Miami Food Blog

​Gonzalo Rivera didn't garner much attention when he took over as executive chef at the Tides South Beach last spring. A first generation Mexican-American, Rivera graduated the California Culinary Academy in 2004 and promptly got work in Michael Mina's restaurants, including a four year stint as executive chef of Mina's Nemi Restaurant. Now that he's had a few months to settle in at the Tides, Rivera is launching new lunch and dinner menus at the property's main restaurant, La Marea. Here are some highlights:

Appetizers ($10-$18) include freshly-baked and grilled naan with a piquant chipotle hummus; Australian wagyu beef sliders with fried onions and barbecue sauce; and fried, bacon-wrapped, tempura-battered shrimp served with yuzu-infused crème fraîche. Other starters come in the form of seafood crudo selections ($15-$36) and salads ($14-$18) such as organic baby arugula with roasted candy cane baby beets, Florida oranges, and a tarragon citrus vinaigrette.

Pastas ($24-$28) range from tagliatelle with wild mushrooms, red pearl onion jam, Humboldt Fog bleu cheese and porcini velouté to udon noodles with miso-glazed black grouper in coriander-scented broth and bok choy succotash. Main courses ($32-$45) include  yellowtail snapper with jasmine rice, edamame, sugar snap peas and chili-lime vinaigrette; Colorado rack of lamb with a cinnamon-scented dried Bing cherry-and-quinoa salad, with stuffed zucchini blossoms and house-made dark mole sauce; and pan-seared wahoo with squid-ink pasta, ratatouille and smoked shallot beurre blanc.  
 
All we can add is that, at these prices one would expect Rivera's fare to be every bit as spectacular as that of the Tides' former executive chef Pietro Rota. We'll see.

It took just over two months to get it together, but Waxy O'Connor'​s Irish Pub is throwing a Grand Opening soiree this Thursday, November 19th, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. The pub and eatery, located downtown on the Miami River, will feature an open bar for the first two hours, followed by "killer drink specials" the rest of the night. Guests will likewise enjoy complimentary bites and live entertainment -- including Celtic dancers, a U2 tribute band, and Irish bagpipers. If you've got a kilt hanging in the closet, that perhaps you bought years ago, at a tourist shop, after a regrettable drinking binge, while visiting Ireland or Scotland, this would be an opportune time to break it out.
 
Waxy's is located in the Neo Vertika building at 690 SW 1st Court in downtown Miami. $5 valet parking. 786-871-7660.  

The raw space for Sushi Samba presents Graffiti Gone Global for Art Basel Miami '09.

​The Sugarcane Raw Bar and Grill is a new concept from the creators of Sushi Samba that will premiere during Art Basel 2009 in Midtown Miami and function in coercion with the Sushi Samba presented Graffiti Gone Global exhibition curated by street culture photo team James and Karla Murray.

The restaurant will feature three distinct kitchens, a fireside one called the "robata" for cooking meats, a hot kitchen and a raw bar. The space is 4,200 square feet, with additional space for a terrace and includes both an indoor and outdoor bar.

Design for the restaurant uses  "reclaimed woods, vintage and 'found objects' with graffiti art and modern design," according to a press release.

The restaurant's concept developer is Shimon Bokovza and the executive chef is Timon Balloo, formerly of Domo Japones (what used to occupy the Sra. Martinez spot) and who has worked at La Broche and in the kitchens of Miami chefs Allen Susser, Tim Andriola and Michelle Bernstein. Click here for an interview he did with All Purpose Dark.

A domain name has been purchased for sugarcanerawbargrill.com, but the site is as yet unbuilt and there's not even a landing page. Restaurant's physical address is 3250 NE First Avenue, Miami.

Click here for slightly outdated now-hiring posting for Sugarcane on Craigslist. Prospective employees can still send resumes to timon@sushisamba.com with position you are applying for in the subject line.

David Liszna

The new executive, without donkey, at the Catalina on Halloween. A clever nod to Ramsay's favorite curse word?

​Being shown the door by Gordon Ramsay is like facing the martial arts whoopass of Jackie Chan in Brett Ratner's Rush Hour series, only a bit more brutal.

Josh Wahler, a former contestant of Hell's Kitchen 3 (quite possibly its best season on record,) survived one such exit rather elegantly, and has now samboed his way from Doral's 5300 Chop House into the role of executive chef of Kung Fu Kitchen and Sushi at The Catalina Hotel and Beach Club. New breakfast, lunch and dinner menus will launch in three weeks.

"I left my last employer at the end of August because I was looking for a new challenge leading up to the season," says Wahler. "This amazing opportunity presented itself with open arms. There is a single unified vision for this restaurant between our ownership and management.

We are going to shake up the South Beach culinary community with our new and innovative menu, experienced front of house management and extraordinary atmosphere that will make Kung Fu a destination restaurant."
 
Sounds like strict corporate messaging to us, but hopefully Wahler will flex culinary creativity worthy of the restaurant's name. Stay tuned, folks.

Kung Fu Kitchen and Sushi
(305) 674-1160
1732-1756 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach

8 oz. Burger

​

New lunch, dinner, sushi and beverage menus have been launched at RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in South Miami. Executive chef Tai Obata: "We've fused traditional Japanese cuisine with concepts from other regions, integrating some Latin influences and adding an entirely new tapas selection."

Chef Obata is one of the founding partners of RA Sushi, which has 25 locations across America. Some of his new additions:

*Grilled Short Ribs: An appetizer of marinated and grilled Kalbi beef short ribs basted in a sweet and tangy yakiniku sauce, served with wasabi mashed potatoes ($7.50).
*Kaisen Ceviche: With cooked shrimp, scallops and squid, chilled and mixed with fresh tomato, avocado and salsa, served in a spring roll shell ($9.50).
*Pork Katsu: Breaded pork served on wasabi mashed potatoes with coleslaw and an Asian barbecue dipping sauce ($13.75).
*One new sushi roll, the "RA"llipop: Tuna, salmon, yellowtail, spicy tuna mix, lettuce, asparagus and cucumber, wrapped in lobok [Asian radish] and skewered with a garlic ponzu sauce ($15).
*Spicy Rice Crispy Treats: Soy paper hand rolls filled with crispy rice balls, spicy tuna mix, cucumber, avocado, lettuce and sautéed nuts, served with a soy chili sauce ($7.25).
*"RA Tapas", a selection of small plates of thinly-sliced sashimi served with organic micro greens.
*Chicken Teriyaki Bowl: chicken breast sautéed with snow peas, carrots and broccoli, served over rice and topped with teriyaki sauce ($8.25).
*New cocktails such as the Shiso Naughty martini: Skyy Infusions Pineapple vodka and X-Rated liqueur with yuzu and Japanese shiso ($8.50).
*Two new sakes: Hakutsuru Sayuri "Little Lily" Junmai Nigori; and Tozai "Living Jewel" Junmai.

RA Sushi in South Miami is located at 5829 SW 73rd St. across from The Shops at Sunset Place.
 

Unattributed user-submitted photo via Yelp

Downtowning

​The holy trinity of art, food, and music, are making Downtown Miami a go-to destination for culture in Vice City.

Fourteenth Street's Urbanite Bistro is now offering a three-course, $37, tasting menu that includes a voucher for performance parking one block from the Arsht and is designed with theatergoers in mind.

The offer is available Monday - Friday from 5 - 7 p.m. and includes apps like duck confit ravioli, wild mushroom empanadas, and coconut and green curry soup. Entrees are miso orange glazed roasted tofu, Hudson Valley magret duck breast, braised short rib, and ancho glazed grouper. Dessert choices are triple layered, triple flavored, chocolate covered sugar-free cheesecake or caramel crème brule.

Log on to www.urbanitebistro.com for more info.

Dean James Max will bring bite to the Edge

​When Cheeca Lodge & Spa reopens in Islamorada this December 15th, its landmark Atlantic's Edge restaurant will be under the creative direction of newly hired "Concept Chef" Dean James Max -- who is known closer to home for his 3030 Ocean at the Marriott Harbor Beach in Ft. Lauderdale.

The Edge menu will remain focused on "modern American seafood" and prime steaks, but the renovated restaurant will feature a new glassed-in wine cellar with over 150 labels -- and, presumably, a newfound finesse finagled by Mr. Max.

Also returning to the property will be a newly spruced Nikai Sushi eatery, a refurbished oceanside Tiki Bar, and unaltered romantic views of the Atlantic Ocean.  

Ben Neji's Wine 69 at Biscayne and 69th Street was a neat place to hang out over a glass of well-priced wine. Our loss.

I ate at Badrutt's Place, at 1250 S Miami Avenue about a year and a half ago, and haven't had a worse meal since. Good riddance.

It was reported earlier on this post that the new Publix at Fifth Street and Alton Road in South Beach had opened, and that they had lots of good two-for-one sales going on. In fact, that was just a test run they had -- the official opening isn't until Thursday, October 29th.

The fire occurred at 400 NE 67 Street in Miami's Upper Eastside neighborhood and reportedly sent up millions of dollars worth of Barton G's goods like linens, furniture, and a commercial washer in flames.

Barton G's new restaurant, Prelude, opens to the public Friday at the Arsht. The restaurateur, famous for creating visual spectacle, told a Herald reporter ``There may be a giraffe or two at the party Thursday. I just have to convince the Arsht it's OK for them to eat these trees."

So, when is a fire just a fire, and when is it a publicity stunt?

I reported yesterday that Area 31 was named as one of Esquire Magazine's Top 20 New Restaurants of 2009. Michelle Bernstein's Sra. Martinez also made the list. On the one hand, I apologize for missing that. On the other hand, the woman gets more than enough press.

One more acknowledgement: Kaitlin Yelle of Meat Market got Mariani's nod for  "hostess of the year". "Her secret? To smile and be happy, and make the customer feel special." Sort of sounds like a dumb award, but in fact the host/hostesses are the first people you deal with when entering a restaurant, and so many of them are either pretentious or clueless. So nice going Kaitlin. And, yeah, you too Michelle.

Photo by Adam Larkey

Was Mariani bowled over by this bolognese?

​Area 31, in the Epic Hotel downtown, has been named as one of the Best New Restaurants of 2009 in the November issue of Esquire magazine. When food and travel critic John Mariani dined at Area 31 this summer, he asked executive chef John Critchley to send out his favorite dishes. Mariani's menu entailed Yellowfin Tuna Crudo, Grilled Red Drum, Salt-Crusted Dorade, and Ricotta Gnocchi with Tuna Bolognese (in photo -- and the recipe is here). Congrats to Critchley and the crew for the well-deserved accolade.

• Man wants tacos so bad he's willing to kill for them.....maybe he'll like the ones in prison...if they find him. [Herald]
• Mayor Daley from Chicago says "I'm moving to Miami, where there are no taxes on food and no state income tax." [ChicagoTribune]
• Lee Schrager talks about getting asked to unclog toilets at early South Beach Wine and Food Fest. [NYPost]
• Top Chef renewed for 2010 by Bravo, season 7 casting calls coming to Miami soon. [Variety]
• Bill Marriott talks about "see-through condos in South Florida" and the guest experience that includes organic food in Marriott hotels. [Sun Sentinel]
• How To Leave Hialeah, book by Miami author Jennine Capó Crucet, has chapter on Noche Buena feast that features "two hundred pounds" of food. [AllHeadlines]
• Texas city makes fun of Miami for beating them at America's fattest city 2009 as determined by  Men's Fitness Magazine. [HoustonChronicle]
• Muscle Maker Grill, a New Jersey-born concept that places health-core food establishments around gyms and fitness centers, is coming to Miami, and Ft. Lauderdale. [CoStar]
• Burger King to continue enticing folks with value options and value advertising in the Great Recession's Burger Wars. [Nation'sRestaurantNews]
• Haitian American Top Chef contestant Ron Duprat talks about getting kicked off the show by Michelle Bernstein. [CleanPlateCharlie]
• Bacon Camp has events in Miami. [DigitalCity]

​Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza is offering local football fans a chance to win the ultimate "Dolp-fan" package: Two club seats, a parking pass and Anthony's tailgate food for 10 will be given away to each home game. In order to qualify, you have to pick up a form available at any of the ACFP locations and drop it off at the register. Sole Miami-Dade location is in Aventura (17901 Biscayne Blvd.; 305-830-2625).

Of course now that Pennington is out for the year, the value of this promotion has plummeted a bit. Still, club seats are club seats, and if the tailgate food includes Anthony's delectable coal-oven pizza, this is quite the winning proposition for any football fan. And even though you probably won't win, stopping by Anthony's for an 800-degree anthracite-fueled pie is never a bad idea. BTW, Dan Marino is one of Anthony's partners.

After just a four-month stint, executive chef James Figueroa-Perez of Ideas Restaurant has been replaced. New head chef at this Coconut Grove restaurant is Jorge L. Sanchez, from Avila; his new fall menu premiers tomorrow night, but he promises to retain old favorites such as the cochinillo (suckling pig). Ideas, a Spanish restaurant focused on the region of Castilla y León, was best when it first opened in October, 2006 -- with a pair of fantastic chefs from Castilla y León running the kitchen. The past couple of years they've been shuffling chefs too often, to the detriment of the cuisine. Let's hope Sanchez brings the place back up -- and stays around awhile.

Daniel Serfer's Facebook

Fresh catch

​Shrimp and grits; clams with green lentils, chorizo, and plantain chips; mussels steamed in beer with blue cheese and homemade thick cut french fries;

wahoo with red quinoa risotto and lobster broth; Kurobuta pork short ribs with balsamic-glazed Brussels sprouts and braising juices; and a 16 oz. rib eye with fingerling potatoes and homemade pineapple Worcestershire.

These dishes read like a new American seafood restaurant, exactly what Executive Chef Daniel Serfer has in mind for 15th Street Fisheries, where he assumed the helm

on September 4.  Testing these and other daily specials, Serfer is giving the historic Ft. Lauderdale Marina restaurant a thorough dusting-of

f, developing a new menu that will debut in November and focus

on local seafood and affordability.  The chef arrives from a five year stage at Chef Allen's Modern Seafood Bistro in Aventura, where he was most recently chef de cuisine.

 

"It was a huge part of my life," says Serfer.  "Allen taught me so much.  Each day that I'm not there I realize more and more what I learned."

Discount means more bang bang for the buck

​Beginning next Monday, September 28, A Fish Called Avalon on Ocean Drive will be offering a half-price discount on food and drink to members of the hospitality industry.

This translates to full size appetizer plates such  as Bang Bang shrimp and pan-seared diver scallops for $8; yellow tomato gazpacho with cucumber salad for $6; tuna tartare for $7.50. Wine selections start at $5 per glass, and martinis, margaritas, mojitos, and other mixed drinks will be 50 percent off.

How do you prove you're a member of the hospitality industry? Well, they don't say, but a biz card will probably work. Or else just show up looking tired, jaded, and underpaid -- that, too, will likely do the trick.

A Fish Called Avalon is open daily from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. For reservations: 305-532-1727.

Mexican Independence Day takes place this Wednesday, September 16, and Rosa Mexicano is celebrating all week. Starting today and running through Sunday, September 20th, the Mary Brickell restaurant will be offering a three-course prix-fixe dinner menu "inspired by the patriotic holiday celebrated in plazas throughout Mexico and by Mexicans all over the world".

Chef David Sloane's menu looks mighty tempting. Patrons get to choose one of each:

Appetizers: Guacamole en Molcajete; Chicken Raviolis with Poblano Cream Sauce; Three Ceviches (Red snapper with Guajillo and red pepper; Mahi-Mahi with coconut-habanero; and Halibut with Serrano ham and cilantro).

Entrees: Filete Cascabel (grilled filed mignon smothered in fire-roasted Cascabel chile salsa topped with melted Chihuahua cheese); Camarones de Agua Dulce (sweetwater prawns sautéed with garlic and parsley served over black rice); Chiles en Nogada (two Poblano chiles stuffed with pork picadillo topped with a traditional walnut sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds -- the red, white, and green of Mexico's flag)

Desserts: Caramel Crepes or Guava-Apple Crisp topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with caramel sauce.

Price is $37, plus tax and tip, with a portion of the proceeds from each dinner benefitting Feeding America, a charity dedicated to feeding America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks.

Rosa Mexicano Mary Brickell Village, 900 S. Miami Ave., Miami; 786-425-1001.

Jackie Sayet

More light than night for this little piggy

​It's official. As of last Sunday (August 30,) the Au Pied de Cochon outpost on South Beach is the only one company-wide unable to sustain a 24 hour business.

According to the general manager, the restaurant was unable to secure late night authorization for its liquor license and found that staying open in the wee hours was no longer financially viable for the business without alcohol sales. 

Au Pied will now focus on its lunch and dinner service. 

Short Order thinks management should also pay attention to its website, where the 24/7 message goes unchanged.

New hours are as follows:
Mon - Fri, 11:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.  (lunch)
Mon - Wed and Sun, 5 p.m. - midnight, and Thurs - Sat, 5 p.m. - 2 a.m. (dinner)
Sun, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (brunch)

It's unclear at the moment why Au Pied has been unable to secure late night hours for its license, but the attempt is apparently ongoing.   Time will tell if its traditional hours will return.

Au Pied de Cochon
81 Washington Ave
Miami, FL 33139-7323
(305) 674-1844

via miami-airport.com

click for fullsize

​Las Vegas airport has slot machines, Idaho airport more than likely sells potato sacks, California airports might as well sell weed in their vending machines. Miami International Airport has something they don't. Cuban coffee, La Carreta style.

Now, the county is looking to fill more food & beverage locations in the north and south terminals, 5 total.

Some qualifications include $2 million dollars in annual gross revenue and "3 years experience within the last 5 years in financing, design & construction, managing, operating and maintaining a food and beverage location in an airport, transportation center, retail shopping center or marketplace."

Short Order sees Pollo Tropical as good candidate. What restaurants would you like to see open at Miami International Airport? Leave a comment.

Click here to read the advertisement for the Request For Proposal.

image via wwworks flickr

​Ever been to Benihana Teppanyaki and bemoaned the "lack of Japan" in the place? The company is addressing your concerns on that point and others.
 
Miami headquartered Benihana Inc., which operates 65 Benihana teppanyaki restaurants, 25 RA Sushi Bars, and 9 Haru sushi restaurants, recently concluded its 2009 annual meeting of stock holders, held at the Marriott in Doral.

In what's being hailed as the Benihana Teppanyaki Renewal Program, the chain has decided to implement menu and dining enhancements like upgrading their tenderloin specs to USDA Choice, using higher quality shrimp product, and introducing new sake drinks.

They're also particularly interested in increased seating at South Florida waterfront locations. A new menu being introduced on October 1st includes a 12 oz Imperial Steak, Spicy Tofu Steak, Colossal Mango Shrimp and others, and the company pledges not to raise the price on entrees.

"Lack of Japan" refers to the company's interest in promoting Japanese culture in the U.S. through restaurants. This goes back to founder Rocky Aoki's vision for the brand. Steps for updated Japanification include naming Chef Hiroyki Sakai as Executive Culinary Advisor and contracting Japanese designer Ms. Eriko Horiki for interior enhancements.

via newscafe.com

​

via brandi666's flickr

95 South

​What do you get when you cross kosher meats, non dairy cheese, and the largest buyer of Florida tomatoes in the world? Kosher Subway, that's what.

According to the Jewish Tribune, Ghazi Faddoul, a Lebanese Christian, opened the first kosher Subway in Cleveland in 2006.

Later this month, the Michael-Ann Russel JCC of North Miami will follow suit with a franchise opening in their space. The man responsible is Maurice Lichy, a Cuban Jew who spent 19 years in the "shoe business" before moving into real estate and then food service.

Short Order recently spoke to Maurice about blessing the bread, pastrami sandwiches, and "perhaps thinking about" $6 footlongs.

via wikimedia commons

Market Crash

​It used to be that people rented a hotel room, ate dinner, got drunk and screwed. Now that people have gone back to doing that at home, it's the hotels that are getting screwed.

Morgans Hotel Group Co. owns or has an ownership interest in properties around the world including The Shore Club, The Delano, and The Mondrian South Beach.

Their just released 2nd quarter report states "Food and beverage revenue decreased 27.0% to $19.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2009 compared to $26.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2008."

The Shore Club's restaurants are Nobu & Ago. The Delano's are Plat Bleu and Blue Door; the Mondrian has Asia De Cuba.

In transcripts of a conference call regarding the report (obtained via Seeking Alpha) President and CEO David Kleisner said "Miami has traditionally enjoyed high demand from South American countries in the summer. We have seen a moderation in that demand."

Basically, South Beach just needs an 80's style drug money infusion. Cocaine cowboys stand up.

via wikimedia commons

Not the actual suspect.

​ Closing time at a restaurant usually means that servers and bussers have gone home for the night, cooks have cleaned their stations, and the dishwasher is scrubbing pots, spraying mats, sweeping, mopping, and taking out the trash. The dishwasher may well be the only person in the kitchen, and the back door is wide open.

Last night, according to Miami Dade Police (and CBS4) two armed men walked in the back door of  Hong Kong Chinese and Sushi Restaurant in Kendall, shot somebody, and left with cash.

We don't know yet who the man was, where he was shot, how much cash the robbers got, or their descriptions.

We do know that there are a lot of restaurants in Dade County, and that the back door to almost any of them is probably wide open almost anytime that anybody's there. Watch your backs kitchen staff.

Town

Going to town

​You could smell it like the Burger Beast smells searing chuck from a mile away.  After last week's story on the ownership change at The Gastropub at Jake's, plans also changed for its chef, Richard Plasencia, who was to stay on board with new owner Baruch Pletner.  There was talk of him helping to start up the kitchen at The Cherry on Top in Coconut Grove.

"Baruch offered me the position but there is absolutely no hot food at The Cherry on Top," explains Plasencia, with some other details off the record in between.  "I am very excited to be on-board with Town, they're a company going in the right direction with an ambitious future ahead."

Prior to his time at Jake's, Plasencia had many restaurant stops along the way, including such kitchens as the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne and Norman's.

"Richard is a good chef, and we wish him luck at Town, but I am quite certain that our executive chef, Yolanda Honeycutt and our classically trained Sous Chef, Prashanth Ravi are more than capable of taking Jake's to a whole new culinary level," writes Pletner, in an email to Short Order yesterday.  "Yolanda will be the Executive Chef at The Cherry on Top as well and we are now looking for a full time Garde Manger chef for that position."

Plasencia will be able to settle in as Executive Chef Michael Altman turns his attention to Town's BBQ concept planned for the old JJ's American Diner site at 1450 South Dixie Highway in Coral Gables.

image via wellohorld's flickr

And restaurant executives take to graffiti

​Morton's Restaurant Group, the company responsible for Morton's, The Steakhouse, must be cryin' like a New York stripper in her New York Strip after she only made $300 in lap dance money on a Friday night and her inner thighs got pole burn.

The restaurant group is reporting a revenue decrease of 19.8% for the second quarter of 2009. Their earnings were $68.7 million, which is down from $85.6 million.

According to their report "The decrease in revenues is primarily attributable to the decrease in comparable restaurant revenues." Uh, no shit folks, probably the only people eating at fancy steakhouses right now are business execs writing 2nd quarter revenue loss reports.

They do say that drops were offset by 4 new Morton's opened in 2008. Our research indicates new restaurants opened in Brooklyn, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami Beach in 2008, so maybe South Florida is an earner for them.  

There are 9 Morton's locations in Florida, seven in South Florida (Boca, The Gables, Lauderdale, Miami, Miami Beach, North Miami Beach, and West Palm).

Jackie Sayet

Same face manning the bar, Sean Patrick Gilroy

​It was a deal owner Patrick Gleber (also of Tobacco Road) couldn't refuse.

Baruch Pletner, an Israeli entrepreneur, strolled into Jake's last Tuesday and expressed interest in purchasing the newly renovated Jake's.  Fast forward to today, and Pletner is already making the place his own, in more ways than one.

Jackie Sayet

Three times is a charm

​Heavenly fish tacos have arrived on the stretch of Red Road between Bird and Flagler at Fish Shack Market.  First, thick pieces of the daily Triple Tail catch are seasoned and seared a la plancha and land on crunchy  strips of julienne green cabbage inside a flash fried corn tortilla.  Then, each crisp bundle is topped with freshly-made pico de gallo, bunches of chopped cilantro and finely diced fresh jalapeno.  A steamed corn tortilla sleeve, true to Mexican custom, is folded under the luscious package to prevent breakage.  Multiplied by three, these beauties are piled side by side into a paper boat, next to a shooter of spicy tomato cocktail to cleanse the palate with sips between bites. 

Jackie Sayet

The red and white tiles are in

​Mr. Chow, located in the W South Beach (2201 Collins Avenue), will begin to take reservations today, August 3rd, and open the doors tomorrow, Tuesday night. For reservations call 305-695-1699.

Five Guys is at it again. John and Raquel Catalano, owners of the Five Guys franchise in Kendall, are opening one in South Miami -- 1540 S. Dixie Hwy., where Ming's Garden used to be. Slated to open about 6 weeks from now.

Just a spuds throw away, at 1450 S. Dixie Hwy. (where JJ's American Diner had been for some time), the folks from Town Kitchen and Bar are opening a barbecue place. No name yet, but look for an October opening.

A little work still needs to be done

​And yet more fast food for South Miami: Another Pizza Rustica location, at 6800 SW 57th Ave., that is planned for September. This one is going to have what the owner is calling "the first pizza drive-thru in Florida" -- called the Slice Thru.

And Oscar G, new resident at Hoy Como Ayer (does this mean he lives there?), has plans for Café Mambo -- Cuban cuisine and live music. No opening date yet, but it's going to be located in the vicinity of Coral Way and 21st Ave. Keep up with the progress at Oscar's MySpace page.