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
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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
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
What Google says; Company website.
Rating:
4 out of 5 salamanders
Bimini Boathouse
|
Caribbean-style dining in Ft. Lauderdale.
I went with a large group for lunch on a Saturday.
The service was fairly terrible--they didn't seem to have any idea how
to handle a large party. The kitchen was pretty-much on-point. Once
our orders finally got taken, the wait for food wasn't long (at least
for most of the table).
The food, however, was surprisingly good. I expected a hackneyd chain
judging on first impressions. The large, open dining room is very
white, very loud and very themed.
The entrees are broken up by regional influence. The dish I had was
Spanish influenced.
I had the snapper dish. A really fresh, perfectly-cooked snapper
filet,which was possibly very lightly flour-dredged before pan-
seared. Served with a refreshing take on plantains, and topped with
micro greens and crkispy-fried onion strings. The plantains were
lightly fried--so lightly, in fact, that I mistook them for roasted
potatoes at first. This was the first time I'd had plantains that
weren't fried to he'll and back,and I must say, I was impressed. I
had no idea plantains could be eaten firm and still taste good. The
plantains also had a touch of pineapple, which was a neat flavor to
mix in. The micro greens, wilted spinach and light diced salsa were
great accompaniments, and complemented the snapper well. The onions
would have too, but I was attempting to avoid anything obviously fried
that day.
The plating was also impressive. My plate came out well-balanced in
both flavor and texture, and some of the other dishes (most notably,
the chicken salad) came out looking exciting. Definitely not
something you'd expect from a $15 dish average spot.
I also had Bimini bread (which, unfortunately does not come with the
meal), and it was great. Since I've only had Bimini bread once before-
and not in the Caribbean , I don't know how authentic it was, but it
was great nonetheless.
Service and advertisements for one of those classy 40-something ounce
drinks with souvenier cup aside, I would definitely eat here again.
Although the menu isn't large (not necessarily a bad thing), there
were 3 or 4 dishes I'd like to try.
The menu was also varied enough to please most.
Going strictly on the food, I would rate this place 3 out of 5 salamanders.
Moonchine Asian Bistro
|
Japanese/Thai/Vietnamese Bistro in MiMo
What we had:
I had the 16-piece nigiri sushi plate--crab, eel, egg, hamachi, snapper, tuna & salmon. The rice pillows were nice and tight and the seafood was very fresh tasting.
Décor:
It's like eating in the middle of a Vanity Fair shoot or an upscale low-key nightclub. I'm totally in love with the red dot theme, and the blend of tufted leather (ettes) on the booths with shiny tiles and great low-key lighting lent a really nice vibe to dinner. There is also a nice patio out back that begs for cocktails.
Service:
Not bad, though the sushi guy was s-l-o-w.
Overall impressions:
What Google says; The company website may be moonchine.com, though I got one of those "reported attack site. Let us scan your computer" pages.
Rating:
3.5 out of 5 salamanders
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