Has the arrival of summer got you longing for a trip to the Mediterranean? This month, we’re taking you on a culinary journey to the sun-kissed islands and shores of the Eastern Mediterranean.
For thousands of years, this area of the world has been a crossroads – and we’re traversing its borders to focus on the many diverse flavors of the region. While Greece and Turkey share both the Mediterranean and Aegean seas, their food is not exactly the same. However, their cuisine is very similar with subtle differences depending on the region.
Celebrity chef José Andrés has returned to South Beach with the opening of Zaytinya (786-761.1700) at The Ritz-Carlton South Beach, located at 1 Lincoln Rd. in Miami Beach. Zaytinya also has outposts in Washington, D.C., and at the Ritz-Carlton NoMad in New York.
Andrés and his partner, chef Michael Costa, take their influences from all over the Eastern Mediterranean, bringing together the culinary eclecticism of Turkey, Greece and Lebanon. Pops of blue featured in the décor are reminiscent of azure Mediterranean waters.
The menu features mezze, or small plates, with authentic flavors of the region, such as hummus, tzatziki and baba ghannouge dips.
Veggie lovers will love the crispy brussels afelia with coriander seed, barberries and garlic yogurt, and the cauliflower tiganites with herbed tahini, pine nuts and peppery Hawayej spice.
Meat and seafood mezes include octopus Santorini and shish taouk (marinated chicken shish kebab) with sumac and onions, grilled tomatoes and Lebanese toum garlic sauce, and Adana kebab, grilled lamb with grilled tomatoes, sumac and harissa.
Try the grilled whole Mediterranean sea bass Santorini style, with sun-dried tomatoes tapenade. Grilled lamb chops are served with smoked labneh and tzatziki. Ground beef kebabs are accompanied by tomatoes, roasted walnuts and pickled chilis. For dessert, do not miss the olive oil cake with clementines and orange flower cream.
For a wider range of choices, try the “Chef’s Experience” menu with 13 different mezzes, celebrating Andrés’ cookbook “Zaytinya: Delicious Mediterranean Dishes from Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon.”
(Courtesy of Bakaló Mykonos)
A table laden with Greek goodies at Bakaló Mykonos.
Bakaló Mykonos is a popular Greek restaurant in Mykonos serving simple, classic Greek food. Partners Nikos Nanou and Egidio Guerreri have now brought Bakaló (305.673.7434) to Miami Beach, at 959 West Ave. They’ve partnered here with executive chef Giovanni Sandri, who has a seasoned culinary background in Italy, and Stevi Tsapi, bringing her experience from her family’s acclaimed Tsapis Restaurant on Greece’s Sifnos Island.
This delightful indoor-outdoor neighborhood gem is inspired by “Bakolotavernas,” old-time Greek bistros that populated the harbors of Greek towns. The décor features retro touches from original posters of the 1950s and ’60s discovered in Athens flea markets. Sit on the cozy outdoor patio and imagine yourself in Mykonos.
The pillar of Bakaló’s menu is the Mediterranean diet, featuring olive oil, organic ingredients and locally sourced products, with many shipped from Greece. The wine list offers elusive Greek wines you won’t find in many other restaurants.
Chef Chrisanthos Latsi and team prepare a number of mezes (Greek spelling), including classic dips such as taramosalata, keftedakia – grandma’s meatballs – and mains such as grilled Mediterranean branzino with ladololemono, oregano, capers and rosemary, and lobster Giouvetsi, a traditional dish of orzo pasta, tomato sauce and manouri cheese. The standout here is the moussaka, made with beef ragu, grilled eggplant, potato and a velvety bechamel.
Save room for the decadent bougatsa, pillows of pastry filled with vanilla custard and dusted with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
(Courtesy of Sumak)
The Turkish coffee martini at Sumak.
Sumak (305.897.8900) at 908 71st St. in Normandy Isles in Miami Beach is the place for authentic Turkish cuisine. Every dish on the menu is based on classic Turkish recipes, created by a team led by owner Zafer Acik. Dishes originate from the Aegean as well as from the Mediterranean and Southeastern regions of Turkey.
The restaurant features a cozy interior with eclectic Turkish décor, glittering chandeliers and a festively lit outdoor patio.
Start with one of the unusual cocktails, such as Smoke on the Water with mezcal, amaro, and lemon and grapefruit juice. Try the sumptuous Turkish coffee martini with vodka, Kahlua, brown sugar syrup and a shot of strong Turkish coffee. There’s also a list of unique Mediterranean wines available.
(Courtesy of Sumak)
Sumak’s Lamb Shish
The menu includes cold and hot meze (Turkish spelling) such as abaganus, wood charcoal-roasted eggplant with tahini and garlic yogurt, and artichoke hearts with carrot, potato and orange sauce. Standouts are the icli köfte – authentic, stuffed cracked-wheat meatballs – and lahmacun, "Turkish pizza.”
Choose from eight kebaps (or kebabs in Greece), made with wood charcoal-grilled hand-minced meat, served with housemade Turkish pide (flatbread) and charcoal-roasted tomato with green pepper and fresh onion sumac.
Wood charcoal-grilled mains include lamb shish made with lamb loin chunks and, for fish lovers, whole grilled Levrak Izgara, a Mediterranean branzino with vegetable purée, onion rings and mashed potato. Be sure to have the Turkish-style baklava and a cup of real Turkish coffee.
Avra Estiatorio Miami (786.807.7555) at The Estates at Acqualina, located at 17945 Collins Ave. in Sunny Isles Beach, is known for refined, authentic Greek cuisine, and specializes in dishes prepared with time-honored recipes passed down from generations of mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers.
(Courtesy of Avra Estiatorio Miami)
Avra Estiatorio’s simply grilled whole fish.
A collaboration among restaurateurs Nick Tsoulos, Nick Pashalis and Marc Packer, the goal of the Avra group of restaurants in New York, Los Angeles and Miami is to transport diners to the seaside tavernas dotted across more than 200 Greek islands.
The star of the show is the fish, and choosing your main ingredient at the ice display is a big part of the Avra experience. An array of fresh catch is flown in daily – fish unique to Mediterranean waters that you may never have heard of: tsipoura, sinagrida and lavraki, and barbounia (red mullet in English), a favored Mediterranean delicacy. Fish is prepared simply – charcoal grilled, deboned and finished with Avra’s signature ladolemono sauce, or baked in salt.
Veggies also play an important role here, such as fasolakia, green beans and tomato; spanakorizo, spinach and rice; and horta, wild mountain greens.
Meat lovers will enjoy the grilled lamb chops, filet mignon or American wagyu eye of rib-eye. For dessert try the delightful yiaourti me meli – homemade yogurt with fruit and honey. Avra recently started serving Sunday brunch, so reserve a table on the outdoor patio overlooking the ocean.
Openings
Another famed New York restaurant has transported itself to South Florida. RedFarm (305.330.9700) has opened at 3131 Commodore Plaza in Miami’s Coconut Grove area, helmed by dim sum master chef Joe Ng, with partners Jeffrey and Zach Chodorow.
RedFarm gained recognition in New York for reimagining Chinese dishes for meals bursting with flavor and creativity. Among the menu’s inventive spins: signature Pac Man shrimp dumplings; Ed’s Pastrami Egg Rolls, a New York favorite; fiery three-chili chicken; and the restaurant’s signature Peking duck with three sauces and homemade pancakes. It was named by China’s national broadcaster, Central TV, as “the best Peking duck in the world outside China.”
(Courtesy of W South Beach Hotel and GR8 Experience)
The W South Beach hotel ballroom features immersive wall projections that transport diners to far-flung locales such as Modena, Italy, seen here at a “Once Upon a Kitchen” epicurean event.
Imagine stepping into the ballroom at Miami Beach’s W South Beach (305.938.3000), located at 2201 Collins Ave., and being transported to the streets of an Italian city, the beaches of Rio or the enchanting gardens of Kyoto.
As part of its recent $6 million renovation, the W South Beach is the first North American hotel to implement 360-degree immersive mapping technology in its ballroom. Ideal for a June wedding or a milestone Father’s Day celebration, the room transforms, sending guests on a captivating journey. Projections like these have grown in popularity in museum and multimedia spaces, such as L’Atelier des Lumiéres in Paris, the Sphere in Las Vegas and Super Blue in Miami.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of chef Laurent Tourondel’s place at the helm of LT Steak & Seafood (305.673.0044) at the Betsy Hotel, 1440 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach. The restaurant features The Piano Bar, with nightly live jazz piano, and a condensed version of LT Steak & Seafood’s menu. Adjacent to The Betsy hotel, The Alley Italian trattoria has officially reopened, serving Italian-style cocktails, Neapolitan-style artisanal pizzas, fresh charcuterie and soft-serve ice cream.
Irene Moore is a Miami-based writer and certified sommelier whose vivid descriptions take readers through culinary cultures around the world.
