Tag Archives: miami

1826 is a gift to Miami

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For whatever reason Chef Danny Grant decided to open a restaurant in Miami (Lebron, le ladies etc) I am thankful. His 1826 restaurant in South Beach is a show stopper. I would usually share pics of what I ate but the flash was so obnoxious I figured I could explain with my words.

FOOD

Sensational. Each dish was a surprise of flavor and had us asking “What the hell was in that?” From the bread to the dessert, there was no detail overlooked. The burrata dish is a must and was so divine I’m going to try to recreate it – anyone got a dehydrator I can borrow? My husband had the lamb shank which was cooked to perfection and nestled in a soft lovely sauce that had subtleties of cardamom and other spices. I got the seafood stew in which the waiter poured the hot creamy broth over the mix of fish, shrimp and vidalia onions so the wafts of curry could slap me right in the face. Nicely done.

SPACE

Lovely design. Beautiful wine cellar. You can also select your beer/wine/cocktail off of a convenient and informative iPad. There is also a third floor that has a lounge but we’re saving that rendevous for a weekend evening.

STAFF

Attentive. Knowledgeable. Unpretentious. My fav.

 

Hopefully, this gift from Grant will be appreciated by the Miami critics and continue as a South Beach treasure.

 

http://www.1826collins.com/

 

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Restauraudit: Edge Steak & Bar

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Luck struck me last week when The Hungry Post selected me as a winner for their Miami Spice giveaway. They had been running the contest for a few weeks with several different restaurants via their Facebook page. I was holding off on entering until they announced they’d be giving away a dinner at Edge Steak & Bar at the Four Seasons hotel. I’d heard amazing things about this restaurant and they didn’t disappoint. Here are some of the dishes we had.

Lamb braised with chipotle and spices, whole grain salad, fragrant herbs, yoghurt

Lamb braised with chipotle and spices, whole grain salad, fragrant herbs, yoghurt

Creekstone farms butchers filet, fire roasted broccolini, pepperoncini and raisin salsa, sweet onion butter

Creekstone farms butchers filet, fire roasted broccolini, pepperoncini and raisin salsa, sweet onion butter

Black cherry bubble, pistachio pound cake, vanilla bean ice cream

Black cherry bubble, pistachio pound cake, vanilla bean ice cream

Peanut butter mousse, strawberry gelee, banana financier

Peanut butter mousse, strawberry gelee, banana financier

You’ll notice that the lamb looked and smelled so incredible that I had to sneak a bite before I took the photo. We had a great evening and thank you again to the Hungry Post!

Miami Spiced: Hakkasan

After narrowing down our Miami Spice list, hubs and I landed on Hakkasan, Makoto, Gotham Steak and Catch. I really love this article posted on Thrillist on the top best values. This past weekend we went to Hakkasan for lunch. Not many restaurants offer lunch, let alone offer it on a Saturday.

What I love about this restaurant’s spice deal is that they give you multiple apps and entrees, no need to pick just one. Where I think we went wrong was choosing lunch over dinner. Frankly, the dinner menu sounds much better. As well, the restaurant is lined with gorgeous floor to ceiling intricate wood paneling. This eliminates any view or terrace option, so we really weren’t able to take advantage of the gorgeous day and scenery.

Oh and the food, well, here is the rundown:

HAKKA SIGNATURE COCKTAIL – A delightful lychee cocktail that’s velvety texture had me taking this one down like I was partying at LIV.

DIM SUM COMBO  – Really unique dim sum. I was particularly impressed with the steamed mini char siew bun (precious white pillow in the picture).

BARBEQUED COMBO – Great BBQ items, nothing really else to say here.

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CRISPY SEABASS IN ORANGE SAUCE – Orange sauce tasted more like a mango sorbet, I felt it didn’t really compliment the battered Seabass either.

STIR-FRIED SHANGHAI BAK CHOI WITH GINGER OIL – Nothing fancy.

NOODLES (Spicy sesame bean curd skin cheung fun) – You gotta be open-minded for this one, which I wasn’t really feeling that day.

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MANGO CUSTARD – The coconut sorbet made this dish!

WHITE CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA – I thought the white chocolate was a brilliant panna cotta idea – great combination of flavors.