Musings: South Beach Wine & Food, Midtown and Root Beer

- In light of the upcoming South Beach Wine & Food Festival, I propose a law requiring that no posted photo of any Food Network personality ever exceed the size of a postage stamp.
- Our fine dining establishments are much improved in terms of the quality of cuisine served, but they've still got a ways to go concerning desserts.
- The Shops At Midtown boasts a roster of incoming restaurants, none of which seems to be exactly rushing to open.
- Speaking of Midtown: If anyone wants to start up a really big dining establishment, there's about to be an empty Circuit City space available real soon.
- Root beer is an underutilized food flavoring. How about root beer-braised brisket? Venison in root beer gastrique? A root beer-foie gras float? On second thought, forget I mentioned it.
- Oh Wagamama, where art thou? Or, for that matter, where is any similarly cool, low-priced noodle shop in these parts?
- Every upscale restaurant seems to be serving hamburgers these days. Also macaroni & cheese. The economic downturn is presumed to be the impetus behind this trend, but I don't recall seeing coffee shops and diners adding foie gras and caviar to their menus during heady times.
- I can't help but note that Yoo-Hoo, too, is universally shunned by chefs.































