 |
Miami's Most Exotic Restaurants
Riki Altman November 19, 2008
The Magic City’s hottest tables
Article Controls
“We are the original exotic U.S. city,” states Susan Brustman, president of Miami-based public relations firm Brustman Carrino. Her firm represents many of the areas top restaurants and the annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival. “We have amazing tropical weather, beautiful light, gorgeous beaches, fabulous hotels, [and] restaurants and cafes serving great contemporary cuisine in all its hues.”
See our slideshow of Miami's Most Exotic Restaurants .
Though PR firms like hers constantly solicit the approval of epicurean editors around the world, they are still reluctant to label Miami a true culinary capital. Jen Karetnick, the restaurant critic for MIAMI Modern Luxury magazine and co-author of “Raw Food/Real World” (HarperCollins 2005), explains why: “The thing I love most about Miami is that we’re not New York. Or L.A. Or San Francisco. We’re not so snooty down here that we don’t know how to have fun; we understand trends but we’re not slaves to them. We’re talking about forging our own gastronomic identity here that both jibes with the wild and sexy night life scene and the multitudes of ethnic culture. It’s the definition of exotic.”
Regardless, this area has been gradually gaining notoriety around the globe, especially in recent years, and it continues to attract internationally known chefs, including Govind Armstrong, Emeril Lagasse and Nobu Matsuhisa.
“Miami chefs and restaurateurs don’t just want to give their guests something to eat,” Karetnick says. “They want to give them an experience to talk about, a culinary souvenir that defines the vibe of the city. When a visitor goes home and describes a dish to someone, they want that person to say, ‘OMG, that is so Miami.’”
See our slideshow of Miami's Most Exotic Restaurants .
Like many a gourmand’s target, our city offers myriad choices. Diners can get an amazing plate of sashimi or a convincing Osso Bucco just as soon as they can stab their forks into a paella or sink their teeth into braised short ribs. But don’t go expecting to nosh on deep-dish pizza pies and such; locals and visitors know that refreshing, colorful meals rule, especially those incorporating seafood just plucked from the sea. Fierce Latin flavors have also found sure footing, sometimes in the most unexpected places (anyone up for ginger-mango espuma with saffron granita?).
Tastes like the aforementioned dessert are readily accessible at OLA (Of Latin America), found in The Sanctuary Hotel on South Miami Beach. Helmed by Chef Douglas Rodriguez, a.k.a. The Father of Nuevo Latino Cuisine, diners can partake in the flavors of Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil in dishes like his savory goat cheese empanadas, crackling crispy pork with oregano mojo, or any of the seasonal ceviches. All this amidst a rooftop environment providing white curtain-surrounded seclusion.
Another famous “daddy” of Miami’s food scene is Chef Allen Susser, the innovator behind New World Cuisine. Influenced by the flavors of the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe, he connected with gaggle of like-minded chefs—including Rodriquez—years ago to form the “Mango Gang.” [Susser still reigns as king.] Though he recently changed concepts from Contemporary American Fine Dining to Modern Seafood Bistro at his Aventura-based restaurant, Chef Allen’s, that sweet signature fruit still appears in dishes like his grilled grouper, decorated with a chunky, coconut rum-tinged topping of rock shrimp, leeks and mango. Other prizes include his garlicky guava shrimp and lobster hot pot with clams and chorizo.
“The flavor of Miami is gutsy and passionate,” claims local food editor Margit Bisztray. “Miami isn’t about the light or subtle or health-conscious; it’s about the senses, and experience and mood. It’s steak, chocolate, chili peppers, lime juice, ice cold stone crab claws, and of course a foreplay of cocktails.” Yes, even Miami’s brightly colored concoctions explode with personality. Many local mixologists work in chorus with executive chefs to create complimentary beverages that tickle tongues between bites, while keeping eyes entertained. Go to Barton G’s Below Zero Nitro-Bar for a sip of the coolest cocktails in the city. Bartenders inject -320 degree liquid nitrogen into drinks like the Pink Elephant Nitro-tini, also starring Absolut Ruby Red Vodka Pop and fresh grapefruit segments. Take one outside to the lushly landscaped patio and you’ll quickly become not only a trendsetter, but also the topic of conversation for every nearby table—that is, unless they’re already too distracted by the carnival on their plates to notice. Such things can happen when one gets served tuna tartare with a ponzu waterfall, duck in a giant wooden decoy, and cupcakes with you-decorate-it frosting and sprinkles.
Some diners aren’t just out for fun, however; they want to sop up this town’s sexiness like gravy with a biscuit. Thankfully for them Miami offers many dining spots so seductive that one has to wonder what scandalous visions their creators had in mind. The most obvious of the guilty parties is Tantra Restaurant & Lounge, a longstanding eatery that relishes its debauched reputation. “You never know what’s going to happen after dinner ends and the club opens,” explains Matthew Lapides, a foodie who lives in Miami. “I was once there after a late dinner, and a great live band was playing in a very narrow space. Unexpectedly, there was a body-painting fashion show from a famous European artist. Over the span of 20 to 30 minutes, 10 to15 models exhibited the artist’s amazing work on their personal canvasses. Regretfully, after that, I don’t remember much about the martinis and tapas… but I do remember the bill!”
Aside from the love swing on the ceiling, live grass floor, waterwall, and Monday night “anything goes” soirees, diners will find an aphrodisiac menu that starts with Wild Pacific oysters on the half shell with Champagne and red onion mignonette and ends with a divine slab of bourbon-enhanced Black Chocolate Goddess cake. One can imagine what goes on in between the courses.
As this ancient Tibetan art emphasizes the heightening of all five senses, diners at Tantra can get dizzy in experiential frenzy. But for the really daring, Miami also has exceptional options for adventurous eaters. Flying under the radar is the new Paradigm, an experimental test kitchen that recently popped up in the Trump Hotel Sunny Isles. Usually open only on Thursday nights—and don’t try to sneak in without a reservation—you and your guest will sit at a 10-seat communal table and dine on a set tasting menu. And each year from October through April Chef Michael Schwartz of the critically acclaimed Michael’s Genuine in Miami’s Design District hosts “Dinner in Paradise,” a monthly series wherein guests visit the certified organic, five-acre Paradise Farms and feast under a tent. In triads, Miami’s top toques create masterpieces onsite, complemented by an endless supply of micro-greens, herbs, edible flowers, fruits and veggies from the grounds.
It’s virtually impossible to holistically explore what Miami has to offer by way of exotic dining, so smart tourists schedule their visits around the annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival each February. The four-day event takes place at various locations all over the city, highlighted by a Grand Tasting Village on the sand. Sample our many flavors in your swimsuits and stilettos, if you’d like—you’ll fit right in.
“What I love about Miami’s dining scene is that dining is theater here,” Bisztray claims. “The décor is a set, the food a set of acts. It might seem superficial, but one role of dining is to take you out of everyday life and transport you somewhere sensual, invigorating. Miami restaurants get that. They won’t let you be bored, and they won’t let you be passive. They literally flirt with you.”
