Teal Bistro Americano

Bistro-style American dishes on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.

What we had:

We did an appetizer night: pan-seared diver scallops with cauliflower purée, lump crab cake with southwest corn salad and tuna tartare with citrus cucumber and seaweed salad.

The scallop was perhaps the most beautifully-cooked piece of seafood I've ever had. Freaking amazing. I could have eaten a bowl of the velvety, buttery purée, too.

The crab cake was good quality--no real discernable filler--but was bland. The raw fresh corn salad was a real treat.

I could have done without the mayo drizzle on the tuna. Some more of the really light citrus from the salad would have gone nicely.

The tea was horrible.


Décor:

The inside smelled funny, and sat maybe 20, so we ate outside, which was nice.


Service:

Not bad. Our server was obsessed with giving us bev naps.


Overall impressions:

Those scallops were worth going back for alone. Maybe we'll try entrees next time.


Rating:

4 out of 5 salamanders

Mo's Diner

This place was described to me as god's waiting room. Old people did, indeed, abound, but in my experience, sometimes the aged know where it's at.

Everything is made fresh, anx the menu is huge.


What we had:

Burgers. Big, juicy, good-quality burgers cooked to order. They also ply you with free sides (slaw, fresh pickles and rolls).


Décor:

Nothing exciting.


Service:

Waiters in white dress shirts with black bowties. The service wasn't the best.


Overall impressions:

Huge portions, good quality, good value for money. I want to try the Friday night chicken soup on the Sabbath menu--it's served in a glass casserole.


Rating:

3.5 out of 5 salamanders

Iron Sushi

Take out and delivery sushi in North Miami Beach.


What we had:

I got 2 rolls to go: some sort of dragon variety roll and another, which I suddenly can't remember.

I do remember that both were fresh, and the quality was surprisingly good. I was expecting quality on par with the grocery store, and was pleasantly surprised. Not four-star gourmet, but entirely serviceable. And available via delivery.


Décor:

Nothing special with an obsession for labeled reading material.


Service:

Ok.


Overall impressions:

Worth going to for a quick sushi fix.


Rating:

3 out of 5 salamanders

Big Squeeze

Fresh juice/smoothie/sandwich/chill spot in North Miami Beach

What we had:

I had the snapper wrap with a fresh lemonaide. The snapper was plentiful, well cooked and fresh. The lemonaide was really good as well.

My DH had an open-faced southwest chicken pita, which was also really tasty.

Be sure to get the sauce array as well--a chipotle mayo, jalapeño purée and light tahini sauce--each is fresh and has good depth of flavor.


Décor:

Bright, open and fun with free Wi-Fi.


Service:

Confused and disorganized. The employees seemed more interested in placing their karaoke orders than taking responsibility for our table.


Overall impressions:

Despite the service, we will definitely be back. There are a multitude of fresh, light sandwiches and salads I'm excited about trying, and it would take a year or so to get through all of the beverage options.

Overall, a great place to spend the early afternoon-after.


Rating:

3.5 out of 5 salamanders

Michael's Genuine Food & Drink

New American cuisine prepared simply & well with no fussiness and no pretensions. Emphasis on local and organic ingredients.

What we had:

The menu is split into sections by plate size--small (tapas-sized), medium (large tapas to main course), large (big main course), extra large (for two or more) and snacks. We went with 2 snacks and 2 medium plates, which was enough to fill my DH and I up without making us hurt.

Snacks: Crispy hominy & thick-cut potato chips with pan-fried onion dip.

The hominy's texture was a perfect balance between crunchy and slightly chewy. well-spiced and thoroughly satisfying.

The onion dip was great. Caramelized onions lend a hint of sophistication to this old classic, elevating simple chips & dip above mere bar food.

Medium Plates: Crispy beef cheek with whipped parsnip, pickled pearl onions frisse & mustard sauce and duck confit with cauliflower mash, wilted greens & a pear raisin chutney.

The confit was nice. I'd eat it again--and the skin was amazing--but it was just nice. Kind of like a decent date with someone you just aren't that into. Ok, maybe that's a bit strong. It was a good dish, a solid dish. A dish I would eat again--the duck was cooked perfectly, the slightly peppery greens counterbalanced the richness that is duck fat perfectly & the chutney gave a great sweet note to it all. Maybe the beef cheeks had something to do with why I was so unmoved.

The beef cheeks. Holy crap. What's beefier tasting than a steak? or a great beef stock? Beef cheeks. The beef cheeks represented one of those aha moments in food for my DH and I. Now we get it. We know now know why beef cheeks are almost everywhere in food media, and why Tony Bourdain drools over them. They're that good. The mustard sauce..blah, blah.. balance.. crispiness.. texture.. blah, blah. All you really need to know is: holy crap this was good. This was stand in line for an hour and punch out an old lady for the last slice good. *homer drool*


Décor:

Low-key, not too fussy. We went on a Saturday night (at 6:30) and ended up sitting at the chef's bar. Every (nice) restaurant should have a chef's bar. We watched the chefs make all of the wood-fired dishes. It was kind of like food porn. The most popular dishes of the night were the whole roasted "poulet rouge" chicken, whole roasted local snapper with fennel & the wood fired pizza. If you have a group of over 2 or have some desire to sit at a regular table, i'd make a reservation. Even at 6; even though they open at 6. It was packed the whole time we were there, and we had cocktails and took our time.

Service:

Our waiter was good. Attentive without being obnoxious about it. The other waiters seemed to be pretty good, too--we only saw 1 dish left to die in the pass all night--a lonely side of asparagus that was in all likelihood done too early.

Overall impressions:

We have our next three trips planned out already. Next time, we're doing the whole grouper. The time after, maybe spicy pork belly (if my DH can work around his abhorrence of kimchee) and possibly some rabbit.

What Google says; Company website.


Rating:

5 out of 5 salamanders

Panya Thai

Small Thai place on 167th in North Miami Beach.

What we had:

I had the Pad See Ew (sp?), which was good. The shrimp wasn't cooked to death, and the spice balance was nice.

My DH had the Pad Thai, which was solid as well.

All in all, the meal was satisfying. Fresh ingredients, a great menu (laid out by sauce with meat/main ingredient options), and a good selection of Thai dishes.


Décor:

Really impressive. From the outside, this place is nothing to look at--it's in a tiny, 2-store run-down looking shopping center between 2 other run-down-ish shopping centers. Open the doors, and its a different story. The decor is elegant and decidedly Thai without being garish or trying too hard.

Service:

Good service.

Overall impressions:

So far, this is our favorite Thai place in town. Granted, we haven't been to many yet, but this tops Sushi Siam and the other two.

What Google says; no company website.


Rating:

3.5 out of 5 salamanders

Hot Tuna Miami

Rock-n-Roll cabaret/sushi/Japanese joint in South Beach.

What we had:

My DH and I went with a few friends. We had the edamame, California Roll, Rainbow Roll, a simple tuna roll, a soft shell crab roll, some other form of tempura roll, a himachi & jalapeno roll with crispy garlic chips, lobster and wasabi mashed potatoes, saki, and mixed drinks.

The food was impressive. Granted, I have been lax in my sushi-eating since making the move to Miami, but this was pretty great. The quality was spot on-the sushi chef, not so much (our rolls fell apart). The mixed drinks were really good, too. I had a sunrise something--orange vodka, grenadine, fresh OJ. A couple of our friends also had pineapple upside-down shots, which they said tasted just like really good, really fresh pineapple.

The lobster mashed was awesome and a big hit with everyone. Mental note: lime goes great with edamame.

The rolls also came with interesting dipping sauces--a really good pineapple, a light peanut butter and some sort of ginger. The pineapple was impressive. It had a bit of heat, but just enough to tickle the back our your throat.


Décor:

Nice. Nice black gator-print leather (the tasteful small scales style), ambiance, "hot" girls dancing on the bar to rock songs (we were disappointed--no corsets and fishnets like on the website--but, hey, beggars can't be choosers and all that).

Service:

Our waitress was attentive, knowledgeable, friendly and adorable. She was great at up-selling without making it obvious.

Overall impressions:

We'd totally go back again. This is a great place to take out-of-town guests. Definitely an experience. The bill wasn't terrible, either. Our bill only averaged out to $40 per person.

What Google says; Company website.


Rating:

4 out of 5 salamanders