Luna Pasta e Dolci has all the makings of a beloved gem that could easily become a regular dining destination.
The culinary experience at Nimo was nothing short of excellent featuring an eclectic menu from Spanish, Greek, Italian, and Middle Eastern cuisines.
Log Restaurant left a lasting impression and is definitely a place worth discovering.
Giorgina is a new Italian/Mediterranean restaurant in Wynwood that is becoming a new local hot spot.
Oise Ristorante fuses traditional elements of Italian and Japanese cuisine, showcasing an exploration of imaginative flavours.
Fuwari is a buzzing izakaya loved by locals, offering reasonably priced traditional dishes.
Here is my list of Restaurants I want to try this year in Miami!
Piccolo Piano Pizzeria offer’s wood fire pizzas and shareable snacks.
A visit to Rancho Patel is the embodiment of farm-to-table and is just a one- hour drive from Miami. A truly unique experience filled with excellent food, music, laughter, and lively chatter.
Vinya Table in Coral Gables, is a restaurant and market. It has an impressive and diverse wine menu, with a large collection of rare and collectible wines, as well as creative, handcrafted cocktails. The food offers something for every palate.
If the name doesn’t grab you the food certainly will! This new concept restaurant Walrus Rodeo, from the same people who brought you Michelin Star Boia De should definitely be checked out if you’re in town.
After dining out at numerous restaurants in 2022, consuming all types of food from pizza to burgers to special occasion meals. I have come out with my Miami favorites, the best of the best list!
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.
Last year I reported that Mamey was my best meal in Miami. This year Chef Niven Patel, one of my personal favourite chefs, has opened a second restaurant called Orno, serving New American wood-fired dishes that are chef-driven and ingredient-focused.
Cotogna in San Francisco, California is not only known for their homemade pastas but also their spit-roasted meats and seafood roasted in the restaurant’s wood-burning oven. But if I can give you some advice, order the pasta!
I’m back recommending my favourite new and notable Miami restaurants along with my tried and true choices for ShaneaSavours 2021 Hit List.
Pizzeria Concettina ai Tre Santi is located in the heart Naples, Italy. It’s been run by the Oliva family for over sixty years and is now in its fourth generation. We were enamored with our delicious meal and impressed with this historic, yet ambitious and energetic restaurant.
Agriturismo Sapori di Campagna was a roadside haven serving not only the best meal I had in Abruzzo but possibly my favourite meal in Italy. The purity of ingredients and the seasonality of the dishes made me swoon. Highly recommended, if you are ever in this neck of the woods.
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.
La Natural in Miami uses a purity of ingredients, and seasonality that is palate-pleasing. The people, food, music, and environment make for a pleasant evening.
Everything we ordered at Lido Restaurant and Champagne Bar at the Surf Club in Miami’s Surfside Four Seasons was delightful. They take things seriously when it comes to creating a safe environment for guests.
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.
A new dessert/catering business was born in Toronto in January 2020, called Toronto Food Boss. Amanda and Rohan started out by making desserts for loved ones to create happiness during uncertain times, and later decided to open shop. Rohan has 15 years in the culinary arts and his partner Amanda has an eye for beauty and modern styles. I honestly have never seen such beautiful cupcakes.
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.
I love discovering or being recommended to small family owned and small independent businesses and supporting our home-grown local talents. One such, is by gifted baker, […]
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.
More Toronto eateries are jumping on the takeout/delivery bandwagon offering first-rate meals and groceries direct to your home. Many of these places have very difficult reservations to snag, so now is your chance to sample their fare!
I have shared some of my favourite places in New York open for takeout or delivery during the Covid-19 social isolation quarantine. Many of these establishments need our support now more than ever.
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.
I have shared some of my favourite places in Toronto open for takeout or delivery during the Covid-19 social isolation quarantine. Many of these establishments need our support now more than ever.
Navé Restaurant in Coconut Grove, Florida serves an excellent array of homemade pastas and a beautiful selection of the highest quality seafood.
The meal at Somni in Los Angeles made me swoon. They have created a multi-sensory culinary experience centered around a stunning bespoke exhibition kitchen for 10 guests.
Eating at Somni in the SLS Hotel Los Angeles was definitely one of my most memorable meals to date. It was creative, contemporary, artistic, breathtaking and timed so perfectly. It’s no wonder they earned 2 Michelin stars right out of the box!
Miami recently got a California import, Malibu Farm at the Eden Roc Hotel. A lovely whitewashed setting, with wooden tables and cozy banquets, a wooden deck, a retractable roof, and views overlooking the expansive beach, and blue waters.
At Giulietta Restaurant in Toronto everything on the menu sounds enticing, and every dish that passed by me looked like exceptional regional specialties.
If you value attentive, smart service in a sophisticated setting with playful and tasty food, I think you will enjoy Akira Back in Toronto.
At Emily in New York the tough decision is agonizing over what to order, the fabulous burger or the sumptuous pizza. I say order one of each and split them.
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.
Michael Schwartz recently opened Genuine Pizza in Miami’s Aventura Mall and will be expanding this new restaurant in 18 locations in the next 3 years.
The 18,000 sqft. Casa Tua Cucina in Brickell City Centre, Miami includes 12 unique dining stations, such as pizza, fish, pasta, crudo, cheese, coffee, gelato, pastry, chocolates, rotisserie chicken, meat and even a flower shop.
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.
Thought by many to be the best pizza in the Universe, Brooklyn’s Roberta’s Pizza has opened an outdoor Pop Up in Miami’s Design District.
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!
Just when you thought you were all caught up with the latest restaurants in Miami, here comes a new list to keep you busy this season. Watch for my upcoming reviews.
Maker Pizza focuses on what matters – fresh ingredients, creative recipes, cooked to order options and friendly staff. It has been rated number one in many Toronto publications and I can see why.
Dry is a contemporary spot in Milan with a unique combination of pizza and mixology. It became so popular they added a second location.
I know when I book Ristorante Da Giacomo in Milano I will always get a consistently good meal. It is an old Milanese trattoria that is tried and true with a kitchen that is well-executed.
Toronto’s La Palma is a new fun restaurant with respectable food.
The menu is Italian at heart with a California sensibility.
Chris Bianco, the James Beard award-winning chef, who has a national reputation for pizza has himself another winner, with his newest venture, Tratto in Phoenix, AZ.
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.
Chef Eyal is known for his flair at each of his restaurants but HaSalon epitomizes his philosophy of fresh food of the highest quality. The experience is a combination of texture, smell, taste and proper execution.
Abraxas Tzafon is a unique, innovative and really fun spot. Everything we ate was absolutely given thought to in terms of flavour and presentation. Expect well-executed dishes, served in a relaxed atmosphere.
The pizza at Stanzione 87 in Miami cooks in an Italian wood burning oven in under 90 seconds. The pie is soft, elastic, tender and fragrant with a sauce that tastes perfect.
Tarbell’s in Pheonix, Arizona consistently serves good food and keeps me coming back time and time again. The chef has a solid grasp of new American favourites and puts an upscale spin on them.
Brooklyn’s Paulie Gee’s has come to Miami. The crust is thin, but not soggy, and nicely charred and tender, just the way I like it. Every month they collaborate with another restaurant to incorporate what they are known for into a pizza.
Upland Miami is an offshoot of the New York restaurant with the same name by restauranteur Stephen Starr and his Chef Justin Smillie of Il Buco. At Upland the food showcases Smillie’s rustic/comfort food and seasonally influenced fare.
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 …
Fi’lia in Brickell, Miami is a play on the Italian word, “figlia”, which means “daughter” – Chef Michael Schwartz two daughters. He has expanded his operations and opened this restaurant in partnership with the Related Group. It is located on the main floor of the SLS.
St. Clair Ave West in Toronto is home to many neighborhood restaurants. A new one in the area is Nodo Hillcrest, located at 794 St. Clair Avenue West. This is Nodo’s second location.
The food is never boring – it’s truly unforgettable. When people ask me, what is my favourite restaurant in Toronto, Buca Yorkville is always on the top of my list. I am seriously impressed with the level of food, the knowledgeable and friendly staff, the high-end crowd and the remarkable creativity of the menu. Rob’s food is a modern approach to dining without being gimmicky. Long live the king.
New York’s Covina restaurant has a very casual vibe – a relaxed but nice atmosphere. Covina has a U-shaped bar, colourful banquette seating, and an open kitchen with a copper tiled pizza oven. Everything coming out of the kitchen is rather good, some of it even quite creative. The menu is a playful mix of a Cal- Med dishes.
Pi Co. is Yorkville’s new grab-and-go place in the Bay and Bloor area at 1200 Bay Street. The verdict? Not bad. I think they will do very well at this spot and I predict this will be the first of many locations.
Planta in Toronto is a great option for vegetarians and healthy eaters, but it doesn’t cater to this group exclusively. I don’t fall in those categories and I enjoy eating there. It is just an amazing alternative with tasty food, in a pleasant setting in a great Yorkville-area location.
Folks, we have a winner. Ardo is open for lunch during the week and dinner Monday to Saturday. Toronto needs more places like this. I am totally enamored with Ardo.
You can’t win them all, and sadly, Chef Laurent Tourondel’s newest restaurant in New York was a big disappointment for me. This is actually the second restaurant by the celebrated Chef that did not live up to expectations. The other was now the closed Market Restaurant.
The restaurant has a nice ambience with dark green leather banquettes, navy lacquered painted ceilings, and copper shelves stocked with backlit wine bottles and jars of preserved lemons. The menu is large with lots of choices. It is divided into pizza, one: small plates, two: pastas, three: mains, and vegetables.
Did you know Shanea is a contributor to SocialMiami.com? Click through to see some of her latest reviews.
When I return I want to try some wood fired pizza, but it did look a little too charred for my taste. Our neighbours seemed to be enjoying their veal parmesan. There is even a cheeseburger on the menu and I presume that it must be good as well.
It’s one of the better places in the entertainment district, but it was underwhelming and fell a bit short for me. I would still go back and I would try it for brunch as well. It has the potential to get much better and I hope it does. And it doesn’t seem to detract from customers – the place was buzzing on a weeknight.
Quiet and more elegant, MC Kitchen stands out from many other restaurants in this area. It’s uber-talented Chef, Dena Marino, was an Iron Chef alumni. The food is what I would call modern Italian cuisine with inventive takes on Italian classics.
Last weekend Shanea took over Social Miami’s Twitter to share her food and fun adventures.
20 Most Delish Dishes in Miami – El Cielo, Beachcraft, Pubbelly, Myumi Food Truck, Pinch Kitchen, Le Zoo and More. I tried to do a top 10 list, but I just couldn’t narrow it down! The truth is, I have dined out every night for 3 ½ months … I’ve tried a lot of dishes, to say the least!! Here’s some of my favourites (including honourable mentions (I know, I’m bad …)).
When I first visited Drunken Dragon, after it opened, I was in love with this new concept of sharing plates and Asian fusion food. I looked forward to returning to see if it was still how I remembered it. If it is your first time visiting it make sure you take the address with you as the restaurant is signless and has blacked out windows. Located in a seedy strip plaza, the sign above it says, “Market”.
A cool concept has opened at 7610 NE 4th Ct., in the same courtyard as Ironside Pizza. At F27 they serve customized ice cream using liquid nitrogen to freeze the it to 27 degrees Fahrenheit. They operate specially designed machines to enable them to use liquid nitrogen, which is injected into the ice cream liquid base. This is a flash freezing process that causes water crystals to be the smallest, achieving a velvety, creamy and smooth texture.
We decided to take a day trip to the upper Florida Keys. I didn’t have a lot of information on where to stop for lunch so I decided to try Marker 88 at 88000 Overseas Highway. It has been popular since the late 60’s and it is one of the few restaurants located on a natural beach with ample outdoor seating.
Here is my list of restaurants that I want to try this year, or that I have already tried and enjoyed.
Ni.Do. Caffé first opened about five years ago in the MiMo area of Miami to rave reviews. I loved the food and the casual ambience there. However when I ate there several months ago it wasn’t up to its typical high standards. So it was with trepidation that I tried the new location at 11052 Biscayne Blvd.
I have searched high and low to find a great bakery in Miami for years, but to no avail. Thankfully in 2013, True Loaf Bakery opened in the Sunset Harbour area at 1894 Bay Road a couple of doors down from Lucali Pizza. Yes for those of us on the beach it is a schlep to drive all the way there but let me tell you, it is worth it. I just load up on a large order and freeze a large portion of it.
There are very few restaurants left in Miami where you can put on a suit and a dress these days. The Matador Room in Ian Schrager’s Miami Beach Edition Hotel is an exception. Located at 2901 Collins Avenue, it’s a stunning, sunken circular space, to mimic the feel of a bull fighting arena, with high ceilings, and artwork of famous Matadors and their costumes. Inside is very elegant and refined. I also love dining outside on the terrace surrounding the beautiful pool. It has a romantic, tropical feel which is very sexy. The crowd is dressed to the nines.
Shh, I have a little place to tell you about but don’t tell too many people, I want to be able to get a table. It is off the beaten track in an artsy complex that houses architect and design firms. If you go to Biscayne Blvd heading south turn right at 79th street and drive a couple of blocks in you will run right into the Ironside complex. At 7580 Northeast 4th court in the Little River District, park your car in the lot for free and wander inside this complex till you find Ironside Pizza.
If you don’t mind going to a restaurant that is super casual, with simple decor, ugly art work, and a no frills kind of place but has really good food at reasonable prices then I recommend Proof Pizza and Pasta. It is located at 3328 N. Miami on the corner of 34th street, which is in Midtown and not too far from the Wynwood district. Don’t let me scare you, it is still an inviting space and clean.
Our FAVOURITE thing to do is rent a private boat and driver (through the concierge), he will take you around the entire island and drop you off for lunch at La Fontelina beach club if you do a half day, or if you do a full day try Recommone(near Narrano on the mainland) restaurant La Conca del Sogno -waiter Alfonso, and after return to Marina Grande…always the BEST day of the trip!
Best old favourites and new loves.
Last year the Matador in the Edition Hotel was the THE new hot spot in Miami. This year I predict the newly remodeled One Hotel and its new restaurant Beachcraft will be wildly popular.
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 have been to the Good Son for dinner before, but now we wanted to try Sunday Brunch. I am happy to report that is was great.
Miami has a beautiful new restaurant reminiscent of a Parisian Bistro, displaying bold and playful artwork that is for sale. The crowd is tres chic, but you shouldn’t go before 9pm to get the full impact.
1) Roscoli, great deli/restaurant near the Campo Fiori, amazing carbonara and burrata. The tomato soup is wonderful and so are all the cheeses. They have a […]