This Week's Hand-Picked Miami Food Summary

by dsevilla from Flickr

From the Miami Herald:

Hand-picked Foodie News:

• Michael Mina's Bourbon Steak will open next week in Aventura.
• Jennifer Behar of Coral Gables-based Jennifer's Homemade, known for biscotti, breadsticks, and flatbreads, will be on The Martha Stewart Show; Wednesday, 2 p.m., NBC6.
• The famed Three Guys From Miami's Noche Buena segment will be on Christmas in America with Rachel Ray again, at 10 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday on the Food Network.

Now, from the Herald's prominent food writers:

Linda Bladholm talks about Grandma's French Cafe & Ice Cream Parlor of Fort Lauderdale being, well obviously, an ice-cream parlor that also doubles as a French creperie & bistro.

Enrique Fernandez talks about four Spanish restaurants that serves fish literally from Spain, and that the flavor of those fishes taste very Spanish even when in comparison with the locally available fish. The restaurants are La Dorada of Coral Gables, Ideas Restaurant of Coconut Grove, Puerto Gallego Restaurante y Marisqueria of Hialeah, and Rincon Espanol Restaurant of Dadeland.


And the Herald's nitpicky restaurant review of the day:

Dolores, But You Can Call Me Lolita
reviewed by Victoria Pesce Elliott
1000 South Miami Avenue
Miami, FL 33130
305-403-3103

The Good:

1. Cumin-spiked Gazpacho
2. Spinach & Goat Cheese Salad
3. Eggplant Timbale w/ Smokey Mozzarella Topped w/ Sauteed Shrimp
4. Leek & Spinach Tart
5. Vaca Frita
6. Ginger-orange-glazed Pork Tenderloin
7. Pan-seared Sea Bass with Cherry Tomatoes & Snow Peas
8. Roasted Salmon served w/ Vinegared Tomato Salad & Jasmine Rice
9. Veal Lasagne w/ Bolognese Sauce
10. Veal churrasco w/ Thin & Crispy Fries
11. Tiramisu
    

The Bad:

1. Four-Cheese Duck Quesadilla
2. "Oriental" Vegetable Spring Rolls
3. Short-rib Ravioli
4. Coconut Creme Brulee

And now on to the Miami New Times:

Alta Cocina
reviewed by Lee Klein
5837 Sunset Drive
South Miami, FL 33143
305-662-7435

The Good:

1. Curried Chicken
2. Fried Roti Bread
3. Herbed Salt Cod Fritters
4. Tender Fried Calamari Tossed w/ Lightly-pickled Escabeche Peppers
   
5. Fusion del Rabo (Braised Oxtail Meat w/ Homemade Gnocchi Glazed w/ Gorgonzola Sauce)
6. Steak Filet w/ Wild Mushroom Sauce & Cubed Potatoes
7. Passion Fruit Key Lime Pie (Passion Fruit Sorbet Over Graham Crackers)
   

The Bad:

1. Skirt Steak w/ Fries
   
2. Organic Veggie Sailboat (Grilled Portobello Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Zucchini, & Yellow Squash w/ Truffle-Basil Dressing)
3. Ricotta-mushroom ravioli Topped w/ Sun-dried Tomato Sauce
4. Shrimp Reggiano (Six Cheese-coated Shrimps w/ Handkerchief pasta w/ Mushrooms)

Lemon Fizz
reviewed by Pamela Robin Brandt

16310 West Dixie Highway

North Miami Beach, FL 33160

305-949-6599

The Good:

1. Grape Fizz Smoothie w/ Vanilla Ice Cream
2. Falafel Patties Saj
3. Za'atar "Thyme & Olive Oil" Saj (Thyme, EVOO, Sumac, Sesame Seeds)
4. Middle-Eastern Labneh & Brined Olives Saj
5. Nutella & Strawberries Dessert Saj
   

The Bad:

1. Surprisingly, none mentioned? MangiaMiami's OP: Fajita Saj - it could be better, and if you wanted something Tex-Mex, go to a Tex-Mex restaurant, not here.
   

That's the wrap-up for this week's Foodie News for Miami-Dade! And feel free to comment on any of these reviews and tidbits - no one food critic is better than another, except for your own!