanese woman who gave us a wonderful recipe for it. The dish, popular all over Peru, is a stir fry of beef, garlic, onions and peppers topped with French fries. The particular version of the dish featured above is from Aromas del Peru. Here are a few other places where you can try it:
• Chalan on the Beach comes well-recommended by MenuPages users. The menu is very seafood-heavy, but the restaurant features a $10 lomo saltado entree. Pair that with a ceviche, and that could be a pretty satisfying meal.
• Las Totoritas on NW 36th St serves a $8.85 lomo saltado. They also have an appetizer of "leche de tigre," which is described as a glass of ceviche juice. We're intrigued.
• At La Granja Parrilla in Hollywood, you can get a single portion of lomo saltado for $11.95 or a family-sized portion for $29.
Aromas del Peru [Official Site]
Chalan on the Beach [MenuPages]
Las Totoritas [MenuPages]
La Granja Parrilla [MenuPages]
Photo: Masala Cha [Flickr]
There's some weird stuff going on in restaurant kitchens these days. In the video (which should be edited down to, say, three minutes, but is still interesting — just ignore the annoying blond woman), chef Stuart Sage of Tang in Dubai demonstrates how he uses liquid nitrogen like a deep fryer to cook food — in this case, a tomato espuma — at ridiculously cold temperatures.
What freaked us out was how he scooped the espuma out of the bowl full of liquid nitrogen and immediately presented it to the woman. We'd be terrified to eat it, for fear that our tongue would immediately freeze and break into 100 pieces, and then how would we taste food. (Shudder.) Of course, the nitrogen had likely evaporated at that point, and besides, we breathe it in and out every day, right? Still. Just a teensy bit scary.
Restaurants - Cooking with Liquid Nitrogen in the Real World [YouTube]
We had lunch recently at Por Fin Restaurant, the most aptly named restaurant ever; the food is tasty, and the lunch is a good deal, but don't expect to get out of there in under an hour and a half.
Our favorite part of the meal was the tuna tartare pictured above. The little pieces of mango interspersed among the tuna were perfect, and the sesame vinaigrette added a nice touch. We've heard the tapa of fried eggs with jamon serrano and truffle oil is fantastic, but unfortunately that's dinner-only. Which means we might have to make a return trip.
Por Fin Restaurant [MenuPages]
Por Fin Restaurant [Official Site]
Photo: Nathan Hale
We are so happy that baseball is back. We managed to get tickets to Opening Day at Dolphin Stadium; the Marlins lost to the Mets (boo!), but it was still a great time.
To celebrate, we thought we'd present a photo essay of ballpark food from each of our cities. We've actually visited and eaten in each of the parks listed, except for the two in the Bay Area. We'll start with our favorite: Philadelphia.
Citizens Bank Park
We hate the Phillies. But we think their ballpark is great, and we love the fact that we can get a Tony Luke's roast pork Italian sandwich for about the same price as at the restaurant. Whenever we go to a game there, we arrive early to get our sandwich before the game starts, because by the third inning, the place is mobbed.
Look at the color on that thing. All sorts of seafood and rice in a gorgeous broth. You'll find this moqueca, a Brazilian seafood stew, at Sushi Samba Dromo on Miami Beach, where it comes with shrimp, squid, cod, crayfish, coconut milk, cashews, dende (palm) oil and chimichurri rice. The restaurant offers a lunch portion of the stew for $20 (it's $24 at dinner time). Cacao Restaurant in Coral Gables also features a lunchtime moqueca for $15. And for $14, you can get the catch of the day cooked moqueca-style at Oba Oba in Coconut Creek.
Moqueca [Wikipedia]
Sushi Samba Dromo [MenuPages]
Cacao Restaurant [MenuPages]
Oba Oba [MenuPages]
Photo: Masala Cha [Flickr]
We have no idea what the seared tuna dish shown above tastes like, but we so badly want to sink our teeth into it, mercury levels be damned. You can find this dish, which comes with vegetable wraps, at Abokado in Mary Brickell Village.
We love the concept of Latin/Sushi fusion, although initial reviews have been fairly lukewarm. Here's what consumable Joy had to say about it after a visit this weekend:
All the food was beautifully presented, and it tries hard to be great. It may be trying a little bit too hard. We loved the way the food looked, and we enjoyed getting the plates with multiple flavors. Not all the flavors worked however, some overwhelming their bases they were supposed to be carrying, and others simply not carrying much flavor at all. The "nachos" -- tempura shiso leaf with sort of a tuna tartare on top -- were "pretty good" according to the DH, but "not so-shiso-y" because the batter was a bit too much for the delicate leaf. The rolls were ambitiously designed and fun to eat, but none of them have stuck in the mind enough for us to recall their precise names.Interesting. It's still fairly new, so perhaps it'll work out these kinks.
Abokado [MenuPages]
Abokado [Official Site]
First Visit: Abokado [consumableJoy]
Photo: miami fever [Flickr]
Plum took a tour of the Café Bustelo factory and spoke with the family about the operation. Did you know that they're planning on starting coffee shops? The first one is slated to open in the Gansevoort South in Miami Beach. We'd recommend they work on getting a website too. It might help.
Café Bustelo [Plum]
Gansevoort South [Official Site]
This? Is awesome. Thank God somebody over at Required Eating keeps up with Improv Everywhere, because we don't, or at least we haven't been (Welcome to day one), and there's a chance we would have missed this fantastic video. The so-called spontaneous musical takes place in a Los Angeles shopping mall, which is in on the joke and rigged with hidden cameras. The music, according to IE, is piped in through the mall's sound system. Watch and marvel, then click over to IE to get the inside scoop on how they did it.
Food Court Musical [Improv Everywhere]
'Spontaneous' Musical Performed in Mall Food Court [Required Eating]
We've never been a big fan of an enormous, meat-laden breakfast. We love bacon and ham as much as the next guy, but we just don't like how an eggs-and-bacon breakfast tends to sit in our stomach for hours afterward. Buttery crepes, like the ones here from La Riviera at the Sofitel Miami, probably don't qualify as especially light, but paired with some strawberries, they look like the perfect breakfast to us.
La Riviera at the Sofitel Miami [MenuPages]
Sofitel [Official Site]
Photo: Flickr
The BLT is one of our favorite sandwiches. It's especially good when we use our home-cured bacon, which we cut in thick, meaty pieces. (Mostly out of necessity; we don't have the equipment necessary for thin slices. But for the purposes of a BLT, thick slices are perfect.) This sandwich, from Marker 88 in Islamorada, takes the typical BLT a couple steps further by adding blackened shrimp. You'll also note that the contents of the sandwich are held together by a split croissant. Because we can always use a bit more butter in our lives.
Marker 88 [MenuPages]
Marker 88 [Official Site]
Photo: Flickr
Oh man, we love beignets, and these from Grand Lux Cafe in Sunrise. The menu lists only that they're served warm with three sauces, but we called and learned that the red one is raspberry, the dark one is chocolate, and the lighter one is a Jack Daniels whiskey sauce. Add a nice espresso to the mix, and we're set.
Grand Lux Cafe [MenuPages]
Grand Lux Cafe [Official Site]
Photo: Flickr
Oh man. Ew ew ew. We're rethinking our lemon-wedge-in-water habit.
Lemon Study [YouTube]
These buttery crabs are making us swoon right now. So the Rustic Inn isn't exactly the typical romantic date place, but it's definitely fun, and that is some good-looking shellfish. A to-go order for a candlelit dinner at home might be a good idea.
Rustic Inn [MenuPages]
Rustic Inn [Official Site]
Photo: Flickr
We know food isn't miami fever's specialty, but his food photos still manage to make us salivate and make us crave whatever it is in the photo. In this case, it's fajitas from Tijuana Taxi Co. According to the menu description, the meat in that skillet is skirt steak cooked with onions, bell peppers and tomatoes and served with cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole and tortillas. Yum.
Tijuana Taxi Co [MenuPages]
Tijuana Taxi Co [Official Site]
Photo: miami fever's Flickr
Damn, that is a lot of food. We're sure it tastes good, but it's like breakfast, lunch and a mid-afternoon snack all rolled into one really heavy meal. Out-of-towners would often ask me if there was the same pressure in Miami to be rail-thin, tanned and beautiful as there is in LA, and while that may be the case in South Beach and certain other parts of the county, it's never far to a place like El Rinconcito Latino, where you can sit down to a bistec a caballo for breakfast and be applauded for your healthy appetite. Our personal preference would be to skip the plate entirely and go for just the tostada cubana dipped in that cafe con leche. With, perhaps, a croqueta on the side. Yum.
El Rinconcito Latino [MenuPages]
Photo: Flickr
That, dear readers, is orecchiette with duck sausage and wilted greens from Michy's. We're particularly fond of the way that the herbed ricotta is just scooped on top, so that the diner can mix it as he or she pleases. Here's the description of the dish from Frodesnor on that "must haves" list on Chowhound we linked to earlier:
Orrechiette - pasta w/ duck sausage, "loxahatchee greens" (wilted arugula?), chiles, pecorino and herbed ricotta. This was excellent - great combination of ingredients, really yummy.That was posted in May 2007, however. He later posted in October that the dish was gone, and it's not listed on the current menu, so that's a shame. It looks very very tasty.
Michy's [MenuPages]
What are the absolute "MUST HAVES" at Michy's to insure a GREAT dinner? [Chowhound]
Photo: Flickr
Check out this menu, likely taken from a Mexican restaurant in Naples that miami fever photographed recently. The licuados we know usually include ice, fruit, sugar and either milk or water. (We prefer the latter.) But these things take the regular licuado several steps further. First there's the Rocky Balboa, with chocolate, egg, vanilla and cinnamon. The Bomba Mexicana also contains egg, as well as orange juice, honey, pineapple, plantain and strawberries. (Does that sound appetizing to anyone? Anyone?) This begs the question: are they actually putting raw eggs in there? Because that could cause some serious problems for the restaurant if, say, a customer were to become ill from a bad egg. Maybe they cook it quickly to kill bacteria. Or maybe they go all the way and hard-boil the sucker and then toss it into the blender. Which...ewww.
Photo: miami fever's Flickr
We saw this photo in miami fever's Flickr recently. Blue ice cream isn't really our thing, but that photo still makes us want to dig right in. We love ice cream, and we always like learning about new places that do it right. You know, the kind of place where the ice cream is thick and creamy and .... mmm. Yum. Anyway, this particular cone comes from Sloan's, which we are ashamed to admit we had never heard of before. The fact that the four-location ice cream chain (all in Palm Beach County) has a Wikipedia page makes us think we probably should have known of it and should schedule a visit sometime soon. Other things we learned, thanks to Wikipedia: Sloan's was ranked #4 in a list of the most unique ice cream parlors in the country and was ranked #10 by the Travel Channel on its list of the top best bathrooms in the world.
The bathroom has clear glass doors that look right into the parlor. When you turn the door handles, the glass fogs up and becomes completely opaque. The doors are made of two panels of glass. Between the panels is a mixture of polymer and liquid crystals. A constant electrical current keeps the crystals in line and the glass transparent. But when the door handle is locked, the current is stopped, the crystals fall, and the glass looks clouded.It's worth a visit to see the bathroom alone!
Sloan's Ice Cream [Official Site]
Sloan's Ice Cream [Wikipedia]
Photo: miami fever's Flickr
Oh man, we want one of these. We fear it might taste a bit too perfumey, as can sometimes be the case when working with flowers in the kitchen, but just look at that thing. It is so pretty. We're thinking that might be just right for Valentine's Day.
And now, we promise no more photos from Andú. At least not until it actually opens.
Andú Restaurant & Lounge [Official Site]
We got our parents a CSA trial share for Christmas, and they have loved it so much that they're continuing for the rest of the season (well, splitting with our aunt and uncle). Our mom's really enjoyed scouring the internet for ways to use the new fruits and vegetables that appear in her CSA inbox. This week, canistel (or "eggfruit") was a bit of a challenge, as she'd never seen it before, but after a little research, she learned that it's related to mamey and would work well in a milkshake. I'll let her take it from here:
In the process of making the shake I discovered that if I left it very creamy, pudding like, and served it in a small dessert dish, it is like eating a light yogurt. This definitely can be made into ice cream. I poured them into dessert dishes and placed in the refrigerator to get cooler and will serve them after dinner today. Very, very yummy!Sounds tasty, no? It is. We've got her full recipe after the jump...
Hey! That's our waiter! We recently went to Le Tub, and we were happy to see the same man who brought us our cheeseburgers and fries in this Plum video. Those burgers are huge. We tried valiantly to finish, but couldn't. About two-thirds of the way through, we dumped the bun and focused just on the ground sirloin, but even then, we couldn't finish those last few bites. Next time, we might share. But, we definitely agree that it was tasty.
Get in Le Tub [Plum]
Le Tub [MenuPages]
Miami Fever answered the call. Here we have a lovely photograph of Taqueria Doña Raquel's menu, which has now been updated online.
Taqueria Dona Raquel [MenuPages]
We Need More Menu Photos. Please [MP: South Florida]
Photo: miami fever
We present to you a heart-shaped peanut, which we happen to think is adorable. Supposedly a farmer in China figured out a way to grow these things, although the general sentiment in the blogosphere is that this is likely an anomaly in a field of regular-shaped peanuts. Still, adorable.
In case you were wondering what the new Texas de Brazil on South Beach looks like inside, here's a photo for you. We learned that the menu is much like that of the other Texas De Brazil in Dolphin Mall, but the new one has a sushi bar. Is there a law on the city's books that states that every restaurant on the beach must serve sushi?
Texas de Brazil [MenuPages]
Texas De Brazil [MenuPages]
Texas De Brazil [Official Site]
While checking out miami fever's Flickr photostream, we came across this. Yes, it appears he grilled chocolate-chip cookies. We are impressed and intrigued. There's no reason it shouldn't work, really, especially if you put the cover on the grill. But wouldn't the cookies then taste like whatever savory thing was last put on the grill?
Photo: miami fever's Flickr
Check out the photos from the first day of the Upper Eastside greenmarket over at mango&lime. It looks small, but there seemed to be lots of great-looking produce. Let's hope that it sticks around!
Upper East Side Green Market [mango&lime]
We've mentioned this before, but you should really check out the old Florida postcards in this Flickr collection. They're great. We were especially excited about a postcard with a recipe on it. There aren't really any directions, but we imagine that you just mix everything together, pour it into a pie crust and bake. Not too hard. And we'd add some actual meringue on top -- take those three egg whites that'll be left over and beat them until stiff, then spread on top of the pie before baking.
History Lesson: Leon & Eddie's In Palm Beach [MP: South Florida]
Photo: Flickr
We were amused by a photo we found of a Scion totally decked out in Pollo Tropical advertising. Think that's a private car and someone is getting paid to advertise the restaurant chain? Or do they make deliveries in that thing? And one commenter on the photo posed a good question -- aren't those types of tints illegal?
Pollo Tropical [Official Site]
Photo: Flickr
Yes, it's a little early in the morning for tuna, but we wanted to share anyway. This is certainly an interesting take on the typical spicy tuna roll from Yardhouse in Palm Beach Gardens. The only seaweed seems to be those green shavings, and we certainly hope that the green layer on top isn't all wasabi; it would be ridiculously spicy. We definitely think it looks tasty.
Yardhouse [Official Site]
Photo: Flickr
We used to hate tacos. Our mom made them one time for dinner when we were young -- you know, the hard corn store-bought tortillas, with plate set out of ground beef, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, cheese and a few other toppings that everyone could assemble on their own. We thought it tasted OK, but then we spent the rest of the night leaning over the toilet, so that soured us on tacos for a while. But we've come around since then, especially when we tried some good, authentic tacos. Like the ones pictured above from Taqueria Doña Raquel (793 S Dixie Hwy W in Pompano Beach, 954-946-4490).
Photo: Flickr
Yes, it's cold. We understand. We're confused by it too. But, let's look on the bright side: at least we're not in Daytona Beach, where they actually got snow flurries! And remember, the mercury's supposed to climb back up to the 70s by this weekend. So enjoy the hot chocolate, snuggle up under the covers, and pity those poor people up north who have to deal with this all winter long.
Glazed and confused [Daytona Beach News-Journal]
Photo: Flickr
Look closely. That's not sushi -- they're cookies! If you want to see how they're made, click on the Flickr link and check out the notes on the photo. We totally want to try these.
We love pork belly. In fact, we buy it regularly and cure it in our refrigerator to make our own bacon. (We highly recommend this; you will never go back to supermarket bacon again. For a good primer, check out Charcuterie. We cure it with a mix of salt, black pepper, juniper berries, smashed garlic and bay leaves. But we digress.) When we saw pork belly on the menu at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink, we had to order it. And it was scrumptious. Tender pork belly that fell apart easily on top of some kimchi. Oh so tasty. We took photos, but they're still stuck in our boyfriend's camera, so in the meantime, here's a Flickr shot.
Michael's Genuine Food & Drink [MenuPages]
Michael's Genuine Food & Drink [Official Site]
Photo: Flickr
We have to admit, we found this pretty funny. (And don't worry, BK didn't actually discontinue the Whopper. Corporate just 'punked' the customers at a particular Burger King.)
No Whopper for You! Burger King 'Discontinues' Its Signature Sandwich [A Hamburger Today]
Whopper Freakout [Burger King]
This is an excellent business model. Take unwanted coconuts off people's hands for free. You get free product, and they get rid of the coconuts, which they view as a nuisance, in the sense that they fall and make the ground a mess. (Or, God forbid, end up in the pool or something.) Then chill the coconut up nicely, whack off the top with a machete, stick a straw in it, and sell it for a couple bucks. So refreshing and tasty.
Coconut Men [Miami Every Day Photo]
Photo: Miami Every Day Photo
More scrumptious photos from Robert is Here. Check out all of those different types of honey! We're definitely intrigued by the avocado one.
Robert is Here [Official Site]
Photo: miami fever's Flickr
Ever since the closing of Manny & Isa's on Islamorada, we've had difficulty finding a regular key lime place down there. (To be honest, we haven't done much looking...) Instead, we've taken to making our own, with a big layer of meringue on top, just like the one in this photo from Blue Heaven. Definitely a must-try on our next visit to Key West.
Blue Heaven [MenuPages]
Blue Heaven [Official Site]
Photo: TomOHaver on Chowhound
Did you know that Robert is Here grows dragonfruit? We have, of course, purchased many a tropical fruit there (so hard to find passion fruit anywhere!), but we don't recall dragonfruit. That color is just stunning; we'll definitely have to try it on our next visit.
Robert is Here [Official Site]
Photo: miami fever's Flickr
Mmmm...beef tacos. These lovely ones come from Taqueria Morelia in Florida City (961 W Palm Dr, 305-247-7552).
Photo: miami fever's Flickr
Damn, those look tasty. We haven't really gotten into the whole sliders craze (a little overrated, we think), but we have to say that we'd have a hard time straying far from whatever table held these lovely little things. They were shot by Sara of All Purpose Dark at the Funk, Fashion and Friends event, catered by Barton G.
Barton G [MenuPages]
Barton G [Official Site]
Photo: All Purpose Dark
We're totally craving one of these right now. We've always been partial to the ones at La Suiza Bakery, likely because that's where our family would go every Sunday morning to pick up a box of pastelitos and croquetas and a loaf of Cuban bread.
Where's your favorite place to pick up pastries, Cuban or otherwise?
Photo: Flickr
This, apparently, is what Minneapolis residents think of us. We got a kick out of the pink shirt-white suit combination, and oh my goodness, see that phone at :12? We had that exact same one in our bedroom in the late '80s/early '90s. That brought back some memories. Oh! And there's a Scarface Lounge!
Restaurant Miami [Official Site]
Cured meats and cheese? Yes please! A lovely plate from Bugatti in Coral Gables, from which it has been difficult to acquire a menu.
Photo: miami fever's Flickr
Photos of menus? Love it. We need more of these. Please. Especially those restaurants that have large plastic-covered menus that are so difficult to smuggle out of the restaurant. (No, seriously we don't do this!)
Tap Tap Haitian Restaurant [MenuPages]
Photo: miami fever's Flickr
VideoJug: How To Make Chicken Nuggets
These are supposed to be healthy chicken nuggets. We're not sure if breaded, fried chicken counts as all that healthy, but we do agree that it is nice to know that these chicken nuggets contain the usual stuff you find in a kitchen pantry — flour, eggs, chicken, bread crumbs — and none of the preservatives that go into the fast-food versions. At any rate, it's an interesting step-by-step video narrated by a British man with a pleasant accent. Enjoy!
Via Slashfood
We carved pumpkins last night, and we were fairly proud of our effort, which resulted in a happy jack-o-lantern that looks like it's just stumbled upon a basket full of its favorite candies. After doing a few Google searches though, we now feel humbled. Look at that thing! A jack-o-lantern inside another jack-o-lantern! Brilliant. At least now we have some ideas for next year.
Photo: Flickr
We love this man, Jordi Panisello, the pastry chef at Cero Restaurant in the St Regis Hotel in Fort Lauderdale. Nutella-filled beignets, plus hot chocolate, plus chocolate ice cream cookie sandwiches? Yum. And that creme brulee looks unbelievable; I'm really curious how he makes that ball-shaped crust. The apple confit looks lovely too, although we'd take the other two desserts in a heartbeat.
Dessert Masterpieces at the St. Regis Hotel [YouTube]
Cero Restaurant [MenuPages]
Cero Restaurant [Official Site]
Here you can see Ted Mendez, the chef at Barton G, making sea bass en papillote. The presentation is pretty crazy: the fish, with the veggies, is served in the same paper bag in which it's cooked, in a basket with a flower and wheatgrass. I guess they're going for the picnic theme. Also, is that really all you have to do to make tomato confit? Who knew it could be so simple?
Cooking with Barton G [Plum]
Barton G [MenuPages]
Barton G [Official Site]
We enjoy writing about grouper, mainly because it gives us an excuse to post really awesome grouper photos, like this one. (We should note that this grouper actually lives in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Australia, so you won't find him in our Atlantic waters. Still, it's a grouper, and we couldn't resist posting it. Look at those teeth!) Grouper is a big deal down here, and lately, because of the skyrocketing price of the fish, most "Florida groupers" on menus have been found to be frozen imports or, worse yet, imposters.
Florida's attorney general's office has been investigating restaurants since late last year, but now they're going after the big guys: the wholesalers. It makes sense, given that each restaurateur can't be expected to send fish to a laboratory for testing. The subpoenas for records are flying left and right: for Sysco Food Services-West Florida (the largest supplier), eight smaller suppliers, and Applied Food Technologies, the lab where most of the fish are tested.
Continue reading "Wholesale: The Next Battleground In The Grouper Wars" »
We swear this man was not paid by MenuPages to promote the site at his one-man show. Apparently he derives great pleasure from reading the user reviews, which, we admit, can be amusing sometimes (and he doesn't even get to see the ones that don't make it onto the site!)
We were browsing through some photos when we stumbled upon this plate of deliciousness from Versailles. It doesn't photograph well (Cuban food can be monochromatic), but just look at all the fried goodness: there's vaca frita, our favorite (though we're partial to the version at Havana Harry's), with congri and fried plantains. Definitely not a balanced meal, but certainly a satisfying one.
Versailles [MenuPages]
Havana Harry's Restaurant [MenuPages]
Havana Harry's Restaurant [Official Site]
Photo: Flickr
We were just thinking about the steakhouse we didn't mention by name in an earlier post, Houston's on Miracle Mile in the Gables, when we found a photo of a smoked salmon dish from the very place. Well, or at least one of the other Houston's in the area. This looks like a tasty appetizer variation on your typical New Yorker's favorite breakfast.
Houston's [MenuPages]
Houston's [Official Site]
Photo: miami fever's Flickr
We mentioned the start of the stone crab season (October 15) in a recent post. Today we found a few videos of two chefs from Fulton's Crab House in Orlando and Fulton's on the River in Chicago catching some of the first stone crabs of the season off of Key West. There are four installments on YouTube, and while they would have benefited from tighter editing, they're still worth watching. By the way, did you know that pigs' feet are used as bait in the crab traps? Fascinating.
Flight of the Crab [Levy Restaurants]
Flight of the Crabs [YouTube]
Fulton's Crab House [Official Site]
Fulton's On the River [MenuPages]
Fulton's On the River [Official Site]
Joe's Stone Crab opens for its regular season tonight at 5 p.m., which means you should probably head over there now to wait for a table. Remember: no reservations. The restaurant will be serving only dinner until Tuesday, when lunch will be added. Takeaway begins tomorrow.
Stone crab season technically doesn't begin until Monday, but fear not, the restaurant will have crabs tonight.
Joe's Stone Crab [MenuPages]
Joe's Stone Crab [Official Site]
Photo: Flickr
Here we present a dish not fit for Sting, from Casa Tua. Certainly looks tasty to us!
Casa Tua [MenuPages]
Casa Tua [Official Site]
Casa Tua Not Good Enough For Sting [MP South Florida]
Photo: miami fever's Flickr
We couldn't quite figure out how to "grab" the video, so we'll just give you a link for the knife skills tutorial that Top Chef Hung gave for New York Magazine. We can watch that man chop onions all day long. It's a thing of beauty. We also learned that the knife he uses for 90 percent of his chopping, slicing and dicing costs $240, although even with the knife, we sure couldn't chop vegetables like that.
'Top Chef' Winner Hung Shows Off His Knife Skills [New York Magazine]
Or perhaps breakfast? We think any time of day is good for chocolate and banana crepes. These come from A La Folie, a small cafe on Espanola Way in Miami Beach.
A La Folie Cafe [MenuPages]
A La Folie Cafe [Official Site]
Photo: miami fever's Flickr
We're a little jet-lagged and tired, and we have hundreds of e-mails to sort through, so you may have to give us an hour or two. In the meantime, we'd like you to reflect on the photo above, of lamb "popsicles" in a fenugreek cream curry, which was the most delicious part of our excellent meal on Friday night at Vij's. If any of you are planning a trip to Vancouver, you absolutely must eat there. On Saturday, we discovered that the owner published all of his recipes in a cookbook recently. Naturally, we immediately purchased it.
Vij's [Official Site]
Photo: Flickr, because we haven't yet had time to upload our own photos
Plum's got a great video up with advice on how to get on your bartender's good side. Want to get your drink quickly? Make eye contact, have your money ready, and be patient if it's a really busy night. Tip well. And don't ever yell "hey!" to a bartender to get his or her attention. He (or she) will NOT be pleased.
Schmooze for (Fast) Booze [Plum Miami Beach]
We thought it finished tonight, but we were just informed that we were incorrect. Tonight is the pre-filmed segment of the finale, which takes place in Aspen, and as we learned from the clip above, involves a hot-air balloon ride about which Casey was very apprehensive. The season concludes next week with a live finale in Chicago, where the next season is currently being filmed. Enjoy!
Clip: Bravo
Catfish seems like an unorthodox choice at Tom Jenkins Bar-B-Q, a place known for its delicious smoked meats. But we have to say, that plate of food looks good. And we could so use some of that mac 'n' cheese right now.
Tom Jenkins Bar-B-Q [MenuPages]
Tom Jenkins Bar-B-Q [Official Site]
Photo: Flickr
Wow, that looks good. This is dinner at Michael's Genuine: pan roasted chicken with wood grilled asparagus and frites. Yum!
Michael's Genuine Food & Drink [MenuPages]
Photo: Flickr
Yes, the pizza is talking. Anyone else find that a little weird? Also, the whole thing is cute, but really, Elmo can't be that cuddly with that pizza on his arm. Although I guess people aren't buying this for the cuddle factor anyway.
What is this seagull eating? A chunk of pizza? A beakful of beef jerky? We doubt it's anything that actually came from the sea; everyone knows that seagulls have evolved into the most expert scavengers of human foods. This tasty morsel likely came from a beachgoer's lunch. We imagine that the gull didn't want to drop the food even for a second, for fear that its fellow winged friends might fly off with the meal. Apparently, the bird actually did swallow that thing whole.
Photo: Flickr
In case you missed the Miami International Wine Fair, Plum has a three-minute video with man-on-the-street type interviews and some interesting information from the manager of the fair. Also, Miss Miami Beach loves the exact same wines we don't like. (Actually, pinot grigio is useful for making white sangria. Riesling? Well, we're just not fans at all.) Who knew there was even a Miss Miami Beach? We are so out of the pageant loop.
Miami International Wine Fair [Official Site]
Miami International Wine Fair [Plum]
Photo: Plum
Yesterday we suggested FAU students check out Red Rock Coal Fired Pizza in Boca Raton. We based this on some research from some trusted sources; try as we might, we simply can't get to every restaurant in the area. But after seeing this photo, we are moving Red Rock higher up on the "to dine" list. From the char on the crust (just the right amount) to the proportions of cheese and sauce, that looks like an excellent pie. Next time a New Yorker tells you there's no good pizza down here, just point him or her in the direction of Boca Raton.
Red Rock Coal Fired Pizza [MenuPages]
Photo: Flickr
Jaxson's Ice Cream Parlor [MenuPages]
Jaxson's Ice Cream Parlor [Official Site]
Photo: Flickr
We stumbled upon a great photoset on Flickr called Florida Postcards, a collection of old postcards from the Sunshine State. Here we share a shot of Leon & Eddie's, a restaurant/nightclub with locations in New York and Palm Beach. A Google search turned up several mentions of the New York location, but not much about the Palm Beach one. The address listed is now home to a law firm. Anyone know anything about this place? We're intrigued.
Photo: Flickr
Boy, could we go for one of these right now. That is a guava and cheese cupcake from Sticky Fingers Cupcakes in Miami, a small place run by a Johnson & Wales grad. We recommend checking out the rest of their Flickr photostream, sure to induce sugar cravings.
Sticky Fingers Cupcakes [Blogspot]
Photo: Flickr
This isn't what we had for breakfast, although it looks far preferable to the bagel we ate. And yes, it might be a little odd to have ice cream (or gelato) for breakfast, but really, is there ever a bad time for ice cream? We don't think so.
Photo: miami fever's Flickr
We leave you this evening with dinner at Johnny V. That is sage-grilled Florida dolphin (also known as mahi-mahi) with rock shrimp plantain stuffing (yum!), lobster pan gravy, cranberry-mango chutney and baby green beans and carrots.
The lobster eggs benedict from Blue Heaven, our favorite place to get breakfast in Key West.
Photo: Flickr
Because we're having a bit of a red meat craving today. Here we present the sirloin burger at Le Tub in Hollywood, dubbed the best burger in America by GQ two years ago. Since then, it's gotten so much press that there are more newspaper clippings on the walls than tubs, the bar's signature accessories. Well, we're not entirely sure that's true, but it sure seemed like it. Note the waterfront setting in the background of the photo; add a beer, and it's paradise. Just make sure not to go during prime lunch or dinner times; we hear the wait can be long, and the crowds would likely disrupt your reverie as you lazily watched the yachts go by.
Le Tub [MenuPages]
The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die [GQ]
Photo: Flickr
How long do you think it'll take for that crab to nibble through that Cheeto? And how many more does he have stashed in that underground home? Maybe he's stockpiling hurricane supplies.
Photo: via Miami Fever's awesome Flickr photostream
A post on Chowhound by someone with a desire to cook gator meat (and also with the Caps Lock firmly in place) reminded us of the first time we were offered this Florida delicacy. We were sitting with our parents for lunch years ago at Doc Dammers (remember that place?) and ordered the gator burger. We thought it was just named for the UF Gators, until the waiter kindly leaned over and explained that the burger was actual gator meat. We switched orders then, but a few years later, when we were more adventurous eaters, we tried gator chili elsewhere and found it quite satisfying.
Continue reading "How To Tackle An Alligator Without Risking A Limb" »
One hundred eleven years ago today, 344 people crammed into the second floor of The Lobby, (it's the two-story building to the left of the small building in the center of the photo) and voted to incorporate Miami as a city. We imagine standing in such cramped quarters with no air conditioning on a Miami July day was probably miserable — we envision the pioneers putting their sweat into the city charter, both literally and figuratively — but we're glad someone was willing to do it.
Photo: Claude Matlack Collection, Historical Museum of Southern Florida
We found this photo and couldn't not share with you. Taken at sunrise on Miami Beach. Enjoy.
Photo: Flickr
Bartow, Florida. We had to look it up on the map (it's close to Winter Haven and Lakeland in Polk County). We imagine that area as a large expanse of citrus groves, but according to a recent Florida Trend piece, blueberries are taking over.
Connecticut investor Stan Phelps is spending millions to convert some of the 18,000 acres of reclaimed phosphate mines he’s bought in and around Bartow to create a blueberry operation. In March, the Wall Street veteran opened a 103,000-sq.-ft. berry packing and distribution center in Bartow. During its first harvest season this spring, the Clear Springs Packing House and Distribution Center processed and packed 1.2 million pounds of blueberries — a quarter of the state’s overall production — for 33 growers. Clear Springs also is expanding its blueberry farm from 150 acres to 1,000.
1.2 million pounds in the first year? Not too shabby. We didn't think blueberries could withstand the heat of a Florida summer — they are popular in Maine, after all — but we learned that blueberries have been grown in north-central and north Florida for quite some time. Now, they're just ramping up production. Between hurricanes and the recent citrus canker outbreak, I imagine blueberries might look appealing to weary citrus growers. And there's a market for them too — Florida blueberries ripen during March, April and May, just after the Chilean imports stop coming and just before blueberries from northern states.
Blueberry fields forever [Florida Trend]
Florida's Commercial Blueberry Industry [University of Florida IFAS Extension]
Photo: Florida Trend
We were in heaven this weekend at the International Mango Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. There were mango tastings (our favorite was a variety from Jamaica), mango smoothies, mango chutney (from Chef Allen's), mango ice cream, mango barbecue sauce — you get the idea. The most interesting part was seeing mango varieties from all over the world; unfortunately, the garden grows only a few trees of each variety, so there weren't enough for everyone to taste. Those who wanted exotic mangos had to bid on them:
We were told that platefuls of mangos would sell for $20-300 at the auction. I wonder how one treats a $50 mango.
