billwisserphoto.com

Arroz a banda at Bulla Gastrobar in Coral Gables

There was a time, not long ago, when boys in khaki swarmed Coral Gables. They sauntered down avenues while gossiping about the latest venture capitalist to move to New York. Ageless women, hair blow-dried and legs strangled by skin-tight white pants, muttered words like "supposebly." There were gold necklaces, Mediterranean lawns, and University of Miami bumper stickers. Coral Gables meant suburbia ten minutes southwest of high-rise-clustered downtown.

But now the neighborhood embraces Eating House, Bread & Butter, Swine Southern Table & Bar, and Bulla -- a wave of new restaurants that eschew leather-bound menu books and candlelight. So forget the duck terrine, raspberry coulis, and grand wine lists. This batch teems with the muddled mint aroma of cocktails and change. Old-school refinement no longer defines Miracle Mile. Coral Gables is booze, craft beers, and stylish grub.

Bulla, a Spanish gastrobar on Ponce de Leon Boulevard, best exemplifies the revival. Carlos Centurión was formerly the proprietor of Por Fin, a white-tablecloth restaurant located in this same space. But formalities tired him. After four years, he closed it, and a year later, Bulla (pronounced boo-yah) was born. His new spot, furnished with walnut wood floors, hanging light bulbs, and equine-inspired décor, is younger, cooler, and better than before.

More »

billwisserphoto.com

Jorge Stekelorum AKA Mr. Pasta

You don't have to hang out with Jorge Stekelorum long to realize his favorite word in Spanish is vení. It can mean several things. But for Stekelorum, it has only one definition: "Follow me."

For more than 20 years, Stekelorum has been making nothing but pasta at his shop, Mr. Pasta, which occupies a narrow storefront in North Beach's Little Buenos Aires. In his workshop outfitted with old pasta machines, a small staff of Argentines, dressed in white, twirl gnocchi on ridged wooden planks entirely by hand.

More »

billwisserphoto.com

Chef Steven Rojas and endive salad

The waitress at George's Kitchen is not clumsy. She might spill yuzu on your shirt, splash water near your cup, and drop a knife on the floor. But under no circumstances should she be considered a klutz.

When you sit at the bar of this upscale midtown locale, which debuted in January, you can look into the open kitchen. Georges-Eric Farge, alongside partner and former Miami Dolphins and University of Miami quarterback Craig Erickson, constructed the space to resemble a theater. Farge, the kooky restaurateur who founded George's in Coconut Grove in 2008 and South Miami in 2010, scattered bulky leather chairs around its borders. He crammed seats tightly -- so tightly, in fact, that exiting requires scrambling similar to Erickson's moves on the gridiron.

More »

Bill Wisser

PB Steak's interior and the rib eye steak

When the Pubbelly boys open restaurants, they call them concepts. Their strategies, though, are not about location. It's not décor. Or cuisine. Or even target crowd.

The concept, rather, is Pubbelly.

The word describes not food or ambience, but brand. And PB Steak -- the latest South Beach restaurant to bear the insignia of Miami's fastest-growing restaurant empire -- is its most recent poster child.

More »

Zen Sai

Prosciutto Roll

Literally hidden in plain sight, the terrace is tucked behind a wall of foilage, safeguarding this hidden gem from the cliches of Collins Avenue. Soft sounds and colored lights set a serene tone as you cross onto the veranda. Much like a child stumbling upon a secret garden, I knew I had discovered something different after entering Zen Sai.

Following in the tradition of great Izakayas, Zen Sai is more than just sushi. It's a Japanese gastropub that's gone incredibly chic, yet remained undeniably unpretentious. Zen Sai means "small plates" in Japanese, but we were in store for big flavors.

More »

billwisserphoto.com

Cantonese lobster with flaming sake (left) and the Catch Roll

Hardy Hill is a man of many vests. They hide beneath his tailored suits, both lustrous and gray. He has a strong chin and coiffed George Clooney-colored hair. He favors vintage Porsches, was once listed among Extra's Most Eligible Bachelors, and rose to momentary fame after appearing on the CBS reality-TV show Big Brother. On the series, his nickname was "Hard Body Hardy." But now Hardy Hill is the manager of the restaurant called Catch Miami, which debuted in January at the James Royal Palm hotel.

Hill is, in fact, the most powerful man on South Beach's dining scene right now. At Catch, he bends over the host stand, checks for reservations, and promises patrons that he will do his best to seat them in the dining room upstairs. But that area is exclusive -- even more than the rest of the hot, voguish 4,000-square-foot, 175-seat restaurant. There are rarely any tables available.

More »

billwisserphoto.com

French onion soup and Frenchie's owners Gabriel and Shannon Castrec with their daughter Coco.

The croque-monsieur at Frenchie's Diner is not meant to be neat. The ham sandwich is smothered in a rich, viscous béchamel and crowned with blistered, bubbling Gruyère. Its center is soft. The bread is soaked in the milk gravy, infused with slivered garlic and fresh bursts of lemon juice. It has a thick crust that is golden and crisp. Strands of melted cheese stretch, dangle, and spin about forks like a shadow trails a dancer twisting on a stage. The sandwich is sprinkled with chopped parsley, paired with batons of fried potatoes, and enjoyed best without moderation or restraint. It is delightfully untidy and perfect in its own way.

More »

billwisserphoto.com

Owner Andres Tovar and taco de lengua (tongue), taco de oreja (ear), and taco de buche (stomach).

Andres Tovar searched for swine stomach everywhere. When he moved to Miami seven years ago, he visited grocery stores and butcher shops. He perused supermarket signs, talked to meat vendors, and gazed at pork cuts such as jowl, ribs, and belly through glass display cases. But Tovar was looking for what he knew as buche in Spanish. He nearly gave up in despair.

But then he learned that the common word for buche in Miami is actually estómago and that beef tripe is chinchulín, not tripa. Now he knows that to find pig parts, he needs only to call a supplier. He still marvels at the idea of buying offal by the pound.

"In Michoacán, you buy a whole pig and you get two ears, one stomach, and one tongue. You are limited to the parts of a single body," he says. "My friends back home laugh when I tell them I can order 30 pounds of pig ears."

More »

Parihuela, seafood soup

Ceviche House sits inside the longstanding Miller Square plaza on 137th Avenue and Miller Road. Serving up tallarin saltado, aji de gallina, chilcano, and of course, ceviche for over thirty years, owner Jose Lopez is responsible for bringing Peruvian cuisine to Florida. At one point Lopez had four restaurants in South Florida, but now he's focused on his original location alone. "It's very hard to find real Peruvian chefs," he explains. Rather than skimp on authenticity, he closed a few of his locations.

One would expect that anointing his restaurant "Ceviche House" that the place would specialize in ceviche. There are eight types of ceviche on the menu, but unfortunately, the taste and quality don't add up to a namesake restaurant.

More »

billwisserphoto.com

Yellowfin tuna at Mister Collins in Bal Harbour.

If Mister Collins were a man and not a restaurant, he'd be the kind to give red roses -- but never yellow tulips or a single orchid. He'd favor ocean views and tea lights over cityscapes and Dixon lamps. He'd drink Manhattans. He'd wear black leather loafers, lavish women with compliments, and occasionally smoke a cigar. He wouldn't set trends, yet he'd be quite fashionable. Mister Collins would be a gentleman.

But Mister Collins is in fact a restaurant. On a balmy Friday evening, in a narrow entrance located at the back of the ritzy One Bal Harbour Resort and Spa, a hostess praises a lady on her choice of clothing. She gushes over the woman's tawny wedges, black silk scarf, and tight pencil skirt. She graciously leads other guests to the candle-lit outdoor patio, which overlooks the crisp waters of Haulover Inlet; or she takes them to the sleek dining room, which is painted white and has plush leather dining chairs.

More »