The job of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau may be to attract tourism business to Miami-Dade County, but it’s well aware that fine dining isn’t just for tourists. So when the snowbirds start to fly north that’s our cue to enjoy three-course specialty menus at restaurants all around town, because Miami Spice is back.
If you haven’t started sampling all of the great deals this annual August to September initiative has to offer, don’t worry – there’s still plenty of time to indulge.
Mehzcla (305.538.1055), located at The Balfour Hotel at 350 Ocean Dr. in South Beach, has a wonderful patio where you can watch the passing scene. Mehzcla, which means “mixture,” offers a Latin-inspired menu that focuses on fresh, locally sourced ingredients. For Miami Spice, the restaurant serves brunch daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with an appetizer choice of baby gem Caesar salad or yuquitas; for the main course choose Miami benedict or chicken and waffles. The dinner menu, available daily from 5-10 p.m., includes an appetizer choice of avocado and charred baby heirloom tomato or empanadas. For the main course, choose the Smash Frita Burger or arroz chaufa. Both Miami Spice menus offer a tangy Key lime pie for dessert.
(Courtesy of Bourbon Steak Miami)
Amish roasted half chicken served with popcorn grits, blistered peppers and blackened tomato at Bourbon Steak Miami.
In Aventura, Bourbon Steak Miami (786.279.6600), located in the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa at 19999 W Country Club Dr., is offering its Miami Spice dinner Sunday through Thursday. Highlights of the three-course tasting menu ($60 per person) include a 7-ounce prime New York strip served with pomme purée and bordelaise sauce, or the Amish roasted half chicken served with popcorn grits, blistered peppers and blackened tomato. Pescatarian? Select the branzino served with romesco sauce. Save room for the matcha crème brûlée with Florida strawberries and black sesame, or the cinnamon churros with dulce de leche and gelato de coco.
(Courtesy of Toro Toro)
Inside Toro Toro at the Intercontinental Hotel.
At Toro Toro at the Intercontinental Hotel, located at 100 Chopin Plaza in downtown Miami, award-winning chef Richard Sandoval uses global techniques and focuses on Latin ingredients. Its Miami Spice dinner menu is available Sunday through Thursday 6-11 p.m.; the three-course tasting menu is $60 per person. Appetizers include ahi tuna on blue corn tostada with ancho pistachio-crusted tuna, yuzu-avocado crema, salmon roe, pickled shallots and chipotle aioli. Entrées feature grilled snapper “street tacos” and carne asada flat iron served with yucca espuma, sautéed zucchini, charred corn and baby heirloom tomato surtido, with a pasilla peppercorn sauce. Don’t miss the wild mushroom and squash enchiladas Doradas, made with blue corn tortillas, Mexican calabacita stew, honey pepper sauce, poblano crema, charred corn and queso fresco.
And if you’ve been waiting for Miami Spice to come back so you can try something different, Jaya (855.923.7899), located at the Setai Miami Beach at 2001 Collins Ave., is the place to do it. The three-course lunch menu is $35 per person, Monday through Saturday, and the three-course dinner menu is $45 per person, Sunday through Thursday. Try the chicken Makhani with Indian curry, tomatoes, fenugreek and basmati rice; Faroe Island salmon with grilled vegetables, lemon and sauce vierge; and tuna tacos with taro shell, yellowfin tuna, avocado, ginger vinaigrette, sesame and micro herbs. For dessert, there’s Nariyal Sagu with tapioca pearls, condensed milk and pistachio ice cream.
Openings
Julia & Henry’s at 200 E. Flagler St. in downtown Miami has become the hot new spot for lunch, date nights and meeting up with friends. The former historic Walgreens building has been redeveloped into a multilevel entertainment, event, restaurant and bar destination, and was featured in the July 2023 issue of the Biscayne Times by our libations columnist.
(Courtesy of Italica Midtown)
A pizza and spritz spread at Italica Midtown.
Popular dining spots include Michy’s Chicken Shack, helmed by local celebrity chef Michelle Bernstein, and Mensch, led by acclaimed Argentinian chef Tomas Kalika, whose menu is a melting pot of foods of the Jewish diaspora. Try the labneh, with tomatoes, onions, cured anchovies and an herb garlic crust; the falafel, with tahini, zhoug and fresh tomatoes; and the babaganoush, with eggplant, garlic tahini oil and lemon. For dessert, head to Puffles for crispy on the outside and soft on the inside Hong Kong egg waffles with ice cream, or Baklava Bakery for Middle Eastern pastries made in the Lebanese tradition.
Italica Midtown (786.850.2600) at 3201 NE First Ave. in Miami is now officially open for breakfast daily from 8 a.m. to noon. Expect fresh, flavorful, Italian-inspired sandwiches, nutritious bowls and delectable pastries, plus a selection of crafted drinks and cold-pressed juices. And for java lovers, the full coffee bar serves Panther brews. Mondays are now dedicated to Pizza Day, offering an irresistible selection of pizzas at a discounted price of $10. Wednesday is Spritz Day, when you get to enjoy $5 spritzes throughout the day.
(Courtesy of Eating House)
Cauliflower with cilantro, crema cotija and corn crumble at Eating House.
Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli and partners Alexander Casanova and Laura Faraci recently celebrated the official grand reopening of Eating House (786.580.3745), located at 128 Giralda Ave. in Coral Gables. The eatery emerged as a hot dining spot in Miami’s evolving culinary scene in 2012; since its soft reopening in December 2022, the second installment of Rapicavoli’s popular Gables staple has again become a go-to spot known for its relaxed ambience and menu of upscale comfort food. Rapicavoli heads down memory lane with a tasting menu of his popular dishes from Eating House’s 10-year run at its original location on Ponce de Leon. This throwback menu is priced at $59+ per person and will only be available for dinner Tuesday through Thursday. Old favorites include bucatini carbonara with egg yolk, heritage bacon and black truffle; chicken and waffles with crispy queso blanco, preserved guava and sweet-and-sour garlic; and cauliflower with cilantro, crema cotija and corn crumble.
New on the bar scene: the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove (305.644.4680), located at 3300 SW 27th Ave. in Miami, has just launched its highly anticipated new drinks program, developed in collaboration with celebrated master mixologist Ingi Sigurdsson, who elevates craft cocktails to an art form. The latest selections include a total of 12 cocktails, each as delicious and “’grammable” as the next, such as the Show Your True Colors with gin, snap pea, lime, mastica and alpine herbs (zero proof version available).
Irene Moore is a Miami-based writer and certified sommelier whose vivid descriptions take readers through culinary cultures around the world. Her feature articles have appeared in print publications, travel guidebooks and websites in the U.S. and Europe.
1 of 4
(Courtesy of Mensch)
The felafel at Mensch inside Julia & Henry’s at 200 E Flagler St.
2 of 4
(Courtesy of Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove)
ShowYourTrueColors_1.jpg
The Show Your True Colors cocktail is one of 12 new selections by master mixologist Ingi Sigurdsson at the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove.
3 of 4
(Courtesy of Bourbon Steak Miami)
The french fries trio at Bourbon Steak Miami.
4 of 4
(Courtesy of Eating House)
Carbonara with egg yolk, heritage bacon and black truffle at Eating House.