Pizza in Miami

With regard to the "readers' poll", to paraphrase Winston Churchill's dictum: "Democracy is the worst form of food criticism." The second part of his statement does not apply in this case. Plus this was Internet Democracy and I highly suspect some organized ballot stuffing based on how the results came in.

As for the general argument, having lived in NYC for 25 years before coming to Miami, I would have to say that there is plenty of bad pizza there as well. New York style pizza is typically not even that impressive to New Yorkers and the most highly acclaimed establishments are actually making pizza in various Italian styles. And that brings me to the point that I have had in general better pizza in Italy (both Rome and Naples specifically) than in either New York and Miami. Yet even there consistency can be elusive.

I think the current Miami offerings are impressive if not spectacular and would agree with Frod that three of the recently opened options (PizzaVolante, Casale and Racks) represent a substantial improvement on what was available previously as well as being quality contenders in any American city.

petroniusarbiter in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

Pizza Crawl - who's your winner?

I had a very difficult time deciding on an overall winner but in the end I would have to pick Casale. Pizza Volante still made my overall favorite pie out of the 53 that we tried--the cacciatorini. Although I also liked the Volante 100 and the bianca option that we tried at Pizza Volante, they were not fundamentally as interesting as the plethora of options available at Casale.

With the Atomica, Catalana and Funghetto, Casale offers a much broader selection of pies that I would definitely order again. I also enjoyed the Pugliese, Super Margherita, Sagaponack and Sag Harbor as much as the second tier pizzas at Pizza Volante and would eat those again as well. Although I was disappointed by the lack of bottarga flavor on the Smeraldina, I would give that pie another shot in the future in the hopes that they would get the flavor balance fixed. I picked Casale as my favorite place because it offers an amazing variety and has more potential to improve. Pizza Volante may add a few more options on their menu but the physical space will constrain their ability to scale to the degree that Casale can.

My third place selection was Racks. There were three pies there that I enjoyed as much as some of the best pies elsewhere but two factors influenced my ranking of their pies lower than either Casale or Pizza Volante. I was still not a fan of the excessive cornicione on their crust although I acknowledge that complies with strict Neapolitan traditions. They also did not have as varied a selection as I would have liked with only about 5 offerings with sauce and an equal number of pizze bianche.

Overall, I have to agree with BM and Frod that there are a number of other places that I could return to for a perfectly satisfying meal. And one of the great advantages of the crawl is that I am far more aware now of what to order or not to order at each destination.

petroniusarbiter in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

Pizza Crawl - First Cheese, part 3

BM, ratings aside, I can't even completely agree with your framework for criteria. I generally agree that there was little to distinguish crust quality between most of the places visited during the crawls. There were a few places where the crust was deficient in one way or another (Andiamo and Pizza Fusion) but in most places the crust was serviceable to good but never remarkable. I don't see how Spris had particularly better crust than Sosta or Piola to get a better rating from you (unless it's due to your self-proclaimed Spris bias). Crust is still an important criterion for pizza but not the deciding factor among most of the crawl candidates.

The sauce category is equally problematic. There was little to distinguish the sauce quality at most of the places visited with the exception of the sweeter sauce at Pizza Fusion, which most people did not like. But the real problem is that quite a few of the better selections we had were pizze bianche (PV had a memorable bianca, the portobello pizza at Rack's, the Patate e Pancetta at Spris and a number of other) so the sauce category does not even apply to them.

I also take issue with your final category on quantity of toppings. You can't really judge sheer quantity as a representation of value since ingredients of different quality and flavor intensity have different costs. I would rather eat a pizza topped with prosciutto than with industrially produced peperoni but you won't get a similar amount of the former at the same price point as the latter. With regard to Spris, the quantity of toppings was a negative in the case of Frutti di Mare (overpacked with the somewhat unsuitable squid rings) and the Ortolano (the crust was overburdened by the toppings nor was there any blending of flavors possible). Andiamo had a similar problem of sacrificing quality for quantity.

petroniusarbiter in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

Pizza Crawl - First Cheese, part 3

Here are my thoughts and recollections of the third pizza crawl:

Sosta - We ordered 4 pies. The namesake Sosta with a sun-dried tomato pesto, burrata and prosciutto. The Carpaccio with arugula, shaved parmigiano and obviously carpaccio. The Siciliana with anchovies, capers and black olives. And the Brie e Speck white pizza. The crusts were uniformly good with a flexible texture and appropriate thinness, although lacking in any prominent flavor. The topping combinations were uniformly underwhelming. The Carpaccio was the biggest disappointment because the beef was effectively steamed in the preparation and the only flavor that came through was the shavings of parmigiano. The burrata on the Sosta was a nice touch but did not marry well with the other flavors. The Brie e Speck had a nice pungency from the melting of the cheese but the speck was either overwhelmed by the flavor of the cheese or had lost flavor from the heat much like the carpaccio. I would agree that the best of the 4 pies that we sampled was the Siciliana and the only one where the flavor profile could be said to be robust. This was a much better presentation of the flavors typically used in Putanesca sauce than the version we had at Andiamo during the first crawl. However, even this pie had a substantial defect in the distribution of toppings, with half swarming with capers and the other half devoid of them. This may be less of an issue for someone eating the entire pie rather than sharing across a large group but even then I prefer to get a nice composition of flavors in every bite.

Piola - Again we ordered 4 pies. The namesake Piola, which was basically a sauce style Margherita with sun-dried tomatoes. The Carbonara with bacon, egg and parmesan cheese. The Curitiba with catupiry cheese, artichoke hearts and hearts of palm. And the Posillipo, a Neapolitan style crust, with anchovies, oregano and cherry tomatoes. Crust was again generally fine but not remarkable. The Curitiba was the most disappointing with almost no flavor from the vegetables and just a creamy texture from the cheese. The Piola just had the flavor of sun-dried tomatoes and offered relatively little compositional complexity for a namesake pie. The Posillipo had reasonable flavor from the anchovies but it was too dominant with neither the oregano nor the cherry tomatoes offering enough counterpoint. The Neapolitan crust was done correctly in having a thicker edge (cornicione) but this made little impact on overall flavor or sensation. The Carbonara was probably the best pizza among these but it too did not deliver the flavor promised by the combination of topping. At the least it was better than the rendition of the Carbonara at Joey's, which was adulterated by the presence of asparagus.

Spris - We ordered the following 4 pies. The Carbonara with pancetta, egg, parmesan and black pepper. The Ortolana with eggplant, zucchini, roasted peppers and portobello mushrooms. The Frutti di Mare with calamari, clams, shrimp, mussels and crab meat. And the Patate e Pancetta with potatoes, pancetta and rosemary. The most disappointing was the Ortolano, which although it had plenty of vegetable toppings tended to concentrate them in particular sections of the pie. It was basically a choice of which vegetable to eat rather than getting a melange of several. The Frutti di Mare was admirable by its presence, as none of the other crawl destinations had thus far offered interesting seafood options, despite substantial precedent for pizzas with clams and mussels. But the execution left something to be desired as neither the flavors nor textures of some of the seafood selections came out well from the pizza process. Among the pizzas we sampled at Spris I would place the Carbonara and the Patate e Pancetta in a tie for the best pizza we had here as well as for the entirety of the third crawl. The Carbonara was the best interpretation thus far in three respects: the yolk was liquid enough to be smeared across the pie and its flavor could thus be detected throughout; the pancetta was slightly crispy unlike the steamed bacon flavors that were present in the other versions; there was a touch of black pepper which I think is essential to the sauce as a contrast to the flavor of the egg yolk but again this was an element largely missing from the other versions of this pizza. The Patate e Pancetta was equally interesting with a robust rosemary flavor and the slightly crispy pancetta. Potato is still an unconventional pizza topping but then so is Carbonara and this particular potato combination was the best that we had tried among various of the crawl destinations.

Overall I would agree with Blind Mind that Spris was the clear winner for the evening, delivering two exceptional pies. However, from the broader perspective of comparing the three crawls I would definitely put my favorites from the previous two sessions (Pizzavolante and Racks) ahead of Spris. The flavor intensity of several pies at each of those establishments was just much better than either of the two best pies that we sampled at Spris. And I would even place the runner-ups from previous sessions ahead of the Spris experience. Joey's had a far more creative menu and although I was not as pleased with their Carbonara, their signature Joey pizza and the fig pizza were more innovative menu offerings. Similarly a couple of pizza's at Anthony's (the one with meatballs and ricotta and the eggplant marino) had better composition and flavor intensity by a small margin. From my perspective, that at least leaves Spris as the best pizza on Lincoln Road.

petroniusarbiter in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

Miami Pizza Crawl Pt II Recap - Northern Exposure Edition

Overall, I thought the evening was a success with a lot of interesting flavor combinations to sort through. My general satisfaction was about similar with the first crawl.

Anthony's - This was my second favorite place of those we visited. With regard to the crust, I am a fan of this particular style although I know the charred edges are a matter of individual taste. As long as the charring is not too excessive (and it can vary from pie to pie) it adds to the overall character of the pizza but I'm sure this will remain a point of contention for some. The toppings were generally quite good and the only combination that failed was the Philly Cheesesteak due to oversalted meat. My favorites were the Paul & Young Ron and the Eggplant Marino. The White Pizza also stood out with the combination of cheeses and in fact the flavor of the cheese on all the pies here indicated the use of high quality product. I would have also enjoyed the Meatball and Ricotta had I not already sampled the slightly more complex combination of similar ingredients on the Paul & Young Ron.

Pizza Fusion - This was my least favorite pizza place thus far from both crawls. The thickness and degree of cooking of the crust were fine but there was not much flavor in the dough itself and an overly generous amount of cornmeal on the bottom resulted in an almost grainy texture. The flavors of the toppings on almost every pie were also very muted. Given the organic, health food theme of this place, ingredients were minimally processed and served closer to their raw state. For example, the eggplant and zucchini were not fried, depriving them of more developed flavors, and the chicken on the Founder's Pie tasted like it had been steamed or poached. While these are undoubtedly healthier ways to prepare the toppings, the synergy between pizza as a category and spa cuisine seems a little absurd. My favorite pizza here was the four cheese with sun-dried tomato because it was the only combination that achieved the flavor intensity that I was craving.

Racks - This was the most satisfying of the three places we visited. The dough for the crust was flavorful and well prepared, with slight scorching on the outer rim. The texture was soft and flexible beneath the toppings and crispier along the edge. My only complaint would be that the edge was too thick compared to most other places we have visited on the crawls and this violated the balance between crust and toppings in some situations. The flavors of all the topping combinations were robust and well matched. My favorite was the Portobello pizza not so much for the mushroom flavor but for the union of truffle oil with the gorgonzola, which from just an aromatic standpoint I found to be wonderfully intoxicating. My second choice would be the Secchi with its combination of sopressata and goat cheese. The intensity of the meat and cheese flavors on this really reminded my of the Cacciatorini at Pizzavolante. Unfortunately, I did not get a well balanced slice of the Spinach pizza with a good balance of toppings, which some people considered to be the best pie at Racks.

Overall after this second crawl, I am in the same situation as Frodnesor was after the first one with no perfect pizza option but with the desire to see a hybrid of crusts and toppings from the places that we visited. I would be perfectly happy with crust styles ranging from the soft and thin of Joey's or the central part at Racks to the crisper texture of Pizzavolante or the charred edge at Anthony's. It would almost make sense to pair crust styles with particular toppings. With respect to the flavor combination of toppings, my favorite now is Racks for both intensity and variety. While Pizzavolante had several pies that had a similar flavor intensity, they simply did not have the breadth of offerings. Joey's had breadth but their more exotic combinations did not always please my palate. I was more consistently pleased with the toppings at Anthony's, although they were much more conventional, so I would place it slightly ahead of Joey's in my personal rankings. Both Andiamo and Pizza Fusion are at the bottom of my list but for sufficiently different reasons so it would be hard to say which I liked less.

I look forward to round 3 (and 4 if we subdivide Sobe) especially after the rumors of what will be available at Casale.

petroniusarbiter in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

Miami Pizza Showdown Part I - Recap

Perhaps they are referring to the Roman restaurant style that is distinct from that of Neapolitan pizza, in which case the crisp rather than soft crust at Pizzavolante fits that description. See definition 2 below.

According to Wikipedia:

Lazio style: Pizza in Lazio (Rome), as well as in many other parts of Italy is available in two different styles: (1) Take-away shops sell pizza rustica or pizza al taglio. This pizza is cooked in long, rectangular baking pans and relatively thick (1–2 cm). The crust is similar to that of an English muffin, and the pizza is often cooked in an electric oven. It is usually cut with scissors or a knife and sold by weight. (2) In pizza restaurants (pizzerias), pizza is served in a dish in its traditional round shape. It has a thin, crisp base quite different to the thicker and softer Neapolitan style base. It is usually cooked in a wood-fired oven, giving the pizza its unique flavor and texture.

petroniusarbiter in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

Miami Pizza Showdown Part I - Recap

I would agree that there was a substantial style distinction between both Joey's and Pizzavolante as opposed to Andiamo, which makes it more difficult to compare all three together.

Andiamo felt like a good quality neighborhood pizza place, typical of what I am used to identifying as the NY pizza style based on the style of crust, but with a broader selection of interesting topping combinations. However, the execution on the pies that we ordered was weaker than I expected from the descriptions. The biggest disappointments were the Genovese and the Putanesca. I have had a nice combination of potato and gorgonzola on some pizzas in Italy so I had high expectations of the Genovese but Andiamo failed to deliver. The pancetta was barely present and undercooked so it had no developed flavor, the gorgonzola was minimally present and the caramelized onion felt like it had been barely steamed. Instead there was an overwhelming garlic flavor from some relatively large chunks, which seemed more liberally distributed than any of the other toppings. The Putanesca was a similar disappointment due to my anticipation of the flavors of the pasta sauce of the same name. The final product however was dominated by the anchovies, which had not had any excess salt removed, while neither the black olive or caper flavors offered much counterpoint due to the former being insipid (perhaps canned sliced olives rather than good kalamatas) and the latter lacking in quantity. I found the Soprano and Popeye pies more enjoyable as both matched my expectations but were not impressive enough to surpass them. Overall, I would have no problem eating again at Andiamo if I wanted NY style pizza with a nice diversity of toppings but I would not go out of my way or expect it to match more gourmet destinations.

Joey's and Pizzavolante are both working in the Italian thin crust style and therefore are easier to compare from that perspective. Joey's had a very thin and slightly soft crust whereas the crust at Pizzavolante was firmer and slightly crunchy. Flavor wise the Joey crust was slightly better but I preferred the texture at Pizzavolante, although that level of crispiness was not to everyone's taste. My personal opinion is that there is room for variation in crust and different textures suit different toppings. A higher fat content from meat toppings or a multiplicity of cheeses is better matched to a crispy crust while other topping combinations work better with a softer crust. From a baseline perspective, I was disappointed with the Margherita pizzas at both places because they were done as a standard fusion of sauce and grated cheese rather than thin slices of tomato and mozzarella, which would be the interpretation of the Margherita that I would expect from a pizza restaurant with gourmet aspirations.

Joey's provided a much broader range of topping combinations and in some cases was far more creative with what they were putting on a pizza. Although I thought the Dolce e Piccante combination was pretty interesting, I would be unable to eat more than a couple of slices of such a sweet pizza. It felt like this particular pie fell through the cracks somewhere between dinner and dessert and I would be far more likely to order it as a novelty item for the latter function. The Carbonara combination was another case of disappointing expectations with the classic pasta sauce flavors not being translated well to the pizza. The Joey combination was the most exceptional and despite the surprising juxtaposition of salami and tuna, the melding of flavors was quite pleasant. Overall, I would enjoy eating a Joey pizza again but I would have to try other topping combinations to find something else to like.

Pizzavolante produced my favorite pizzas for the evening despite having the smallest and most plain range of toppings. The Cacciatorini contrasted a rustic style pepperoni with almost gamy flavors and a generous though not excessive salt level with the more delicate texture and slight sweetness of the guanciale. The only drawback for this pizza was that by splitting it into 16 slices not everyone received both toppings together. The Bianca was my second favorite with a beautiful synthesis in the flavors of goat cheese and fontina. This was the only pizza the entire night where I felt that the flavors of more exotic cheeses were prominent in comparison with the three pizzas that supposedly included gorgonzola. Finally, despite being my third favorite the Volante 100 was also extremely good with bright fresh flavors from the local ingredients. Although this was not a pure Margherita due to the various greens, it would have been my favorite in this category just based on the quality of the tomatoes and the texture of this preparation. Overall, I would return to Pizzavolante for either of the two fixed combinations or to see what other ingredients wind up on the Volante 100.

Frod, thanks again for the organization and I am looking forward to round two.

petroniusarbiter in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

NAOE - Excellent Omakase in Sunny Isles

I do hope this was done with the chef's permission and isn't some nefarious culinary espionage like in the movie Tampopo with ramen recipes.

petroniusarbiter in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

NAOE - Excellent Omakase in Sunny Isles

Frod,

Thanks for the response. I've followed your previous recommendations for Sushi Deli but I've never found myself completely satisfied. It may be the lack of atmosphere and the weird hours of operation. The sushi itself is good quality but there is a lack of variety compared to my expectations. Of course it may also be the lack of relationship with the chef as you recently noted on your blog.

I will have to try the yakitori at the other Hiro's. The problem with non-specialized yakitori places is that if the flow of orders isn't large enough they don't serve enough breast and thigh meat to provide a good supply of livers, gizzards, hearts and tails for those of us who enjoy those parts. The overall technique also just seems better at the specialized yakitori shops.

petroniusarbiter in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

NAOE - Excellent Omakase in Sunny Isles

I think we're in agreement about NAOE representing a specific style of Japanese cuisine and doing an admirable job in that respect. I just wanted to clarify the style and not offer a blanket recommendation for those that were seeking other types of Japanese food. High quality sushi is still hard to come by in Miami despite the large number of places offering it. I enjoy Matsuri but it is not always as interesting as some places I have been in Japan. But as much as I would like to have better sushi options around, it's also nice to see Japanese restaurants moving into other genres of cuisine and in a competent way. Personally I would love to see specialty establishments for yakitori and kushikatsu. I have fond memories of both from Japan, and at least for yakitori from living in New York, which has had 3-4 restaurants focused just on that appearing in the last decade.

petroniusarbiter in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

NAOE - Excellent Omakase in Sunny Isles

I went for dinner at NAOE last night with a couple of friends. The omakase portion of the meal was presented as a shokado bento (4 compartment bento box tradition with origins in Kyoto) and a soup on the side.

The soup's primary ingredients were a combination of egg tofu and parsnip, accented with some mitsuba and a touch of lemon zest. This created a pleasant interplay of textures as well as deep aromatic complexity.

The shokado compartments contained the following:
-aji (horse mackerel) sashimi over a bed of wasabi leaves and flowers with a fresh wasabi/horseradish blend on the side (as described in previous posts). The aji was of the highest quality and the non-root portion of the wasabi were unique and offered a wonderful counterpoint to the flavor and texture of the fish.
- thick cut of salmon sashimi wrapped in two types of seaweed (one salt cured and the other pickled), roasted unagi (freshwater eel) with strips of pickled daikon, a lightly fried shrimp tamago. The salmon was very high quality and was nicely offset by the combined seaweed flavors. Nor were these the typical seaweed products used in Japanese cooking (nori, kombu or wakame) but two completely different varieties. The eel had the superior flavor and texture that one would expect from a product flown in fresh from Japan. A light coating of eel sauce did not overwhelm the fish and the sweetness was nicely contrasted against the thin strips of pickled daikon. The shrimp tamago was the only fried component in the whole meal, coated with a light tempura like batter and delicately fried. This last component worked the least for me in terms of both texture and flavor.
- a piece of local mackerel topped by a layer of grated lotus root and some touches of green beans. I believe this dish was prepared by steaming both the fish and the lotus root puree together. This was tasty both in terms of the fish quality and the unusual presentation of the lotus root but it lacked enough texture contrasts compared to the rest of the meal.
- rice cooked with mushrooms and topped with some pickled daikon. This was a nice variation on the gohan-mono component of the shokado.

I could have stopped eating at this point as the meal was properly portioned for a normal meal but I was also curious at to what Chef Cory would do for sushi. I tried four types of sushi as a follow up: salmon belly, kohada, aori ika and uni. The salmon belly was cut to include the fat layer that is just under the skin, yielding a wonderfully rich piece of sushi. The light cure on the kohada was a subtle but welcome flavor. Both the aori ika and uni were served with thin slivers of nori placed on top of the rice. The uni was rather firm and presented as nigiri rather than in the gunkan format (the big nori wrapper to prevent it from running). It was also served with several generous dabs of the fresh wasabi which supplemented the pungency of the uni with nice bit of piquancy but not in an overwhelming way.

My overall impression is that NAOE offers an excellent and unique meal. I am not certain I would call this the best Japanese food in Miami but it is an exemplary presentation of the kaiseki style. This is refined and subtle food, emphasizing aesthetic presentation and broad variety of flavors and preparations. No other Japanese restaurant in Miami is cooking in this style. So if I am in the more in the mood for Japanese comfort food I would still go to Hiro's Yakko-san or if I wanted a more conventional sushi meal then I would go elsewhere. NAOE offers something very different and it executes that offering extremely well.

petroniusarbiter in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

Hola, Sra. Martinez - Miami, Design District

Went to Sra. Martinez for dinner on Friday night. This was a first visit here. Just a few thoughts on the various interesting dishes that I tasted:

Sea urchin sandwich - I think this was the item on the menu that I was most excited about and it did not disappoint. The ratio of pungent sea urchin flavor to bread base was just about perfect and the other flavors did not disrupt the main focus of the dish. The temperature of the dish was also nicely tuned as the flavor of sea urchin really stands out when slightly heated but can turn bitter when too hot. This dish really hit all the right notes for my taste buds.

Roasted bone marrow - This offered an interesting combination of flavors but there was a problem with an uneven distribution of marrow among the bone pieces. It made the dish rather difficult to share among a group and the overall quantity of marrow did not make a satisfying portion. I probably would not order this dish again although I really liked the concentrated sherry flavors of the tomato marmalade that came with it.

Quail pinchos - The quail meat was very flavorful and the pomegranate glaze provided the right contrasting flavors. I would have personally preferred that the harissa flavoring was more pronounced but I still enjoyed the dish as prepared.

Rabbit in pancetta - I thought this was a great preparation and actually better than the preparation at Michy's. It has been a few months since I had the Michy's version but there was definitely a higher ratio of pancetta to rabbit here and it was more tightly wound. The rabbit pieces also seemed smaller and thus remained more tender after cooking. The pannisse was also a great touch in adding further richness to the dish. This was my second favorite dish of the night after the sea urchin sandwich.

Clams - The flavor combination here was relatively simple but worked so well together. I can't really put my finger on just how the flavors combined but the sauce left from this dish was delightful. As others have noted, this dish should really come with some bread to soak up that sauce. We had to ask for some to be brought to the table.

Sweetbreads - This was about on par with the preparations at Michy's. I agree with Frodnesor's comments above that the accompaniments have on occasion been better at Michy's but the actual sweetbreads were about as good as I've had them, just lightly crisp on the outside and succulent, bordering-on-creamy toward the center. The caperberries were probably my favorite secondary component of this particular preparation.

Crispy artichokes - I am a huge fan of artichokes and these were just beautifully fried. They retained their tender flavor but in texture transformed to an almost flaky dough crispiness on the outside. And while there was barely any excess oiliness from the preparation, what there was dissolved in the relative acidity in the dipping sauce.

Croquetas - I liked these better than the jamon and blue cheese variation that I remember from Michy's. However, the mushroom and cheese flavors did not really enhance each other. Both were flavorful but there was no fusion between those flavors. There was a marmalade that came with this as well and it contrasted nicely with the cheese but was kind of overpowering relative to the mushroom flavors.

Greek yogurt ice cream - This came with a sweet tomato marmalade and a basil syrup. The basil syrup really made this dessert shine for me. My experience with basil in desserts has been inconsistent before and this was really a pleasant surprise as to how well the flavors blended.

Overall the experience was really exceptional and Michelle Bernstein continues to deliver some of the best food in the Miami area. Service had some minor kinks but was still much better than average. Sra. Martinez is definitely entering my top ten list of dining destinations around Miami.

petroniusarbiter in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

Cutting Edge Cooking in Sunny Isles (?!) – Neomi’s Grill

Very interesting writeup. I do wonder whether Miami could sustain an outpost of "molecular gastronomy" (for lack of a better term). Whenever I went to WD-50 while I was living in NY (about 10 times in total since it opened), there were typically a few empty tables, not something I would see in comparably regarded high end restaurants serving more traditional preparations. I always enjoyed my meals there for both flavor quality and their experimental nature but other people I went with had more mixed reactions.

My other experience with this kind of cuisine was with Grant Achatz when he was still at Trio in Chicago. I haven't had the opportunity to visit Alinea thus far. I had a 21 course tasting menu there, which would be enough for it to stick in my mind even if the approach had been less experimental. However, the success rate in making dishes both different in terms of technique and well flavored was much lower than what I found at WD-50. To be fair, I have heard the menu at Alinea is much more consistent.

In any case, my point is that even in bigger cities with in some cases culinarily less conservative populations than in Miami, there are either no restaurants specializing in "molecular gastronomy" or ones that meet with limited commercial success.

petroniusarbiter in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

Anything newer or on the way to Dade?

I was never overly impressed with L'Impero and quite surprised when it was regarded as the best new restaurant in NYC in 2003, largely I think due to the lack of much else of ineterest opening that year. It peaked pretty quickly and was in decline for the next few years. I used to live a few blocks away from L'Impero so I was a frequent customer largely due to convenience and thus could see the evolution of the kitchen's performance. But there is a higher density of high quality Italian food in New York so it may still be a welcome addition to Miami. I haven't been living here long enough to get a sense of the overall quality of available Italian restaurants. At least Conant is still operating an Italian restaurant rather than opening L'Impero Bistecca.

petroniusarbiter in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

Dinner recs for NY chowhounds

"Although I loved Ola and agree that it is interesting Latin American flavors, if you are from NYC, you may not be impressed."

Kind of funny but I believe the original incarnation of Ola was in NYC (48th between 2nd and 1st if I remember correctly) but unfortunately lasted only about 2 years. I think it closed in 2005 and was the last restaurant effort of Douglas Rodriguez in NYC, following after Patria, Chicama and Pipa. Patria opened in 1994 so Rodriguez spent about 11 years in the New York restaurant scene, which I would say is more substantial than "dipped his toes" as Frodnesor mentioned. History lesson aside, really good Nuevo Latino is hard to come by in NYC, especially after Patria closed a couple of years back. I can't speak for how good the current Ola in Miami is but I went to the NYC version three times during its short existence and was always very pleased with the meals.

petroniusarbiter in Florida

BLT Burger or Goodburger or BRGR

I agree with the sentiment that the best burger is a matter of personal taste.

My favorite simple burger is still Corner Bistro. They have a specific flame broiling technique for cooking and the meat is ground to a finer consistency. Due to these two factors I always order the burger there rare as the meat dries out or feels steamed inside at further levels of doneness. J. G. Melon's is probably my next favorite for a simple burger option. I never found burger joint or goodburger to be particularly interesting or memorable. Not bad but just not exciting.

For fancier options I do like Rare. As mentioned above even their regular burger is cooked exceptionally well. And if you feel like a burger with a twist they have a lot to offer although prices can escalate fast with some of the fancier ingredients. Unlike zEli173, I like some of their fries options as well but in the end the places where I really like fries aren't usually the same as the ones where I like the burgers.

I have only been to BLT Burger once and wasn't overwhelmed but I'll probably go back. Have not been to BRGR at all.

petroniusarbiter in Manhattan

BLT Steak

I have eaten at several of the BLT ventues in NYC, including both BLT Fish and BLT Steak, and I wouldn't be any more excited by one over the other. Not that the food is at all bad just woefully uninteresting. Personally I have never understood the appeal of the high end do-it-yourself restaurants, where you get to pick the cut of meat/fish, sauce and sides. Isn't the point of going to a restaurant with a talented chef that the dishes are composed in a unique and innovative way? Perhaps it would seem more fair if the do-it-yourself approach were priced at a discount but it never is. It is this lack of creativity in the menu that has put me off any of the current Tourondel projects.

As for your more general compaint, beef is back in style. At least that is what I read a while ago about rising per capita beef consumption over the last 5 years leading to a nationwide steakhouse boom. Unfortunately I don't think this will have any impact on the average bill. Beef prices have been rising in general due to higher priced feed costs and the premium meats used in steak houses, whether aged prime, American wagyu or what have you are in even higher demand.

petroniusarbiter in Florida

Buying Milk in South Florida

I doubt the high prices are a local Miami issue. There has been a rise in milk prices nationwide due to everything from ethanol production subsidies and drought in Australia to declining European production quotas and rising global demand for powdered dairy products.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/09/milk.prices/

petroniusarbiter in Florida

Rosa Mexicano Report- Miami

I would put Rosa Mexicano somewhere in the midscale Mexican category, having eaten numerous times at both of their New York locations. The food is just not refined or creative enough to be considered upscale cuisine. I would agree with Frodnesor that Topolobampo is an extremely successful rendition of upscale Mexican cuisine and I eat there every time I am in Chicago. New York has a number of spots that are actually better than Rosa Mexicano (Itzocan, Maya, Pampano) but none of them are actually as good as Topolobampo.

My problem with Rosa has always been that the marginal improvement in quality over basic Mexican food was not worth the price premium. They basically charge the same prices as the better Mexican restaurants in New York and far more than casual Mexican restaurants when one is in the mood for a more casual meal. I am not up to date on the other Mexican offerings in Miami but I doubt Rosa Mexicano will offer a substantial improvement and is more likely to be a disappointment, especially for the price conscious.

And yes the guacamole is one of the better items on the menu.

petroniusarbiter in Florida

Favorite Tasting Menus

- Trio (when Grant Achatz was still there rather than at Alinea) - and I did have the 24 course Tour de Force menu. The experience was definitely memorable although not every dish worked from a food perspective. The thrill came more from the spectacle of watching culinary experimentation unfolding right in front of you.

- L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon (NY) - Commenting on this because it was mentioned and not because I liked it. I went there earlier this year and the tasting menu actually turned out to be a disappointment. There were basically two dishes that worked wonderfully, a sea urching gelee with cauliflower cream and a terrine of carmelized eel and smoked foie gras. Everything else on the tasting menu was eclipsed by those two dishes and was very well executed but comparatively unexciting. In hindsight I would have much rather ordered multiple servings of the two dishes that I liked.

- Masa (NY) - this was another experience meal. Some of it was sushi that could be obtained elsewhere but some items would be rare even in Japan. Being at the sushi bar and chatting with the chef is what made the experience worthwhile in the end, although at a cost of half a plane ticket to Tokyo, I can rationalize a return visit.

Ristorante Parizzi (Parma) - This was the high point of a trip in northern and central Italy with many culinary stops (about 30 Michelin stars worth). The Degustazione di Terra really stood out with much more creative use of traditional Italian ingredients than most other places on that trip. The tortellini stuffed with pheasant was the most memorably flavorful dish I have eaten in the last ten years.

Other NYC - Daniel, Bouley, Le Bernardin, Nobu, Sugiyama - I have had tasting menus at these restaurants over the years, which I have enjoyed 90% of the time. Some may now be less interesting than they were a year ago and in some cases I shifted to a la carte ordering as I became more familiar with their menus.

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