There has been a lot of hype since the opening of a new South Beach restaurant called The Drexel in the Esme Hotel and overseen by the founders of Mandolin Aegean Bistro.
I’m back recommending my favourite new and notable Miami restaurants along with my tried and true choices for ShaneaSavours 2021 Hit List.
Every once in a while I discover a hidden gem, a restaurant that sets itself apart from others and makes for a delightful experience. Motek Café in Miami is one such place. Opened in June 2020, during the height of the pandemic, this is a perfect example of the Little Engine that could.
The dishes are quite hearty at the newly opened Casa Isola Osteria in Miami by chefs Jose Mendin and Santo Agnello. They’re serving a Brooklyn Italian menu that grandma would serve you at home.
Miami’s Osteria Morini, in the Kimpton Palomar South Beach is a cut above the competition. An NYC transplant by the Altamarea Group, it’s my favourite restaurant in Miami this year!
If you are looking for a charming, cozy restaurant with good home-cooked food, or prepared foods to go, then look no further than Tania’s Table in Miami.
Ke-uh Restaurant in Sunny Isles will no doubt become a hot spot in North Miami. The menu is diverse and eclectic, with many shareable plates and fish flown in from Japan and the Mediterranean.
It is not often you can find a decent restaurant at a mall. Kudos to Micheal Mina for opening a crowd-pleasing option with Ornos Estiatorio in Miami. I am sure people in the area are thrilled about this new alternative.
I’m so happy to see a new establishment opening in North Miami like Perl Restaurant that is worthy of many return visits. The menu combines many influences and there is something for everyone.
Newly opened Mila in Miami is huge, and seats about 250 indoors and 150 outdoors. Outdoors is where you want to be weather permitting. Inside the dining room is finished in earth tones, with a fabulously large teardrop lighting installation, a beautiful sculpted wooded accent wall and an open kitchen and large bar.
Dova is Toronto’s newest restaurant, located at 229 Carlton Street in Cabbagetown, near Carlton and Parliment St. Some of you may be very familiar with chef Marotta from his other established restaurant Ardo. The food here is similar to Ardo. They serve delicious artisanal pastas, woodfire pizzas, fresh caught fish and ethically sourced meats. The food is reflective of the chef’s family Sicilian heritage. The chef has a deep connection to Sicilian and Mediterranean food, thanks to the influence of his mother’s cooking.
I have always longed for delivery from upscale and delicious purveyors. Unfortunately, it took a pandemic for eateries in Toronto to bring delivery and takeout to the masses. Here is my latest list of restaurants in Toronto offering takeout and or delivery.
In the hope people are continuing to support local eateries and caterers by ordering takeout or delivery from participating restaurants, I’ve created a second edition of my favourite spots in Toronto for takeout / delivery.
I have shared some of my favourite places in Miami open for takeout or delivery during the Covid-19 social isolation quarantine. Many of these establishments need our support now more than ever.
Due Camini in Puglia, Italy is perfect for a special celebration, a romantic meal or a gourmet treat to experience contemporary techniques and dishes that have a history of culinary traditions, re-created in a cutting-edge environment.
There seems to be a few restaurants popping up around west Flagler, Miami. One is Pez, focused on using fresh local ingredients and trying to be as authentic as possible.
Wynwood’s prettiest restaurant, Doma, has recently opened, just one block south of Beaker and a Gray. They really strive for a purity of ingredients and a seasonality of the dishes.
The Miami food scene continues to explode and I had been waiting patiently for Cvltvra (pronounced, “cultura”) to open. The restaurant is an infusion of Latin American and Mediterranean cuisine, and overall the menu was ambitious and creative. Don’t wait for a game or concert to visit!
Back by popular demand, my personal favourite list of Miami restaurants for 2018/2019 in no particular order, as well as new openings I want to try.
Constantine is on the main floor of a new boutique Toronto hotel, The Anndore House, at 15 Charles Street East, close to Yonge and Bloor Street. The food can best be described as Mediterranean, with Israeli/Middle Eastern influences. I liked the brunch menu and found the service to be better than the dinner service.
At Toronto’s Assembly Chef’s Hall you can eat out with friends without worry about someone’s dietary restrictions. It is fun, unfussy, and won’t break the bank.
Palat Restaurant is an eye-catching spot, and made me do a double take as I was driving by. I hadn’t heard a thing about it, but decided to try it on a whim, for lunch. It was so good, I returned for dinner the next day.
We were lucky to be invited to a private dinner at Fátima, Donnie Masterton’s new San Miguel spot in the Casablanca Hotel.
We found the shareable tapas plates to be more to our liking, I would recommend going heavier on a large variety of these and lighter on the mains. My favourite dish, however, is the tender, charred octopus à la plancha, with arugula, and Marcona almonds.
Ramon Freixa has set Madrid on fire with his stylish contemporary cuisine.A leader in Mediterranean food, he takes it to a new dimension. Each and every course served is a palate adventure.
I may be away from Toronto this winter, but I am still keeping tabs on new restaurants. Look forward to you letting me know what you think about these about these as well as anything I should try on my return!
Bar Sybanne in Toronto surpassed all my expectations. The reasonably priced menu offers artfully-plated, creative dishes with a great interplay of textures and tastes.
JK Kitchen Restaurant & Terrace in Capri delivers a level of luxury, charm, style and attention to detail that creates a truly special evening.
Estia is Toronto’s new “it” restaurant of the moment. The emphasis is on fresh, simple, uncomplicated dishes, that are cooked well. And really, isn’t this just what people are looking for?
The restaurant is chic, and sophisticated with a hip vibe.
Avra Madison Estiatorio in New York is a new “it” restaurant serving upscale traditional Greek cuisine, conveniently located across from Barney’s and the shops on Madison Avenue.
Virtu Restaurant, in Scottsdale, opened four years ago in 2013. That same year they were named Best New Restaurants in America by Esquire Magazine and they have also received a James Beard nomination. I thought I needed to check out the place and see for myself.
Jerusalem Chefs Rina and Alice have created a tasty and inventive menu in their modern and cozy restaurant. We were happy to have this option on a Saturday afternoon in Jerusalem.
At Forte dei Marmi in Miami they go to great lengths to bring you the flavours of the Amalfi coast, using high-quality ingredients, exceptional regional specialties and inventive Italian cooking in a beautifully presented in a relaxed and vibrant setting.
The emphasis is on freshness, combined with high quality ingredients and sophisticated cooking techniques. The dishes are creative and showcase a modern cuisine focusing on Moroccan and Mediterranean influences.
The Norman Hotel is elegant and sophisticated and the staff is courteous, respectful and well-trained. It offers 24-hour concierge service, high-end interiors, and great personalized customer service. A stunning new addition to central Tel Aviv.
The emphasis is on fresh, local, simply prepared food. The menu changes on a whim, so you may not find a favourite dish again but you will certainly be surprised and pleased at the offerings.
Turkiz is a lovely restaurant with a creative menu of fabulous food. Of course, the highlights here are unquestionably fish and seafood creations. The name, “Turkiz” means, “turquoise”, which is perfect for the spot, and since opening in 1991 they’ve been really packing them in.
Now here’s the perfect combination – Miami’s Four Seasons Surf Club and iconic restaurant Le Sirenuse from famed Positano, Italy have partnered together.
There’s a buzz to La Petite Maison in Miami. The place exudes luxury, charm and style. They’ve really gone to great lengths in terms of hospitality, bringing in staff from the Dubai and London locations to assist the opening. If they can just refine the food, the discriminating clientele will return in droves.
Bazaar Mar by Jose Andres at SLS Brickell offers a vibrant overwhelming mix of sophisticated and whimsical cuisine, in a playful, Mediterranean interior. The emphasis is on fresh fish from local and Caribbean waters. It is a meal to remember.
Cardon y El Tirano in Miami is creative, flavourful and eclectic. It’s not all about the glitz like so many places, instead, it’s modernizing the local food scene by bringing new, interesting choices to locals and tourists alike.
Consider Barnsteiner’s in Toronto if you are in the mood for some home cooked food, but you don’t feel like cooking. People who are intimidated by trendy restaurants, or menus where they can’t find anything that they would dare try, this is your place.
I think people visit Mina’s Mediterraneo because the staff is friendly, the garden is pretty and on Saturday’s they have live entertainment. It is cheap and cheerful, but I also need great food to return …
Glass and Vine in Coconut Grove was created by Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli, a James Beard Award nominee and winner of the Food Network’s show, Chopped, and Grove Bay Hospitality Group. The indoor/outdoor 200 seat restaurant is located in the heart of Peacock Park.
Look for the Chase Bank on the corner and Bergen Hill is in the same building off a side street. It’s a great neighbourhood spot. I haven’t seen this kind of creativity and execution from a kitchen in a long time.
Miami’s dining scene keeps getting better. Let me introduce you to last season’s favourites, new restaurants and my most anticipated for the Fall and Winter of 2016-2017 …
There really were no standouts except for the amazing Smashed Potatoes. I would rather come for a drink at the bar, but the food doesn’t seem to stop the people from coming. The place was packed and the crowd was beautiful.
Bar Reyna – the new project of the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of View the Vibe, Nicki Laborie – is located at 158 Cumberland St. in Toronto’s trendy Yorkville area. The best dish of the night was the falafel bowl. I liked the crispness of the falafel.
Whenever I am visiting Miami I try and eat lunch or dinner at Mandolin Restaurant. The food is great, but even more so there is something about this historic 1940’s restored house that I find charming. Located at 4312 NE 2nd Ave, in the Buena Vista neighbourhood just north of the Design District.
The Driftwood Room is the work of New York Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, the Food Network Star Chef of Butter Restaurant and the China Grill. Located in the newly renovated and restored Nautilus South Beach at 1825 Collins Avenue, the restaurant is quite attractive, but weather permitting I suggest dining on the large terrace. It has that beach inspired feel and reminded me of St. Bart’s.
Best old favourites and new loves.
Byblos Miami is an off shoot of the Toronto original, set in the Shorecrest Tower of the Royal Palm South Beach. It is located at 1545 Collins Avenue.
Of course everyone wants to try The French Laundry at least once in your life. So go ahead, beg your concierge or use a connection to try and get you in. We have been twice and I wouldn’t go back again.
We tried Klima Restaurant tonight which is located on 23 and Collins in the former Tosca Space. Two guys out of Barcelona opened this beautiful indoor/outdoor space.
I didn’t know what to expect as I had not been to Punta Mita before. I know the resort was over 16 years old. Well I was not disappointed. The grounds are magnificent, with lush foliage, and wonderful sculptures throughout.
Le Zoo restaurant by Stephen Starr finally opened at Ba Harbour Shops, replacing Le Goulue. It is a French Brasserie with Mediterranean style dishes.
