August 2019 www.BiscayneTimes.com Volume 17 Issue 6 ©

Miami Gets a Grade Public parks. National ranking. Barely average.

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2 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Our all inclusive 55 or better lifestyle is designed for you to be able to live in care-free comfort. Our residents enjoy a variety of activities, amenities, dining options, and more while living in the best location.

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4 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 5 PLEASE ALWAYS WEAR PROTECTIVE APPAREL WHEN OPPERATING ANY OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT.

6 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 7 CONTENTS

COVER STORY 22 ParkScore: Miami Gets a Grade PO Box 370566, Miami, FL 33137 www.biscaynetimes.com© COMMENTARY Serving communities along the Biscayne Corridor: Arch Creek East, Aventura, Bay Point, Bayside, Biscayne 12 Feedback: Letters to the Editor Park, Belle Meade, Buena Vista, Coventry, Design District, Downtown, Eastern Shores, Edgewater, El Portal, 16 My View: Red Scare Redux Enchanted Lake, Hibiscus Island, Highland Lakes, Keystone Point, Miami Shores, Morningside, North OUR SPONSORS 37 Greynolds, North Bay Island, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Oak Forest, Oakland Grove, Palm Grove, 18 BizBuzz: August 2019 Palm Island, Sans Souci, Shorecrest, Sky Lake, Sparling Lake, Star Island, Wynwood, and Venetian Islands COMMUNITY NEWS 36 Virgin Trains: Express or Milk Run? PUBLISHER & EDITOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES 36 Condo Crimes, Part 3 Jim Mullin Nancy Newhart 37 Farewell, Laurenzo’s Italian Market [email protected] [email protected] 954-980-7639 NEIGHBORHOOD CORRESPONDENTS CONTRIBUTORS 46 Bouquets and Brickbats for North Miami Erik Bojnansky, Senior Writer Marc Ruehle 48 Aventura Sues School District? Bad Idea... [email protected] [email protected] 50 Miami Shores vs. One-Use Plastic Bags Anne Tschida, Arts Editor 786-514-7080 ART & CULTURE [email protected] 52 Elisa Turner on the Art of Onajide Shabaka ART DIRECTOR 54 David Bennett’s Galleries + Museums Francisco Alvarado, Geoffrey Anderson, Marcy Mock 56 Events Calendar: See Sea Turtles David Bennett, Jay Beskin, [email protected] POLICE REPORTS Jacqueline Coleman, John Dorschner, 58 Derek McCann’s Biscayne Crime Beat 46 Paul George, Janet Goodman, Margaret Griffis, ADVERTISING DESIGN Helen Hill, John Ise, Derek MichaelMcCann, DP Designs PARK PATROL [email protected] 60 Janet Goodman: North Bay Village Tiny Parks Dinah McNichols, Kim Ogren, Jenni Person, Silvia Ros, Dianne Rubin, Mark Sell, Stuart COLUMNISTS CIRCULATION 57 Picture Story: The Military in Miami 63 Sheldon, Jeff Shimonski, Elisa Turner South Florida Distributors 62 Pet Talk: Tortoises As Pets 63 Family Matters: Introducing the Ocean BUSINESS MANAGER PRINTING 64 Your Garden: Resilience? Not This... Kenneth Cooper Stuart Web, Inc. 65 Going Green: Save Us From Our Leaders [email protected] www.stuartweb.com 66 Vino: West Coast Sauvignon Blanc 67 Dish: Miami Spice Is Back! DINING GUIDE FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION CALL 305-756-6200 68 Restaurant Listings: 249 Biscayne Corridor Restaurants All articles, photos, and artwork in the Biscayne Times are copyrighted by Biscayne Media, LLC. Any duplication or reprinting without authorized written consent from the publisher is prohibited.

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August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 9 10 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 11 Commentary: LETTERS

Miami’s Amazing Monastery monastery to America. While the chap- CALL NOW Thanks to Erik Bojnansky for the ter house was transported in its entirety, article on the Ancient Spanish Monas- a two-story addition was left behind, tery (“Miami’s Medieval Wonder,” July and only chunks of the chapel and 2019). Bojnansky never fails to turn cloister were sent to the United States. 305-742-5225 out good stories, and this time I en- As a result, Moss and Edgemon used joyed learning some of the early history limestone rock quarried from local rock EAGLE behind the monastery, so much so that I mines to complete the monastery.” Please follow us on:: spent a few fun hours online Googling I wonder if some of those stones for more. came from across the street — that is, Of particular interest is a 2015 Greynolds Park, which was a quarry PROPERTIES EXCLUSIVELY FOR SALE BY THE JACK CODEN GROUP Atlas Obscura story on the disman- before it became a park. tling of dozens of Europe’s man- DC Copeland sions and monasteries by U.S. robber Miami Shores barons. Also the history of the Cister- cian monks, who wore white robes Editor’s note: We put that question to mon- as opposed to the black cloth of the astery historian Alan Sokol. His response: Benedictines, is fascinating because “This is very unlikely. Greynolds Park was the order included wealthy knights created as a Civilian Conservation Corps who joined the Crusades and reported- project. At the time the monastery was ly had some relation with the Knights being reassembled (1952-1954), Greynolds Templar and even were the basis of was already part of the Dade County park the Arthurian legends surrounding the system. However, it is correct that the area Quest for the Holy Grail. was a quarry prior to becoming a park.” At least the Ancient Spanish Monas- tery is still fulfilling a spiritual purpose. So Like Miami, So Not I went for a visit after the story came out, It’s fitting that William Randolph 1822 Dixianna St. Attention Investors: Dixianna Apartments are 13 remodeled units located on 20,000 sf located close and it was a tranquil setting overseen by Hearst’s medieval plunder, brought here to the Hollywood circle and only 500 feet from US-1. Zoned C-2 (mix use commercial), land can be developed into more friendly staff. I can’t believe I’ve lived after he bribed Spanish officials, resides here for years and didn’t go earlier. in Miami, where “Money Makes It apartments, medical center, hotel, or a 10 story tower. Building is in excellent condition with 4-one bedrooms, 1-two bedroom Madeleine Harris Happen” could hang as a motto over any and 8-studios. Rents have just jumped up with a studio renting for $1,175/m. New Cap rate = $ 7.84%. Best part: SELLER Aventura number of local city halls. OFFERING FINANCING!!! Please call for more details. $1,849,000 Still, as someone who’s not a Editor’s note: Owing to a report- churchgoer, I have to say that I recom- ing error, “Miami’s Medieval Wonder” mend the monastery to anyone who incorrectly stated that it took 39 months wants to pass some time in a serene and to reassemble the monastery. In fact it beautiful setting. took 19 months. Also it was William Frank Campelo Edgemon (not Edmonson) who dated the Miami JUST LISTED! NEW PRICE! NEW PRICE! JUST LISTED! 6601 NE 5th Ave. $599,000 1016 NE 113 St. $529,900 500 NE 56 St. $749,000 440 NE 69th St. $498,000 Large Multifamily in highly sought after Palm ADORABLE remodeled duplex located in lush Biscayne Location! This Historic Art Deco masterpiece is dripping Beautifully remodeled duplex located in Grove in the Upper Eastside! Three Units Park! Main house is a huge 1,523 sq. ft. 2 story 3BR/3BA with charm. Located on one of Morningside’s most charming Palm Cove. Easy to rent with Total. and 2nd unit is a very spacious 850 sq. ft. 1BR/1.5BA. beautiful corner lots and has 3 beds & 2 baths. excellent income stream.

JUST LISTED! JUST LISTED! NEW PRICE! JUST LISTED! grandmother of an Assist News Service Biscayne Boulevard: Built for 170 SE 14 St. #1508 $399,000 1000 Quayside Ter.#1906 $299,000 738 NE 70th St. $559,000 780 NE 69 St. #2006 $223,000 writer and later died in Tucson in 1978. Speed This charming 2 beds/2 baths is the perfect place COME ENJOY EXQUISITE BAY & CITY VIEWS Dripping in charm! This spacious 3BR/2BA, single BREATHTAKING PANORAMIC VIEWS OF I read Francisco Alvarado’s story about to call home! Features 2 COVERED PARKING from this 1500+ sf. charming unit with a large car garage home is located in the highly sought THE BAY AND BEACHES from this 1BR/1.5BA Monastery Gets Stoned? how dangerous Biscayne Boulevard is 63$&(6DQGVSDFLRXVVSOLWÀRRUSODQ balcony! This 2 beds & 2 baths PLUS DEN. after Historic Bayside MIMO Disctrict. condo in the desirable Palm Bay Yacht Club. A passage in “Miami’s Medieval (“Proceed at Your Own Risk,” July 2019), Wonder” caught my eye. It read: and agree completely! Tip of the Month “Adding to the challenge was the fact Tip 10: When selling your home, the recommendation to hide all photographs of family and friends is a myth! Having your favorite that Hearst didn’t bring the entire Continued on page 14 photos displayed gives the house more of a home feel. However, you do not want anything hanging on the refrigerator doors.

12 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Clutter is a big negative when showing your home to buyers. CALL NOW 305-742-5225 EAGLE Please follow us on:: PROPERTIES EXCLUSIVELY FOR SALE BY THE JACK CODEN GROUP

1822 Dixianna St. Attention Investors: Dixianna Apartments are 13 remodeled units located on 20,000 sf located close to the Hollywood circle and only 500 feet from US-1. Zoned C-2 (mix use commercial), land can be developed into more apartments, medical center, hotel, or a 10 story tower. Building is in excellent condition with 4-one bedrooms, 1-two bedroom and 8-studios. Rents have just jumped up with a studio renting for $1,175/m. New Cap rate = $ 7.84%. Best part: SELLER OFFERING FINANCING!!! Please call for more details. $1,849,000

JUST LISTED! NEW PRICE! NEW PRICE! JUST LISTED! 6601 NE 5th Ave. $599,000 1016 NE 113 St. $529,900 500 NE 56 St. $749,000 440 NE 69th St. $498,000 Large Multifamily in highly sought after Palm ADORABLE remodeled duplex located in lush Biscayne Location! This Historic Art Deco masterpiece is dripping Beautifully remodeled duplex located in Grove in the Upper Eastside! Three Units Park! Main house is a huge 1,523 sq. ft. 2 story 3BR/3BA with charm. Located on one of Morningside’s most charming Palm Cove. Easy to rent with Total. and 2nd unit is a very spacious 850 sq. ft. 1BR/1.5BA. beautiful corner lots and has 3 beds & 2 baths. excellent income stream.

JUST LISTED! JUST LISTED! NEW PRICE! JUST LISTED! 170 SE 14 St. #1508 $399,000 1000 Quayside Ter.#1906 $299,000 738 NE 70th St. $559,000 780 NE 69 St. #2006 $223,000 This charming 2 beds/2 baths is the perfect place COME ENJOY EXQUISITE BAY & CITY VIEWS Dripping in charm! This spacious 3BR/2BA, single BREATHTAKING PANORAMIC VIEWS OF to call home! Features 2 COVERED PARKING from this 1500+ sf. charming unit with a large car garage home is located in the highly sought THE BAY AND BEACHES from this 1BR/1.5BA 63$&(6DQGVSDFLRXVVSOLWÀRRUSODQ balcony! This 2 beds & 2 baths PLUS DEN. after Historic Bayside MIMO Disctrict. condo in the desirable Palm Bay Yacht Club. Tip of the Month Tip 10: When selling your home, the recommendation to hide all photographs of family and friends is a myth! Having your favorite photos displayed gives the house more of a home feel. However, you do not want anything hanging on the refrigerator doors.

ClutterAugust 2019 is a big negative when showing your home toBiscayne buyers. Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 13 Commentary: LETTERS

Letters Who Will Fix Our School? Look Continued from page 12 Inward, Parents... John Ise’s column on a 1966 study by We’ve been living at 25th Street and James Coleman on how public schools Biscayne Boulevard for more than five years. “should target integration based on the It’s a scary situation trying to cross Biscayne. socioeconomic status of students over No one gives a crap about the lights. race and ethnicity,” because “promoting Maybe the geniuses who did the a socioeconomic mix of students was traffic lights on NE 79th Street going even more important than changing the toward the Beach should have used the racial composition of the school,” leaves same ones in our neighborhood. They me scratching my head (“A Do-Over at are higher and more visible. Miami Shores Elementary,” July 2019). We’re risking our lives! Some police First, as Mr. Ise acknowledges, the presence might help with better enforcement. people (him included) highlighting the Biscayne Boulevard was built for speed. problem aren’t investing in the solution. Betty Alonso If these parents would put their own chil- Edgewater dren back into Miami Shores Elementary, I’m pretty sure they’d be involved in Immigrants Are Us academics and after-school programs. Mark Schultz was right on the mark with But they haven’t. They’re waiting for his story about his experience with a someone else to fix it. So when they doctor who is not a native-born Ameri- chose the charter school route, all they can (“Immigrants Make This Country did was further impoverish MSES. Great,” July 2019). Second, iPrep Academy’s pupils do Statistics show that immigrants are come from a socioeconomic mix, it’s more likely than U.S.-born individuals to true. But what’s more telling is that start and own businesses (especially true Superintendent Alberto Carvalho serves here in Miami), and that immigrants or as its principal, that class size is tiny, their children have started an amazing that the teacher-student ratio is high, and 40 percent of Fortune 500 businesses. that pupils are supplied with the latest It makes me hope that our Cuban- computers and online video tutoring. American neighbors who still support The poorer kids may be picking up Donald Trump will consider that their some attitudinal shifts and behaviors families — who came here decades ago from their peers, but the close supervision with little on their backs and speaking of teachers over their progress plays a no English — likely would have been the much bigger role. In fact, from where I sit, targets of his hateful rants. it still looks more like a funding solution. If Cubans faced hostility for “over- Third, just “replicating the iPrep model running” Florida back then, think how at MSES” may bring in its own problems, much worse it would have been if Trump as it seems to be following the classic trans- had been in the Oval Office. That man is planter’s fallacy, a term used in overseas no friend of immigrants, and immigrants development work. It means, for example, are our history and our heritage. that you can’t just “transplant” the “rules” Richard Diaz-Cordoba of democracy into a country whose institu- Miami tions are too weak support them and where local “big men” continue to run the show. We Don’t Need a Mall Monitor In other words, iPrep has the ad- Would someone please get “neighborhood vantage of starting from scratch. MSES correspondent” Jay Beskin off his duff doesn’t. It may be harder. and away from the fluff? We have many Finally, I’m just not convinced that issues in Aventura that don’t require him a socioeconomic mix means the same to be a Rotary-type cheerleader. today as it did in 1966. I wish Mr. Ise A whole column on why we have had offered more information, like what indoor malls didn’t impart one piece of compositional mix is ideal and how much information and had no timeliness or influence family life has outside of school. subject value (“Shopping Center Shout- Not having read the original study, I can’t Out,” July 2019). comment further except to note that we seem If he weren’t an attorney, Mr. Beskin much more multicultural and multilingual would be a decent PR flack, but that’s not today, and that the avenues for bullying and what I look for in Biscayne Times. the need for adult intervention have increased. Madeleine Harris Jonathan Meltzer, EdD Aventura Miami

14 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 15 Commentary: MY VIEW Red Scare Rising Trump whips out an old playbook from the 1950s

By Fred Jonas Powell III, to Paris, where she embarked on Special to the BT a successful career, performing around the continent and worldwide. azel Scott was born in 1920 and died When her son grew up and had a in relative obscurity in 1981. She family of his own, he moved back to the Hwas born in Trinidad to a well-to-do States. His mother followed to be part of family that moved to New York when she the lives of her son, daughter-in-law, and was four. Her mother was a classically trained grandchildren. Scott’s own mother had pianist, and Hazel grew into a musical prodigy been a performer but was foremost a dedi- who achieved renown for her unique keyboard cated and protective mother. Hazel Scott style, a synthesis of classical and jazz. harbored the same instincts. Back when the Juilliard School wasn’t We often think the McCarthy hearings accepting students under age 16, she won ad- were brought down by Joseph Welch, a lawyer mittance at age eight. An accomplished singer representing the U.S. Army, which McCarthy as well as pianist, she became one of the most somehow also implicated in his Red Scare. famous black entertainers of her time. She We remember Mr. Welch by the quote: even had her own television show in the 1950s, “Have you no decency, sir?” In fact, Welch decades before Oprah Winfrey’s. actually said, “At long last, have you left In 1945, Scott married U.S. Rep. no sense of decency?” It’s clear why we Hazel Scott spoke up for Socialists — and paid the price. Adam Clayton Powell (her first marriage, misremember it in the more concise and his second) and was with him for 15 years. elegant way we do. And according to our This country supported wars and propped “Have you no decency, sir?” It had pre- Like him, she was an outspoken advocate understanding today, this is what it took to up tyrannies, all on the theory that it was es- cisely the effect of the boy who pointed out for civil rights. But she was also one of introduce a needle to the toxic, gas-filled sential to fight the Red Menace at any cost. that the emperor had no clothes. the many people working in Hollywood balloon that was Joe McCarthy and his We Americans suspended logic and The emperor and his nakedness are “listed” as possibly having communist ties, Scare. Before the needle, he seemed to at- common sense over the Cold War and its a fable. Hazel Scott, Joseph Welch, and which she did not. tract more support than resistance. terrible consequences. Even today, it is Joe McCarthy were real, and though their She wasn’t compelled to testify before A lot of people got caught up in the common for some Americans to try to time in the spotlight was long ago, they Sen. Joe McCarthy’s kangaroo committee but Red Scare. It was made to seem real, and discredit other Americans as “socialists” remain relevant. chose to do so in September 1950. Her testi- the public almost reflexively believed it. or communists. For them, the spell is not The question today is this: What will it mony was eloquent. She denied connections At the time, those in seats of power could broken. The devils are communists or not- take for the public to realize we are actors to Communists and took pains to distinguish implicate anyone, and the implication would good-enough Christians or African Ameri- in the same old play? them from socialists, whom she admired and seem to have automatic legitimacy. Inno- cans or Muslims or Chinese or Mexicans It will take more than a defiant Hazel said they loathed Communists “longer and cent until proven guilty? Not for an instant. or any of a number of others. Scott, Black Lives Matter, or Colin more fiercely” than any other groups had. Just a suggestion or a whisper could destroy And the juggernaut, piloted by the Kaepernick. It will take more than a U.S. She’d had an acting career in Hollywood livelihoods, and sometimes, even lives. demagogue du jour who is bent on whip- Congress filled with overpaid and under- but had troubles with her studio because she It persisted for some decades after the ping up mindless hysteria, continues to achieving Americans. refused to work in films that failed to portray country was finished with Joe McCarthy rumble. The scheme is to slash and burn Who will point out that this emperor blacks with respect. Within a week of her and his chief counsel, Roy Cohn, who frantically enough to prevent any perspec- has no clothes? Who will cry out: “Have McCarthy testimony, her television show would later become Donald Trump’s attor- tive or rational thought. you no decency, sir?” was canceled. She lost concert bookings and ney and mentor. 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BizBuzz spiritual growth opportunities, and the Continued from page 18 extracurricular activities available. Also a renowned guest speaker will convey — at affordable prices. Of course they do to the new students the great experience windows — and yoga studios, nursing that awaits them at Pace High. facilities, daycare centers, and gyms, as Parents with younger children should well as your home and office. Call for an consider the Miami Shores Commu- estimate. nity Church School (9823 NE 4th Ave., By the way, it’s now or next year if Miami Shores, 305-757-5866) which your hurricane preparedness tools need takes in children from pre-kindergarten maintenance or replacement. Staff at Joe through fifth grade. Although Christian, Blair Garden Supply (320 NE 79th St., this progressive church does not push be- 305-757-5554) — family owned and op- liefs or doctrines on its members and stu- erated since 1928 — can repair or renew dents — instead sharing values, missions, your old generators, chainsaws, and and commitments. Besides the expected other gear that you’ll want handy after a curriculum, students are encouraged to storm. Or guide you to the newest, most immerse themselves in foreign languag- efficient tools available on the market. es, arts, sports, debate, and robotics. The Crank ’em up today. school even has a STEM lab. Whether we get a hurricane this The first day of class can be a combi- year or not, consider a little remodeling nation of excitement and dread for many in time for the holiday season coming kids. Consider adding to the excitement up...quickly. Biscayne Times welcomes by surprising the little scholars with a back the Miami Home Design and treat from Nothing Bundt Cakes (15400 Remodeling Show (305-667-9299, www. Biscayne Blvd., Suite 112, 305-974- homeshows.net) to our pages and to the 4536). These signature bundt cakes come Mana Wynwood Convention Center (318 in ten flavors, several sizes (including a NW 23rd St.) August 30 to September personal-size bundlet), and more than 40 2. Enjoy tips on home improvement and unique designs. They are made kosher décor choices, lifestyle classes, design with real eggs, butter, and cream cheese. and expert advice, exclusive offers and So while they may be an indulgence, savings, and enter to win a personal they are balanced out with healthier design consultation with Martin Amado ingredients, instead of just something of the So Flo Home Project. One-day mixed up in a chemistry lab. passes cost $7 (11 and under: $1) until And now for the dreads? Staff at August 29, when the prices go up by $3. Kids Go Kuts (2130 NE 123rd St., North Registered for school? No? Then Miami, 786-618-5992) strive to make the your assignment today is to check out salon experience fun, or at least stress- Allison Academy (1881 NE 164th St., free for kids by using distractions and North Miami Beach, 305-940-3922). activities that refocus a child’s attention Classes begin on Thursday, August 15, away from the scissors and combs. This for students in sixth grade or higher. month the salon offers a parent-child However, students should come in early combo haircut for only $35. Both hair- for schedules, locker assignments, and cuts must be done during the same visit. to sign up for sports teams and extra- Don’t wait for classes to start to curricular clubs, on August 13 and prepare for a potential emergency. 14. This independent school has a low Call Florida Center for Allergy and student-to-teacher ratio and utilizes Asthma Care (877-4-ALLERGY) today placement tests to assess each student’s and ensure your kids’ allergy prescrip- strengths and weaknesses. Advanced- tions are up to date. With 18 convenient placement classes are available, as locations, you can easily schedule an well as after-school programs in sports, appointment around a busy workload. music, art, and robotics. Ask about the If we’re lucky, we get to keep our new entrepreneurial curriculum when parents until they become our chil- you call. dren. We can’t always bring them home, New Spartans are asked to attend though, and many want to retain their Spartan Experience Orientation on freedom a little longer. Imperial Club Friday, August 16, at Monsignor Apartments (2751 NE 183rd St., 305- Edward Pace High School (15600 NW 521-0414) has been serving the Aventura 32nd Ave., 305-623-PACE). Student community for 30 years by providing ambassadors will explain to their new both assisted and independent living classmates the academic procedures, arrangements for seniors. New owners

20 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 are currently upgrading apartments and 305-456-8662) wants BizBuzz to let busy WILLIS WILSON common areas, while adding amenities. readers know that the shop now offers Call today for more info and to schedule expedited passport services, includ- & ASSOCIATES a tour. ing $10.99 pictures. You can renew in Your Source For Miami Florida Real Estate! While we’re discussing late-in-life as little as one day. While you’re there, options, let’s mention organ donation. make use of RoadRunner’s shredding This month’s free lecture at the North services. Be secure by not leaving a Shore Medical Center (1100 NW 95th paper trail behind you while on your trip. St., 833-773-6341) is on the myths and Once everything is in its proper misconceptions of organ donation. place, you might notice that you have More than 114,000 people in the U.S. extra time on your hands. Why not are awaiting a lifesaving organ donation. volunteer for the Citizens’ Indepen- Find out how you can help on Tuesday, dent Transportation Trust? The group August 27, at noon. Refreshments will oversees expenditures paid for by the be served. proceeds of a half-cent sales surtax. You Now that you’ve completed all your will have a definitive say on where that tasks quickly and efficiently (we’re sure), money goes. Buses, trains, or personal MIAMI SHORES BEAUTY give summer at least one more grand jet packs. Well, maybe not the last one. 9780 NE 5th Ave. Rd. - Mid-Century Miami Shores 3 bedroom/3.5 baths with a two car day to impress you with its carefree joy. Not yet, anyway. See the ad for a better garage. 3693 sqft sprawling home on a 13,962 sqft corner lot. Huge open living spaces Bring the family to Tidal Cove at the JW understanding of the process. surround a private pool area with a master suite that occupies the entire second fl oor. Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa Speaking of getting everything Reduced to $899,000 in Aventura (19999 W. Country Club done when she had to, have you met Dr., 305-932-6200), where the kids can Carmen Flores yet? You might already enjoy a lazy river, thrilling waterslides, know her as the owner of Maid Ser- or simulated surfing. Mom and Dad can vices 4 U (561-577-9363, maidsvc4u@ sedate themselves with tropical cocktails gmail.com, www.maidservices4u.com). by the VIP pool. Or is it let the kids But it wasn’t always so. The 2009 have a Shirley Temple by the pool, and economic downturn hit Carmen par- the parents take on the adventure rides? ticularly hard, causing her to lose her Either way, the day membership is $75 paralegal job. Like many, she dreamed weekdays, $105 weekends, and gives of starting her own business, one that guests access to all of the resort’s other could survive the bad economy, but amenities as well. leave her enough time for her kids. She JUST REDUCED! SOUTH BEACH Considering a yearly membership recalled that as a child she helped her with theInstitute of Contemporary Art, mother in cleaning elite homes and 1225 W AVE - Nicely renovated 2/2 on South Beach, travertine fl oors, granite counters and Miami (61 NE 41st St., 305-901-5272)? launched this thriving business. So if stainless appliances, nice balcony and parking, walk to Whole Foods and several neighbor- Now’s the time to buy one for only $250. you need luxury housekeeping, balcony hood restaurants. Large pets OK. Rentable. Reduced to $339,900! Sure, museum admission is free, but not and window cleaning, home mainte- Miami Art Week perks and other ben- nance packages and concierge services, efits. You’ll also get free admission and call this inspiring woman now for an discounts to over 700 museums across estimate. Mention the BT and receive the country. up to $50 off when you schedule a And now for a musical interlude. weekly service. Martha/Mary Concerts (305-458- Finally, Biscayne Times wishes 0111, www.marthamaryconcerts.org) longtime friends Frankie Cupri and wife has announced its 2019-2020 Yamaha Priscilla good luck in their new endeav- Concerts Series, with subscriptions on ors. These two have deliciously fed many, sale from $60 to $135 for the four con- many BT readers and staffers at Andia- certs. Or feel free to purchase tickets for mo Pizza — which is not closing! Their AUBURNDALE MID CENTURY individual shows. First on the schedule outgoing message to neighbors, friends, is the Portland String Quartet perform- and loyal customers: “After 12 years of 451 SW 32 AV - Charming mid-century near booming SW 8 st, large open fl oor plan, impact windows, 3/2 plus offi ce that could double as a 4th, huge garage, tile fl oors and Central AC. ing “Beethoven, Brahms, and Shortnin’ having the honor of serving you and your This is a great starter home in a very stable neighborhood. $399,000 Bread” on Saturday, October 12, at 7:30 families, it is time to begin a new chapter p.m., and Sunday, October 13, at 3:00 in our lives. We would like to thank you “Let our 20+ years of experience help you fi nd p.m. All concerts take place on the all for allowing us to bring our pizza or sell your perfect home” campus of the exquisite Corpus Christi to your homes. It has truly been a great Church/La Merced Chapel (3220 NW experience getting to know generations 305-335-5722 7th Ave.). 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August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 21 22 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2017 Miami Gets a Grade The Trust for Public Land has released its annual ratings of city park systems. Miami didn’t shine, but other Biscayne Corridor towns did well.

By Janet Goodman Cover and spread photos by Armando Colls

Views from above: Sewell Park along the Miami River, and on the cover, Margaret Pace Park. BT photo by Janet Goodman

Simpson Park, Miami: 7.9 acres.

n four years as the “Park Patrol” parks is to say that we’re not worthy, that first settled here in the late 1800s. E. order to ensure high quality. Funding is columnist for Biscayne Times, I’ve parks themselves are not worthy. Neglect Albert Pallot Park has a magnificent bay everything. Ilearned that parks are much more leaves the door open for craven public view, but not much else. Woefully under than just nice places to visit for picnics officials to exploit our public lands by water many days of the year and cer- nter the Trust for Public Land, a or basketball or dog walks. In them, we stripping agency budgets or forcing de- tainly neglected, Little River Pocket Park national non-profit group founded reconnect with nature and our com- partments to commercialize and produce is targeted to benefit from last year’s Ein 1972 that conserves land for munity. They’re our happy childhood revenue. bond issue vote and new interest in sea public use and compiles data on parks in memories, places to build up our bodies The City of Miami manages 167 level rise resiliency. José Martí Park, thousands of U.S. towns and cities. TPL and decompress from our crazy lives. In parks, which serve nearly half a million located on the Miami River, is scheduled may be most famous for its ten-minute- them, we’re free to be ourselves, to relax, residents. I have reviewed 14 of those for a complete overhaul to make it water walk initiative to put a public park to think, to enjoy life. They belong to parks, located mostly along the Biscayne tight. Although it took years, Charles within a ten-minute walk of every home us. But more than that... Our parks, they Corridor. Each one is unique, with Hadley Park is by far the most improved in the nation. are us. specific strengths and weaknesses. Some Miami park I’ve visited. And if you want TPL collects its data on 13,913 U.S. I’ve also learned that parks are are waterfront parks, located on either a beautiful park with a view, Peacock, towns, cities, and communities using forever works in progress. They need our Biscayne Bay, Little River, or the Miami Baywood, and Margaret Pace Park are Census data, the ESRI geographic continued attention, our continued and River. Some have less nature and more must-sees. information system, municipal websites, increased funding for maintenance and in amenities, such as playgrounds and Hefty investments are essential to and personal contact with each locale improvements. community centers. maintain healthy parks. More invest- to obtain data on its parks. On TPL’s I have great admiration for the citi- Only one — Simpson Park — is ment is needed to acquire land for new #10MinWalk Parkserve link (www.tpl. zens and activists who refuse to become simply and wonderfully a hardwood parks and to expand existing parks. org/parkserve), you can plug in the name complacent about the need to protect hammock wilderness, a glimpse of what Park amenities need constant cleaning, of any town, no matter how small (or so our parks. They know that to neglect South Florida looked like when pioneers repair, and sometimes total renovation in it seems), and see how many residents

24 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 BT photo by Janet Goodman

Lummus Park, Miami: 6.1 acres. live within a ten-minute walk according 23,727 public parks. • Access: park location within a 4) Arlington, Virginia 81.3 to age, income, and race/ethnicity; how “Because we’ve been releasing ten-minute walk or one-half mile from 5) Portland 79.7 many parks there are; what percentage of ParkScore since 2012,” explains Joanna residents’ homes. 6) Irvine, California 79.2 land is used for parks; and where parks Fisher, TPL’s press secretary, “we have Maps of cities and their parks, as 7) San Francisco 79.0 are most needed in that place. great established relationships with the well city regions determined to be most 8) Cincinnati 78.3 Since 2012, TPL has also released city park agencies, and work closely with in need of parks, are available at www. 9) New York City 76.0 an annual ParkScore index of large U.S. them to make sure we get all the data we tpl.org/parkscore. 10) Chicago 75.4 cities, based on factors such as acreage, need.” Because the information is also Access is important, according to investment, amenities, and access, to public, she adds, it is easily verified. TPL, because 11.2 million people in iami (population 452,162) ranks measure how they are meeting residents’ Those four ParkScore factors are those 100 largest U.S. cities don’t live 54th in the 2019 ParkScore and need for parks. Need is assigned to re- each broken down into smaller compo- within ten minutes of a park. Among all Mhas been ticking lower through gions falling outside the ten-minute walk nent measures, and they look like this: U.S. municipalities, 100 million Ameri- the years, down from 50th last year, 48th area, according to weighted population • Acreage: the city’s median park size cans lack a park within a ten-minute in 2017, and 52nd in 2016. measures: population density, density of and parkland as a percentage of city area. walk of home. Miami’s overall rating, which is an children 19 and younger, and density of • Investment: spending per resident, In TPL’s overall rankings, Miami average of the four ParkScore factors, households earning less than 75 percent e.g., public funds, non-profit funds, vol- in 2019 doesn’t score among the top 10 was a mediocre 47.8. Here’s a breakdown of the regional median income. unteer hours. cities, or the top 25, or even the top 50. of those factors: The first ParkScore ranked just the • Amenities: basketball hoops, off- Out of a possible 100 points, the 10 best- • Acreage: 27.5 points. The average 40 largest cities, but the list has expand- leash dog parks, playgrounds, recreation rated cities are: Miami park size is 2.6 acres, with park- ed through the years and, since 2016, has and senior centers, restrooms, and 1) Washington, D.C. 83.8 land being 7 percent of city area. Miami ranked the nation’s 100 largest cities. splashpads and spraygrounds. 2) Saint Paul 83.2 has 167 parks. (The average park size in Today those hundred cities hold a total of 3) Minneapolis 81.8 Continued on page 26

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 25 BT photo by Janet Goodman

Baywood Park, Miami: 2.1 acres.

Miami Gets a Grade amenities score: 82.5. fluctuated over the past three years, he in recent fiscal years: Continued from page 25 A map of Miami’s park system pin- notes, adding, “One area where our 2015-16: $36,360,020 points areas of the city where residents departmental strategy aligns closely 2016-17: $42,312,435 first-place Washington, D.C., is 1.4 acres, lack access to parks. Five areas most with the Trust’s metrics, however, is in 2017-18: $46,456,057 but parkland constitutes an impressive 21 in need are indicated on TPL’s online providing parks within a ten-minute 2018-19: $47,754,000 (adopted) percent of the city area; Washington has map. Four are located south of the walk of all residents. To that end, the city 2019-20: $51,777,000 (proposed) 629 parks.) Miami River in the West Miami area has purchased nearly 20 properties since • Investment: 35 points. $77 per resi- south and southwest of MIA airport; 2016 to help ensure this goal is met.” ix Florida cities are included in dent (Washington, D.C., spends $270). one is located west of I-95 in Allapat- The city is in active negotiations to TPL’s list of 100 largest U.S. city • Access: 80 points. 86 percent of tah and Brownsville. acquire additional parcels, he says, and Spark systems. Besides Miami, they residents are within a ten-minute walk of “While we do gain some helpful the Parks Department’s annual budget are Hialeah, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Or- a park (98 percent of D.C. residents have big-picture perspective from the sta- has grown in the past three years, “sig- lando, and Jacksonville. a ten-minute walk to a park). tistical data that outside organizations naling the city’s commitment to contin- • Amenities: 49 points. Basket- like the Trust provide, annual statisti- ued investment in maintaining parks and Hialeah (235,036) is the lowest-ranking ball hoops per 10,000 residents: 3.1; cal snapshots don’t fully capture each investing in parks.” Florida city on the list, and way at the dog parks per 100,000 residents: 0.9; city’s unique characteristics or progress Miami’s ParkScore for “Invest- bottom, period. It ranks a poor 93rd, splashpads per 100,000 residents: 0; being made on the ground,” says John ment” isn’t based on budgeted funding, with an overall score of just 31.1. Here playgrounds per 10,000 residents: 1.3; Heffernan, deputy director of the city’s but on actual spending. According to are the four category breakdown scores restrooms per 10,000 residents: 3.8; Office of Communications, in response the city’s Office of Management and for Hialeah; remember each category is recreation/senior centers per 20,000 resi- to questions from the BT. In fact, Mi- Budget, the Parks and Recreation De- dents: 1.6 (By comparison, Washington’s ami’s ParkScore has only minimally partment spent the following amounts Continued on page 28

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August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 27 BT photo by Janet Goodman

Merrie Christmas Park, Miami: 5.4 acres.

Miami Gets a Grade Its category scores are: • Investment: 32.5 points. $71.39 per • Amenities: 58 points. Basketball Continued from page 26 • Acreage: 55 points. Average park resident. hoops per 10,000 residents: 5; dog parks size: 3.5 acres, with parkland 16 percent • Access: 45 points. 62 percent of per 100,000 residents: 1; splashpads per scored on the basis of up to 100. of city area. St. Pete has 168 parks. residents live within a 10-minute walk of 100,000 residents: 0; playgrounds per • Acreage: 22.5 points. Average park • Investment: 77.5 points. $140 per a park. 10,000 residents: 2; restrooms per 10,000 size: 4.4 acres, with parkland 2 percent resident Amenities: 88 points. Basketball residents: 4.2; recreation/senior centers of city area. Hialeah has 31 parks. • Access: 65 points. 75 percent of hoops per 10,000 residents: 6; dog parks per 20,000 residents: 1.5. • Investment: 7.5 points. $31.50 per residents are within a 10-minute walk of per 100,000 residents: 4; splashpads resident. a park. per 100,000 residents: 2.6; playgrounds Jacksonville (907,674) ranks 78th • Access: 55 points. 68 percent of • Amenities: 75 points. Basket- per 10,000 residents: 2.3; restrooms per and has a score of 38.9. residents are within a 10-minute walk of ball hoops per 10,000 residents: 4.1; 10,000 residents: 2.8; recreation/senior • Acreage: 65 points. Average park a park. dog parks per 100,000 residents: 2.3; centers per 20,000 residents: 1.8. size: 5.8 acres, with parkland 15 percent • Amenities: 40 points. Basketball splashpads per 100,000 residents: 1.2; of the city area. Jacksonville has 411 hoops per 10,000 residents: 3; dog parks playgrounds per 10,000 residents: 3.5; Orlando (269,558) comes in at 47th, parks. per 100,000 residents: 0; splashpads restrooms per 10,000 residents: 4.8; with score of 50.1. • Investment: 22.5 points. $57.26 per per 100,000 residents: 1.7; playgrounds recreation/senior centers per 20,000 • Acreage: 30 points. Average park resident. per 10,000 residents: 0.7; restrooms per residents: 1.2. size: 3.4 acres, with parkland 6.2 percent • Access: 5 points. 35 percent of 10,000 residents: 1; recreation/senior of the city area. Orlando has 238 parks. residents live within a 10-minute walk of centers per 20,000 residents: 1.5 No. 44 for 2019 is Tampa, population • Investment: 65 points. $121 per a park. 377,193, with a score of 51.3, broken resident. • Amenities: 63 points. Basket- St. Petersburg (258,759) is the highest- down as follows: • Access: 47.5 points. 63 percent of ball hoops per 10,000 residents: 2.4; ranking Florida city on the 100 larg- • Acreage: 40 points. Average park residents live within a 10-minute walk of dog parks per 100,000 residents: 0.6; est cities list. It comes in 17th with an size: 4.5 acres, with parkland 8 percent a park. overall score of 68.1 out of 100 points. of the city area. Tampa has 194 parks. Continued on page 30

28 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 29 Miami Gets a Grade Continued from page 28 splashpads per 100,000 residents: 2.1; playgrounds per 10,000 residents: 3.6; restrooms per 10,000 residents: 6.1; recreation/senior centers per 20,000 residents: 1.3. BT photo by Janet Goodman TPL has also been tracking the rise of off-leash dog parks since 2009 and notes that they’ve become the fastest- growing park amenity. The 2019 ranking of 100 largest cities counts 810 dog parks among them, up from 773 in 2018. (In 2009, TPL counted just 466 dog parks in U.S. municipal parks.) Tampa is the only Florida city to rank in the top 10 BarkScores, coming in at No. 5, behind Boise, Portland, Henderson (Nevada), and Norfolk, and tied with San Francisco. For perspective, No. 1 Boise (population 227,531) has 13 dog parks, or 5.7 per 100,000 residents. Tampa (population 379,551) has 15 dog parks, or 4 per 100,000 residents. While San Francisco has more than twice the population (878,294) and more than twice the parks (35), the ratio of parks per residents is the same as Tampa’s. Here’s how the other Florida cities Founders Park, Aventura: 11.2 acres. fared in BarkScores: 15) St. Petersburg: (pop. 260,094) 6 Largest state park within a city: the national small-city average of public 1) North Passive Park (Triangle), 0.2 dog parks. Chugach State Park in Anchorage land used for parks and recreation is 15 acres, 461 people served. 48) Orlando: (286,678) 3 dog parks. (464,318 acres). percent. “People served” in each entry 2) South Passive Park, 0.7 acres, 52) Miami: (453,952) 4 dog parks. Florida’s largest state park within a refers to the number of people within a 2544 people served. 72) Jacksonville: (907,722) 5 dog city: Cary State Forest in Jacksonville ten-minute walk to the park. 3) 98th Street Park and 4) 98th Street parks. (8322 acres). Dog Park, 0.5 acres, 5476 people served. 95) Hialeah: (233,504) 0 dog parks. Largest federal park within a city: Aventura: (39,335) 81 percent of the 5) 94th Street Tennis Court/Park, 2.1 Chugach National Forest in Anchorage residents live within a 10-minute walk acres, 5206 people served. mong all U.S. cities reporting (245,653 acres). of a park. Just one percent of city land is 6) 92nd Street Dog Park, 0.5 acres, park data in the annual TPL Florida’s largest federal park within used for parks and recreation. The high- 3668 people served. Asurvey, one sport has soared in a city: Timucuan Ecological and Historic est need for parks is on the northeastern 7) 92nd Street Park, 0.7 acres, 3496 popularity: pickleball. This low-impact Preserve in Jacksonville (31,486 acres). border and southern city border. people served. court game is a mix of ping-pong and Total parks: 6 8) Bay Harbor Islands Tot Lot, 0.6 tennis. The number of pickleball courts s noted, TPL also keeps data on 1) Waterways Park, 6.8 acres, 3800 acres, 1232 people served. has increased 38 percent in the past year, smaller U.S. cities, and you can people served. mostly due to active seniors. Asearch the database for your city, 2) Waterways Dog Park, 1.6 acres, Biscayne Park: (2972) 94 percent of ParkScore data on park size are your hometown, or some other small 4019 people served. residents live within a 10-minute walk interesting, too. Here are the highlights city at www.tpl.org/parkscore. These 3) Aventura Founders Park and 4) of a park; one percent of city land is in terms of acreage: listings look at the ten-minute walk gold Founders Park Bayside, 11.2 acres, 4485 used for parks and recreation. The area Largest city park: McDowell So- standard and ask what percentage of people served. of highest park need is in the northeast noran Preserve in Scottsdale (30,500 residents have access to a park within 5) Arthur I. Snyder Memorial Park, border of the triangle-shaped city. acres). a ten-minute walk, what percentage of 0.5 acre, not open to the public. Total parks:1 Florida’s largest city park: Loblolly city land is used for parks and recreation, 6) Veterans Park, 2 acres, 5553 1) Ed Burke Recreation Center, 3.9 Mitigation Preserve in Jacksonville (4201 how many parks there are, and where people served. acres, 2935 people served (Biscayne acres). there is the greatest need for parks. Park has many large grassy medians that Largest regional/county park within The following alphabetical list shows Bay Harbor Islands: (6645) 100 percent are not included in the park data). a city: George Bush Park in Houston how the smaller Biscayne Corridor of residents live within a 10-minute walk (8043 acres). cities fare in their TPL assessments. of a park; two percent of city land is El Portal: (2171) 99 percent of residents Florida’s largest regional/county For comparison, the national small-city used for parks and recreation. live within a 10-minute walk of a park; 0 park within a city: Bulls Bay Preserve in average of residents who live within a Total parks: 8 Jacksonville (1220 acres). ten-minute walk of a park is 54 percent; Continued on page 32

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August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 31 Miami Gets a Grade Continued from page 30 percent of city land is used for parks and recreation. TPL indicates that El Portal lacks parks in its northwest corner near I-95. Total parks: 2 BT photo by Janet Goodman 1) Sherwood Forest Park, 0.3 acres, 2549 people served. 2) El Portal Tot Lot, 0.3 acres, 2646 people served.

Golden Beach: (972) 91 percent of resi- dents live within a 10-minute walk of a park; four percent of city land is used for parks and recreation. The city’s highest- need area is in the northeastern section along Ocean Boulevard. Total parks: 4 1) North Park (Triangle), 1.7 acres, 372 people served. 2) South Park (Triangle), 1.6 acres, 1560 people served. 3) John Tweddle Park, 2.2 acres, 2998 people served. 4) Loggia Beach Park, 0.5 acres, not open to the public.

Miami Shores: (11,569) 56 percent of Memorial Park, Miami Shores: 0.9 acres. residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park; 8 percent of city land is used 4) Sasso Park, 1.6 acres, 4968 people for parks and recreation. TPL maps in- served. dicate high need of park space along the 5) Kiwanis Park, 1.3 acres, 5048 western edge of Miami Shores, mostly people served. in the northwest quadrant west of NE 6) Oleander Park, 1.2 acres, 5782 2nd Avenue and north of 103rd Street. people served. Total parks: 7 7) Breezeswept Tot Lot, 1.6 acres, 1) Miami Shores Village Memorial BT photo by Janet Goodman 6606 people served. Park, 0.9 acres, 3173 people served. 8) Griffing Park, 2.4 acres, 6184 2) Miami Shores Optimist Park, 0.05 people served. acres, 2919 people served. 9) Cagni Park, 9.2 acres, 9464 3) Constitution Park, 1.0 acres, 1516 people served. people served. 10) Enchanted Forest Park, 22.3 4) Miami Shores Recreation Com- acres, 6746 people served. plex, 8.9 acres, 1846 people served 11) Arch Creek Park, 10.3 acres, (includes the tot lot). 4554 people served. 5) Miami Shores Country Club, 12) Highland Village Community 118.8 acres, 6571 people served. North Bayshore William Lehman Park, North Miami: 1.2 acres. Center, 2.4 acres, 2303 people served. 6) Miami Shores Aquatic Center, 0.6 13) Oleta River State Park, 1032.8 acres, 3580 people served. highest need are on the northeast and of a park; 17 percent of city land is used acres, 9177 people served. 7) North Bayshore Park, 0.5 acres, southern tip of North Bay Island and the for parks and recreation. The TPL map 14) Sans Souci Tennis Center, 2.0 988 people served. western section of Treasure Island. shows a need for parks in the center of acres, 5751 people served. (There are actually two additional Total parks: 2 North Miami, east and west of West 15) North Bayshore William parks to mention: Miami Shores Village 1) Paul Vogel Park, 0.5 acres, 3211 Dixie Highway. Lehman Park, 1.2 acres, 1573 people Sculpture Garden, 0.5 acres and Miami people served. Total parks: 18 served. Shores Dog Park, 0.27 acres.) 2) Galleon Street Tot Lot (now called 1) Claude Pepper Park, 13.2 acres, 16) Keystone Park, 0.5 acre, 2721 the Philip Schonberger Memorial Play- 4527 people served. people served. North Bay Village: (8184) 88 percent ground), 0.3 acres, 4160 people served. 2) Ben Franklin Park, 6.1 acres, 4305 17) Rotary-Overbrook Shores Tot of residents live within 10-minute walk people served. Lot, 0.4 acres, 4840 people served. of a park; 0 percent of city land is used North Miami: (61,944) 76 percent of 3) Sunkist Grove Community Center, for parks and recreation. The areas of residents live within a 10-minute walk 1.7 acres, 5242 people served. Continued on page 34

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August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 33 Miami Gets a Grade Total parks: 11 Continued from page 32 1) Heritage Park, 3.8 acres, 4114 people served. 18) North Miami Tot Lot, 1.2 acres, 2) Sunny Isles Beach, 78.1 acres, 3914 people served. 21,477 people served. 3) Pelican Community Park, 2.0 North Miami Beach: (43,263) 91 per- acres, 4005 people served. cent of residents live within a 10-minute 4) Senator Gwen Margolis Park, 2.9 walk of a park; seven percent of city acres, 7217 people served. land is used for parks and recreation. 5) Town Center Park, 3.2 acres, The area of highest need is by 167th 11,122 people served. Street/N. Miami Beach Boulevard and 6) Gateway Park, 3.7 acres, 8888 NE 10th Avenue. people served. Total parks: 31 7) Intracoastal Park, 2.4 acres, 7764 1) Milton Littman Park, 1.3 acres, people served. 2493 people served. 8) Golden Shores Community Park, 2) Old Dolphin Park, 0.2 acres, 4324 0.6 acres, 4126 people served. people served. 9) Oceania Park, 0.1 acres, 7879 3) Uleta Pool Community Center, 4.1 people served. acres, 6418 people served. 10) Samson Oceanfront Park, 1.9 4) Snake Creek Linear Park, 6.3 Snake Creek Linear Park, North Miami Beach: 6.3 acres, 10,281 people served. acres, 14,549 people served. 11) Pier Park, 0.5 acres, 8606 people 5) Columbia Tot Lot, 0.3 acres, 5848 served people served. 6) Senator Gwen Margolis Am- he Trust for Public Land does not phitheater, 2.9 acres, 6859 people assess the quality of city parks, served. Tbut I find it worth noting the value 7) Hosea Sauls Park, 1.1 acres, 4199 of trees. Trees on public land are just people served. as valuable to residents as parks. They 8) Phillipe Derose International must be protected and their numbers Flowering Tree Garden, 2.8 acres, 8512 increased. In Miami, increased dra- served. matically, and for a variety of reasons, 9) Unnamed Park North, 0.6 acres, climate change being one. 4165 people served. In March 2018, Biscayne Times ex- 10) Martin Luther King Park, 1.3 plored this issue (see “In Trees We Trust”). acres, 5572 people served. Tree canopy in the City of Miami has suf- 11) Washington Park, 2.1 acres, 4686 fered from excessive urban development. people served. In 2017-2018 alone, the city issued permits 12) Aqua Bowl Park, 40.3 acres, for the removal of 1463 trees. 5404 people served. The loss of trees could be acceler- 13) Allen Park/Deleonardis Youth ated by a new state law that inhibits a Center, 4.2 acres, 5181 people served. Heritage Park, Sunny Isles Beach: 3.8 acres. city’s ability to regulate tree trimming 14) Barry Silverman Park, 1.5 acres, and removal. Instead of offering greater 3748 people served. 24) Carter Tyree Park, 0.2 acres, eight percent of city land is used for protection for trees, our government is 15) Patricia A. Mishcon Athletic 4465 people served. parks and recreation. TPL assesses a actively endangering them. Field, 3.8 acres, 6365 people served. 25) Donald E. Bonham Senior Park, high need for park space along the entire Teddy Roosevelt created the U.S. 16) Victory Park Community Center, 0.4 acres, 4880 people served. western half of Ojus. Forest Service to protect our natural 11.2 acres, 9942 people served. 26) Edna Moffat Boulevard, 1.9 Total parks: 3 spaces and wildlife. He preserved 230 17) Arthur I. Snyder Tennis Com- acres, 10,761 people served. 1) Greynolds Park, 165.1 acres, million acres of wilderness by authoriz- plex, 9.7 acres, 6114 people served. 27) Unknown Park, 1.4 acres, 9319 15,241 people served. ing the establishment of 150 national 18) East Greynolds Park, 40.7 acres, people served. 2) Highland Oaks Park, 40.9 acres, forests, 51 federal bird reserves, four na- 4415 people served. 28) Eastern Shore Tot Lot, 0.1 acres, 4142 people served. tional game reserves, five national parks, 19) Greynolds Park, 165.1 acres, 3643 people served. 3) Ojus Park, 1.7 acres, 2693 people and 18 national monuments, including 15,241 people served. 29) Harry Cohen Complex Challeng- served. the Grand Canyon, by signing the 1906 20) Fulford Park, 0.7 acres, 6961 er Park, 2.7 acres, 5543 people served American Antiquities Act. “We have people served. 30) Jack Chaiken Park, 1.2 acres, Sunny Isles Beach: (24,026) 98 percent fallen heirs to the most glorious [natu- 21) Schenkenberger Park, 0.3 acres, 6480 people served. of residents live within a ten-minute ral] heritage a people ever received,” he 6151 people served. 31) Lucenda Neal Park, 0.3 acres, walk of a park; 13 percent of city land is wrote, “and each one must do his part if 22) Arch Creek Park, 10.3 acres, 4213 people served. used for parks and recreation. The high- we wish to show that the nation is worthy 4554 people served. est need for park land lies in two small of its good fortune.” 23) Oleta River State Park, 1032.8 Ojus: (19,600) 42 percent of residents areas: near 170th Street and just north of acres, 9177 people served. live within a 10-minute walk of a park; 191st Street. Feedback: [email protected]

34 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 35 Community News: BISCAYNE CORRIDOR Mystery of the Virgin Trains The company wants more stations — so will it be an express ser- vice to Orlando or a commuter line to downtown Miami? Or both?

By Erik Bojnansky Virgin Trains USA, formerly known as BT Senior Writer Brightline, for a new station. On June 28, Virgin, owned by Fortress Investment cott Singer, the mayor of Boca Raton, Group and Virgin Trains, declared in a understands why Virgin Trains USA financial filing that it would announce Smade a formal proposal to build a up to three new South Florida stations by train station in his city. Boca’s downtown the end of the year. area is growing. More than half the corpo- However, press reports indicate that rate headquarters in Palm Beach County Virgin Trains USA may be interested in are based in the city. It’s home to at least constructing more than just three addi- Brightline — now Virgin Trains — is supposed to speed passengers three colleges. And Boca Raton’s Tri-Rail tional South Florida stations. And a May 9 between Miami and Orlando, not stop 20 times for commuters. station is the busiest in the entire state- letter from Patrick Goddard, president of funded commuter train system. Virgin Trains USA Florida, suggests that Steven Abrams, executive director of the Yet even though Virgin Trains is “I think Boca Raton has a lot of ad- the first couple of stations Virgin Trains South Florida Regional Transportation looking at building more stations along vantages other cities can’t offer,” Singer builds will be in Miami-Dade County. Authority (SFRTA), the agency that oper- railroad tracks that were first laid down tells the BT, adding: “We punch above “We are currently considering ates Tri-Rail, a commuter train service by Florida East Coast Railway founder our weight.” construction of additional stations on the that runs along the CSX railroad tracks Henry Flagler more than a century ago, Boca Raton isn’t the only location corridor, with the first of those stations west of I-95 from Miami International it isn’t interested in building a commuter between downtown Miami and West likely to be at PortMiami and Aventura,” Airport to Magnolia Park in northern Palm Beach under consideration by Goddard wrote in his May 9 letter to Palm Beach County. Continued on page 38

Condo Crimes, Part 3 Reform meets reality as condominium owners complain that state laws have little bite

By Francisco Alvarado can have his criminal record expunged BT photo by Benjamin Thacker BT Contributor upon completion of his probation. Omar Johanssen, Staley’s crimi- early two years ago, Donovan nal defense attorney, says his client is Staley, property manager at the glad to put the case behind him. “He is NAdmiral’s Port Condominium in moving forward with his life, and he is Aventura, was arrested and charged with going to pay back the money,” Johanssen stealing cash from the condo association says. “He is remorseful.” The Coronado Condominium’s bank account was drained of $72,000, and attempting to shake down an electri- For condo association reform activists, and the investigation remains open. cal contractor for $6000 in kickbacks. Staley’s lenient plea deal is a disappoint- After Staley’s arrest, Miami-Dade law ing outcome that affirms condo-related were intended to make it easier to prose- on the building’s board of directors from enforcement officials held a press confer- crimes receive scant punishment. “As to cute individuals involved in condominium- 2017 until this past January. ence to highlight the fact that his was the the charges against the former manager... related misconduct and unethical activities In March 2018, Wildi filed a com- first major bust under beefed-up criminal and the disposition of that case, it’s a trav- (see “A Tale of Two Condos: Skimming, plaint with the Aventura Police De- penalties for condo association corruption. esty of justice,” says Robert P. Kelly, the Kickbacks, and Other Crimes”). partment after discovering a series of Despite that, Staley won’t see a day lawyer for Admiral’s Port. “The sentence Today both condominiums — Admi- electronic withdrawals from her associa- in prison. was a mere slap on the wrist.” ral’s Port and the Coronado — are mired tion’s operating bank account between On June 3, he pleaded no contest to A November 2018 Biscayne Times in escalating turmoil while the criminal September 2017 and February 2018. The felony charges of organized fraud and story documented how the sluggish prog- cases have faltered in exposing cor- total amount withdrawn: $72,000. third-degree grand theft. Court records ress of Staley’s case, as well as a perplex- ruption beyond the arrests of low-level According to an Aventura inves- show he’ll spend the next seven years on ing caper involving $72,000 stolen from conspirators. “It’s a never-ending story, tigative police report, the money was probation. As part of his plea, adjudica- another Aventura condo association, raised and it’s getting worse,” says Francisca tion would be withheld, which means he doubts about state laws passed in 2017 that Wildi, a Coronado unit owner who was Continued on page 38

36 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Community News: BISCAYNE CORRIDOR BT photo by Marsha Halper

Shoppers in Laurenzo’s deli section after closing was announced. Thanks for the Memories Laurenzo’s Italian Market takes a final bow

By Erik Bojnansky means himself, four of his six siblings, store, on and off, since the 1970s. “Rus- vegetables, Tarquinio tells the BT she BT Senior Writer his niece, and about 50 employees. The sian, Italian, Israeli, Spanish, Greek — hopes to sell some of the more popular only day the supermarket closes is New we sell everything.” food items from the closed store. But avid Laurenzo has difficulty re- Year’s Day. Christmas? Thanksgiving? Make that sold everything On the there won’t be a deli, a bakery, or a membering the last time he had Easter? Laurenzo’s would be open. evening of Wednesday, July 31, Lau- restaurant. And it isn’t clear how much Da vacation. For the past 50 years, And it isn’t just a market. The store renzo’s, at 16385 W. Dixie Highway in longer the produce market will stay open. since he was kid, he has worked at Lau- also has a bakery, a deli, and a café. North Miami Beach, closed its doors for “We’re going to end up selling the renzo’s Italian Market. He visited Italy a The products for sale aren’t just pasta the last time. The business has shut down. whole thing,” says Laurenzo, referring couple of times in the 1980s — once for and tomato sauce, but a wide selec- This month the Laurenzo family and its to all the property owned by the family. five whole weeks — but even then, he tion of wines, fresh seafood, and many remaining staff are selling off excess “That’s why we don’t know how long the was buying products for the store. As for other items, imported, domestic, and inventory, fixtures, and equipment. farmers market is going to operate.” That the other times he’s managed to venture house-made. Laurenzo’s Farmer’s Market, a property includes the main store, the outside South Florida, it was usually “A store like this you won’t find produce center located just north of the farmers market and adjoining storefronts, related to work or family. anywhere. We sell food from all over the main store, remains open and will be a parking lot, and a currently empty “Basically, we are working 364 days world,” says Phil Basilone, Laurenzo’s run by David Laurenzo’s niece, Diana a year,” Laurenzo tells the BT. By we he general manager, who has worked at the Tarquinio. Besides fresh fruits and Continued on page 39

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 37

Condo Crimes Meanwhile, the corruption uncovered Continued from page 36 at Admiral’s Port has failed to yield any satisfactory results for unit owners in that deposited into a TD Bank account be- complex, which is located at 2801 NE longing to a 34-year-old woman named 183rd St. On November 30, 2018, the Admi- Maria Lola Martin, who had no connec- ral’s Port Condominium Association sued tion to the Coronado, a complex of three former board members Renato Snitcovski

high-rise residential towers built in the BT photo by Benjamin Thacker and Jaye Chipy, alleging they engaged in 1970s along W. Country Club Drive. fraud and breached their fiduciary duties. As noted in that same police investi- It was an unexpected twist, given that gation, at the time Wildi reported the in- Chipy filed the Aventura Police complaint cident, she also learned that Coronado’s against Staley that initiated the criminal then-board president, Jeffrey Luxenberg, probe into his crimes. She also provided found out about the missing $72,000. He investigators with copies of security closed the account, but did not report the camera footage that captured Staley theft to law enforcement authorities or regularly pilfering cash from the laundry other board members. “I’m still trying to room in one of the Admiral’s Port towers. figure out why the president let 21 days The Admiral’s Port property manager allegedly sought a $6000 kickback, The lawsuit alleges that depositions pass without telling us anything,” Wildi and turmoil continues at the condo. of Staley and other witnesses will lead says. “When things like that happen, it’s to other defendants being added to the your responsibility to report it to the au- deposited into her account was then Aventura police detective assured me litigation “because there is no reasonable, thorities and the board.” Luxenberg was transferred to a bank account for a com- they haven’t dropped the case, but that feasible, [or] logical way” the former not questioned by police. pany called The Tax Firm, which Martin the State Attorney’s Office is now lead- property manager was working alone or Later that year, in August, investiga- said belonged to Andriq. A search of her ing the investigation.” without assistance from Admiral’s Port tors arrested Martin on 22 felony counts, phone also revealed messages between Wildi tells the BT she decided not board members. Kelly, the Admiral’s including grand theft and organized Martin and Andriq that indicated he ulti- to seek another term on the Coronado’s Port attorney, did not want to comment fraud over $50,000. However, eight mately controlled the funds in her account. board because she spent more than a year on the lawsuit. Robert Moran, Snitcovis- months ago, the Miami-Dade State At- Authorities apparently have not been trying to investigate the association’s ki’s lawyer, and Alice K. Sum, Chipy’s torney’s Office declined to prosecute able to locate Andriq, and because the finances and got nowhere. “We are still attorney, did not respond to multiple Martin after she pinned the bank account case is ongoing, the State Attorney’s having problems with spending money requests for comment. heist on her boyfriend, a man named Office and the Aventura Police Depart- without any proper controls,” she says. According to the lawsuit, Chipy was Andres Andriq. ment declined comment. “We get an invoice for $75,000 in materi- a friend of Felix Adam, an Admiral’s A close-out memo states that pros- “I was taken aback when I found als and no one asks what materials we’re ecutors subsequently learned $68,000 out about Martin,” Wildi says. “The getting. They just sign the checks.” Continued on page 41

Virgin Trains Tri-Rail stations along the FEC tracks, Continued from page 36 including in Midtown Miami, Little Haiti, North Miami, North Miami Beach, rail system, Abrams clarifies to the BT. and Ojus, immediately west of Aventura. Instead, Virgin Trains will con- “We’re trying to work cooperatively tinue working with the SFRTA so that to figure out how we can complement the agency can create its own Tri-Rail each other in their corridor,” Abrams Coastal Link, a separate commuter tells the BT. “They [Virgin] don’t want to line along the FEC tracks east of I-95. be a commuter rail.” Tri-Rail Coastal Link envisions some Because of numerous stops, travel- 20 commuter stops between downtown ing by commuter rail takes much longer Miami and Jupiter. than an express line like Virgin Trains, As part of that cooperation, Virgin Abrams explains. Virgin tickets tend to Trains will add Positive Train Control be more expensive than Tri-Rail’s, too. infrastructure along tracks that will Virgin Train tickets range from $10 to soon link Tri-Rail’s hub at the airport $35, with a monthly pass costing $350. with Virgin’s new MiamiCentral depot, Tri-Rail’s commuter tickets presently run a three-million-square-foot complex in from $2.50 to $11.55 for a day trip, and downtown Miami. (Positive Train Con- between $50 and $100 for a monthly pass. trol prevents collisions and derailments “A commuter rate is for someone due to excessive speed, and is required who takes the train day in and day out, by the federal government to be installed and can’t afford the $20-a-trip ticket,” on all rail tracks by December 2020.) Abrams says. “That’s what we [Tri-Rail] Once Tri-Rail extends service to bring to the table.” MiamiCentral, SFRTA will be in a Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer says his city won’t give away public land position to seek funding to build more for free — even for a coveted train station. Continued on page 42

38 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 BT photo by Marsha Halper Live-Play-Work at the ZenMotel Mimo

Employee Christy Martin behind the deli counter.

Laurenzo’s said, ‘Have you figured out there’s more Continued from page 37 to life than just working every day?’ We based it all on our father being 89 and large building once used for catering. It’s working all the time.” a 2.4-acre parcel bisected by NE 164th The elder Laurenzo, Ben, died last Street, and all of it, Laurenzo says, is year. “He worked until a Saturday and he being marketed for sale. passed away on Wednesday. No long ill- Thanks to legislation passed by ness,” says David. “The toughest guy in North Miami Beach four years ago, the the world. He said, ‘I want to work until Laurenzo family’s property is zoned to the end.’ And that’s what he got.” allow construction of a residential tower But working till death wasn’t for up to 400 feet high, with retail on the Ben’s children, though work they did. ground floor. It also lies within the city’s “We always had to be here,” David Lau- redevelopment zone, where builders can renzo says. “We never left.” apply for property tax rebates. David The son of Italian immigrants, Ben • Corporate rates available Laurenzo says there’s been plenty of in- Laurenzo was born Schenectady, New • Family friendly terest from developers who’d like to build York, on September 18, 1928. He was something new and big on the property. one of six children. After altering his • Zenworks business center “I got 20 different calls from dif- birth certificate, Ben enlisted in the • Only minutes away from everything ferent developers because we’re part of Navy at age 16 in 1945. World War II the CRA [community redevelopment ended before he was shipped out, but he Miami has to off er agency],” he says. Those offers are now did volunteer to help prepare a battleship • Excellent for your ‘out of town’ visitors being handled by a real estate broker for the infamous Bikini Atoll atomic he declines to identify. “I’ll leave him bomb test in 1946. • Great for spring break and stay-ca� ons alone,” Laurenzo tells the BT. “He has so After Ben’s father retired, the family many calls, he can’t get back to every- moved to Miami in 1951. They soon body he’s supposed to.” opened a retail operation in Hialeah Zenmotel MIMO 7126 Biscayne Blvd. The July 14 announcement of that sold Italian food items to stores and Phone: 305-456-7233 Laurenzo’s impending closure caught restaurants across South Florida and the many longtime customers, and even Keys. Tired of traveling sometimes 100 www.zenmotelmimo.com some employees, by surprise. But David miles to pick up a check, Ben and his Laurenzo says it wasn’t an impulsive de- brother Achilles partnered with John reservaঞ [email protected] cision. “We’ve been talking about it for a DiPuma and Nick Lotito, and started few years,” says the 66-year-old. “We’re Men� on the BT for a friends and family discount of 10% of retirement age. All the advisors have Continued on page 40

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 39 Community News: BISCAYNE CORRIDOR

Laurenzo’s

Continued from page 39

DiPuma Italian American Supermarket & Pastry Shop in what was once an A.G. (Associated Grocers) supermarket at

16385 W. Dixie Highway. BT photo by Marsha Halper Soon after, Ben Laurenzo left the partnership to pursue other business interests, according to a November 1992 Miami Herald profile. He re- turned three years later and bought out DiPuma and Lotito. By December 1968, Laurenzo’s name replaced DiPuma’s in Herald advertisements. Even before it became Laurenzo’s, the market had a deli, a butcher shop, and a bakery. But the café? That started as a counter and a few tables in 1969. “In those days, the men sat down and drank espresso while the ladies shopped. Different world,” David Laurenzo ex- plains. “So it was just eight or ten tables, and they get a pastry and a coffee and whatever. Then the café evolved from there. By the early 1970s, there were tables and chairs and a full menu.” David Laurenzo says business was amazing during the 1960s and 1970s, when the surrounding area was predominately Italian and Jewish. The David Laurenzo with longtime customer Argentina S. Hills. 1980s were good, too, “because it was the ’80s,” and because Laurenzo’s had one of the largest wine selections of any store in South Florida. “We had 50,000 or 100,000 orders for wine and Cham- paign, and millions of dollars in sales of Bordeaux,” he remembers.

Laurenzo’s inventory and fine food BT photo by Marsha Halper attracted celebrities, including Sophia Lauren, Frank Sinatra, Jack Nicholson, Dan Marino, and the entire Miami Dol- phins team from the 1980s. Through his sponsorship of Italian- themed food festivals, as well as his store’s reputation, Ben Laurenzo was a well-known individual himself. The Herald even asked him — along with several North Dade politicians, activists, and other local notables — what his New Year’s resolution was for a December 31, 1978, article. Ben’s answer: “I do right all year long, so I don’t have to make any resolutions. I stand on my record.” That record included waking up every day at 4:30 a.m. to go to work. Ben’s children worked hard, too. David Laurenzo not only oversaw operations at Laurenzo’s since the 1980s, he also helped find rare food and David Laurenzo on the café’s start in 1969: “In those days, the men sat down and drank espresso while the Continued on page 43 ladies shopped. Different world.”

40 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Condo Crimes

Continued from page 38

Port unit owner who settled a lawsuit against the association in 2017. Two years earlier, Adam had sued Admi- rals Port, alleging the association was responsible for reparing his condo’s con- crete floor due to corrosion damage iden- tified in a 2014 engineering report. The report included an estimate for $69,646 in repairs and a handwritten note signed by Chipy that said “approved.” Ɨljŏŀ/ƗljƗlj The current Admiral’s Port condomin- ium association claims the estimate shows that the concrete work was only $25,175, but MARTHA/MARY • YAMAHA it also tacked on $26,900 for new tile and CONCERT SERIES wood flooring installation, $4640 to remove In June, Donovan Staley pleaded damaged wood, and $8000 for furniture no contest to felony charges of removal and installation of a “dust wall.” organized fraud and grand theft, Portland String Quartet With Chipy leading the board, the for which he received seven years Beethoven, Brahms and Shortnin’ Bread Saturday, October ŏƗ • Ɓ:Ƒljpm (Salon) association then authorized a settlement of probation but no jail time. Sunday, October ŏƑ • Ƒpm that entailed purchasing Adam’s unit for PSQ are joined by Miami’s Paul Posnak to explore Beethoven’s “Quartet in A Major,” $310,000, more than $100,000 above its Brahms’ “Piano Quartet in F Minor,” and estimated fair-market value, the associa- “Five Folksongs in Counterpoint” by African American composer Florence Price. tion’s lawsuit claims. Location: La Merced Chapel Adam declined comment, citing the terms of his settlement, but Miami-Dade property records show that Admiral’s Port Dafnis Prieto bought his unit on March 29, 2017. One Felices Fiestas! Holiday Concert Sunday, December î • Ƒpm week later, Adam dismissed his com- Cuban-American drummer/bandleader Dafnis plaint. A year after that, on September Prieto is the 2019 Grammy® winner for Best Latin Jazz album. He gives us the best in Latin 14, 2018, the association sold the unit for Jazz, con su conjunto. Enjoy special decorations, $152,000, less than half the amount it paid. kosher Christmas cookies, and caroling. Not a traditional holiday event - but maybe your In 2016, Snitcovski took over the favorite. Location: Corpus Christi Church role of board president and executed several agreements with a renovation company to work on the common areas Shelly Berg & Martin Bejerano of Admiral’s Port, the lawsuit states. The Baroque Jazz Club Saturday, February î • Ɓ:Ƒljpm (Salon) then-president, his family members, and Sunday, February ŀ • Ƒpm friends allegedly hired the same firm to The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Shelly Berg’s list of honors is near endless. Office declined to prosecute Martin Bejerano is on the roster of “hot young renovate units they owned. pianists.” Now together at UM’s Frost School of Admiral’s Port current board claims Maria Lola Martin on 22 felony Music (Dean, Jazz Piano) and giving us an early counts related to the Coronado Valentine, playing as the spirit moves them. the renovation company completed less Location: La Merced Chapel than 25 percent of the project, despite Condominium crime. being paid in excess of $290,000. But the company did complete renovations investigators with information that could The Queen’s Six to the units owned by Snitcovski and his lead to more arrests involving Admiral’s indsor Castle to est ynƶood associates, the lawsuit claims. Port corruption. His lawyer, Johanssan, Sunday, April ŏŀ • Ƒpm The Queen’s Six journey from their Windsor In motions to dismiss the complaint, would not comment on whether his client Castle home to perform a cappella King Henry the lawyers for Chipy and Snitcovski implicated other individuals. VIII songs, Renaissance polyphony, madrigals, folk songs, jazz and pop. If you missed them at contend the lawsuit makes vague, ambig- Kelly, Admiral’s Port legal coun- Prince Harry and Megan Markle’s wedding, come ous, and “conclusory” allegations. The sel, is not holding his breath. “Unless hear their renowned melodic sense and balance of voices. Location: Corpus Christi Church motions to dismiss also claim that state more arrests are made in the very near law grants the former board members future based upon information allegedly immunity from liability over actions provided by Staley to the police, which PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE marthamaryconcerts.org they made in their official capacity as I very much doubt will occur,” he says, CORPUS CHRISTI ޱųĜŸĘŅþÏå• AT THE DOOR as available officers of the association. “this sentence can only serve to encourage In its lawsuit, Admiral’s Port current other unscrupulous managers to steal be- board members suggest that, as part of cause the punishment for same is a joke.” La Merced Chapel & Corpus Christi Church ƑƗƗlj N Ɓ Ave • Miami ƑƑŏƗƁ • Info Ƒljă.Ċăî.ljŏŏŏ or marthamaryconcerts.org his favorable plea deal, Staley might already have provided prosecutors and Feedback: [email protected]

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 41 Community News: BISCAYNE CORRIDOR

Virgin Trains Associates was particularly interested in Continued from page 38 somehow connecting a train station to Aventura Mall. But Andrew Frey, a SFRTA board “This was always low-hanging fruit,” member and Miami real estate devel- Heyman says, adding that Turnberry also oper, thinks Virgin Trains’ executives wanted a station at NE 151st Street for could make a go at running a commuter the Solé Mia community it was building line. “If they determine there’s enough with the LeFrak family in North Miami. ridership at the right price point to make Aventura Mayor Enid Weisman says a profit, then it’s their corridor. I have no a train station would certainly be wel- problem with them providing that,” Frey come in her city, which has some of the says. “I surmise that, at every station most congested streets in South Florida. they [Virgin] do, they wouldn’t want Tri- But for a train station to work, Weisman Rail there because we’d take passengers says, there needs to be a pedestrian bridge from them. I don’t think someone would over Biscayne Boulevard’s six lanes of go from Aventura to downtown Miami traffic between Ojus and Aventura. on [Virgin] when they could do the same “How would people get across, thing on Tri-Rail at a lower price, unless other than Ives Diary Road or Miami there’s some express-service benefit.” Tri-Rail’s Steve Abrams (far left): “We’re trying to work cooperatively to Gardens Drive, unless we built an over- Virgin Trains did not reply to written figure out how we can complement each other in their corridor. They pass?” she asks. questions regarding commuter service [Virgin] don’t want to be a commuter rail.” Turnberry Associates declined to along the FEC tracks. In response to comment for this story. questions related to Virgin Trains’ plans In the case of Boca Raton, Virgin for PortMiami and Aventura, and else- Trains president Patrick Goddard is where along the FEC tracks, a spokes- asking that the city pay for a pedestrian man replied via e-mail: “We continue bridge as a prerequisite for a station near [to] explore stations in the south segment the municipal library. to meet demand.” A bridge over Dixie Highway is just Fortress Investment Group, a New one of six requests that Goddard lists in York-based private equity firm, has his July 19 letter to Mayor Singer. He aspired to create a high-speed railway also asked that the city convey parts of between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West the 6.9 acres it owns near the library to Palm Beach, and Orlando since May Virgin Trains; pay for the construction of 2012. In January 2018, Brightline started a parking garage; fund a shuttle service ferrying people between Fort Lauderdale from the station to “various locations and West Palm Beach. Four months later, within Boca Raton to improve connec- Brightline was docking at MiamiCen- tivity,” expedite building permits, and tral. By November 2018, Virgin Group work with Virgin Trains to “properly bought a minority interest in the train rezone the site to accommodate VTU- service and announced that Brightline Virgin’s Richard Branson and Virgin Trains USA Florida president Patrick SA’s various uses.” would be rebranded as Virgin Trains. Goddard want stations at PortMiami and in Aventura. Virgin Trains’ vice president of After that, immediate plans for development, Brian Kronberg, told the Virgin Trains in Florida included com- April Sun-Sentinel article. Most of that ten-block area, which Boca Raton City Council that his compa- pleting a rail line to Orlando Interna- This past February, the Miami- runs parallel to Aventura Mall, has ny wants to build retail and apartments tional Airport by 2022, followed by a rail Dade County Commission unanimously already been developed, including the along with a train station, according to connection to Cocoa Beach, as well as at passed a resolution directing Mayor 400-unit Midtown Aventura apartment the Palm Beach Post. least one station somewhere on the Trea- Carlos Gimenez’s office to explore the complex. But there are two vacant tracts In exchange, Goddard writes, Virgin sure Coast north of Palm Beach County. feasibility of Virgin Trains building a — 2.3 acres and 3 acres in size — both Trains will fund the construction of a Then in April, Virgin Trains became platform at the county-owned PortMi- owned by the Eliahu Ben-Shmuel Trust train station and rail infrastructure im- even more ambitious, when Virgin ami, which already has tracks used by and the Daniel Mims Ben-Shmuel Trust. provements, manage the parking garage, Group founder Richard Branson an- the Florida East Coast Railway to trans- The trusts purchased the parcels in a $3.4 replace the community garden and the nounced that the train service had raised port freight. Commissioners asked for a million deal that closed in December 2012. library’s parking spaces, provide train $2.7 billion in private bond funding, report within 120 days, but the feasibility Miami-Dade County Commissioner service seven days a week, and “study enabling the company to build additional study has not yet been completed, says Sally Heyman, whose district includes the possibility of providing the city with stations at Disney World, Tampa, and John Labriola, a commission media aide. Aventura and Ojus, says there’s been talk community meeting space.” Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Interna- The county has also long planned to for years about building a train station Singer, who approached Virgin tional Airport. build a train station just west of Aven- west of Aventura. Taking part in those Trains to consider building a station in Branson has also stated his desire tura. Officials have even earmarked a discussions were the City of Aven- Boca, describes Goddard’s requests as to build a Virgin Trains station in ten-block area in unincorporated Ojus tura, Miami-Dade County, SFRTA, the “the first steps of a conversation that will PortMiami, where the Virgin Group’s between NE 193rd and NE 203rd streets, Florida Department of Transportation, take months to work out.” Virgin Voyages Cruise Line is sched- and West Dixie Highway and NE 26th Aventura Mall owner Turnberry As- uled to open in a year, according to an Avenue for such a train station. sociates, and also Brightline. Turnberry Continued on page 45

42 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 BT photo by Marsha Halper

Partnering with OUR community to keep #OurCounty clean

Housemade pasta on sale at a discount. Miami-Dade County is OUR community. It’s where we live, work and play. Let’s take pride and keep it clean. Dispose of your trash properly so our streets, sidewalks and open spaces look their best. OUR efforts will make a difference. BT photo by Marsha Halper

Varieties of tomato sauce made in-house.

Laurenzo’s was everything.” Continued from page 40 Some longtime employees admit to the BT that business overall had been dropping wine items to stock the shelves. David’s off at Laurenzo’s for nearly a decade. The sister, Carol, balanced the books. Their past year has been particularly difficult, brother, Robert, managed the fresh according to Basilone, and not just for Lau- seafood and fresh meat sections. And renzo’s. “I have friends who own restau- sister Laura, who retired after 35 years rants. They’re dying. This is the worst year Learn more ways to get involved. Call 311 at Florida Power & Light, worked as and no one knows why,” he says. or visit www.miamidade.gov/cleanthingsup Carol’s executive assistant prior to Not helping matters was an in- Laurenzo’s closing. And then there’s spection by the Florida Department of Carol’s daughter, Diana Tarquinio, who Agriculture and Consumer Services in FOLLOW US TODAY! not only manages the farmers market August 2018. The inspection found sev- F @MiamiDadeSolidWaste T @MiamiDadeSWM but also helps her mother with Lau- eral violations, which were dramatically T @NeatStreetsMIA #OurCounty #LetsCleanThingsUp renzo’s bookkeeping. reported by Channel 10’s “Dirty Dining” Nevertheless, Laurenzo’s wasn’t the segment. In response, David says, holes same after Ben died. “When the master found in the 1950s-era building were is gone, it’s different,” says manager Phil Basilone. “He was the teacher. He Continued on page 44

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 43 Community News: BISCAYNE CORRIDOR

Laurenzo’s

Continued from page 43 sealed, a “deep cleaning” was conducted, and a month later the state agency gave Laurenzo’s a clean bill of health. “We

handled the problem,” he tells the BT. BT photo by Marsha Halper During Laurenzo’s last days, the store and restaurant were filled with longtime customers bidding the owners and staff tearful farewells, when they weren’t filling their shopping carts with discounted items. On one afternoon, Anthony Dascoli, a professor at West Coast University in Doral, and his family were buying two carts’ worth of wine, prepared pasta dishes, seafood, and four or five large plastic containers filled with soup. Dascoli says he’s been coming to Laurenzo’s for the past 20 years. “They have really good-quality stuff from the homeland, back from Italy, and there’s a family vibe here all the time,” says Dascoli, a Palmetto Bay resident. “It’s very sad. We’ll probably be back every weekend to stock up.” Paul Di Benedetto has been a fan of Laurenzo’s ever since he moved to north- east Miami-Dade from New Orleans. “This is, by far, the best market. I abso- lutely love the selection of seafood, meats, Italian wines, and Italian products. You can’t get that in a lot of places,” he says as he sits in the café. “I am heartbroken.” Just then David Laurenzo walks by. Laurenzo’s Farmer’s Market across the parking lot will remain open under the supervision of Diana Tarquinio. “It kills me, but you got to do what you got to do,” Di Benedetto, a construction contractor, tells Laurenzo. “But it’s a sad, sad day. You’re breaking my heart, though, you’re breaking my heart.” “The customers are at a great loss,” Laurenzo admits to the BT. “The custom-

ers feel it’s bittersweet because nobody BT photo by Marsha Halper does what we did.” When Laurenzo’s finally closes, the siblings plan to take a proper trip to south- ern Italy, one without any business pres- sures. “Our family has hundreds of years of history there,” he says. After that, he plans to retire and maybe do some investing. Phil Basilone says he intends to retire, too. He’s 81 years old. “Things open and close,” he says. “There is a time to open and a time to close. It’s just time. The family is tired. It’s a big place.” But Diana Tarquinio says she isn’t tired. The 33-year-old intends to run the farmers market as long as she can. “My grandfather started everything,” she says, “so it’s definitely important to keep the legacy living on.”

Feedback: [email protected] Developers are likely to raze the old store and build something new and very big.

44 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 WE CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS GROW!

Tri-Rail trains will soon run to downtown’s MiamiCentral depot, and from there, perhaps north up the FEC tracks.

MiamiCentral (rendering) is a massive development that could become a very busy train station.

Virgin Trains “transit-oriented development” report Continued from page 42 drafted last year with the help of SFRTA • 75,000 readers along the and the Treasure Coast Regional Plan- Biscayne Corridor The mayor notes that the city already ning Council. At the time, the report • Hand-delivered to 15,500 provides shuttle service for the Tri-Rail recommended a 2.9-acre, city-owned site single-family homes station. As for the “contribution of the along the Dixie Highway/21st Avenue land” as described in Goddard’s letter, corridor for a Tri-Rail station. But the • Distribution in 143 condominium Singer says the city won’t give publicly proposal can work just as well for a buildings owned property away for free. “The city Virgin Trains station, Hussey says. • Audience profile: Educated, would have to get value for the land,” he “It [the report] talks about the posi- prosperous, mature, loyal explains, “and that value can come in tivity of returning passenger trains to the • Lowest cost-per-thousand rate different ways.” FEC tracks,” Hussey notes, “and some in our market area Joann Hussey, communications of the benefi ts that would come with it manager for Hollywood’s marketing and if passenger rail did return to downtown economic development department, says Hollywood,” points that were reiterated her city’s offi cials also touched base with during the city’s talk with Virgin Trains Virgin Trains executives in June during representatives. a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating Hollywood hasn’t received a formal the enactment of a train horn quiet zone proposal from Virgin Trains yet. in Broward County. A meeting between “Defi nitely staff will be following Hollywood offi cials and Virgin Trains up to continue the conversation,” Hussey followed a few weeks later. During that says. “That’s where we’re at.” meeting, Hollywood presented Virgin Trains representatives with a 246-page Feedback: [email protected] FOR ADVERTISING CALL 305-756-6200

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 45 Neighborhood Correspondents: NORTH MIAMI / NORTH MIAMI BEACH Town and Gown, Revisited A midsummer look at local news and omens BT photo by Mark Sell By Mark Sell then-Gov. Rick Scott to enact a law BT Contributor giving universities priority over cities in getting a second access road in and out his month we offer a grab bag from of campus when safety is at stake (see the peanut gallery, leading with “Face-Off,” July 2018). TTown vs. Gown and assorted up- On July 20, about 20 residents of dates, bouquets, and brickbats. Here goes: the Arch Creek East Neighborhood As- Update: FIU vs. 135th Street: sociation cut the ribbon on a big passive Imagine turning east from Biscayne park shaded by West African Mahogany Boulevard on 135th Street, a big FIU trees on a median about 22 paces wide sign beckoning you straight on to its Bis- and 350 paces long, with four benches, cayne Bay campus, bedecked with flags a winding sidewalk, and four butterfly Arch Creek East Neighborhood Association and friends at their newly marking the way to Panther Territory — gardens with milkweed and monarch christened passive park on 135th Street. and driving your car straight through the butterflies. Sam Van Leer of the Urban Arch Creek East Nature Preserve. Paradise Guild wants to plant a necklace recently extended his contract through county Commissioner Sally Heyman); That would be welcome for many of such gardens for nearly two miles 2021, citing “superior” performance. Solé Mia via 143rd or 146th Streets; or FIU students and staff who must traverse along 135th Street. The city declared the Freshman State Sen. Jason Pizzo 135th Street, where only one lane is open clogged 151st Street, and certainly for medians “passive parks” in 2017, and has jumped in to referee, calling for crossing from the west. president Mark Rosenberg, eager to neighbors are sprucing them up. third-party engineering studies for “It’s time for the Florida Department expand the 200-acre campus. It’s an act of resistance to FIU. At a possible different routes to the campus of Transportation or a disinterested third Last year, you may recall, FIU town hall in February, Rosenberg said his — through 163rd Street and skirting party to determine where a new road pinned the City of North Miami with a commitment to opening that road in the in- Oleta River State Park (a design favored should go without input from any side to half nelson, getting the legislature and terest of safety has only hardened. Trustees by city Commissioner Scott Galvin and find the best place for a road,” Pizzo says.

46 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 “There is no traffic study or engineering drink, and chat up a friend or stranger. results — narrowly topped a points- some other police mistook for a gun. The report. This is putting the cart before the Dig the music at dusk. Kudos to co-found- based competition for 2019-20. Usually city had settled with the family of Rios horse, literally.” ers Laura Hill and John Porter. Also, cool the city council approves this sort of Soto earlier. Both settlements were confi- Bouquet: To the City of North Mi- off down at the Museum of Contemporary thing without fuss. This time, however, dential. On June 18, a jury acquitted ami’s Clean Cities initiative, a pet project Art with “Potoprens: The Urban Artists the lobbyists struck. No. 2 Foundation Aledda of felony charges but found him of city attorney Jeff Cazeau and a multia- of Port-au-Prince.” It closes August 11. It Risk Partners Corporation, accompanied guilty of culpable negligence, a misde- gency effort to respond to reports of unsafe will delight and trample your soul. by perennial lobbyist Evan Ross, and meanor. After the conviction, Aledda and abandoned buildings, shopping carts, Brickbat: To the July 10 North Miami No. 3 Gelen Benefit Group, represented went from paid to unpaid leave, and the phone booths, illegal dumping, graffiti, city budget workshop — a shambles, with by lobbyist Jeffy Mondesir, spoke up for city issued an intent to terminate. abandoned alleyways, and stray animals. no provision for public comment, and reopening the bidding and starting over. Conclusion: We’re likely facing two Bouquet: To Councilwoman Carol ill-schooled, incoherent remarks from Without giving a logical reason other long years. Squabbling and fingerpoint- Keys and Senator Pizzo for quick response council. If the city is at least $8 million in than the possibility to “save money,” ing obscure real underlying challenges to complaints around Memorial Day of the hole and the accountants estimate it Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime, Councilman with affordable housing, climate change, a foul stench from the brown and black will take three to five years to dig out of it, Alix Desulme, and Councilwoman Mary decaying infrastructure, and city ser- southern Keystone canals. Pizzo paid the city deserves some heat. Next public Estime Irvin voted to reopen the bidding. vices (see “The Morning After,” July for a study. The main cause: a giant raft hearings on the budget: September 3 and Yes, the council has the power to 2019). It might be correct to say that the of brown sargassum seaweed polluted September 17. Suggestion for elected change its mind, but this move opens the east side pays 70 percent of the city’s with agricultural runoff flowing into the officials: Run the budget by independent door to time-wasting, slimy maneuver- taxes or to cite corporate experience and Atlantic from the Mississippi River -- in accountants, read Robert’s Rules of Order, ing by lobbyists that demoralizes the best superior knowledge, but that can turn off other words, algae like the red tide and and keep comments and questions from efforts of staff and review boards, and the majority and cost votes and goodwill. blue-green algae again befouling Florida’s the dais pithy and coherent. The city discourages prospective vendors. Smells Proving superiority does not win beaches and killing sea life. intends to keep millage at or below the like sargassum fish kill. converts. Yes, call it out, file requests Bouquet: To Wild Orchid farmers current $7.50 per $1000 taxable value. Police Update: On July 11, the City and ethics complaints as needed — that’s market open Saturdays from 11:00 a.m Brickbat: Never underestimate the of North Miami settled with Charles a duty — but it’s also time to get out of to 11:00 p.m., at 1111 NE 125th St., with city council’s power to mystify. Case Kinsey, the behavioral therapist shot in our districts and silos and ethnic caves, tacos on the grill, seasonal produce, in point, Sapoznik Insurance — which the leg July 18, 2016, by Officer Jonathan and keep that back channel open, prefer- baked goods (rum cakes!), friendly has been insuring the city’s employees Aledda while trying to protect Arnaldo ably at a low, respectful volume. company, beer, wine, and occasional for 17 years and cutting rates because Rios Soto, who was playing in the street live music. Seek out the shade, get a cool its wellness programs have shown with a silver toy truck that Aledda and Feedback: [email protected]

Landlords: Help Us End Homelessness.

We Pay $650-$950/Month

(305) 349-7368 Paul.RentConnect @miamidade.gov

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 47 Neighborhood Correspondents: AVENTURA

Sponsored vs. Public Aventura’s claim to the county pie gets a raspberry

By Jay Beskin When they are in conflict, all sorts of BT Contributor ostensibly creative chaos ensues, forcing us to seek input of the court system. But he founders of the United States then again, there are federal courts and were very much enamored of the state courts and municipal courts and Tidea of layered government. They county courts, so the escape hatch from loved to divide jurisdictions into patch- the frying pan often leads smack dab work swatches of all sizes, with plenty of right into the fire. overlap. The theory was that government At least here in Florida, we have been functions best the closer its decisions are spared the most pernicious of all juris- Rendering of Don Soffer Aventura High School. made to those citizens who are affected. dictional overlaps, because we have no But the predictable byproduct of all state or local income taxes. In other states, pettifoggery. We are self-confident, city commissioners voted unanimously this compartmentalization is compart- people have three strata of government self-sufficient, and self-supporting. Let to sue Miami-Dade County for the ments spilling over into each other. all taxing the same income. Talk about the poorer constituencies wrangle over $800,000 they feel they are owed Having a federal government and overlap! But even in our little “tax shelter,” a few stray dollars of federal or state for Aventura’s city-sponsored charter a state government and a municipal the state butts heads with the cities and funds. We are the City of Excellence. schools. This lawsuit will not proceed government and a county government counties over issues, and the cities and Right? Right! as if it were going through a normal and a neighborhood school board can counties do the same with each other. Until now, that is. courtroom litigation — there is a be clunky and unwieldy, even when all Of course, we here in the City of With two recusals (due to their conflict resolution procedure that is those players are in agreement. Excellence are above all such petty school board affiliations), Aventura’s mandated by state law. Still, it is fair

48 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 to say that the city is suing the county to that education equally. city asks our advice, we would tell them would definitely encourage that behav- for the cash. The minute we start saying we give that the right thing is for Aventura to ior. If you do not need the money, why The pool of money from which more to certain schools than others, we relinquish its share. grab it just for the symbolic value? Be Aventura craves the chunk is $211 mil- are creating a type of private school, These two views are not contradic- the bigger person and let the ones in lion raised by a new property tax that where one group is favored owing to fac- tory. Let me try to offer an analogy. Not need receive funds, the presence of was approved by voters for the purpose tors that are not related to education. a clinically precise one, perhaps, but it which makes a big difference in their of increasing teacher salaries. The Furthermore, counties should not should make my point. lives and the absence of which makes county argues that the intent of this be overriding cities operating their A significant portion of my law very little difference in yours. initiative was to help poorer schools own budgets and fulfilling municipal practice is in wills and estates. If a rich So I cannot endorse the county for and, as such, should be distributed solely responsibilities within the county. This man comes to me and asks me if he its high-handed behavior, even though to regular public schools, not charter should be an ironclad principle of good should leave his money to his three poor I would prefer to see the money in the schools and city-sponsored operations. governance. If anything, the county children and cut the wealthy one out of county public schools rather than in Aventura will argue that its schools should celebrate the fact that the city is the will, I immediately raise the alarm. the city charter schools. And I cannot en- are open to the public, accredited by adding money of its own into the pool, Under no circumstances would I advise dorse the city for its high-hatted behavior, the public school system, and that, as rather than saying in essence: “Well, such a choice. There is no surer guar- even though I don’t like to see the county such, are legitimate recipients of the tax if you are rich enough to add money, antee of conflict within the family, with push the city around. money, whether or not they demonstrate you are rich enough for us to subtract the well-to-do sibling inevitably feeling The world in which I would like to a special need. money.” Thus, it is poor practice and slighted, even if he really will not miss live, my ideal environment, my personal If we view this from an abstract poorer policy for Miami-Dade County the sum of money one bit. Human nature utopia, would be one in which the county legal perspective, focusing on the letter to tell Aventura citizens, county resi- dictates that no one wants to have his or would invite the city in to discuss the of the law, Aventura may well have a dents all, that they are not entitled to a her rights stripped away because some dispensation of the funding and the case. Putting aside the question of who piece of the pie. outside party — even a loving parent city would voluntarily announce that has money and how much money they So if the county asks our advice, we — decided he or she should practice — although this should not be taken as have, there is a principle in play relat- would tell them that the right thing is to generosity or altruism. establishing a precedent — the City of ing to all public schooling. The idea offer Aventura its share. Yet I still main- However, when a rich beneficiary of Excellence graciously forfeits its share of government providing education, tain to you that were I still sitting on the a share-and-share-alike will approaches in favor of needier districts around the no less than providing a program like Aventura City Commission, I would cast me for advice whether he or she should county — our county! Medicare, has to be structured around my vote against instigating this claim be a sport and cede his bequest back the notion that every citizen is entitled against the county. That is to say, if the into the pot for the poor siblings, I Feedback: [email protected]

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August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 49 Neighborhood Correspondents: GREATER MIAMI SHORES Plastic Pileup for the Ages It’s time to ante up if we won’t break the habit

By John Ise There have been moves to make BT Contributor the village more bicycle and pedestrian friendly, taming the Miami driver who mong the admirable character- disregards not just traffic laws but the laws istics of Miami Shores villagers, of physics. Lime Bike didn’t work out, but Aour emphasis on a “green” ethos it was a worthy endeavor nonetheless. ranks high on the list. Sure, our carbon Our Chamber of Commerce hosts footprint in sprawling, car-dependent an annual Green Day street festival that South Florida is probably a notch above tries to marry the dollar-green of private the national average. And being a enterprise with what is ecologically relatively affluent community means we green. We even now allow front-yard consume more than what would consti- vegetable gardens, although it took a tute a “basic need.” court battle to make it happen. In fact, Nevertheless, we shouldn’t let the per- now there’s a state law to allow them. fect be the enemy of the good…or green. Little Miami Shores, in its own perverse In the past few years, we’ve tried to way of overreacting to one resident’s about 12 minutes and then throw away. some basics. rein in the use of synthetic fertilizers and front-yard garden, acted as a catalyst so The ones that can live on for anywhere Plastic bags, or just plastic itself, pesticides by moving to a more sus- that now all Floridians can grow veggies from a couple of decades to hundreds of really, begins as a fossil fuel. The tainable “integrated pest management” in their front yards. years (the science is imprecise on how petroleum you pump into your car is protocol for public spaces. Of late, the village, led by the activ- fast plastic breaks down), slowly degrad- the same product as the Publix plastic This is also a community that ism of Councilman Jonathan Meltz, is ing in a landfill or our oceans. bag. Driven by giant retailer use, we actively took to a solar power co-op taking aim at single-use plastic bags. To fully grasp the huge problem with Americans use about 100 billion plastic that pooled multiple homeowners to buy You know, the ones you get at Publix, plastic bags — let’s make that single-use bags a year, or about 1500 per household. discounted residential solar systems. Walgreens, or Target that you use for plastic bags — we need to delve into Those bags required the equivalent of

A shadowy group, Citizens for Ethical and Effective Leadership, bombarded the village with attacks on Christian Ulvert.

50 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture. Ocean. Imagine taking Mexico’s land generated would then be dedicated to vil- folks to voluntarily make choices that According to the Tucson-based Center mass, covering it with plastic, uplifting lage environmental projects and educa- serve the public good. Nudging people to for Biological Diversity, it takes about it and then plopping that mass, and all its tion efforts. The “how” question is the change their behavior in using reusable 14 plastic bags for the equivalent of the small, even microscopic particles, into the sticky wicket. Clearly, the Village would bags by charging them for single-use gas required to drive your car one mile. Pacific Ocean. Now you get an idea of the benefit if businesses voluntarily comply, bags may be enough. Go ahead, jam plastic bags into your gas scale of the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” but having a code officer inside Publix In fact, we have a real-life example tank and see what happens. Unlike organic materials that biodegrade, seeing if cashiers collect cents on bags right before our very noses. The no-frills Then there’s the inconvenient fact plastic photo-degrades, and just breaks distributed is a non-starter. Aldi market, right up the street from that only a minuscule percentage (about down into smaller and smaller bits of There is the possibility of placing Publix, charges buyers for plastic and one percent) of plastic bags is recycled — without changing its chemistry. the fee on the business’s bulk purchases paper bags. The result? Almost nobody again, once used, it is here with us…well… Into this morass, Councilman Jona- of bags at the front end and then hoping purchases the store’s single-use bags, almost forever. The Center for Biological than Meltz has hosted two plastic reduc- that incentivizes the enterprise into pass- opting to bring their own bags or even Diversity notes an EPA finding that “every tion workshops. Frustrated with the lack ing the costs onto the consumer. Smaller using discarded cardboard containers to bit of plastic ever made still exists.” of productive dialogue with Publix in re- businesses would more likely seek to transport their groceries. Aldi (which I In addition, if the plastic bags do ducing plastic bag usage, Meltz brought recoup their costs, whereas larger behe- like to think occupies the area between make it to our Mt. Trashmores, in a way, the item before the Village Council for moths like Publix might just swallow the food pantry and grocery store) has thus that’s a partial victory. Plastic bags go discussion. Councilman Stephen Lof- costs and ask nothing of the consumer. been judged by Greenpeace as the green- from an inconvenient nuisance on land fredo recalled how he’d gone down by Hence no change in behavior occurs. est grocery store in a recent survey, with to environmental hazard in our seas. The the bay after playing some baseball in However, this is where public policy Publix way down the list. Worldwatch Institute estimates that hun- Morningside Park, only to be confronted and consumer action might merge into And herein lies the solution. Con- dreds of sea species have been adversely with “plastic Armageddon.” As with a virtuous outcome. The 2008 book sumers can reward the Aldis of the world impacted by plastic bag pollution in attendees at the previous workshops, Nudge: Improving Decisions about for being good environmental stewards our oceans. Hundreds of thousands are there was total support for the Meltz’s Health, Wealth, and Happiness by econ- and shun Publix. While policies like the killed after they get tangled up in plastic goals, but a spirited discussion on how to omists Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein one Meltz promotes will nudge the plas- bags or ingest them. implement change. promotes the concept of “libertarian tic polluters of the world to do the right Then there is the Great Pacific Gar- Meltz, who is hesitant about calling paternalism.” Understanding that people thing, the consumer’s purchasing power bage Patch, the largest accumulation of for a total ban, suggests a bag fee of 10 in general want to be left alone from has the strength to shove them. plastic debris on earth, which has been to 15 cents as a way to nudge consumers governmental dictates, the trick is then identified in the north-central Pacific to switch to reusable cloth bags. Monies how to devise policies that encourage Feedback: [email protected]

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 51 Culture: THE ARTS

Art in Ethnobotany Photos courtesy of the artist Onajide Shabaka traces slavery through rice

By Elisa Turner amaranth have African origins. BT Contributor Shabaka, whose great-grandfather was born a slave and lived in Fort Pierce, Flor- najide Shabaka enriches his art with ida, laughs quietly when asked to explain the curious spirit of a documentary how he got interested in the attributes of journalist and the observant eyes weeds some urban dwellers would replace O , 2017. of a botanist. His travels as an artist from with manicured landscaping. Downriver Suriname from hinderlands South Florida have taken him to places that “I guess part of it has to do with include Mexico, South America, and the having heard rumors in my family about selected what Shabaka calls a “reincar- Shabaka’s curiosity about the Caribbean. Almost wherever he goes, he is people doing strange things, like some- nation name” for him. In the Yoruba lan- African origins of plants coalesced captivated by cultural histories and the uses body has some kind of medicinal plant guage of West Africa, Onajide Shabaka in an exhibition that closed July 10 at of often overlooked plants. to — quote, unquote — ward off the evil means “the artist returns.” Emerson Dorsch gallery. There was In Miami’s Little Haiti, he says, a spirits,” he says. The rumors sparked his This prolific artist, now 71 years old, quite a range of art: documentary-style lot of vines growing on fences have curiosity about such plants. He wondered if has exhibited his art in dozens of venues photographs, mixed-media works, and medicinal properties. People might think they might be edible. Then, he adds, “you throughout Florida, as well as in Los imposing installations. The exhibit was they are ordinary weeds, but they aren’t. just start investigating and find out some of Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, “Alosúgbe: A Journey Across Time.” In the Saramaccan language of Suriname, the title means “as far away as the sun.” Saramaccan is spoken by the country’s Maroon population, descendants of African slaves who escaped from the Suriname plantations. According to the Emerson Dorsch website, support for this exhibit came from various sources, including Locust Projects through its Wavemaker Grants, the John S. and James L. Knight Founda- tion, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, and Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator. Shabaka’s “Alosúgbe” project, for which he plans to develop an artists’ book and film based on this gallery exhibit, earned him a 2018 Creator Award as part of Oolite Arts’ Ellies awards. The award came with an $8000 grant. “He was one of 38 grant recipients out of 516 applications. His idea really stood out,” says Oolite Arts president and CEO Dennis Scholl, praising the range of genres Shabaka envisioned: photographs, works on paper, artists’ book, and film. “He’s using plants metaphorically Gebouw 1790 African rice, 2017. for the Atlantic colonial slave migration. That’s a wicked smart idea.” “There’s one that’s called serasee. It’s these plants have African origins.” and Berlin. For the Little Haiti Cultural Shabaka says much of the grant money used for colds or to help drain your si- His desire to highlight his own Complex in 2017, he filled a large planter he received went into developing art for nuses,” he explains. Amaranth is another African origins came about years ago. with a small garden called “Antillean the gallery exhibit, so he’s currently reap- such plant. It sometimes springs up in Onajide Shabaka is his legal name, but Lacunae: a litany of the botanical.” It plying for funds to create the “Alosúgbe” the cracks of sidewalks. “I’ve picked it not his given name. He changed his grew amaranth, tamarind, and cassava. artists’ book. The film will come later. in the Dominican Republic,” he adds, name because, he says firmly, “I did not Currently he’s represented in an exhibit “We’re not there to fund the entire and used it to make his own Afro-Ca- want to carry the name of a former slave of artists’ books at the Patricia & Phillip project,” says Scholl. “Our goal is to help ribbean stew, callaloo. Both serasee and master.” A family friend from Nigeria Frost Art Museum FIU. the artist take it to the next level. I think

52 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 any time you make a film, it’s hard, it’s expensive, and it takes time.” “Alosúgbe” evolved in large part from Shabaka’s artist residencies in Su- riname in 2016 and 2017. Although this former Dutch colony is located on the Atlantic coast of South America, wedged between French Guiana and Guyana, it is culturally Caribbean and a member of CARICOM (Caribbean Community). Shabaka’s Suriname residencies engen- dered research illuminating connections between that country’s agriculture, Southern U.S. states, Africa, and the Atlantic slave trade. It’s a huge amount of geography and history to embrace in one body of work, Shabaka admits. He muses, “How do you bring all that together? I’m not trying to do world history.” His research yielded an answer at once stunningly simple and symbolically rich: rice. Shabaka learned that rice grown in Suriname has been shown to match the DNA of rice grown in Ivory Coast. That fact magnified an interest in Suriname he’d had since studying art in the early 1970s at California College of the Arts Smuggled, saved, survived, across continents, 2018-2019.

Onajide Shabaka: “I did not want to carry the name of a former slave master.” They continued walking upstream, 2018-2019. the experience of traveling by river saved, survived across continents. Sur- in Oakland. “I remembered at the time I recalls, “I felt the significance of being through the Amazon forest to those rounded by floor-to-ceiling swathes of had done a little research for a sculptural there and dealing with the Maroon popu- rice fields, visiting a historic site in the translucent fabric are three bowls on a project and saw wood carvings from lation that had run away from slavery, had capital city Paramaribo, and happen- platform. Two are empty. “One is from Suriname and Ghana in West Africa that run away from plantations. In the history ing across serpentine patterns made by South Carolina, where a lot of people looked very similar,” he recalls. of plantations, that is significant because nesting ant colonies. were brought as slaves,” he explains. For any artistic project, he says, he most slaves were not able to run away.” Similar serpentine patterns reoccur “The other is from Mali, where there’s tries to “put his feet on the ground” of Vivid photographs at Emerson throughout his art like calligraphy from still a vibrant rice culture.” The third the place that’s his subject matter. Doing Dorsch may have made visitors feel a mysterious, persistent language. Other contains rice from Suriname, not yet so “is important to make the history almost as if they, too, had put their feet art is inspired by decades-old family cor- de-hulled by Maroon women working more alive,” he explains. on the ground in Suriname by walking respondence in Fort Pierce. in the fields. Traveling to Suriname was transfor- in fields where Maroon women plant Rice plays a persistent role in the mative. “Once I actually went there,” he rice. His photographs also re-create shrine-like installation, Smuggled, Feedback: [email protected]

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 53 Culture: GALLERIES + MUSEUMS

WYNWOOD GALLERY WALK & GARY NADER ART CENTER DESIGN DISTRICT ART + DESIGN 62 NE 27th St., Miami NIGHT SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2019 305-576-0256 www.garynader.com Through August 31: GALLERIES “Masters Exhibitions” with various artists

&GALLERY LAUNDROMAT ART SPACE 6308 NW 2nd Ave., Miami 5900 NE 2nd Ave., Miami www.andgallery.net www.laundromatartspace.com [email protected] Contact gallery for exhibition information Contact gallery for exhibition information LOCUST PROJECTS BAKEHOUSE ART COMPLEX 3852 N. Miami Ave., Miami 561 NW 32nd St., Miami 305-576-8570 305-576-2828 www.locustprojects.org www.bacfl.org Contact gallery for exhibition information August 9 through August 16: “Paint Me Miami” with various artists MINDY SOLOMON GALLERY 8397 NE 2nd Ave., Miami BILL BRADY GALLERY 786-953-6917 7140 NW Miami Ct., Miami www.mindysolomon.com www.billbradygallery.com August 10 through August 31: Contact gallery for exhibition information “Gravity Hustle: Four Recent Graduates of the New World School of the Arts” with Gabriela Beltran, Juan THE BONNIER GALLERY Urbina, Patrick Oleson and Yusimy Lara 3408 NW 7th Ave., Miami Reception August 10, 6 to 9 p.m. 305-960-7850 www.thebonniergallery.com NINA JOHNSON GALLERY August 1 through September 14: 6315 NW 2nd Ave., Miami “Post-War: Works on Paper” with various artists 305-571-2288 Reception August 1, 6:30 to 9 p.m. www.ninajohnson.com Contact gallery for exhibition information BRIDGE RED STUDIOS / PROJECT SPACE 12425 NE 13th Ave. #5, North Miami PAN AMERICAN ART PROJECTS 305-978-4856 6300 NW 2nd Ave., Miami www.bridgeredstudios.com 305-751-2550 Contact gallery for exhibition information www.panamericanart.com Through August 26: “Vitamin L: The Disruption of Color CENTRAL FINE on Contemporary Landscape” with various artists 1226 Normandy Dr., Miami Beach 917-306-1218 PIERO ATCHUGARRY GALLERY www.centralfine.com 5520 NE 4th Ave., Miami Contact gallery for exhibition 305-639-8247 information www.pieroatchugarry.com Through September 14: DAVID CASTILLO GALLERY “Women Geometers” with various artists 420 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach 305-573-8110 ROBERT FONTAINE GALLERY www.davidcastillogallery.com 415 Española Way, Miami Beach July 11 through August 31: 305-397-8530 “New Mythologies” by Pepe Mar, Jillian Mayer, and www.robertfontainegallery.com Asser Saint-Val Contact gallery for exhibition information

DIANA LOWENSTEIN GALLERY SPACE MOUNTAIN MIAMI 98 NW 29th St., Miami J. Jeanie Choi, Seoul — Guadalajara, 1996-2008, archival pigment print, 774 NE 71st St., Miami 305-576-1804 www.spacemountainmia.org www.dianalowensteingallery.com 2019, at Dot Fiftyone Gallery. Through September: Contact gallery for exhibition information “A MURican DEReam” by KC Toimil

DOT FIFTYONE GALLERY 305-576-1278 Through September 30: SPINELLO PROJECTS: THE ANNEX 7275 NE 4th Ave., Unit 101, Miami www.emersondorsch.com “Summer Reflections” with various artists Gesamtkunstwerk Building 305-573-9994 Contact gallery for exhibition 2930 NW 7th Ave., Miami www.dotfiftyone.com information FREDRIC SNITZER GALLERY www.spinelloprojects.com Through September 14 : 1540 NE Miami Ct., Miami Contact gallery for exhibition information “Playground” with various artists FABIEN CASTANIER GALLERY 305-448-8976 45 NE 26th St., Suite A, Miami www.snitzer.com SUPPLEMENT PROJECTS EMERSON DORSCH 305-602-0207 Through August 26: 230 NE 44th St., Miami 5900 NW 2nd Ave., Miami www.castaniergallery.com “Battleship Potemkin” with various artists www.supplementprojects.com

54 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 “Remember to React II: Drawings and Prints from the NSU Art Museum Collection” with various artists David’s Pick Ongoing: When the summer heat descends upon Miami, a “From Pencil to Paint” by William J. Glackens syrupy slowness begins to permeate the city, and OOLITE 924 Lincoln Rd., 2nd Floor, Miami Beach the art districts are no exception. During these 305-674-8278 months, foot traffic and events slow down, which www.artcentersf.org Through September 29: can spell disaster for working artists. Enter the “It Will Never Become Quite Familiar to You” with Collabo show. Dating back to 2005, the show is various artists organized by and for artists as a means of keep- OOLITE: WINDOWS @ WALGREENS Justin Long, , digital, 2019. ing momentum in the city through the sweltering 7340 Collins Ave., Miami Beach Collabo 6: All In! Through September 8: summer. The last iteration was in 2015, and the “Darling, We Could Have Had It All” by Vickie Pierre event has been sorely missed in the interim. But fret not. Collabo is back on August 31 with its sixth installment. Boasting Through September 29: some of the most out-there, performative, and interactive works one can see in the city all year, Collabo gives artists free “The Shapes Feelings Take” by Brandon Opalka reign to create work with a lone stipulation: they must collaborate with each other. Past highlights include a piano played by PÉREZ ART MUSEUM MIAMI 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami loosed chickens, glow-in-the-dark dance performances with live musical accompaniment, and a splatter-paint piece cre- 305-375-3000 ated by audience members tasked with throwing darts at pigment-filled balloons. Collabo 6 promises a continuation of the www.pamm.org Through September 1: creativity-run-amok that has become the show’s trademark. August 31, 7:00 to 11:30 p.m., 141 E. Flagler St., Miami, collabo- “For Those in Peril on the Sea” by Hew Locke [email protected]. — David Bennett “A Retrospective” by Beatriz González Through October 20: “El Hombre con el Hacha y Otras Situaciones Breves” by Liliana Porter Through August 4: Through January 26, 2020: “[UNSUBSCRIBE]” with Danny Agnew, Will Fredo, DE LA CRUZ COLLECTION JEWISH MUSEUM OF SOUTH FLORIDA, FLORIDA “American Echo Chamber” by José Carlos Martinat Paloma Izquierdo, Pastiche Lumumba, Joiri Minaya, 23 NE 41st St., Miami INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY and Kandis Williams 305-576-6112 301 Washington Ave., Miami Beach THE MARGULIES COLLECTION www.delacruzcollection.org 305-672-5044 591 NW 27th St., Miami TILE BLUSH Through November 15: www.jmof.fiu.edu 305-576-1051 8375 NE 2nd Ave., Miami “More/Less” with various artists Ongoing: www.margulieswarehouse.com [email protected] “MOSAIC: Jewish Life in Florida” Contact gallery for exhibition information www.tileblush.com CORAL GABLES MUSEUM Contact gallery for exhibition information 285 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables LOWE ART MUSEUM, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI THE RUBELL FAMILY COLLECTION 305-603-8067 1301 Stanford Dr., Coral Gables 95 NW 29th St., Miami WYNWOOD WALLS www.coralgablesmuseum.org 305-284-3535 305-573-6090 NW 2nd Avenue between 25th and 26th streets Through October 4: www.lowemuseum.org www.rfc.museum 305-573-0658 “The Art of Compassion” with various artists Through September 8: Contact gallery for exhibition information www.thewynwoodwalls.com “Contra Naturam/Against Nature” by James Prosek Ongoing: FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY: Through September 15: THE NATIONAL YOUNGARTS FOUNDATION “Beyond Words” with various artists PATRICIA AND PHILLIP FROST ART MUSEUM “A House Divided” by Billie Grace Lynn 2100 Biscayne Blvd., Miami 10975 SW 17th St., Miami 305-377-1140 MUSEUM & COLLECTION EXHIBITS 305-348-2890 MIAMI-DADE COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART + www.youngarts.org thefrost.fiu.edu DESIGN Through September 13 THE BASS MUSEUM OF ART Through August 25: Freedom Tower “Can We Be Brave?” with various artists 2100 Collins Ave., Miami Beach “Cut” with various artists 600 Biscayne Blvd., Miami 305-673-7530 “Spheres of Meaning” with various artists 305-237-7700 THE WOLFSONIAN-FIU www.thebass.org Ongoing: www.mdcmoad.org 1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach Through September 29: “Connectivity” with various artists Through September 29: 305-535-2622 “Campo Abierto (Open Field)” by Sheila Hicks “Where the Oceans Meet” with various artists www.wolfsonian.org Through October 6: INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART, MIAMI Through August 25: “Call & Response: Recent Acquisitions from the 61 NE 41st St., Miami MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART NORTH “Deco Designs” with various artists Collection” with various artists 305-901-5272 MIAMI Through August 31: Through October 20:“Figuring Self: Portraits from the www.icamiami.org 770 NE 125th St., North Miami “Cover Girls” with various artists Collection” with various artists Through October 6: 305-893-6211 Through February 2, 2020: Through October 24: “Ettore Sottsass and the Social Factory” by Ettore www.mocanomi.org “Deco: Luxury to Mass Market” with various artists “The Coronation of the Virgin” by Sandro Botticelli & Sottsass Contact museum for exhibition information Ongoing: Domenico Ghirlandaio Paulo Nazareth “Art and Design in the Modern Age: Selections from Through November 3: NSU ART MUSEUM FORT LAUDERDALE the Wolfsonian Collection” with various artists THE BASS: WINDOWS @ WALGREENS “Hól?? — it xistz” by Eric-Paul Riege 1 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 7340 Collins Ave., Miami Beach “Portals” by Guadalupe Maravilla 954-525-5500 Compiled by David Bennett Through September 15: Through November 24: www.nsuartmuseum.org Send listings, jpeg images, and events information to “Happy Ending” by Justin H. Long “Unbranded” by Hank Willis Thomas Through September 29: [email protected]

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 55 Culture: EVENTS CALENDAR

African Dance and Drum Festival Miami’s Delou Africa presents its African Diaspora Dance and Drum Festival from Friday, August 2, through Sunday, August 4, at the Little Haiti Cultural Center (212 NE 59th Terr.). On tap: a children’s village, drum and dance workshops, storytellers, a wellness fair, African fashion and arts, and food and drink. The mainstage event, Seeds of the Diaspora, showcases traditional and contemporary perfor- mances. Tickets $30, $20 for seniors and students, children $5. Check online for free offerings and workshop costs: www.adddff.delouafrica.org. Sea Turtle Outreach in the Park You keep the lights low and avoid How Many Principals Make a regular season match gets played in the U.S. Slash, Tag, and Spiderman: Homecoming. certain beach areas this time of year, Ballet Fest? — and that means Miami for the opener, on He returns to town Saturday, August 10, and our turtle hat’s off to you! Miami Apparently 120! The Miami Hispanic Wednesday, August 7, 10:00 a.m., when for two shows, 7:00 and 10:30 p.m., at the EcoAdventures has two sessions left Ballet Company hosts the International FC Barcelona and SSC Napoli face off, Olympia Theater (174 E. Flagler St.). Both for its Sea Turtle Awareness Pro- Ballet Festival of Miami, inviting 120 with their newly announced first teams, at will be filmed, so be early, be camera ready, gram: Wednesdays, August 21 and principal dancers from more than 20 Hard Rock Stadium (347 Don Shula Dr., and fasten your seatbelts. Tickets: $29.50- 28, 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Haulover Park ballet companies worldwide. That’s a lot Miami Gardens). Game 2 is set for Ann $39.50; www.olympiatheater.org. (10800 Collins Ave.). After an orienta- of artistic excellence, so let your imagi- Arbor, Michigan, at Ross’s alma mater. Info tion, you and your own hatchlings will nation soar even if you can’t, with these at https://hardrockstadium.com. “Flamenco Jazz” at the Black Box follow staff to the beach and observe, programs (as of deadline, we don’t know Pianist/composer and Grammy nominee if all goes well, a permitted release of specific repertoires): young competi- Dolphins: QB To Be Determined... José Negroni joins two artists of Ballet hatchlings into the ocean. Registration: tion winners Saturday, August 3, 7:30 The Miami Dolphins host two preseason Flamenco La Rosa — singer Salvador www.miamidade.gov/ecoadventures. p.m., Manuel Artime Theater (900 SW home games: against the Atlanta Falcons De Angela and dancer Maria Mercedes 1st St., $25); avant ballet and modern Thursday, August 8, 7:30 p.m.; and the — for a night of jazz and flamenco fusion dance Saturday, August 10, 8:00 p.m., Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday, August Friday, August 23, 8:00 p.m., at MDC 24, at the Arsht (1300 Biscayne Blvd.). Tick- Miami Arts Charter School (95 NW 23rd 22, 8:00 p.m., to be nationally televised. Auditorium’s On.Stage Black Box The- ets $25-$69. www.arshtcenter.org. St., $30); contemporary ballet Sunday, Do preseason games really matter, you atre (2901 W. Flagler St.). BFLR creates August 11, 5:00 p.m., Broward Center for ask? The sports website FTW asked and groundbreaking flamenco collabora- More Strains of Andalusia the Performing Arts (201 SW 5th Ave., answered. After tracking data going back tions that incorporate not only jazz, but Miami’s Siempre Flamenco stirs up our Fort Lauderdale, $35-$45); classical and five years, the conclusion: “Surprisingly, tap, blues, Caribbean, Celtic, Sephardic, folkloric souls with its annual Festival neoclassical Saturday, August 17, 8:00 you can find a little information about how and more. Tickets $40. www.miami- de Cante and four performances Friday, p.m., the Fillmore Miami Beach (1700 a team will fare based on its preseason dadecountyauditorium.org. August 30, 8:00 p.m., Saturday, August Washington Ave., $49-$69); and a closing record. But only a little and only if you 31, 3:00 and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, Sep- performance featuring all the principals look real hard.” So just go to Hard Rock Is It Magic or Illusion? tember 1, 4:00 p.m. Founding members Sunday, August 18, 5:00 p.m., MDC Stadium. Enjoy the dogs and suds, and live Picture, if you will, the single-minded pas- Paco and Celia Fonta join Spanish singers Auditorium (2901 W. Flagler St., $35-$62). for today. www.miamidolphins.com. sion that propelled a seven-year-old with Rocío Bazán, Manuel de Manuel, and Free street performances: Friday, August magic tricks from small-town South Dakota Javier Heredia; dancer Antoñete Castro; 9, 8:00 p.m., at the Lincoln Road Mall/ This Hannibal’s a Funny One into Reza the Illusionist, who has taken his and guitarist Paco Fernández. Perfor- Euclid Circle and at Wynwood Walls. You gotta admire a comic whose standup high-voltage rockstar showmanship around mances at the Arsht (1300 Biscayne Blvd.). www.internationalballetfestival.org. routines nailed Bill Cosby back in 2014. the world and to numerous television Tickets $48-$60. www.arshtcenter.org. Hannibal Buress, of course, has a whole specials. You can see for yourself when he Futbol Firsts at the Stadium other body of work with his Eric Andre seemingly passes through power tools and Home Design and Improvement Show The home fans reportedly weren’t happy, Show sketches and his own podcast, “Hand- spray paint, makes motorcycles appear out In the market for a redo or an up-do? At but as part of a 15-year contract with some Rambler.” You may recognize him of thin air, and takes the entertainment to the Miami Home Design and Remod- Relevant Sports (a.k.a. Stephen Ross) to as love interest Lincoln Rice on Comedy new levels, as his show, “Edge of Illusion,” eling Show you can browse, ask the promote the league here, at least one Liga Central’s Broad City and in such films as suggests. He performs Saturday, August pros, follow celebrity panels and DIY demos, and pick up design and décor tips. The show runs Friday, August Tour a Gem of Spanish History 30, through Labor Day. Hours: Friday Response was so great to July’s cover story that we’re putting out an APB: 4:00-9:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, The Ancient Spanish Monastery offers free tours every Saturday at 1:00 noon to 9:30 p.m.; and Monday, noon to p.m. as part of admission ($10 for adults; $5 for seniors and students). The 7:30 p.m. Mana Wynwood Convention medieval Monastery of St. Bernard de Clairvaux, north of Segovia, fell into Center (318 NW 23rd St.) Tickets $7. disrepair, was sold, converted to a granary, then sold again to William Ran- www.homeshows.net. dolph Hearst in the 1920s, who had it dismantled stone by stone and shipped to this country. You can hear its fascinating history as you wander the beau- Compiled by BT contributor Dinah tiful complex, which still serves parishioners. www.spanishmonastery.com. McNichols. Please send information and images to [email protected].

56 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Columnists: PICTURE STORY The Military’s Long Shadow Over Miami A view of our past from the archives of HistoryMiami

By Paul George forces, it resulted from the attempt by BT Contributor U.S. authorities to “relocate” all Indians

living east of the Mississippi to an area Photo courtesy of HistoryMiami, X-0106-1 he area encompassing Greater west of the river corresponding to today’s Miami possesses a long, event- Oklahoma and a portion of Arkansas. ful military history, beginning Major moments in that war included T Tents at Camp Miami housing volunteers fighting in the Spanish- as far back as the creation of Spanish construction of military forts on Key Bis- Jesuit missions to convert the native cayne and on the north bank of the Miami American War, 1898. Tequesta Indians in the 1500s. These River, an Indian attack on the Cape Florida missions included, in addition to clerics lighthouse, and a surprise attack by Ameri- military road between the Miami River briefly, the “world’s largest bathtub.” and Native Americans, Spanish soldiers, can forces, resulting in the death of the and Fort Lauderdale’s New River. Next month we will further examine who helped build the mission stockades legendary Seminole leader Chekika and The Spanish-American War, Amer- Camp Miami and the more significant and provided protection for the mission- many of his men deep in the Everglades. ica’s “Splendid Little War,” which led to military history that followed. aries. Ultimately, however, they found In the mid-1800s, Fort Dallas, the Cuba’s independence from Spain in 1898, themselves in violent encounters with earlier military fort on the Miami River, brought 7000 troops to Miami, which was Paul George is historian at HistoryMi- the Tequestas, leading to the closure of was activated following a renewal of then a fledgling city. They lived in Camp ami Museum. To order a copy of this the missions. conflict. In the Third Seminole War Miami, a makeshift military post in its photo, contact HistoryMiami archives Nearly 300 years later, the Second (1855-1858), most of the military action northern sectors. Camp conditions were manager Ashley Trujillo at 305-375-1623, Seminole War (1835-1842) took place. centered on search-and-destroy missions primitive, with polluted water and sani- atrujillo@historymiami.org. The longest, bloodiest conflict between in the Everglades. More consequen- tary facilities consisting “of buckets and the U.S. Army and Native American tial, perhaps, was the construction of a barrels.” Nearby Biscayne Bay became, Feedback: [email protected]

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 57 Columnists: POLICE REPORTS

Biscayne Crime Beat Compiled by Derek McCann

The Last Depot where entry was made. Prints were taken 2700 Block of N. Miami Avenue but no matches found, and the Mystery Police were summoned to a tattoo shop Martha Stewart Burglar may already be about a burglary. The front glass door wearing her new favorite blouse for a had been completely shattered, and some night on the town. tattooing items were taken. There are no leads. Many people are scared of people In a Word, It’s a Tool with tattoos, so it’s kind of surprising NE 79th Street and N. Miami Avenue this location was hit — the veneer of ink In what turns out to be a puzzling intimidation appears to be fading into a tidbit, a man notified police that he was thing of the past. missing “his tool.” The police report does not specify what kind of tool it I Need These More Than You Do was, only that the victimized man was 2900 Block of NE 7th Avenue missing...his little friend, we guess. It was laundry day and this tenant had He said he left the “tool” alone, on a spent a sleepy Saturday morning doing Miami street, and that the “tool” was several loads of clothes in her apartment. taken, kidnapped, and likely handed There’s No Serenity Here a bite to eat. He was gone less than an She finished at 1:00 p.m., but eight hours off to smugglers. Police gave the man 600 Block of NE 72nd Street hour and returned to find his home alarm later, she discovered that her iron and a a case card, but it did little good. An This man was working on his laptop and ringing. He checked the back of the blouse were missing. There is no sign appropriate identification of the “tool” made sure to save his latest MS Word home and saw that the glass on two win- of forced entry, but the victim said there could not be produced due to victim’s document so he could come back to it dows had been shattered. Once inside, he are fingerprints on the sliding glass door paucity of words. later. He was famished so left to grab thought everything seemed okay — at

Apply to Become a Member of the Transportation Trust

The Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust is recruiting new members for all areas of the County but currently has vacancies in Commission District 2, Commission District 4, Commission District 6, and Commission District 8. The Transportation Trust is the 15-member volunteer body created to oversee the expenditure of the proceeds of the ½ cent sales surtax. The surtax generates approximately $250 million annually and is used for a broad range of projects including the Orange Line Metrorail extension to Miami International Airport, a new fleet of Metrorail vehicles and a variety of municipal projects including 27 municipal trolleys. Trust members review contracts requesting PTP funding, monitor the progress of Surtax funded road and transit projects and manage the PTP Municipal Transportation Program. There is a restriction, however, that members are not allowed to conduct business with the County during their tenure on the board. Transportation Trust members are dedicated to advancing the community’s vision for public transportation using their knowledge, skills and experiences and invites you to join by submitting your application to become a member. This is a volunteer position and members do not receive a salary. Applications and additional information are available online at www.miamidade.gov/CITT or by calling Nya Lake at the Office of the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust, 305-375-1357.

58 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 first — but then he was horrified to find left the store. Hours later she found distraction when she boarded? It’s a a bike to the location and then jumping his laptop missing. His work was gone. the bag empty. It is not clear if she mystery for our victim, who really just a back fence. He then removed a pres- This was only item missing. Let us hope put it down, as she also hinted that it needs to use his pants pocket for his sure cleaner. He carried the pressure he backed it up on the cloud. Let this be was on her person the whole time. She cellphone in the future. cleaner to the Dumpster. About 30 a lesson for you, readers. wondered how it was missing because minutes later, a white van drove up and her wallet is very large and would have Ransacked and Abused. out stepped the rogue employee, who Some People Don’t Deserve made a crashing sound had she dropped 600 Block of NE 56th Street placed the cleaner in the van, never to Nice Things it. There was no sound — just the A man came home and got out his key be seen again. Owner has no informa- 400 Block of NE 63rd Street mysterious disappearance of matter in to open the lock when he was horri- tion on this employee, aside from telling This victim was renting a house with the universe. No leads for police; just fied that his lock, and the entire door, him: “You look strong. I’ll hire you.” a screened-in pool, which is where he this report for us, so please be aware of was missing, torn from the hinges. No leads, but use this example as a says he spends most of his days. He sketchy people with large wallets if you He searched his home and didn’t see reminder to check the Miami-Dade jail had to sleep eventually and went to can, and call police. any missing items, but he discovered system before you hire. bed. He later found that his laptop had another side door was also missing. So been stolen from the screened-in area. Rider Gets Shafted on Hop-On Bus two doorways were now providing open Taking His Time For the Perfect He said he did lock the screen door, but 401 Biscayne Blvd. access to the nighttime goons, sort of Burglary Experience the thief kicked it in. The computer Our victim was using a Miami vernac- like Walking Dead. Homeowner is en- 2500 Biscayne Blvd. was one of the fancier new Apple ular, we think, when he told police that couraged to board things up before the A thug arrived at this property on a models and is now no doubt sitting in he got on the “hop on and hop off” bus next invasion. bicycle and parked it, then went for the the burglar’s house, where said burglar and took the loop to Bayside, where he Dumpster. Yes, Dumpsters seem to be is placing online orders with the vic- transferred to another bus. On this bus Sometimes You Need to Do a pretty hot for criminals nowadays. He tim’s credit card info. he remembers sending a text message Background Check removed his item — another pressure to a friend. He then put his cell phone 2200 Biscayne Blvd. cleaner! — and walked off, carrying it The Sounds of Stealth back in a carry bag. By the time he A business owner was notified by one without incident. He left his bike there 4800 Block of Biscayne Boulevard came to his stop, the cell phone was of his employees that the back-patio but did come back an hour later and A woman was going for her lunch gone, and he believes that someone on door was open, even though the owner calmly retrieved it. break at Publix. She bought an iced tea the bus took it, though he has no idea had secured it the night before. He does and stashed her wallet inside a Publix who it could have been. The old lady have surveillance video of the incident, plastic bag for safekeeping before she in the wheelchair creating a visual and on that video is an employee riding Feedback:[email protected]

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 59 Columnists: PARK PATROL

A Little Means A Lot

Proximity is key for two tiny North Bay Village parks BT photos by Janet Goodman

By Janet Goodman North Bay Village, with a total population BT Contributor of 8184, is determined by TPL to provide 88 percent of its residents a ten-minute n this month’s cover story, the BT walk or less to one of its two parks. This looks at the Trust for Public Land’s is far above the national average of 54 Iannual assessment of U.S. city parks. percent for smaller U.S. city park systems.

A huge galleon-shaped playground is the main attraction, with sails, gangplank, crow’s nest, anchor, cannons, and a slide for mutineers.

While the national average for land walk of the park. The 0.3-acre park was used for parks and recreation among dedicated in 2001; recent renovation was smaller U.S. cities is 15 percent, by com- completed in December 2015. Named parison, North Bay Village falls below for the former city commissioner and that, with a statistical 0 percent of city member of the North Bay Village zoning land used for its parks and recreation. and recreation boards who died in 2000, The Philip Schonberger Memorial this playground is a little kid’s pirate- Playground, still often referred to as themed adventure land. Galleon Street Tot Lot, is located at 1841 A huge Playcraft galleon-shaped Galleon St. on Treasure Island, next playground is the main attraction, with door to the North Bay Village police sails, gangplank, crow’s nest, anchor, The pavilion is in rough condition, with rusted roof fl ashing, missing station. According to TPL, it serves 4160 cannons, and a slide for mutineers. A shingles, and rotting wooden eaves. residents who live within a ten-minute second, smaller pirate ship playhouse is at the northwest corner of the park. PHILIP SCHONBERGER Other playground equipment fi lls out the MEMORIAL PLAYGROUND space, including a swing set, a Boulder Stacks climber (beware of the wide-eyed Park Rating gator), and other pieces by Playcraft.

East Dr

West Dr Shade is provided by several mature 1841 Galleon St. oaks, around which is glued mulch, as North Bay Village, FL 33141 , 305-756-7171 well as fallen leaves. Except for its concrete walkways, Dr. Paul Vogel DR. PAUL VOGEL the playground is surfaced with artifi cial Community Park COMMUNITY PARK turf, and is completely fenced in. To Park Rating the south along Galleon Street, there is attractive four-foot, green-metal fenc- NE 79th St ing with a double-gated entrance locked NE 79th St 7920 West Dr. by working pool-safety gate latches. North Bay Village, FL 33141, 305-756-7171 Another safety feature is the set of four North Treasure Dr Hours: Sunrise to 9:00 p.m. surveillance cameras on the southeast Philip Schonberger Picnic tables: Yes fence line by the police station. Memorial Playground Barbecues: No Four-foot chain-link fencing is Picnic pavilions: Yes shared with the police building on the Dog park: No east side of the park, and seven-foot South Treasure Dr Open fi eld: Yes fencing along the north end of the prop- Night lighting: Yes erty that borders with Treasure Island Swimming pool: No Playground: Yes Elementary School. There is a construc- tion site along the western perimeter.

60 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Walk through the double gates, then be hit with the spectacular view of The playground is protected overhead by multiple canvas sunshades Biscayne Bay — approximately 175 feet of water frontage. and below by rubberized safety flooring, which is wearing thin in spots.

3211 residents who live within a ten- Located in the southeast section minute walk. of the park is a large playground for Named for the former North Bay kids ages 5 to 12, protected overhead Village mayor, Vogel Community Park by multiple canvas sunshades and was first dedicated in 2010, then again below by rubberized safety flooring, while its renovation project was under which is wearing thin in spots. There way a month before his death in June are seven slides, some climber equip- 2012, while he was serving as a village ment, and three metal benches around commissioner. the play area. There is no need to fence The Miami Herald reported that the in the playground since the entire renovations would cost an estimated 28,900-square-foot perimeter has metal $632,000, of which the village budgeted park fencing. $217,488 from its capital improvements Too bad there is nary a bench by funds. Grants filled in the rest of the the waterfront, but there are two at- costs: $300,000 from the Safe Neigh- tractive ceramic signs on both north borhood Parks Program; a $60,000 and south ends of the waterfront Coastal Partnership Initiative grant; and that depict manatees and loggerhead a $55,000 Florida Inland Navigation turtles with pertinent species informa- District grant. tion. This park sports natural grass, A beautiful walkway along the bay, but not a bench in sight for sitting One can easily find a parking space is well maintained, and is available and enjoying. at the West Drive entrance, walk through for party rentals. There’s a large open its double gates with pool-safety pull space in the center of the park that Six benches dot the tiny park, and six wooden eaves and support columns. The latches, then be hit with the spectacular has storm drains to keep it dry, and picnic tables, four of which are under a playground is designed for children ages view of Biscayne Bay — approximately is perfect for a Sunday game of catch, picnic pavilion on a cement pad. Only seven and younger; the north-side chain- 175 feet of water frontage. Stroll along but no dogs are allowed. LED night one trash can is found near the pavilion, link gate is partially ripped off its frame, wide, circuitous brick paver and asphalt lighting, bike racks, water fountains, but the park was clean of litter on a and small children could easily slip walkways, take in beautiful landscaping and three adult exercise stations recent BT visit. through if parents aren’t closely watch- with royal palms, oaks, and flowering round out the park’s amenities. Parking is find-it-if-you-can along ing them. trees, and enjoy lunch under one of three One oddity is the ill-placed park ded- the street, although this neighborhood Just 1.3 miles away on Harbor Island blue-roofed pavilions (two have picnic ication plaque, mounted on a rock and playground is within walking distance is the second North Bay Village park, tables on the cement pads and the other now hidden from view under a growing of most residents of Treasure Island. The Dr. Paul Vogel Community Park, once is for stage events). Need to use the but very pretty plant with striking star- park’s biggest weakness is the pavilion, known as West Drive Park. This 0.5-acre restroom? There’s a bathroom building shaped violet flowers. The plaque could which can be rented out for parties but greenspace is located at 7920 West Dr. on site with separate men’s and women’s easily be moved to a more visible area. is in rough condition, with rusted roof and is open to the public from sunrise to facilities. Four metal garbage receptacles flashing, missing shingles, and rotting 9:00 p.m. TPL determined that it serves help keep the park free of litter. Feedback: [email protected]

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 61 Columnists: PET TALK

Gentle Giants Tortoises live long lives, but some are imperiled here Photo by Kathy Schaefer

By Janet Goodman BT Contributor brother-in-law rescued the flailing tortoise, ost tortoise species live and “Frankie” has been with the family between 80 and 150 years. ever since. Sexing took a few years, says MThey’re the land-dwelling Schaefer. Frankie was initially called reptile species of the Testudines order Frank, until the female flat shell under- — the largest terrestrial turtles. After neath became pronounced (males have a One of Frankie’s offspring out for a backyard stroll. the Galapagos tortoise and the Aldabra concave bottom shell to expedite mating). giant tortoise, both islanders, the African Schaefer got a male companion for for a treat, Frankie runs to Schaefer Handling and relocation of this spurred tortoise (Geochelone sulcata), Frankie, whom she named Frank, and the when offered an apple, papaya, or hibis- tortoise is illegal in Florida unless done a.k.a sulcata tortoise, is the third largest happy couple had two clutches of about cus flower. under a special FWC permit, which must on earth and the largest mainland tor- 20 eggs each. Not all of the eggs hatched, In North America, of five native be obtained before interrupting burrows. toise, so named (Latin sulcus, meaning but their first clutch produced 15 babies. tortoise species, only one, the gopher In June, a lawsuit was dismissed that furrow) for the sharp scales on its legs. Two baby tortoises from separate clutches tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus), is challenged a Miami-Dade Walmart de- According to Reptile Magazine, the were kept and are now six and eight years found east of the Mississippi River. It is velopment next to Zoo Miami in one of male African spurred tortoise can grow to old — too young yet to tell their sex. native to all 67 Florida counties. FWC the last pine rockland ecosystems, home more than 200 pounds and 36 inches long. Five years ago, Frank started to get lists the gopher tortoise’s Florida status to the imperiled gopher tortoise and 19 Females are half that size, averaging 90 aggressive. He’d tuck in his head and as imperiled. other protected plant and animal species. pounds and 20 inches long. During an 80- ram Schaefer with his shell and exposed Under Endangered Species Act, Asked by the BT what is the best and to 100-year lifespan, it can take 20 years sharp scales. He was found a new home the gopher tortoise is listed as region- worst thing about owning an African spurred for a sulcata to achieve its full size. on a Homestead koi farm. ally threatened “only in the portion of tortoise, Schaefer replies, “The worst thing is The sulcata originates from a These reptiles live underground. its range occurring west of the Mobile the poop — big poop and a lot of it.” 250-mile-wide zone in North Africa be- When Shaefer’s tortoises dug a burrow and Tombigbee Rivers in Alabama. In The best thing is that tortoises are tween the Sahara Desert and the Sudan under the house’s foundation, her hus- the eastern portion of its range, it is a self-sufficient and easy to care for, she region forest called the Sahel, running band built a burrow with two openings, candidate species for federal protection. It says. Hers have never needed to see a from Senegal to Eritrea. Their sunny using a culvert that would never collapse. has some form of state-level protection in veterinarian, and only once did Frankie personalities make them popular in the According to the San Diego Zoo’s Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, escape from the back yard when garden- international pet trade. Florida Fish and website, the sulcata “is most active and South Carolina, and is a state-desig- ers left the gate open (they were quickly Wildlife Conservation Commission’s during the rainy season between July nated threatened species in Florida.” reunited through the website Nextdoor). Non-Native Species Division requires and October…and leaves the den to The gopher tortoise can live 40 to 60 “They’ll disappear into their burrow only a special permit to import African forage at dawn and at dusk. It will years and reach 9 to 15 inches in length. for days at a time,” she adds. spurred tortoises from another U.S. state. become inactive during extreme FWC points out that the main threat to Biscayne Park resident Kathy temperatures and will hole up in an the species is loss of habitat from devel- Janet Goodman is a Miami Shores- Schaefer first acquired a female sulcata underground den.” Says Schaefer: “If it’s opment and urbanization. Habitat deg- based dog trainer and principal of 17 years ago, when it was hit by a car below 60 degrees, they hibernate.” radation from suppressing natural fires Good Dog Bad Dog Inc. Contact her at and placed in the Biscayne Canal by a Frankie and her kids eat backyard also threatens the gopher tortoise, since [email protected]. well-intentioned person who thought it grass, supplemented with romaine let- fire reduces canopy cover and helps the was a water-dwelling turtle. Schaefer’s tuce, fruits, and flowers. Like a puppy growth of forage plants. Feedback: [email protected]

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62 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Columnists: FAMILY MATTERS

My Young Men and the Sea The capacity for wonder is a lifelong gift BT photo by Stuart Sheldon By Stuart Sheldon moments, sitting on our boards, read- BT Contributor ing the water as it reveals its opportu- nities. We dove with sea lions recently, ive them the sea. The rest is watching in amazement as they swirled details. and danced with reckless abandon G I snorkeled hand in hand inches away. with my nine-year-old at Fowey Rocks My father gave me these same gifts Lighthouse off Key Biscayne. Beneath a when I was a youngster growing up in gentle blue sky and circling cormorants, Miami. We spent weekends survey- we kicked against a considerable current, ing the horizon outside Elliott Key for and I felt trepidation in the tug of my subtle brown patches to dive upon, the boy’s arm. Still, we swam forward and teeming reefs that stretch the length of approached the hulking, rusted beacon. the Keys. Suddenly, he pointed with excite- These islands, our islands, represent safety should they fall into any of the delight, for we are, literally and primar- ment at a large parrot fish, followed by a the jewels in Miami’s crown — the only countless natural and man-made bodies ily, water. It is our essence. As parents, multitude of snapper and grunt swim- coral reefs in the Continental United of water that surround us. it is incumbent upon us to unlock that ming in Fowey’s shadow. But eventually States. They represent my original We handicap our kids by not provid- small door which allows our children to his fear won out, and he could go no touchstone for fantasy and awe. And I ing this basic survival skill. Earlier this know that major part of themselves. For closer. He had not yet made this foreign sincerely want for my children to under- year, both of my children experienced that part of them, from the moment they environment his own. I accompanied stand and revel in that same sensation, gut-wrenching hold-downs on their surf- are born, is waiting to splash, dive, float, him back to the boat and carried on with with its creatures and majesty and power. boards, after which they told me they and frolic. my own exploration. I want them, and all kids, to become its actually thought they were going to die. My boys will have the sea as a life- This ocean-acclimation process stewards. In our digital world, the sea re- Not what a dad wants to hear, but the long companion; my wife and I saw to began years ago and is ongoing. Because mains analog, its multitude charms and most effective way to learn respect for that early on. They were both conceived I wish, more than anything, that my terrors immediate and not to be toyed the elements in which you live and play. on a houseboat in Sausalito, rocked to boys, and every single child, will share with, as anyone who’s fought a riptide or There is little harm in children touching sleep in utero to the music of the waves my sense of wonder in all that happens surfed a big swell can attest. the hot stove once. I too have had a few lapping on our bedroom walls. They too beneath the waves. To stand barefoot in My mother forced my brother and close calls with Neptune. Each has deep- were forced to learn to swim as infants, wet sand on the shore of an ocean some- me into swimming lessons as tykes. I ened my wisdom and appreciation for my because the opportunity cost of not where. And connect with what every remember that public pool being frigid preferred environment. doing so was unthinkable. That small poet has written about. And every lover and long. No water slides. Strictly busi- We used a private swimming teacher effort has changed our entire existence. has gazed upon longingly. And know ness. I didn’t enjoy the experience, but for them, though Miami-Dade County And theirs. Forever. And for better. the place where society falls away and my square-jawed swim instructor had no provides low-cost classes starting at age we find ourselves. And lose ourselves. interest in complaints. I left there able to two: 305-665-1626. But it’s about far Stuart Sheldon is an award-winning Clarify. Exhale. swim, and I shall be ever grateful to my more than safety. I believe the ocean artist, author, and Miami native. Follow My heart soared when my 11-year- parents and my taskmaster. I believe it is the birthright of every living person, him on Facebook, Instagram @stuart_ old began surfing this year and, along should be mandatory that every child in doubly so if they live in Miami. It is no sheldon, and his blog, FancyNasty.us. with my wife, got certified for scuba Miami learn to swim at a very young age, coincidence that at the water’s edge and diving. Now he and I share countless if for no other reason than to ensure their in her embrace, every child squeals with Feedback: [email protected]

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 63 Columnists: YOUR GARDEN This Is Not Resilience New law guts protections and protocols

By Jeff Shimonski requires that a licensed landscape archi-

BT Contributor tect or an ISA-certified arborist certify BT photo by Jeff Shimonski that a tree “presents a danger to persons ately I’ve been receiving lots or property.” That’s it. No tree-removal of well-produced e-mails from permit or mitigation will be required. LMiami-Dade County and the City But the bill’s instructions go against of Miami touting their resiliency and standard protocol for ISA-certified arborists. sustainability programs. These programs, When ISA-certified arborists per- they claim, will “create economic op- form tree risk assessments, they are sup- portunities, and invest in our future to posed to determine if a hazard exists and address anything that affects our quality provide mitigation options. They are not of life.” going to just tell you that you can have I read through their messages and your tree removed. go through the attached documents, but Well, let’s get back to resilience. The This faucet from the 1940s has not budged! I’m not finding anything about the loss photo that accompanies this article is of mature tree canopy and the rising from an assessment that I recently per- foliage, this tree is producing food for person if he or she is qualified to per- temperatures in our residential areas. formed on a mature live oak tree. This itself that will isolate any decay. form tree risk assessments. If the answer What about the loss of open space tree is located between two residences So think about all the hurricanes is yes, ask to see the risk assessment that can absorb rainwater to help recharge that were built in the 1940s or 1950s. and high wind events this tree has gone form that was followed. To be qualified our aquifer? No mention of that either. The tree trunk is about 15 or so feet from through. Remember hurricanes Donna, for tree risk assessment, the arborist is There isn’t anything about tackling both buildings, and right on the property Cleo, and Betsy? This live oak is still required to follow the processes included non-point-source water pollution. You line. The buildings are being demolished standing intact and healthy, and if the in the form. Did the arborist give you know — all those leaves and grass cut- to build some larger structure. critical root zone is not destroyed by mitigation options for the hazard(s) tings that our friends with leaf blowers The 1940s faucet that is embedded in imminent construction, it could last 50 found? This is a requirement. blast into the streets so everything can the trunk of this tree is about seven feet years or more in this healthy and struc- ISA-certified arborists also are go down the storm drains and out into above the ground, so this would be the turally sound condition. required to adhere to a code of ethics. the ocean. original height of the faucet. I couldn’t see That faucet has not budged! If an arborist declares that a tree has It seems the city and county think the pipe. It is probably occluded inside the I get calls all the time about “dan- hazards that cannot be mitigated, and resilience and sustainability are all trunk. By the way, although trees grow gerous” trees and how they’ll wreck the recommends removal, and then charges about creating more concrete structures. taller, items attached to trunks, or that are house if they aren’t removed immedi- again to have his or her own company Mangroves are given a token mention, occluded by them, do not move upward. ately. Granted, some trees were planted, cut down the tree, that is not very ethical, but I haven’t seen anything about the They stay at the same level forever. The or grew on their own, in locations but it may be a good business model. significant mature canopy loss that has same goes for branch height. where they should not be. And in just occurred since Hurricane Irma. I estimate this tree to be about as many cases, the trees have suffered Jeff Shimonski is an ISA-certified arbor- With rampant tree removal now sup- 40-50 years old, perhaps a bit more. The from really crappy pruning over the ist, municipal specialist, retired director ported by the State of Florida’s new tree canopy is full and healthy, with minimal years. I don’t know how many times of horticulture at Parrot Jungle and removal bill (House Bill 1159), which the dead wood and branches. There appears I’ve seen significant damage to the Jungle Island, and principal of Tropical governor recently signed, the removal of to have been one main branch torn out trunks or their root plates caused by Designs of Florida. Contact him at jeff@ trees on residential properties through- decades ago, perhaps during Hurricane public works departments. tropicaldesigns.com. out the state and in our neighborhoods Andrew. I found no active decay on the Just do this: If an ISA-certified will certainly increase. The bill only old wound, and with the full canopy of arborist calls a tree “dangerous,” ask that Feedback: [email protected]

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64 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Columnists: GOING GREEN Day of Reckoning Only we can save us from our leaders

By Kim Ogren the requirements that perpetuated their BT Contributor purchase proved no match for the laws of nature, where the variables are dynamic

think it’s safe to say, from the looks and interdependent. Photo courtesy of Miami Waterkeeper of things, that Florida’s grand experi- The irony is that this nearly useless I ment with requiring local jurisdic- (and misused) concurrency requirement tions to build capacity in their public is about the only thing left in Florida’s facilities — their sanitary sewer, solid once visionary comprehensive planning waste, drainage, and potable water facili- program. While we cling to this inad- ties — before adding new growth has equate tool, there has been a systematic proved to be wholly inadequate. dismantling, decades long, of the state’s Sewage leak off Fisher Island, July 2017. Concurrency was introduced in 1986 role in reviewing and managing re- to ensure that new development be approv- sources, like water, that hold regional or just one thing left, and we need to be used to protect them, and their staffs are able only once infrastructure is in place to statewide significance. laser-focused on it: locally elected and working with diminished resources. handle the impacts of that development. The state used to weigh in to remind a appointed leadership. Local leaders need to snap out of it. There’s more than one problem with city or other local jurisdiction that, yes, new No one is going to save us from our The dazed and confused look is not a good this idea. development is a major tax generator, but local leaders’ bad decisions anymore. You one. We need people with vision now. An First, instead of slowing the rate of that it’s not always worth putting a coastal and I, local residents, will be bearing all intervention. Consider the following: growth to a more manageable pace, one resource at risk for it. Water management the costs associated with them. On its WHEREAS, our regulations con- in which we could see how things played districts and regional planning councils website, Miami-Dade County boasts that cerning adequate public facilities are out, the requirement prompted engineers helped, too, by looking at the wider context it has among the lowest water and sewer ineffectual at balancing development to select from their catalogues of infra- for local decisions about growth. rates in the nation. But we can’t expect to to ensure the protection of our natural structure parts the very items that would Today all of that regional and state have what we and all of the Waterkeeper resources; and accommodate growth. substantive review and collaboration has organizations around the world describe WHEREAS, there is ample evidence Thus, in the case of water infrastruc- vanished, and the financial support that as fishable, swimmable, drinkable water that our current infrastructure failures ture, they would choose the biggest pipes would coordinate the work is gone as if we are not willing to pay for it. are putting public health and economic and pumps that promised the largest well. Local politicians now make deci- Miami Waterkeeper (under it’s prior and social resiliency at risk; and capacity for a specified lifetime. The sions, and there is little safety net at the name Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper) sued WHEREAS, the costs of the damage regulation actually accelerated develop- regional or state level in the event that on our behalf to force the county to con- are only increasing; and ment and the extension of facilities to new those decisions are bad. sider climate change in infrastructure WHEREAS, only local government places, where all the financial and engi- In a final blow, Gov. Ron DeSantis plans and has taken other legal action to leadership will save our investments: neering models are easier to run, instead has just signed a new law that chills the repair “unlawful” leaks that the county NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RE- of encouraging upgrades to existing areas. public’s ability to challenge decisions had ignored until the shameful video evi- SOLVED, the City Commission instruct The second problem is that the that are inconsistent with a comprehen- dence surfaced in July 2017. the city staff to develop performance specifications only made sense in the lab, sive plan. This means that if you and All the while, the rising saltwater measures that describe the desired condi- free from changes in the assumptions in your neighbors challenge a development intrudes and the urban floodwaters over- tions that must be attained before approv- the models, and separate from the old order and you lose, you may have to pay whelm. It’s obvious we are beyond what ing one more thing that doesn’t contribute parts they would actually be tied into. the other side’s legal fees. we can manage, and yet the developments to improving the health of our waters. The bright shiny new parts were likely So where does this leave us? We keep coming. Local leaders and decision considered under static conditions, and have good news and bad news. There’s makers no longer have the backstops that Feedback: [email protected]

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August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 65 Columnists: VINO West Coast Sauv Blancs for East Coast Tastes Red, white, and you: Agreeable wine for $15 or less

By Jacqueline Coleman Monterey County. At $14.99, it’s at the 2017 Sterling Vintner’s BT Contributor high end of our budget, and as a Sauv Collection Sauvignon Blanc that is sur lie aged (prolonged Blanc. This wine is so ur East Coast/West Coast ri- yeast contact), you’ll get a full body of pleasantly average, it valry has been going on for years. honey-lemon flavor that lingers on the can’t offend anyone. Its OWhich coast is better when there tongue long after you’ve remembered flavors are floral and deli- are clear perks to both? Here we have you don’t own a mansion on the Pacific. cately tropical, wrapped major cities like Boston, New York, Wash- Lodi wines are hot right now, so you in a body that’s certainly ington, D.C., Atlanta, and Miami, which may as well jump on the bandwagon not aggressive. In our are arguably some of the world epicenters and try the 2016 Sand Point Sauvi- climate of polar extreme for education, finance, government, air gnon Blanc, which impressed me for a politics, I’m voting for travel, and culture. We also have East sub-$15 wine. Refreshing like a glass of the moderate Sterling Coast Standard Time, which rules when it lemonade on a humid Miami summer Vintner’s Sauv Blanc. comes to TV scheduling. You know this day, this bottle is packing lots of lemon- Head up to Wash- if you’ve ever tried to watch NFL football citrus and honeydew that will melt the ington State if you The Slow Press Sauvignon Blanc is $14.99, the with breakfast on a Sunday in L.A. heat away, if only momentarily. prefer a more tropical AVA Grace Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc is $8.99, However, the West Coast has, well, Soft and refined is not how we typi- vibe, and try the 2018 and the Francis Coppola Diamond Collection the West Coast! Driving the Pacific cally describe people on the East Coast, Linen Sauvignon Blanc Sauvignon Blanc is $11.99 at the North Miami Coast Highway may be one of life’s most so let’s take a lesson from the 2017 AVA from Bergevin Lane Total Wine & More (14750 Biscayne Blvd., 305-354- enchanting road trips, even in traffic. Grace Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc and Vineyards. A glass of 3270). Whole Foods Market in North Miami (305- The weather in California is usually practice elegance. Perfumed and slightly Linen is like sipping on 892-5505) carries the Sterling Vintner’s Collection optimal, especially the further south you sweeter, with a stylish label that will a pineapple-kiwi salad Sauvignon Blanc for $13.99. Publix at Biscayne go. And the best-kept secret in the world Instagram well at the pool, AVA Grace that gets you buzzed. It’s and 18th has the Chateau Ste. Michelle Sauvignon is that Seattle is the perfect place to be reminds us that Sauvignon Blanc can be exotic and refreshing, Blanc for $8.97 (305-358-3433). The Sand Point when the sun is shining. understated, and that’s okay. and would pair perfectly and Bergevin Lane Linen Sauvignon Blancs are Oh! And these Sauvignon Blancs are For those Easterners who self- with any Saturday activ- both $11.99 at the North Miami ABC Fine Wine and all from the West Coast. So this month it proclaim “loud and proud,” you may ity that makes you sweat, Spirits (14025 Biscayne Blvd., 305-944-6525). is up to you to decide which coast is the find a friend in the 2016 Francis Cop- like sitting outside for best as we dive into these economical pola Diamond Collection Sauvignon five minutes. not overpowering bottle of this varietal wines from the West side. Blanc, which is bold and zesty from Finally, our last stop on our West for the price. It’s another more tropical Fans of the HBO television series the get-go. This wine reminds me of a Coast tour is also in Washington, Sauv Blanc, with some grapefruit and Big Little Lies are used to the women of roommate who noisily bangs kitchen where the 2017 Chateau Ste. Michelle melon flavors, but none that outshine Monterey sipping on white wine as they cabinets making breakfast too early in Sauvignon Blanc is produced. If Cop- the others. This wine is a reminder that gaze far out into the Pacific from the the morning. It doesn’t mean she has a pola’s wine is loud, this one is perfectly you don’t have to be the loudest to be the comfort of a multimillion-dollar mansion bad character, only that she is inherently obedient. A “speak when spoken to” best. Sometimes subtleties can produce deck, and if you close your eyes, you can more clamorous than others. Sauvignon Blanc, Chateau Ste. Michelle the finest outcomes. pretend to be one of them as you sip the If coastal extremes are exhausting, is much too modest. At $8.97, it’s hard to 2016 Slow Press Sauvignon Blanc from come to the middle ground and sip on a find another well-balanced, pleasant, and Feedback: [email protected]

66 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Columnists: DISH Miami Spice Makes a Welcome Return Food news we know you can use

By Geoffrey Anderson Jr. and Dianne restaurants without breaking the bank. La Photo courtesy of World Red Eye Rubin-Anderson Mar by Gaston Acurio (500 Brickell Key BT Contributors Dr., 305-913-8358) and Cantina La 20 (495 Brickell Ave., 786-623-6135) — two ime flies. It seems like Miami Spice exquisite Latin American eateries in Brick- was just a little while ago. But it’s ell — typically come with a hefty price tag, Tbeen a whole year, and diners across but their Miami Spice menus are an incred- Miami are ready to try some of the city’s ible value; you’ll get to try some of their top restaurants at a fraction of the normal signature dishes and save some money. cost. More than 200 places are participat- Lastly, remember that Miami Spice La Mar by Gaston Acurio at the Mandrian Oriental Hotel. ing in the 2019 promotion — both new does not take place every day. If you faces and old favorites. Throughout August walk into a place like Michael’s Genu- At the other end of the spectrum is Buena Vista Deli has moved to and September, diners can enjoy a multi- ine (130 NE 40th St., 305-573-5550) on a That’s Mine Craft Burgers and Beer Midtown (3252 NE 1st Ave., #107, 305- course $23 lunch or $39 dinner. Saturday night expecting to try the Spice (14831 Biscayne Blvd., 305-705-2143), 576-3945). Details next issue. Since you only have two months to menu, you’re going to be disappointed; where healthy eating goes out the door. enjoy the savings, we’ve put together some the restaurant only offers Miami Spice This North Miami Beach establishment CLOSINGS suggestions to help you navigate the menus. for dinner Sunday through Thursday. prides itself on gigantic burgers like Summer is always harsh for restaurants, Here are our three tips for this year’s promo: Other restaurants, though, offer Miami the Lambtastic, which comes with a and the season has already claimed a few First of all, don’t just focus on the Spice every day. The only way to know is lamb patty, brie cheese, apricot com- notable casualties. Much to the dismay of new restaurants. As tempting as it is to by visiting the official site at miamiand- pote, cilantro bacon ranch, and much locals, Laurenzo’s Italian Market has make a reservation at La Placita (6789 beaches.com. Don’t be caught by surprise more. Slider versions are also available closed down after 69 years in business. Biscayne Blvd., 305-400-8173) — cel- — just do your homework. to keep the calorie counts manageable. The family-owned institution was known ebrated chef José Mendin’s Puerto Rican Regardless, finish off with a Hazel Nuts for its extensive wine selections, top- restaurant — or another new hotspot like OPENINGS “Mine Shake,” a rich Nutella and Ferrero notch pasta, and friendly service. Not too downtown’s Novikov (300 S. Biscayne If Miami Spice isn’t your thing, there Rocher concoction. far away, North Miami’s Bagels & Com- Blvd., 305-489-1000), just remember that are plenty of recent openings to keep Further south, downtown Miami has pany quietly shut down after serving the a lot of other people will have the same you busy over the next few months. One welcomed a new lunch joint: Vinaigrette neighborhood for roughly three decades. idea. You’re going to face a lot of compe- of them is Smoothie Express (9440 Sub Shop (159 E. Flagler St., 786-558- tition getting a reservation early on. NE 2nd Ave., 786-534-8696) in Miami 5989). From the operators of the seafood Geoffrey Anderson Jr. and Dianne Ru- While you wait for the hype to die Shores, a healthy fast-casual joint that’s spot Mignonette, this soon-to-be neigh- bin-Anderson are co-founders of Miami down, use this opportunity to visit old more than just its namesake item. Hearty borhood favorite serves up sizeable subs Food Pug, an award-winning South standbys. That restaurant you haven’t wraps, salads, and burgers make up with a variety of meats and toppings. The Florida food blog that fuses the couple’s visited in a while has likely switched up a majority of the menu, and the high- specialty, however? The Italian offerings love of dogs and food. its menu and is worth another look — quality offerings clock in at affordable that come packed with genoa salami, pep- and odds are, it’ll be easy to score a table. prices. It’s perfect for a quick lunch, a peroni, prosciutto, mortadella, Calabrian Send us your tips and alerts: Second, treat yourself. Outside of post-workout snack, or a family outing salami, and…you name it, and they prob- [email protected] occasional specials, this is likely the only — there’s even a kids menu with creative ably have it. Seating is limited, so expect time of year that you can eat at upscale smoothies and child-friendly bites. to take your sub on the road. Feedback: [email protected]

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August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 67 Dining Guide: RESTAURANTS

Restaurant Listings The Biscayne Corridor’s most comprehensive restaurant guide. Total this month: 249

Restaurant listings for the BT Dining Guide are written by eats or drinks are the most impressive. The food is Mediterranean Kitchen, where you have an assort- Geoffrey Anderson Jr. and Dianne Rubin of Miami Food impeccably fresh regional fish, prepared in a clean NEW THIS MONTH ment of tasty options to build the ultimate meal. Pug (MFP), Andrew McLees (AM), Mandy Baca (MB), and Mediterranean-influenced style. The cocktails are genu- Pick your base from delicious greens or grains and the late Pamela Robin Brandt (PRB) (restaurants@bis- inely creative. Luckily you don’t have to choose one or then select your dips, proteins, and toppings to caynetimes.com). Every effort has been made to ensure the other. $$$-$$$$ (PRB) bring everything full circle. Basmati rice, hummus, accuracy, but restaurants frequently change menus, MIAMI spicy baba ganoush, honey nut feta, braised beef, American Social and falafel are just a few of the items you can pick chefs, and operating hours, so please call ahead to con- 690 SW 1st Ct., 305-223-7004 firm information. Icons ($$$) represent estimates for a from. With so many options available, repeat visits The gastropub grows up, offering a huge modern BRICKELL/DOWNTOWN are in order. $-$$ (MFP) typical meal without wine, tax, or tip. Hyphenated icons playground for the social butterfly to enjoy all aspects ($-$$$) indicate a significant range in prices between of life. From indulgent chicken and waffles at brunch Vinaigrette Sub Shop lunch and dinner. to open-faced short rib flatbreads at dinner, dozens of 159 E Flagler St., 786-558-5989 MIAMI SHORES craft beers and a long list of cocktails for happy hour, Bring an appetite to Vinaigrette Sub Shop, a fast- $ = $10 and under flat-screen TVs to watch all the important games, and casual spot from the operators of Mignonette. Unlike Smoothie Express $$ = $20 even an area to dock your boat. Your most difficult its upscale seafood sibling, downtown Miami’s 9440 NE 2nd Ave., 786-534-8696 $$$ = $30 task will be choosing between plush indoor seating Vinaigrette is no frills (unless you ask). Affordable When you need a quick bite, pop into Smoothie $$$$ = $40 and outdoor riverside seating. $$-$$$$ (MB) subs are stuffed to the brim with turkey, roast Express. Despite the name, smoothies are just one beef, and more; a hefty 8-inch sub is under $10. If part of the diverse menu at this Miami Shores estab- $$$$$ = $50 and over Arson you don’t feel like creating your own, opt for the lishment. Its healthy wraps, salads and burgers are 104 NE 2nd Ave., 786-717-6711 eatery’s massive Italian specialties. The namesake perfect for a fast meal or a post-workout pick-me-up; James Beard-nominated chef Deme Lomas is known for Vinaigrette is packed with prosciutto, mortadella, pair them with the eatery’s namesake item, and MIAMI his Spanish tapas restaurant NIU Kitchen in downtown sopressata — and the kitchen sink. $-$$ (MFP) you’ll be good until dinner. For your little ones, there’s Miami, but his latest venture is poised to steal the a kids menu with quesadillas, sliders, and grilled Brickell / Downtown spotlight. Located just a stone’s throw from NIU Kitchen, cheese, plus child-friendly smoothies like oreos and Arson remedies some of that restaurant’s shortcomings MIDTOWN / WYNWOOD / DESIGN DISTRICT cream. Here, everyone leaves happy. $ (MFP) — a tight space and limited menu — to craft a distinct yet ADDiKT familiar experience that will appeal to NIU fans and first- Boia De 485 Brickell Ave., 305-503-0373 timers alike. The Josper charcoal oven makes meats 5205 NE 2nd Ave., 305-967-8866 NORTH MIAMI BEACH So long, 15th and Vine. The now-shuttered W Miami res- like the Patagonian lamb chops and Angus grass-fed The owners of the now-defunct La Pollita food truck taurant has been replaced by a more playful, approachable skirt steak come out perfect; one bite of either will have traded tacos for more upscale fare with Boia De, That’s Mine Craft Burgers and Beer spot: ADDiKT. While the dishes have cheeky names like entice you to order a second round. $$$ (MFP) their intimate Buena Vista concept. New American 14831 Biscayne Blvd., 305-705-2143 “Banh-Who? Banh-Me” (a Vietnamese pork belly sandwich) cuisine with Italian influences graces the menu here, “That’s Mine!” is exactly what you’ll say once you try and “Juan in a Million” (shrimp tacos), this is some serious Balans where guests will find flavorful, shareable plates like something at this creative burger joint. At That’s international cuisine. The view alone is worth the visit — any 901 S. Miami Ave., (Mary Brickell Village), baked clams, ricotta gnocchi, rabbit pappardelle, and Mine, the food is too good to share (although you seat offers a breathtaking look at Brickell. Breakfast, brunch, 305-534-9191 potato skins with caviar and stracciatella. The place is probably should). Burgers like the Pork and Blue — a lunch, and dinner. No matter the meal, the creative menu Open until 4:00 a.m. on weekends, this London import a bit on the pricier side — particularly for the neighbor- blue cheese, bacon creation with agave BBQ sauce will keep you on your toes. $$-$$$ (MFP) (Miami’s second Balans) offers a sleeker setting than hood — but the food and hard-to-find wine selections — are more than enough for one person; get the slid- its perennially popular Lincoln Road progenitor, but justify the premium. $$-$$$$ (MFP) er version to feel satisfied vs. guilt ridden. Or double Alloy Bistro the same simple yet sophisticated global menu. The down and order a Unicorn Fart, too: The strawberry 154 SE 1st Ave., 786-773-2742 indoor space can get mighty loud, but lounging on the Rice Mediterranean Kitchen shake with candied sprinkles and Nerds is more Deep within the bowels of an otherwise unspectacular dog-friendly outdoor terrace, over a rich croque monsieur 2500 Biscayne Blvd., 305-705-6090 than just a nice Instagram photo. $-$$ (MFP) swath of urban sprawl lies a small but wondrous urban (which comes with an alluringly sweet/sour citrus- Feeling creative? Channel that energy at Rice oasis where the food is fresh, creative, and presented with dressed side salad), a lobster club on onion toast, some playful finesse. Chef Federico Genovese’s imaginative surprisingly solid Asian fusion item s, and a cocktail is Mediterranean fusion menu rotates daily, and features one of Miami’s more relaxing experiences. $$-$$$ (PRB) fresh, seasonally driven recipes whose ingredients are salmon benedicts as well as the crêpes are phenom- sourced both locally and overseas. On a recent visit, noth- Bali Café Bonding enal, and no French meal is complete without sampling ing fell short of divine: the 24-hour short rib served over 109 NE 2nd Ave., 305-358-5751 638 S. Miami Ave., 786-409-4794 dessert. For dinner, try the filet mignon de boeuf served aged white cheddar and topped with mashed potatoes While Indonesian food isn’t easy to find in Miami, downtown From trend-spotting restaurateur Bond Trisansi over a creamy peppercorn sauce. Remember to ask was expertly prepared. A show-stopping take on a classic has secret stashes — small joints catering to cruise-ship and (originator of Mr. Yum and 2B Asian Bistro), this about daily specials; it’s easy to overlook the tiny board blueberry tart dessert served with coconut foam garnished construction workers. This cute, exotically decorated café small spot draws a hip crowd with its affordable located in the back of the restaurant. $$ (AM) with powdered green tea was an inspired way to end the has survived and thrived for good reason. The homey cook- menu of redesigned traditional Thai dishes, wildly night. Even the bread was baked to perfection and served ing is delicious, and the friendly family feel encourages even imaginative sushi makis, and unique signature Café at Books & Books with the most fragrant olive oil I’ve ever had the pleasure the timid of palate to try something new. Novices will want Asian fusion small plates. Highlights include 1300 Biscayne Blvd., 305-695-8898 of tasting. If there is an oyster’s pearl to be found in the Indonesia’s signature rijsttafel, a mix-and-match collection tastebud-tickling snapper carpaccio; an elegant Adding unique literary/culinary arts components to the heart of downtown Miami, this is it. $$$ (AM) of small dishes and condiments to be heaped on rice. Note: nest of mee krob (sweet, crisp rice noodles); bless - Arsht Center, this casual indoor/outdoor café, directed by bring cash. No plastic accepted here. $-$$ (PRB) edly non-citrus-drenched tuna tataki, drizzled with Chef Allen Susser (arguably Miami’s earliest and most dedi- All Day spicy-sweet Juneo and wasabi cream sauce; greed- cated local-ingredients booster), serves fresh and fun farm- 1035 N. Miami Ave., 305-699-3447 Bengal Indian Cuisine inducing “bags of gold,” deep-fried wonton beg - to-table fare all day, everyday — unlike the Arsht’s upscale Here is a stroke of inspired insanity: an artisanal cof- 109 NE 1st St., 305-403-1976 gar’s purses with a shrimp/pork/mushroom/water Brava!, open only for pre-performance dinners. Especially fee shop and all-day breakfast bistro at the edge of To say that there’s a lack of Indian restaurants in South chestnut filling and tamarind sauce. $$ (PRB) delightful vegetarian/vegan dishes range from snacks like downtown Miami’s clubland corridor. Fans of breakfast Florida would be an understatement. Thankfully, Bengal cornmeal-battered “urban pickles” with dill tsatziki to a hefty have plenty to fawn over, including a delicious baked egg Indian Cuisine in downtown Miami helps bolster the Boulud Sud curried cauliflower steak. Major breakfast pluses include and leek skillet served with a side of toasted baguette, county’s slim offerings with tasty classics like chicken 255 Biscayne Blvd. Way, 305-421-8800 heritage pork hash, eggs with Miami Smokers bacon, and and a curiously exotic poached egg and congee bowl. tikka masala, pakora (lentil-based vegetable fritters), and Those mourning the loss of db Bistro Moderne in downtown free parking till 10:00 a.m. (in Lot C). $-$$$ (PRB) Sandwiches and salads are also available. The space is naan bread. Although they warrant their prices, the à la Miami now have reason to smile. Renowned chef Daniel bright and accented with beautiful natural woods, and carte offerings for dinner can quickly put a dent in your Boulud hasn’t given up on South Florida. He’s brought down Cantina La Veinte sports some seriously hip flourishes including a neon dining budget. Instead, take advantage of the generous his popular Mediterranean concept Boulud Sud to fill the 495 Brickell Ave., 786-623-6135 drink menu illuminating the coffee station. Single-origin lunch buffet that won’t break the bank. $-$$ (MFP) space. Items like lamb flatbread, grilled octopus, and Baharat In a spectacularly stylized indoor/outdoor waterfront coffee is a specialty here and the baristas prepare it with chicken have replaced the French-focused fare of Sud’s pre- setting, this first U.S. venture from Mexico’s Cinbersol effortless finesse. For the weekend warriors, after the all- Big Easy decessor. Although much of the restaurant has changed, one Group serves upscale modern Mexican fare with night EDM bender, thankfully there is All Day. $$ (AM) 701 S. Miami Ave., 786-866-9854 thing hasn’t: It’s still home to one of the best happy hours in international influences transcending Tex-Mex. No If you visit Big Easy with expectations of po’boys, muffu- the city. $$-$$$ (MFP) ground-beef tacos here. Rather, fillings range from Area 31 lettas, and beignets, you’re going to be very disappointed. cochinita pibil (pork in achiote/orange sauce) to grilled 270 Biscayne Boulevard Way, 305-424-5234 The restaurant has nothing to do with New Orleans — it’s Café Bastille bone marrow — even escamoles: butter-sautéed ant Not that the sleek interior of this seafood restaurant actually the nickname for South African golf pro Ernie Els, 248 SE 1st St., 786-425-3575 eggs. For the less adventurous, fried calamari with (named for fishing area 31, stretching from the one of the restaurant’s partners. Here’s what you can Anyone looking for brunch, a quick lunch or dinner a Jamaican-inspired hibiscus reduction or dobladitas Carolinas to South America) isn’t a glamorous dining expect: delectable South African cuisine incorporating a would be remiss to snub Café Bastille, a quaint bistro de jaibas suave, delectibly crunchy softshell crabs setting. But we’d eat outside. From the expansive ter- wealth of flavors and spices. Start with the Boerie Bites that practically vanishes against downtown Miami’s wrapped in flour tortillas with creamy/kicky jalapeño race of the Epic condo and hotel on the Miami River, — they look like mini-hot dogs but elevated — then work dreary cityscape. Once inside, however, this modern sauce, are irresistible. Bonus: A specialty market/ the views of Brickell’s high-rises actually make Miami your way to the bison ribeye and the toasted couscous French eatery oozes charm and boasts seriously deli with imported packaged goods, cheeses, pastries, look like a real city. It’s hard to decide whether the risotto, which can double as a meal. $$-$$$$ (MFP) hearty portions, especially during brunch. The ham and more. $$$ (PRB)

68 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Portobello mushroom sauce, or shrimp-topped eggplant Casa Tua Cucina timbales. The best seats are on the glam rooftop patio. 70 SW 7th St., 305-755-0320 $$$ (PRB) Casa Tua, the Miami Beach institution, has made its way to the mainland. Unlike the South Beach location, Edge, Steak & Bar this outpost of Casa Tua isn’t an Italian restaurant — it’s 1435 Brickell Ave., 305-358-3535 an Italian food hall. Located inside Saks Fifth Avenue Replacing the Four Seasons’ formal fine dining spot at Brickell City Centre, the first-floor concept is made Acqua, Edge offers a more kick-back casual welcoming up of various dedicated stations. Those craving pasta vibe. And in its fare there’s a particularly warm welcome can choose from several delicious white- and red-sauce for non-carnivores. Chef-driven seafood items (several dishes, while guests in the mood for pizza have no inventive and unusually subtle ceviches and tartares; shortage of selections. Portions are big, so come hungry. a layered construction of corvina encrusted in a jewel- $$-$$$ (MFP) bright green pesto crust, atop red piquillo sauce stripes and salad; lobster corn soup packed with sweet lobster Cipriani meat; more) and a farm-to-table produce emphasis 465 Brickell Ave., 786-329-4090 make this one steakhouse where those who don’t eat Derived, like all Cipriani family restaurants worldwide, beef have no beef. $$$$-$$$$$ (PRB) from legendary Harry’s Bar in Venice (a favorite of Truman Capote, Hemingway, and other famous folks The Egg Spot since 1931), this glamorous indoor/outdoor riverfront 228 SE 1st St., 786-803-8329 location in Icon has two absolutely must-not-miss The team behind Butcher Shop in Wynwood is now try- menu items, both invented at Harry’s and reproduced ing their hand at breakfast. Located in downtown Miami, here to perfection: beef carpaccio (drizzled artfully the Egg Spot’s claim to fame is its eggy morning fare. with streaks of creamy-rich mustard vinaigrette, not Guests will find hearty bites like the Son of a Butcher, mere olive oil) and the Bellini (a cocktail of pro- a filling smoked brisket and egg sandwich, and the secco, not champagne, and fresh white peach juice). Bridge & Tunnel, a tasty Taylor ham and croissant cre- Venetian-style liver and onions could convert even ation. Dieters have nothing to fear, as there are many liver-loathers. Finish with elegant vanilla meringue lighter — and more lunch-appropriate — selections like cake. $$$$$ (PRB) salads and “power bowls” available. $ (MFP) Clove Mediterranean Kitchen Fratelli Milano 195 SE 3rd Ave., 786-717-6788 213 SE 1st St., 305-373-2300 Clove Mediterranean Kitchen whips up affordable Downtown isn’t yet a 24/7 urban center, but it’s experi- and healthy fare for the businessperson on the go. encing a mini explosion of eateries open at night. That Streamlined counter service offers a selection of basic includes this family-owned ristorante, where even new- building blocks: a base (pita, bowl, or salad), a dip or comers feel at home. At lunch it’s almost impossible to spread, proteins and veggies, and toppings and dressings, resist panini, served on foccacia or crunchy ciabatta; including smoked paprika mustard, honey and orange even the vegetarian version bursts with complex and tahini, and creamy feta. Although the cuisine tends toward complementary flavors. During weekday dinners, try the light side of Mediterranean cooking, portion sizes are generous plates of risotto with shrimp and grilled aspar- undeniably hearty, making Clove a serious value. With its agus; homemade pastas like seafood-packed fettuccine hip, clean, fast-casual appeal and above average cuisine, al scoglio; or delicate Vitello alla Milanese on arugula. this is a welcome addition to the bustling downtown neigh- $$-$$$ (PRB) borhood, where people are hungry for exciting alternatives to the brown bag lunch and leftovers. $-$$ (AM) Garcia’s Seafood Grille and Fish Market 398 NW N. River Dr., 305-375-0765 Crazy About You Run by a fishing family for a couple of generations, this 1155 Brickell Bay Dr. #101, 305-377-4442 venerable Florida fish shack is the real thing. No worries The owners, and budget-friendly formula, are the same about the seafood’s freshness; on their way to the dining here as at older Dolores, But You Can Call Me Lolita: deck overlooking the Miami River, diners can view the Buy an entrée (all under $20) from a sizable list of retail fish market. Best preparations are the simplest. Mediterranean, Latin, American, or Asian-influenced choic- When stone crabs are in season, Garcia’s claws are as es (like Thai-marinated churrasco with crispy shoestring good as Joe’s but considerably cheaper. The local fish fries) and get an appetizer for free, including substantial sandwich is most popular – grouper, yellowtail snapper, stuff like a Chihuahua cheese casserole with chorizo and or mahi mahi. $-$$ (PRB) pesto. The difference: This place, housed in the former location of short-lived La Broche, has an even more Hokasan upscale ambiance than Dolores — including a million-dollar 21 SW 11th St. Chinese restaurants are few and far between in Brickell. water view. $$$ (PRB) Enter Hokasan, a low-key dim sum spot where dumpling lovers have plenty of reasons to rejoice. This Brickell Crust locale specializes in the doughy bundles of joy, which 668 NW 5th St., 305-371-7065 comprise most of the menu. You know the drill: Fill out Chef-restaurateur Klime Kovaceski is back, and we are oh the form with your picks — make sure to throw in some so glad. Not only does his pizza-focused restaurant fill a classic pork and cabbage dumplings — and prepare for some flavorful fare. Chilled tapas like yuzu miso mush- hole in the neighborhood, it offers a cozy space that feels rooms and okra will help round out your appetite. $-$$ more like someone’s rustic home. A lot of thought went (MFP) into their crusts, and it shows — sturdy enough to hold less traditional ingredients like perfectly cooked octopus and steak, and still doughy on the inside. The medium at Il Gabbiano 14 inches and 6 slices is large enough for two, and there 335 S. Biscayne Blvd., 305-373-0063 will still be leftovers. Delivery available. $$ (MB) Its location at the mouth of the Miami River makes this ultra-upscale Italian spot (especially the outdoor CVI.CHE 105 terrace) the perfect power lunch/business dinner alter- 105 NE 3rd Ave., 305-577-3454 native to steakhouses. And the culinary experience Fusion food — a modern invention? Not in Peru, where goes way beyond the typical meat market, thanks native and Euro-Asian influences have mixed for more in part to the flood of freebies that’s a trademark of than a century. But chef Juan Chipoco gives the cevich- Manhattan’s Il Mulino, originally run by Il Gabbiano’s es and tiraditos served at this hot spot his own unique owners. The rest of the food? Pricy, but portions are spin. Specialties include flash-marinated raw seafood mammoth. And the champagne-cream-sauced house- creations, such as tiradito a la crema de rocoto (sliced made ravioli with black truffles? Worth every penny. fish in citrus-spiked chili/cream sauce). But traditional $$$$$ (PRB) fusion dishes like Chinese-Peruvian Chaufa fried rice (packed with jumbo shrimp, mussels, and calamari) are Jaguar Sun also fun, as well as surprisingly affordable. $$ (PRB) 230 NE 4th St., 786-860-2422 Jaguar Sun might seem like a standard lobby bar. It’s DIRT not. This is a menu that both welcomes and challenges 900 S. Miami Ave. #125, 786-235-8033 guests. Pastas like bucatini and rigatoni make up most DIRT, South Beach’s popular clean-eating concept, has of the large plates here, with smaller plates like ’nduja brought its talents to Mary Brickell Village. The restau- toast and Parker house rolls rounding out the satisfying rant’s third location features an extensive menu that has food offerings. On the cocktail side, Jaguar Sun juxta- Brickell diners covered from morning to evening. Breakfast poses familiar spirits with out-of-the-box selections that is served all day here, so if you want a frittata tostada or will keep you coming back to not only imbibe but also matcha pancakes at 3:00 p.m., DIRT can make it happen. learn. $-$$ (MFP) Tasty toasts — including the ever-present avocado variety — and sandwiches abound, but it’s the seasonal platters that Katsuya will keep you coming back. $$ (MFP) 8 SE 8th St., 305-859-0200 Fans of Miami Beach’s Katsuya no longer have to Dolores, But You Can Call Me Lolita cross the bridge to get their sushi fix. Located at the 1000 S. Miami Ave., 305-403-3103 SLS Lux in Brickell, this latest branch of the popular From the stylish setting in Miami’s historic Firehouse No. Asian restaurant features many of its sister loca- 4, one would expect a mighty pricy meal. But entrées, tion’s favorites, along with new soon-to-be favorites which range from Nuevo Latino-style ginger/orange- like A5 fried rice with wagyu beef and tea-smoked glazed pork tenderloin to a platter of Kobe mini-burgers, duck confit leeks. Although the design of this Brickell all cost either $18 or $23. And the price includes beauty may be minimalist, the food is not — it speaks an appetizer — no low-rent crapola, either, but treats volumes, and you’ll want definitely want to listen. like Serrano ham croquetas, a spinach/leek tart with $$$-$$$$ (MFP)

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 69 Dining Guide: RESTAURANTS

Komodo Throughout the evening (and well into the night), Lost Boy’s intensely porky tonkotsu broth (made from marrow the rainbow naruto roll and duck salad are must-tries 801 Brickell Ave., 305-534-2211 welcoming staff pours gin and tonics, junglebirds, and bones simmered all day); meats like pork belly and — especially the latter, with its deliciously crispy skin. Accommodating a whopping 300 seats, this contempo- other classic libations at affordable neighborhood prices. oxtail; and authentic toppings including marinated $$-$$$ (MFP) rary three-floor behemoth blurs the line between restau- Complementing these drinks is an extensive bar bites soft-cooked eggs, pickled greens, more. Other pluses: rant and lounge. An indoor/outdoor layout festooned menu featuring cheese boards, German pretzels, and hefty It’s open 24/7, and the ramen ranks with the USA’s Obra Kitchen Table with floating bird-nest pods creates a treehouse ambi- sandwiches paired with delicious Zapp’s potato chips. For a best. Minuses: It’s cash only, and the ramen might be 1331 Brickell Bay Dr., 305-846-9363 ance enhanced only by Southeast Asian fusion of tuna quieter time, come for lunch. $-$$ (MFP) the USA’s most expensive. $$$ (PRB) Latin restaurants are a dime a dozen, but few chal- porterhouse, lobster onion rings, skewers of miso black lenge your palate like Obra Kitchen Table. At this cod, and wasabi shrimp. $$$$$ (MB) Luke’s Lobster My Ceviche Brickell hotspot inside the Jade, chef Carlos Garcia Brickell City Centre, 701 S. Miami Ave., #353, 1250 S. Miami Ave., 305-960-7825 and his team craft an assortment of Venezuelan La Centrale 786-837-7683 When three-time James Beard “Rising Star Chef” nom- delights that also incorporate global influences. The 601 S. Miami Ave. Lobster rolls are tiny, sometimes overpriced slices of inee Sam Gorenstein opened the original My Ceviche result: unique bites like grouper confit with fried arepa, There’s no such thing as too much Italian food at La luxury, especially when portions run about as small as in SoBe, in 2012, it garnered national media attention yuca and bacon millefeuille, and octopus bucatini Centrale, the three-floor Brickell City Centre dining your average New York City apartment. This is not the despite being a tiny take-away joint. Arguably, our carbonara unlike anything you’ve tasted. Sit at the hall. Each floor houses a variety of themed concepts: case at Luke’s Lobster, the venerable New England newer indoor/outdoor Brickell location is better. Same 25-seat bar for a more intimate dining experience, Meat and seafood lovers should head to the second fast-casual chain championing traceable, sustainable menu, featuring local fish prepared onsite, and superb where you’ll see these creations come to life. $$-$$$ floor, where Pesce and Carne, respectively, will hit the seafood. Luke’s understands the key to its destination sauces including a kicky roasted jalapeño/lime Juneo), (MFP) spot, while pizza fans can find satiety at Pizza e Pasta status involves copious amounts of fresh lobster (1/4 but this time with seats! What to eat? Ceviches, natch. on the first floor. In a hurry? Head to the Mercato for pound, to be exact) as well as a healthy dose of disarm- But grilled or raw fish/seafood tacos and burritos, in Pairings by Tomás Cuadrado grab-and-go bites or to do a little ingredient shopping ing simplicity. True to its simple charm, Luke’s Lobster fresh tortillas, might be even more tempting. Pristine 900 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 105, 786-475-1811 for a hearty meal at home. $-$$$$ (MFP) is about as cheap and cheerful as seafood gets. All of stone-crab claws from co-owner Roger Duarte’s We’re usually hesitant to recommend a restaurant with the rolls — lobster, crab, and shrimp — are delicious, George Stone Crab add to the choices. $$ (PRB) a chef’s name in it — we think the food should do the La Estación American Brasserie but it’s the signature buttery lobster roll with its split talking. But Pairings by Tomás Cuadrado is the real 600 NW 1st Ave., 786-490-2949 top bun and mysterious seasoning that is an absolute N by Naoe deal. Given the chef’s Spanish background, the menu The flagship restaurant of the Virgin Trains/Brightline must-try for the uninitiated. Considering its limited seat- 661 Brickell Key Dr., 305-947-6263 unsurprisingly features an array of tapas like shrimp station is a beast, both in size and in quality. The spa- ing, it’s safe to say this playfully rustic yet diminutive Like local secret-star chef Kevin Cory’s dinner-only croquettes, baby octopus, and fried quail eggs. These cious downtown restaurant is located in a transporta- eatery gets hit hard during peak lunch rush at Brickell Naoe, newer lunch-only N by Naoe shares a reserva- flavorful selections are accompanied by an extensive tion hub, so the cuisine has to cater to a variety of City Centre. $$ (AM) tions-only, omakase-only (chef’s choice) policy— and list of satisfying mains like roasted Spanish rabbit and tastes, and it does so successfully. Seafood is a large actually shares the same door. Turn left for Naoe, right baked red snapper that are sure to turn you into a part of the menu, which features highlights like Maine Lutong Pinoy Filipino Cuisine for N. Main differences: N has one elegant communal regular. $$$ (MFP) lobster sliders and seafood pasta. Another standout is 195 SE 3rd Ave., 786-717-6788 table, perfect for impressive power lunches (vs. Naoe’s the steak frites. These items may sound tame on paper, For the adventurous epicurean of Asian persua- intimate individual seating), and prix fixe lunches are Pega Grill but you’ll quickly see that they aren’t. $-$$ (MFP) sion, Lutong Pinoy offers a deep dive into authentic $80 vs. $200 for dinner. Admittedly, lunch is abbrevi- 15 E. Flagler St., 305-808-6666 Filipino cuisine, an otherwise unmapped territory ated: soup and multi-course bento box plus one des- From Thanasios Barlos, a Greek native who formerly La Loggia Ristorante and Lounge to a great majority of South Florida’s bon vivants. sert, without the dozen or so sushi dishes. But bentos owned North Beach’s Ariston, this small spot is more 68 W. Flagler St., 305-373-4800 Influenced by Malay-Indonesian, Indian, Japanese, are much bigger (seven compartments vs. four), and casually contemporary and less ethnic-kitschy in ambi- This luxuriantly neo-classical yet warm Italian restaurant Chinese, Spanish, and American cuisines, Lutong equally unique. Think of N as a relatively bargain-priced ance, but serves equally authentic, full-flavored Greek was unquestionably a pioneer in revitalizing downtown. Pinoy crafts plates showcasing ingredients indig- introduction to Naoe, or as a revelatory dining experi- food. Mixed lamb/beef gyros (chicken is also an option), With alternatives like amaretto-tinged pumpkin agnolloti in enous to the Philippines, and offers an extensive ence on its own. $$$$$ (PRB) topped with tangy yogurt sauce and wrapped, with sage butter sauce and cilantro-spiced white bean/vegetable menu touching upon a full spectrum of exotic flavors. greens and tomatoes, in fat warm pita bread, are special- salad dressed with truffle oil, proprietors Jennifer Porciello Some of the highlights at this diminutive hole-in- Naoe ties. But even more irresistible is the taramasalata (par- and Horatio Oliveira continue to draw a lunch crowd that the-wall include the boneless lechón belly (roasted 661 Brickell Key Dr., 305-947-6263 ticularly velvety and light carp roe dip), available alone or returns for dinner, or perhaps just stays on through the pig), kare-kare kawali (Asian vegetables cooked in Chances are you’ve never had anything like the $200 on an olive/pita-garnished mixed meze platter. $$ (PRB) afternoon, fueled by the Lawyer’s Liquid Lunch, a vodka peanut sauce), and the Sinigang na Hipon (shrimp prix-fixe Japanese dinner at Kevin Cory’s tiny but martini spiked with sweetened espresso. $$$ (PRB) in sour broth). For many, however, the main event internationally acclaimed oasis, but trust us: It’s one Pez is the halo-halo, a popular Filipino dessert made of those rare, exhilarating, instantly revelatory Eureka! 20 W. Flagler St., 305-570-3440 La Mar by Gastón Acurio with shaved ice and evaporated milk, topped with dining adventures that’ll keep you thinking about it “Baja-Med” cuisine has found a home in downtown 500 Brickell Key Dr., 305-913-8358 a mélange of ingredients, including sweet red and for years. The reservations-only, omakase-only (chef’s Miami. At Pez, customers will find a delightful fusion It’s said that Peruvian cuisine is Latin America’s most white beans, bananas, coconut, sweet potato, coco choice) meals begin with a subtly inventive seasonal of Mexican and Mediterranean flavors. The menu varied and sophisticated. Reserve a patio table at this jellies, leche flan, and milk. The boodle fight plat- soup true to both Japanese tastes and local terroir (like skews toward seafood: wahoo, sea urchin, octopus, indoor/outdoor Mandarin Oriental eatery to experience ter is piled high with an assortment of meat, rice, miso/fresh Homestead corn) and a four-course bento and corvina are among the many proteins found Miami’s best for yourself — along with some of the and vegetables on a bed of banana leaves. First box of the chef’s creations, proceed to about a dozen throughout the restaurant’s extensive offerings. Don’t city’s best bayfront vistas. The specialty is seafood, and conceived in the mess halls of the Filipino military, sushi dishes eons above others in Miami, and end with let intimidating names like tlayuda and tuetano scare the beautifully balanced recipes of Acurio (called Peru’s the boodle fight platter encourages eating with your three desserts. Always changing, always astonishing. you, as curious diners will be rewarded with satisfying food ambassador to the world), executed flawlessly by hands. When checking in, remember to keep your $$$$$ (PRB) bites. Just make sure to order the Tijuanero taco; the onsite executive chef Diego Oka, especially elevate cevi- mind and stomach wide open. $-$$ (AM) mix of grilled octopus, carne asada, and shrimp is ches, similar but more delicate tiraditos, uniquely lively NIU Kitchen divine. $-$$$ (MFP) “Nikkei” (Peruvian-Japanese fusion) sushi creations, and Marion 134 NE 2nd Ave., 786-542-5070 elegant whipped potato/fresh seafood causas, to world- 1111 SW 1st Ave., 786-717-7512 This contemporary Catalan eatery is located, accord- Pieducks class fine-dining level. $$$$-$$$$$ (PRB) Third time’s the charm for this behemoth space that ing to its three playful proprietors, “somewhere 1451 S. Miami Ave., 305-808-7888 works best when broken up into different offerings. In between Dali’s moustache and Gaudi’s Sagrada If you can overlook a name as unenlightening as La Sandwicherie this case, this rose-colored Mediterranean palace by the Familia.” Actually, it’s in the heart of downtown, but most in-jokes (it evidently refers to a favorite charac- 34 SW 8th St., 305-374-9852 guys behind Bâoli Miami is a café, restaurant, bakery, the description does reflect the Barcelona-born chef’s ter of owner Claudio Nunes’s kids — we assume the This second location of the open-air diner that is South and oyster bar all at once. Save space for French clas- weirdly wonderful yet seriously skilled twists on tapas. Pokemon Psyduck), you’ll experience pretty perfect Beach’s favorite après-club eatery (since 1988) closes sics like whole rotisserie organic chicken (large enough Instead of Catalonia’s rustic, bread-thickened tomato pizza. Sadly, not all brick ovens turn out perfectly earlier (midnight Sunday-Thursday, 5:00 a.m. Friday and for two) and whole fish baked in Normandy sea salt soup, there’s a refined cold tomato broth poured over char-blistered crusts, crisp outside and airy/chewy Saturday), but the smoothies, salads, and superb Parisian and filleted tableside. Other (smaller) standouts include a mustard ice cream-topped crouton. Mato, a simple inside, but that’s what you’ll consistently find here and sandwiches are the same: ultra-crusty baguette stuffed piquillo peppers, tuna belly ribbons, and of course, des- cheese and honey dessert, translates as custardy a newer take-out/delivery-only Midtown branch. And with evocative charcuterie and cheeses (saucisson sec, sert. $$$$$ (MB) fresh cheese atop eggplant “jam,” with candied hazel- unlike many artisan pizzerias, Pieducks doesn’t get country pâté, camembert, etc.) and choice of salad veg- nuts. $$$ (PRB) cheesy with cheese quantity (though we like that extra gies plus salty/tart cornichons and Sandwicherie’s incom- Meraki Greek Bistro cheese is an option). Elaborate salads complete the parable Dijon mustard vinaigrette. Additionally the larger 142 SE 1st Ave., 786-773-1535 North Italia menu. $$ (PRB) branch has an interior, with a kitchen enabling hot foods Tucked away in an unassuming and quaint nook of 900 S. Miami Ave, #111, 786-475-9100 (quiches and croques), plus A/C. $-$$ (PRB) downtown Miami, Meraki Greek Bistro is a pleasant sur- The former Oceanaire location at Mary Brickell Village has Pilo’s Street Tacos prise for anyone hunting for an urban hideaway. With been taken over by North Italia, replacing seafood with 28 SW 11th St., 305-800-8226 La Petite Maison a pride that is palpable, this bright little bistro boasts modern Italian cuisine. You’ll find all the usual suspects here, Three words describe Pilo’s Street Tacos in Brickell: 1300 Brickell Bay Dr., 305-403-9133 friendly service and delicious Mediterranean medium such as pizzas and pastas alongside classics like chicken good, fast, and filling. The area already has its fair On any given night, you’re sure to find a lively crowd to large plates. Sample Mediterranean fare à la carte parmesan. The first thing you’ll notice, though, is the size of share of taco shops, and Pilo’s is among the pricier at La Petite Maison. The internationally acclaimed from Meraki’s souvlaki (skewer) bar, or share a poikilies the venue; the restaurant can seat over 300 people. The offerings, but that’s because of the quality — and French and Mediterranean restaurant has unsurpris- (family meal). Specials are also served daily, further space makes quite the first impression — and so do the quantity. These tacos are filled to the brim with pro- ingly garnered a loyal following since its opening. Don’t expounding upon all of the wonderfully slow-cooked strozzapreti and burrata tortelloni. Don’t forget to order the teins like “drunken shrimp,” brisket strips, and crispy expect out-of-the-box creations here: La Petite Maison options on the menu. Meraki Greek Bistro offers every- tiramisu. $-$$$ (MFP) chorizo. Don’t miss out on the salsas: There are ten focuses on getting the classics right. Items like the tuna thing you’d hope for in casual dining at a reasonable different ones from which to choose, and they range carpaccio, grilled veal chop, roasted baby chicken, and price. When it comes to Greek, the proof is in baklava Novecento from sweet to spicy to “Somebody call a fire truck.” rack of lamb may sound simple on paper, but once they — and these guys nail it. $-$$ (AM) 1414 Brickell Ave., 305-403-0900 $-$$ (MFP) hit your palate, you’ll realize what all the fuss is about. For those who think “Argentine cuisine” is a synonym $$$-$$$$ (MFP) Mirabelle for “beef and more beef,” this popular eatery’s wide Quinto La Huella 114 SE 1st St., 786-440-6561 range of more cosmopolitan contemporary Argentine 788 Brickell Plaza, 786-805-4646 Latin Café 2000 Plane tickets to France can get expensive. If you’re fare will be a revelation. Classic parrilla-grilled steaks Uruguayan beef is in a class of its own, but it requires 1053 Brickell Plaza, 305-646-1400 on a budget, get whisked away to Europe at Mirabelle. are here for traditionalists, but the menu is dominated serious skill and the right tools to prepare it the way In a sea of upscale restaurants, Latin Café 2000 is a The downtown Miami French eatery features sweet by creative Nuevo Latino items like a new-style cevi- Uruguayan parrilleros do. Located within the hulking breath of fresh air in Brickell. The Cuban café stands and savory staples like chocolate mousse, almond che de chernia (lightly lime-marinated grouper with steeled Brickell City Centre, Quinto La Huella brings out for all the right reasons: low prices, big plates, and croissants, croque monsieur, and more. It’s a place jalapeños, basil, and the refreshing sweet counter- a dark, moody ambiance and the prestige of one of familiar fare. Steak sandwiches, fried pork chunks, and that works for a quick workday lunch or a nice, roman- point of watermelon), or crab ravioli with creamy saf- South America’s best restaurants, Parador La Huella, other Cuban classics are all available here along with a tic dinner. Feeling extra fancy? Splurge on a wine and fron sauce. Especially notable are the entrée salads. to the complex. The centerpiece of this rustic eatery is full bar. Unlike its other locations with old-timey decor, chocolate tasting at the bar, where you’ll find a wide $$-$$$ (PRB) an authentic wood fire parrilla, an essential component this Brickell outpost is full of modern flourishes that range of ports, dessert wines, and other grapes. $-$$ to grilling meat like a true gaucho. It should come as make the place pop. One thing hasn’t changed, though: (MFP) Novikov no surprise then that the beef — ordered medium rare, the sight-for-sore-eyes ventanita serving Cuban coffee. 300 S. Biscayne Blvd., 305-489-1000 of course — is the main attraction here. Other options $-$$ (MFP) Momi Ramen When we first heard of Novikov, we thought the upscale represent typical steakhouse fare, with some standout 5 SW 11th St., 786-391-2392 downtown Miami restaurant was all about Russian food. wood-fired seafood entrées and pastas that deserve a Lost Boy Dry Goods Banish all thoughts of packaged instant “ramen.” We were wrong. Although the restaurant gets its name try. Snag a seat outdoors during the more temperate 157 E. Flagler St., 305-372-7303 Perfectionist chef/owner Jeffrey Chen (who cooked from Russian restaurateur Arkadiy Novikov, the menu is Miami months; otherwise, opt to sit near the heart of After 6:00 p.m., downtown Miami tends to be a ghost for more than a decade in Japan), changes his mostly composed of Chinese and Japanese favorites. Everything the controls: the parrilla. Bring a liberal side of patience town. That’s not the case at Lost Boy Dry Goods, a former- ramen-only menu often, but constants are irresistibly is shareable, and most patrons should find satiety with with you while dining room service sorts itself out. $$$$ clothing-store-turned-bar that offers a generous happy hour. chewy handmade noodles; soups based on creamy, two to three dishes each. If you only order two dishes, (AM)

70 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Dining Guide: RESTAURANTS

Raja’s Indian Cuisine Station 28 33 NE 2nd Ave., 305-539-9551 91 SE 2nd St., 305-905-0328 Despite its small size and décor best described as A little paradise in the heart of downtown Miami, com- “none,” this place is an institution thanks to south plete with hidden patio, lush greenery, long communal Indian specialties rarely found in Miami’s basically tables, tropical juices like papaya and lucuma, and north Indian restaurants. The steam-tabled curries are extra large Peruvian sandwiches and burgers. This fine (and nicely priced), but be sure to try the custom- oasis offers a more casual taste of the cuisine, the made dosai (lacy rice crepes with a variety of savory comfort foods that will remind you of home, no matter fillings) and uttapam, thicker pancakes, layered with where you come from. Their $10 daily special includes onions and chilis, both served with sambar and chut- your choice of a sandwich or burger with fries, salad or ney. $$ (PRB) soup, and dessert. Delivery available. $ (MB) Raw Juce Tacology 901 S. Miami Ave., 305-677-3160 701 S. Miami Ave., 786-347-5368 Brickell’s Raw Juce is making healthy living easy with Tacology, the latest concept from Cantina La Veinte’s execu- a colorful array of cold-pressed “juce.” Fruit-forward tive chef Santiago Gomez, is a more approachable and and vegetable-forward creations not only refresh but affordable ode to Mexican food. Unlike its dimly lit upscale also give customers a quick vitamin boost. Despite sibling, Tacology embraces a bright color palette and vibrant the name, Raw Juce isn’t just about juices: acai bowls, décor that is undeniably enticing — a description that also oatmeal parfaits, and salads are available to get applies to the cuisine. As the name suggests, delicious patrons ready for their workout or help them recover tacos abound on the menu, but they shouldn’t be the only from a grueling one. For those of you in need of a items you order: The Mexican nachos and crispy pork skin serious detox, Raw Juce’s cleanse packages have you are other standout dishes that should be on every diner’s covered. $-$$ (MFP) mind at this Brickell City Centre restaurant. $$-$$$ (MFP) The River Oyster Bar Toro Toro 650 S. Miami Ave., 305-530-1915 100 Chopin Plaza, 305-372-4710 This casually cool jewel is a full-service seafood spot, Back before Miami’s business district had any “there” as evidenced by tempting menu selections like soft- there, the InterContinental’s original restaurant was an shell crabs with grilled vegetables, corn relish, and executive lunch/dinner destination mainly by default. remoulade. There are even a few dishes to please This replacement, from restaurant empire-builder meat-and-potatoes diners, like short ribs with macaroni Richard Sandoval, brings downtown power dining into and cheese. But oyster fans will find it difficult to resist this decade. As the name suggests, you can go bullish stuffing themselves silly on the unusually large selection, with steakhouse fare, including an abbreviated (in vari- especially since oysters are served both raw and cooked ety, not quantity) “rodizio experience.” But the place’s – fire-roasted with sofrito butter, chorizo, and manchego. strongest suit is its pan-Latin small plates — upscaled There’s also a thoughtful wine list and numerous artisan refinements of classic favorites: crisp corn arepas with beers on tap. $$$ (PRB) short rib, guacamole, and crema fresca; fluffier cachapas pancakes with tomato jam; more. $$$-$$$$$ (PRB) Seaspice Brasserie & Lounge 422 NW N. River Dr., 305-440-4200 Toscana Divino Unlike older Miami River market/restaurants like 900 S. Miami Ave., 305-571-2767 Garcia’s, run by fishing families, this stylishly retro/ When an upscale restaurant remains perennially modern-industrial converted warehouse (once Howard packed during a recession, you figure they’re offering Hughes’s plane hangar) has an owner who ran South something way beyond the usual generic Italian fare. Beach’s hottest 1990s nightspots, so expect celebrity While familiar favorites (Caprese salad, etc.) are avail- sightings with your seafood. What’s unexpected: a bless- able, the changing menu is highlighted by harder-to- edly untrendy menu, with simply but skillfully prepared find Tuscan specialties, albeit luxe versions: pappa al wood-oven-cooked fish and clay-pot, shellfish casseroles. pomodoro, tomato/bread peasant soup elevated by an Standouts include luxuriant lobster thermador, as rich as organic poached egg and finocchiona (a regional fennel it is pricey. $$$-$$$$$ (PRB) salami); an authentic-tasting “fiorentina” porterhouse, with smoked potato purée plus more traditional veg- Sokai Sushi Bar gies. A budget-conscious boon: changing three-course 350 S. Miami Ave., Unit #CU-B, 786-667-3061 lunches and early-bird dinners. $$$-$$$$$ (PRB) When it comes to Peruvian-Japanese fusion, Sokai Sushi Bar pulls out all the stops. This Brickell outpost is the Truluck’s Seafood, Steak, and Crabhouse brand’s fourth location, and it features many of the same 777 Brickell Ave., 305-579-0035 delicious bites that fans have come to know and love. That Compared to other restaurants with such an upscale includes delightful pork belly buns, tuna pizza (it tastes power-lunch/dinner setting, most prices are quite better than it sounds), and a bevy of signature sushi. Don’t affordable here, especially if you stick to the Miami sleep on the Asia roll: The salmon, cream cheese, and truf- Spice-priced date-dinner menu, or happy hour, when fle oil creation is packed to the brim with flavor. $-$$ (MFP) seafood items like crab-cake “sliders” are half price. Most impressive, though, are seasonal stone crabs Soya & Pomodoro (from Truluck’s own fisheries, and way less expensive 120 NE 1st St., 305-381-9511 than Joe’s) and other seafood that, during several vis- Life is complicated. Food should be simple. That’s its, never tasted less than impeccably fresh, plus that owner Armando Alfano’s philosophy, which is stated greatest of Miami restaurant rarities: informed and gra- above the entry to his atmospheric downtown eatery. cious service. $$$-$$$$ (PRB) And since it’s also the formula for the truest traditional Italian food (Alfano hails from Pompeii), it’s fitting that Whole Foods Market the menu is dominated by authentically straightforward 299 SE 3rd Ave., 305-995-0600 yet sophisticated Italian entrées. There are salads and From the minute you walk through its doors or pull into a sandwiches, too. The most enjoyable place to dine is spot in the underground garage, you’ll notice this Whole the secret, open-air courtyard. Alfano serves dinner on Foods is a bit different. Not only have local artists outfit- Thursdays only to accompany local musicians and art- ted its walls in graffiti art, but also half of the store is ded- ists. $-$$ (PRB) icated to grab-and-go food and an ample and comfort- able seating area, including casual counters and tables. Sparky’s Roadside Barbecue Grab a coffee for energy at MET café, because you June 204 NE 1st St., 305-377-2877 be there awhile. Options include items from Jugofresh, This cowboy-cute eatery’s chefs/owners (one CIA- Zak the Baker, and pre-made desserts by Versailles res- trained, both BBQ fanatics nicknamed Sparky) eschew taurant. There’s also La Churrasqueira, Sushi Maki, Pizza regional purism, instead utilizing a hickory/apple-wood- Bar, and a soup bar featuring 20 soups like stone crab stoked rotisserie smoker to turn out their personalized and chicken corn chowder. Parking is free for one hour style of slow-cooked, complexly dry-rub fusion: ribs, with the purchase of an item. $-$$ (MB) chopped pork, brisket, and chicken. Diners can custom- ize their orders with mix-and-match housemade sauces: Wolfgang’s Steakhouse sweet/tangy tomato-based, Carolinas-inspired vinegar/ 315 S. Biscayne Blvd., 305-487-7130 mustard, pan-Asian hoisin with lemongrass and ginger, Proprietor Wolfgang Zweiner worked for decades at tropical guava/habanero. Authenticity aside, the quality Brooklyn’s legendary Peter Luger’s before opening the of the food is as good as much higher-priced barbecue first of his own much-praised, old-school steakhouses outfits. $-$$ (PRB) in 2003, which explains the quality of the USDA prime- grade steaks here — dry-aged on premises for bold, Stanzione 87 beefy flavor and tender but toothsome texture. Prices 87 SW 8th St., 305-606-7370 are prodigious but so are portions. The 32-ounce Though Neopolitan-style pizza isn’t the rarity it was porterhouse for two easily feeds three or four folks here a decade ago, this is Miami’s only pizzeria certi- curious to taste the difference. Plentiful sides include fied authentic by Italy’s Associazione Verace Pizza a bacon starter favored by those who love Canadian Napoletana. This means following stringent rules bacon over pork belly. Personally, just the simple, regarding oven (wood-fired), baking time (90 seconds superb steaks leave us happy as clams. $$$$$ (PRB) maximum, here closer to 50), tomatoes (imported San Marzano), olive oil (extra-virgin), even flour (tipo Zest 00, for bubbly-light crusts). Toppings do exceed the 200 Biscayne Blvd., 305-374-9378 three original choices served in 19th-century Naples, Cindy Hutson finally has a home in the neighborhood but pies like the Limone (fresh mozzarella, pecorino, with her “cuisine of the sun.” If you can manage to lemons, arugula, EVOO) prove some rules should be order the entire menu, from cast-iron charred calamari broken. $$ (PRB) to 50/50 meatballs and conch scampi, do it. You won’t

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 71 Dining Guide: RESTAURANTS be disappointed in food that is so perfectly matches Kitchen) encountered during travels in China, but the Cerveceria 100 Montaditos has one big advantage: flexibility. Guests who make their the city’s weather and overall culture. The décor also chef’s considerable imagination figures in mightily. 3252 NE 1st Ave. #104, 305-921-4373 own bowl have a laundry list of ingredients available, includ- screams Miami, in lively lime green, orange, and neutrals Example: Don’t expect General Tso’s chicken on the Student budget prices, indeed. A first-grader’s allow- ing over one dozen mix-ins and an array of sauces like with pops of blue in between. Don’t forget the tropical changing menu. The General’s Florida Gator, though, is ance would cover a meal at this first U.S. branch of creamy miso and wasabi aioli. Signature selections like the drink. $$-$$$$ (MB) a distinct possibility. Dishes less wild but still thrilling, a popular Spanish chain. The 100 mini sandwiches Citrus Shrimp take the guesswork out of ordering, but we due to strong spicing: bing (chewy Chinese flatbread) (on crusty, olive oil-drizzled baguettes) vary from $1 to suggest you let your creativity run wild. $$ (MFP) Zuma with char sui, garlic, and scallions; two fried tofu/veggie $2.50, depending not on ingredient quality but complex- 270 Biscayne Blvd. Way, 305-577-0277 dishes (one hot, one not) savory enough to bring bean ity. A buck scores genuine Serrano ham, while top-ticket Dr. Smood This Miami River restolounge has a London parent on curd maligners (and confirmed carnivores) to their knees. fillings add imported Iberico cheese, pulled pork, and 2230 NW 2nd Ave. 786-334-4420 San Pellegrino’s list of the world’s best restaurants, $$-$$$ (PRB) tomato to the cured-ham slivers. Other options revolve Its large windows and corner location will draw you in, and a similar menu of world-class, Izakaya-style around pâtés, smoked salmon, shrimp, and similar but the comfortable and expansive minimalist interior smallish plates (robata-grilled items, sushi, much Buena Vista Deli elegant stuff. There’s cheap draft beer, too, plus non- with Carrera marble, walnut wood, and hotel-like seating more) meant for sharing over drinks. Suffice to say 3252 NE 1st Ave., #107, 305-576-3945 sandwich snacks. $$ (PRB) will keep you. While their motto is “smart food for a good If there’s one word to describe your experience at that it would take Junebe a dozen visits to work Buena Vista Deli, it’s relaxing. There’s something mood” in the form of mylks, smoody’s, and organic live your way through the voluminous menu, which so pleasant about the charming French café and its Charly’s Vegan Tacos juices, the menu also includes coffee, soups, salads, offers ample temptations for vegetarians as well as satisfying selections, of which there are many. BVD 172 NW 24th St., 305-456-8202 sandwiches, spreads like cacao mushroom tahini and carnivores. Our favorite is the melt-in-your-mouth serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, so expect to For plant-based eaters, Charly’s Vegan Tacos is an seasonal berry jam, and non-traditional desserts with flax, pork belly with yuzu/mustard miso dip, but even the see everything from fluffy croissants and hearty sand- easy sell. For carnivores, the name might be an instant almond meal, and coconut butter. Most of the items can exquisitely-garnished tofu rocks. $$$$ (PRB) wiches to sizeable steaks and homemade lasagnas. turn-off. Give it a chance: Charly’s makes some tasty be grabbed to-go, but expect to wait in line. $-$$ (MB) Because there’s so much to try, you’ll have to keep coming back. And you certainly will — especially for the tacos, many of which resemble their meat counterparts Zuuk Mediterranean Kitchen weekend dinner offerings. $-$$ (MFP) to the T. For example, there’s the “carne asada” taco The Daily Creative Food Co. 1250 S. Miami Ave. #105, 305-200-3145 2001 Biscayne Blvd., 305-573-4535 Middle Eastern cuisine receives the fast-casual treatment While the food formula of this contemporary café is at this build-your-own-meal concept focused on serving familiar – sandwiches, salads, soups, breakfast food, quality salads, pita wraps, and customizable rice and grain and pastries, plus coffee and fruit drinks – a creative bowls. It’s refreshing that executive chefs Sam Gorenstein concept differentiates the place. Signature sandwich- and Danny Ganem deliberately chose to eschew fried es are named after national and local newspapers, foods; all of Zuuk’s offerings sit pretty on the “fresh, fast, including Biscayne Times, giving diners something to and light” side of dining. Star-making dishes include chat about. Sandwiches and salads can also be do- a delicious spiced lamb kefte, slow roasted beef, and it-yourself projects, with an unusually wide choice of baked falafel, replete with regional Mediterranean sauces, main ingredients, garnishes, breads, and condiments spreads, and other flavorful toppings that add character to for the creatively minded. $ (PRB) your meal. Table service is practically nonexistent, but the financier with 15 minutes to spare will appreciate the fact Eat Greek that counter service is about as brisk and pleasant as a 3530 Biscayne Blvd., 305-456-2799 cool Mediterranean sea breeze. $-$$ (AM) Sometimes, you’re in a hurry and can’t enjoy a sit-down meal. Other times, all you want is to sit down, relax, and enjoy some good grub. Eat Greek is perfect for either situa- Midtown / Wynwood / Design District tion. Here, those in a rush can pick up a lamb gyro pita wrap or falafel platter for the road. Or if you have the time, grab 3 Chefs Chinese Restaurant a seat and indulge in pork chops, grilled salmon, and other 1800 Biscayne Blvd. #105, 305-373-2688 large plates. There’s no wrong decision here. $-$$ (MFP) Until this eatery opened in late 2010, the solid Chinese restaurants in this neighborhood could be counted Ella on the fingers of no hands. So it’s not surprising that 140 NE 39th St., 786-534-8177 most people concentrate on Chinese and Chinese/ Located off of the Design District’s upscale Palm Court, American fare. The real surprise is the remarkably tasty, this sun-filled, airy café with pops of sea foam and blonde budget-priced, Vietnamese fare. Try pho, 12 varieties of maple, is Michael Schwartz’s newest eatery, inspired by full-flavored beef/rice noodle soup (including our favorite, his daughter, Ella. A breakfast and lunch spot, it focuses with well-done flank steak and flash-cooked eye round). on simplicity with perfectly honed sandwiches, salads, and All can be customized with sprouts and fresh herbs. Also pastries. Offering only eight seats indoors, the majority of impressive: Noodle combination plates with sautéed the seating is outdoors under large café umbrellas provid- meats, salad, and spring rolls. $$ (PRB) ing an excellent view of the courtyard. $$-$$$ (MB) Amara at Paraiso Ember 3101 NE 7th Ave., 305-702-5528 151 NE 41st St., Unit 117, 786-334-6494 Edgewater isn’t usually a neighborhood that comes up in Celebrated chef Brad Kilgore continues his hot streak discussions of Miami’s food scene. Amara at Paraiso could with his latest concept, Ember. The most affordable of change that soon, however. This Latin America-inspired con- his restaurants, Ember focuses on classic American bis- cept from chef Michael Schwartz overlooks Biscayne Bay, tro fare with a twist. You’ll find comfort food like poutine, providing guests with a beautiful backdrop for an equally pimento cheese beignets, and smoked fried chicken on alluring menu. The stars of the show are the restaurant’s the menu — very different items than those at the more wood grill and Josper oven that turn out an array of items upscale Alter. Get the full experience by ordering off the like grilled lamb ribs, beef short rib, and hefty meat and sea- Over the Embers section, which features lasagna, roast- food platters. The view alone is worth a visit. $$-$$$ (MFP) ed cornbread custard, and other items “not traditionally grilled or cooked over fire.” $$-$$$ (MFP) Alter 223 NW 23rd St., 305-573-5996 Enriqueta’s Sandwich Shop Award-winning chef Brad Kilgore offers some of the most 186 NE 29th St., 305-573-4681 exciting food in town, with menu items like soft egg with This Cuban breakfast/lunch old-timer actually serves sea scallop espuma, chive, truffle pearls, and Gruyere; more than sandwiches (including mammoth daily and grouper cheeks with black rice, shoyu hollandaise, specials )— and since reopening after a fire, does so and sea lettuce. Novices don’t fret — the staff will guide in a cleanly renovated interior. But many hardcore you through your eating journey. The warehouse vibe fans never get past the parking lot’s ordering window, speaks to the neighborhood’s appeal while letting the food and outdoors really is the best place to manage speak for itself. Grab a spot at the chef’s counter, the best Enriqueta’s mojo-marinated messy masterpiece: pan seat in the house. Reservations a must. $$$$$ (MB) con bistec, dripping with sautéed onions, melted cheese, and potato sticks; tomatoes make the fats Astra and calories negligible. Accompany with fresh orange 2121 NW 2nd Ave., 305-573-5778 juice or café con leche, and you’ll never want anything Rooftop bars are a rare sight, so when one opens, we pay The Butcher Shop Beer Garden & Grill that uses grilled seitan steak; and the “chicharron else, except Junebe a bib. $ (PRB) attention. Case in point: Astra, the latest rooftop venue in 165 NW 23rd St., 305-846-9120 prensado,” which uses “porkles” cracklings for that Wynwood. A post-workday must, Astra is an inviting space Unbelievable but true: At the heart of this festive, budget- recognizable crunch. Get a few of either plus a bowl of Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop & Café that can hold more than 300 people and serves a wide friendly beer-garden restaurant is an old-school gourmet pozole (Mexican stew), and you’ve got yourself quite the 2818 N. Miami Ave., 786-449-2517 range of tasty Greek fare. It can get crowded, so stick to butcher shop, where sausages from classic (brats, cho- meal. $-$$ (MFP) As a genuine City of Miami firefighter, Derek Kaplan quick bites like the grilled calamari, crudos, and kebabs; rizo) to creative (lamb and feta) are house-made, and all puts fires out, but since age 15 he’s also been lighting Astra is more of a spot to hang out and drink ouzo than to beef is certified USDA prime — rarely found at even fancy Coyo Taco fires — in his oven. The decades of baking experience enjoy an intimate sit-down dinner. $$-$$$$ (MFP) steakhouses. Take your selections home to cook, or bet- 2300 NW 2nd Ave., 305-573-8228 shows in both his locally award-winning signature pies, ter yet, eat them here, accompanied by intriguing Old/ If you go to this affordable Mexican street-food-themed especially Key lime and salted caramel “crack,” and in Beaker & Gray New World sauces, garnishes (like bleu cheese fritters), joint expecting one of today’s many fast-casual, healthy- changing produce-based seasonal selections. For full, 2637 N. Miami Ave., 305-699-2637 sides, and starters. Desserts include a bacon sundae. type Mexican taco/burrito chains, where the attraction balanced (i.e., all-pie) breakfasts and lunches, there Named after essential tools in the kitchen, you can’t Beer? Try an organic brew, custom-crafted for the eatery. is mainly just that fillings are fresh, you’ll be pleasantly are also savory options like mac ’n’ cheese pie, or sat- miss the restaurant, with its rooftop orange neon sign. $$-$$$ (PRB) surprised. Here tortillas are handmade and fillings isfyingly rich, totally non-sissy quiches. $-$$ (PRB) Inside industrial meets rustic chic, as is the standard in are either genuinely traditional (like cochinita pibil) or Wynwood. All menus are expertly labeled and separated Carrot Express Midtown delightfully original — and sometimes satisfyingly sinful, Ghee Indian Kitchen into fun, yet useful categories like Bites, Colds, Strange, 3252 Buena Vista Blvd. #108, 786-312-1424 like duck confit with enough skin and fat to scandalize 3620 NE 2nd Ave., 786-636-6122 and Shaken. The sandwichito with pork belly and In the past few years, healthy fast-casual concepts have all the health-obsessed places. There are first-rate veg- Chef Niven Patel, the talent behind the wildly success- watermelon rind on plantain brioche, and adult-friendly become a dime a dozen in Miami. Predating many of etarian fillings, too, like mushroom/huitlachchle with ful Ghee Indian Kitchen in Dadeland, is giving Design chicken nuggets with avocado and sweet ’n’ sour have them is Carrot Express, a Miami Beach staple that’s cotija cheese; tasty churros for dessert; and beer and District foodies a reason to salivate. Cypress Tavern’s become quite iconic. The wine list includes lesser-known been serving up lean and green offerings for roughly margaritas. $-$$ (PRB) former space is now home to his restaurant’s second vineyards. $$-$$$ (MB) half a decade. The latest Carrot Express outpost in outpost, where patrons can enjoy mouthwatering bites Midtown finally brings favorites like poke bowls and Crazy Poke like smoked chicken samosa, turmeric marinated grou- Blackbrick stuffed sweet potatoes to the mainland. Herbivores, 312 NW 24th St., 786-401-7542 per, and turkey kofta. Although you can order à la carte, 3451 NE 1st Ave. #103, 305-573-8886 in particular, have reason to rejoice: Vegan burgers Crazy Poke, Wynwood’s latest poke spot, is joining a crowd- the three-course, family-style tasting menu for $55 is a Inspiration for the Chinese food at this hotspot came and sausages are just a few of the plentiful meatless ed landscape; the neighborhood is already full of places that steal and deserves your consideration; it’s one of the from authentic flavors Richard Hales (from Sakaya options available. $$ (MFP) serve the Hawaiian specialty. Fortunately, the restaurant most affordable tastings in the area. $$ (MFP)

72 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Dining Guide: RESTAURANTS

GLAM Vegan treats to start the day. The soft scrambled sandwich Lemoni Café and a Turkish sampler of hummus, fava purée, and rich 3301 NE 1st Ave. #103-1, 786-864-0590 with brie and avocado is heaven on a plate, while 4600 NE 2nd Ave., 305-571-5080 tomato-walnut dip. The meze of mussels in lemony wine Whether you’re a full-fledged vegan or just experi- the egg whites and avocado is less rich and more The menu here reads like your standard sandwiches/ broth is, with Mandolin’s fresh-baked flatbread, almost a menting with plant-based fare, GLAM Vegan serves cardiologist-friendly. Ready for the weekend? Enjoy salads/starters primer. What it doesn’t convey is full meal in itself. $$-$$$ (PRB) up enough unique culinary twists to keep you coming a mimosa (or two) in the restaurant’s signature mug. the freshness of the ingredients and the care that back. The Midtown Miami establishment takes what $ (MFP) goes into their use. Entrée-size salads range from an Maska you know about “green eating” and turns it on its elegant spinach (goat cheese, pears, walnuts, raisins) 3252 NE 1st Ave., Suite 109, 786-971-9100 head with dishes like jackfruit tacos and spaghetti and Lagniappe to chunky homemade chicken salad on a bed of mixed Thanks to Maska, your search for great Indian food in meatless balls, both of which look, taste, and feel like 3425 NE 2nd. Ave., 305-576-0108 greens. Sandwiches (cold baguette subs, hot pressed Miami is now a lot easier. The Midtown Miami establish- they contain meat. Thirsty? Choose from a selection of In New Orleans, “lagniappe” means “a little extra,” like paninis, or wraps, all accompanied by side salads) ment is big on sharing; prepare to split dinner highlights vegan-friendly wines and beers or treat yourself to the the 13th doughnut in a baker’s dozen. And that’s what include a respectable Cuban and a veggie wrap with a like the tandoori prawns, butter chicken, and dosas Palm Springs Date Shake. $-$$ (MFP) you get at this combination wine and cheese bar/ deceptively rich-tasting light salad cream. $-$$ (PRB) (Indian crêpes). Maska pulls influences from different backyard BBQ/entertainment venue. Choose artisan regions of India, so the menu is expansive — this is a GoBistro cheeses and charcuterie from the fridges, hand them Love N’ Gyros place where all palates are welcome. Whether you like 315 NW 25th St., 786-332-3597 over when you pay (very little), and they’ll be plated 2814 N. Miami Ave. spice or prefer your food more subdued, Maska will fill Reasonably priced Asian cuisine is rare in Wynwood — with extras: olives, bread, changing luscious condi- Wynwood is full of elevated dining spots like Alter, KYU, the Indian food-size hole in your life. $-$$ (MFP) or rather, it was. Broward’s GoBistro has brought its ments. Or grab fish, chicken, veggies, or steak (with and Hiden. But what if you just want something casual? sushi and ramen to the 305, and we’re oh-so-grateful. salad or cornbread) from the hidden yard’s grill. Relax Enter Love N’ Gyros, a cool Greek joint that’s easy on the Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink The second you look at the menu, you can’t help but in the comfie mismatched furniture, over extensive wallet. The concise street-food menu should look familiar 130 NE 40th St., 305-573-5550 notice the variety. Feeling just a little peckish? Opt wine/beer choices and laidback live music. No cover, to fans of Mediterranean cuisine: Pitas are plentiful and An instant smash hit, this truly neighborhood- for appetizers like avocado fries and chicken wings. no attitude. $$ (PRB) first-timers should start with the OG, a delectable mix of oriented restaurant from chef Michael Schwartz Hungrier patrons can scarf down miso pork ramen, pork and tzatziki. Other filling proteins are available, too — offers down-to-earth fun food in a comfortable, casu - dragon rolls, and soft shell crab buns. Picky eaters, Leal Bistro + Art just make sure to save room for the Fortomenes loaded ally stylish indoor/outdoor setting. Fresh, organic take note: There truly is something here for everyone. 2700 N. Miami Ave., 786-542-5246 fries — aka cheese heaven. $ (MFP) ingredients are emphasized, but dishes range from $-$$ (MFP) When you’re craving a quick, budget-friendly bite, Leal cutting-edge (crispy beef cheeks with whipped celeri- ac, celery salad, and chocolate reduction) to simple Harry’s Pizzeria comfort food: deviled eggs, homemade potato chips 3918 N. Miami Ave., 786-275-4963 with pan-fried onion dip, or a whole wood-roasted In this humble space (formerly Pizza Volante) are many chicken. There’s also a broad range of prices and key components from Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink portion sizes to encourage frequent visits. Michael’s two blocks east — local/sustainable produce and Genuine also features an eclectic, affordable wine artisan products; wood-oven cooking; homemade every- list and a full bar. $$-$$$$ (PRB) thing (including the ketchup accompanying crisp-outside, custardy-inside polenta fries, a circa 1995 Michael Mignonette Schwartz signature snack from Nemo). Beautifully 210 NE 18th St., 305-374-4635 blistered, ultra-thin-crusted pizzas range from classic From Day One this Old Florida/New Orleans fusion Margheritas to pies with house-smoked bacon, trugole oyster bar, from Blue Collar’s chef/owner Danny (a subtly flavorful — fruity, not funky — Alpine cheese), Serfer and food blogger Ryan Roman, received and other unique toppings. Rounding things out: simple myriad raves for its cuisine and informed service. but ingenious salads, ultimate zeppoles, and Florida All manner of oysters (roughly six superb selections craft beers. $$ (PRB) available raw daily, and cooked choices including subtly brandy-sauced oysters Bienville), plus other Joey’s Italian Café superb seafood and Blue Collar’s famous veggie cre- 2506 NW 2nd Ave., 305-438-0488 ations — even a dynamite prime rib — is of a caliber The first new restaurant in the Wynwood Café District, that catalyzes its own neighborhood gentrification, this stylish indoor/outdoor Italian hangout is as casually rapidly. $$-$$$ (PRB) cool as one would hope — and as affordable. There’s a five-buck half-serving of spaghetti al pomodoro and Mike’s at Venetia respectable vino for under $30. And few can resist 555 NE 15th St., 9th floor, 305-374-5731 delicately thin, crunchy-crusted pizzas like the creative This family-owned Irish pub, on the pool deck of the Dolce e Piccante or orgasmic Carbonara. Pastas are Venetia condo, for more than 15 years has been a popular fresh; produce is largely local; the mosaic-centered décor lunch and dinner hang-out for local journalists and others is minimalist but inviting. And no need to be wary of the who appreciate honest cheap eats and drinks. Regulars warehouse district at night: Valet parking is free. $$-$$$ know daily specials are the way to go. Depending on the (PRB) day, fish, churrasco, or roast turkey with all the trimmings are all prepared fresh. Big burgers and steak dinners are Kaido always good. A limited late-night menu provides pizza, 151 NE 41 St., Unit 217, 786-409-5591 wings, ribs, and salad till 3:00 a.m. $-$$ (PRB) James Beard-nominated chef Brad Kilgore has another hit on his hands with Kaido, his beautiful Design District Mister-O1 cocktail lounge. While Kaido is touted as a drinking den, 2315 N. Miami Ave., 786-991-9343 its cocktails and food get an equal share of the limelight. With pizza this good, it’s hard to remain hidden. The Alter chef’s offerings include small plates such Mister-O1, the once-secret pizzeria in a Miami Beach as blue crab rangoon, a curry cobia summer roll, and office building, is embracing its mainstream success lemongrass duck sausage. Feel like splurging? An A5 with a third location — this time in Wynwood. The wagyu katsu sandwich can be yours for $125. Pair it with restaurant knows not to mess with a good thing, so a sakura-infused negroni, and you’re golden. $$-$$$$$ expect to see all its beloved classics on the menu. The (MFP) burrata and Barbara salad are still must-eats, as is the literal star of the show: the Star Luca, a star-shaped Kush pie with spicy salami, ricotta and mozzarella. $$ (MFP) 2003 N. Miami Ave., 305-576-4500 From the folks behind the popular Coral Gables Morgans Restaurant artisanal beer pub LoKal — voted a “Most Green 28 NE 29th St., 305-573-9678 Restaurant in Florida” by the Nature Conservancy — Housed in a beautifully refurbished 1930s private home, Kush pushes the concept farther: that farm-to-table Morgans serves eclectic, sometimes internationally influ- dishes (some from LoKal, others created new) and enced contemporary American cuisine compelling enough craft beers aren’t mere craft; they’re art. Which you’ll to attract hordes. Dishes are basically comfort food, but find on the walls. On tables you’ll find, among other ultimate comfort food: the most custardy, fluffy French things, the Kush & Hash burger: Florida-raised beef, toast imaginable; shoestring frites that rival Belgium’s ground in-house, served with hash (the edible, not best; mouthwatering maple-basted bacon; miraculously smokable, kind), bacon, fried egg, and housemade terrific tofu (crisply panko-crusted and apricot/soy-glazed); ketchup on a waffle bun, with a side of maple syrup. even a “voluptuous grilled cheese sandwich” — definitely a Edgy enough for ya? $$-$$$ (PRB) “don’t ask, don’t tell your cardiologist” item. $$-$$$ (PRB) KYU Bistro + Art delivers in spades. The charming family- Mad Lab Creamery NOA Café 251 NW 25th St., 786-577-0150 owned café fits right into the artsy Wynwood neighbor- 140 NE 39th St. 2711 NE 2nd Ave., 305-573-2557 The Asian-inspired restaurant wholly encompasses the hood with its cute aesthetic. Begin your meal with Pastry chef Soraya Kilgore, known for her des- Originally just a catering company, tiny NOA (initials of creative vibe of the neighborhood with a raw space the hearty beef ribs soup and then move onto Leal’s serts at Alter, now has her own place dedicated to Israeli-born chef/owner Adi Kafri’s three daughters) gradu- outfitted in murals by 2Alas, micro green centerpieces, slow roasted pork sandwich. If you’re just in the mood sweets: MadLab Creamery. Located in the Design ally became a “best-kept secret” lunch spot for its budget- and lots of concrete features as well as a balanced for a snack, you can’t go wrong with a fresh cheese District’s Palm Court, the ice cream store features friendly fresh focaccia sandwiches, plus perfectly dressed menu of wood-fired items and refreshing ingredients. arepa. For something even more substantial, nosh on a wealth of Instagram-worthy creations, many of full-meal MediterAsian salads. The cute Edgewater Roasted cauliflower comes with goat cheese salad the smoked duck breast with black tea and red wine which can be adorned with your choice of over oasis now serves dinner, too. Highly recommended: the and shishito-herb vinaigrette; tuna tataki takes a sauce during dinner. $-$$ (MFP) two dozen toppings. Among those toppings: sprin - big, beautiful Middle Eastern mezze platter (with falafel spicy turn with fire-roasted peppers, fermented chili, kles, chocolate honeycomb, and cotton candy balls, silky hummus, tahini, grape leaves, heaps of grilled and citrus; and white ponzu, green chili, and herbs Le Chick (a must). Here, no order is complete without a veggies, more), or lavishly veg-studded pad Thai (with an accompany sliced Hamachi. There’s also sweet soy 310 NW 24th St., 305-771-2767 Japanese cheesecake or chocolate slab. Prepare unusual lemongrass/orange peel-spiked sauce), either and garlic short ribs, Korean fried chicken, and Thai Out of the ashes of Dizengoff and Federal Donuts rises to kiss your diet goodbye. $ (MFP) enough for two to share over wine. $$-$$$ (PRB) fried rice in a stone pot. Open for brunch on Sundays. Le Chick, a rotisserie-chicken spot that should hopefully $$-$$$ (MB) avoid its neighbors’ fate. While chicken is the restau- Mandolin Aegean Bistro OTL rant’s signature protein, it’s not the only standout. A 4312 NE 2nd Ave., 305-576-6066 160 NE 40th St., 786-953-7620 Laid Fresh delicious Royale With Cheese is sure to please burger Inside this converted 1940s home’s blue-and-white din- Coffee, breakfast, sandwiches, and yoga, anyone? Yes, 250 NW 24th St., 305-699-0601 fanatics (and Pulp Fiction) fans with two hefty patties, ing room — or even more atmospherically, its tree-shel- there’s now such a place, and it’s naturally in the Design Wynwood has a laundry list of restaurants, but very cheddar, pickles, and secret sauce. The best value, tered garden — diners feast on authentic rustic fare from District. OTL is an ambitious concept pushing light bites few of them cater to the morning crowd. Thanks to though, is the Why Not platter that comes with all the both Greece and Turkey. Make a meal of multinational and strong coffee, courtesy of an auspiciously motley troi- Laid Fresh, early risers (and all-day breakfast lovers) hits: rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, pork ribs, and mezes: a Greek sampler of creamy tzatziki yogurt dip, ka of influencers, including the team behind The Smile have a wide selection of eggy sandwiches and other onion rings. $-$$ (MFP) smoky eggplant purée, and airy tarama caviar spread; NYC, LIV impresario David Grutman, and Miami Design

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 73 Dining Guide: RESTAURANTS

District braintrust Craig Robins. Coffee shops are often- region around Genoa, pesto capital of the universe. SuViche likes of smoked wings, queso dip, and a fried chicken times the beating hearts of creative hubs, and OTL is no Pastas like panisotti (plump vegetarian triangles contain- 2751 N. Miami Ave., 305-960-7097 sandwich. If you only order one thing, make it that last different; expect to see plenty of over-caffeinated design- ing ricotta plus chard, spinach, and typical herbs/spices) As its fusion name suggests, this artsy indoor/outdoor one — it’s heaven on a plate. $$ (MFP) ers, artists, developers, and retail employees on their are definitely not generically Italian. Still, the reason to eatery doesn’t merely serve a mix of Japanese sushi lunch breaks. The place is bright and clean, and could come here: the variously stuffed or topped focaccias, and Latin ceviches but a true fusion of both, largely BarMeli double as a white cube gallery with its pastel chairs, light particularly signature focaccia di Recco (a Ligurian hill owing to signature sauces (many based on Peru’s citusy/ 6927 Biscayne Blvd., 305-754-5558 wood accents, blue chip artwork, and upstairs multipur- town). Two ultra-thin layers (almost transparent) of light creamy acevichado emulsion with Japanese spicing) Just east of Liza Meli’s defunct Ouzo’s Taverna, her pose space reserved for performance and pop-ups. The char-bubbled bread filled with imported stracchino, a that are applied to sushi rolls and ceviche bowls alike. similarly rustic-festive tapas and wine bar/market food, while flavorful, is mildly overpriced, but it’s an after- mild fresh cheese like mozzarella, but swoon-inducingly Additionally there are some popular Peruvian-fusion has an extensive, mostly small-plates menu including thought when you realize that good coffee has finally oozy-soft. $-$$ (PRB) cooked dishes like Chifa (Peruvian-Chinese) lomo saltado, all of Ouzo’s Greatest Greek Hits (refreshingly light arrived in the Miami Design District. $-$$ (AM) served traditionally, as an entrée, or creatively in springs and lemony taramosalata carp roe spread, amaz- Sabor a Peru rolls). To add to the fun, accompany your meal with a ingly succulent grilled fresh sardines, her mom’s Ono Poké Shop 2923 Biscayne Blvd., 305-573-6736 cocktail from Miami’s only pisco bar. $$-$$$ (PRB) lemon cake, more), plus more broadly Mediterranean 2320 N. Miami Ave., 786-955-6894 Opened many years before ceviches became a staple creations like an Italian-inspired grana padano flan, A casual, clean, and vibrant little eatery, Ono Poké Shop is on every Miami hipster-bar menu, this formerly tiny St. Roch Market uniquely topped crostini and flatbreads, cheese/ the latest eatery to catch the trending “poké fever” that’s family-run Peruvian place serves food that’s traditional, 140 NE 39th St., 786-542-8977 charcuterie boards. The boutique wine selection hit some of Miami’s most up-and-coming neighborhoods. not trendy. That includes ceviches, simple and servi- Food halls are all the rage, and the Design District focuses on unusual (sometimes virtually unknown, Greatly influenced by traditional Japanese cuisine, the cable. But Sabor’s strong suit — and why it has not only isn’t missing out on the fun. St. Roch Market, the and unavailable elsewhere in town) Mediterranean menu consists of tried and true combinations, such as survived but thrived (as a recent expansion attests) — is popular New Orleans multi-vendor establishment, has varietals from family-owned vineyards. $$ (PRB) spicy ahi tuna tossed in a spicy soy dressing, as well as its cooked dishes, always fresh, flavorful, and served opened a Palm Court outpost that features something flexible options to customize your own poké bowl to taste. in prodigious portions. Our personal fave: jalea (a deli- for everyone. Sushi (Itamae), fried chicken (Coop), Battubelin Quality ingredients and fresh fish make for a satisfying, cately breaded, crisp-fried mix of tender marinated fish and banh mis (Tran An) are just a few of the market’s 749 NE 79th St., 786-391-0300 healthy meal when lunch o’clock rolls around. $$ (AM) and shellfish, with yucca and criolla onion sauce); one standouts, all of which pair nicely with a sazerac or Shorecrest gem Mina’s Mediterraneo is long gone, order feeds at least three diners. Note: Open for big another signature cocktail from St. Roch’s Mayhaw having been replaced by another soon-to-be neigh- Palatino breakfasts, as well as lunch/dinner. $-$$ (PRB) bar. With so many options available, you’ll quickly borhood favorite: Battubelin. The Italian eatery 3004 NW 2nd Ave., 786-360-5200 become a regular. $-$$ (MFP) checks all the boxes when it comes to a memorable When longtime favorite Jamaican joint Clive’s fell victim Sakaya Kitchen dining experience: appetizing cuisine, friendly service, to gentrification, few expected to find similarly skilled old- Shops at Midtown Miami, Buena Vista Avenue Tap 42 and lots of wine. The menu isn’t reinventing the school Caribbean-American soul food in Wynwood again, 305-576-8096 3252 NE 1st Ave. #101, 786-864-0194 wheel — just refining it. Plates like the gnocchi pesto especially not at old-school prices. But that’s what this small, This chef-driven, fast-casual Asian eatery is more an iza- With all the growth that Midtown Miami has seen, there’s pasta and the burrata and prosciutto pizza are items super-friendly mom-and-pop spot serves up: breakfasts like kaya (in Japan, a pub with food) than a sakaya (sake shop). been one type of restaurant sorely missing in the neigh- we’ve seen before, but rarely at a caliber like this. ackee and salt fish, fried dumpling and callaloo, or an egg/ But why quibble about words with so many more intriguing borhood: a decent sports bar. Tap 42, which recently Word of advice: Save room for tiramisu. $-$$ (MFP) maple sausage/cheese grits combo; plates (with sides) things to wrap your mouth around? The concept takes on took over the short-lived Apeiro location, runs with this of oxtails, curry goat, jerk chicken; richly crusted piquant street-food favorites from all over Asia, housemade daily idea and complements it with a flavor-forward mentality. Blue Collar chicken or meat patties that contend with Miami’s best. from quality fresh ingredients. French Culinary Institute- The eatery started as a Fort Lauderdale watering hole 6730 Biscayne Blvd., 305-756-0366 Surprises include homemade pastries, and $1 ice cream trained Richard Hales does change his menu, so we’d and has since expanded to Coral Gables — and now Like its predecessor in this space (Michael Bloise’s American cones in tropical flavors like soursop. $-$$ (PRB) advise immediately grabbing some crispy Korean chicken Midtown Miami. Staples like the Prohibition burger and Noodle Bar), this working-class-themed eatery is helmed by wings and Chinese-inspired, open-faced roast pork buns Drunken Goat burger make an appearance, but so do a former fine-dining chef, Daniel Serfer, a Chef Allen’s vet Palat Miami with sweet chili sauce and homemade pickles. $$ (PRB) location-specific items like the grilled salmon Zen bowl who now crafts casual, creative fare at prices all can afford. 4702 NE 2nd Ave., 786-953-7577 that serves as a lighter alternative for guests. $$ (MFP) Dishes are eclectic. The roughly dozen veggie dishes alone When you’re craving Italian food, where do you go? Salumeria 104 range from curried cauliflower purée to maduros to bleu Palat Miami should be on your shortlist. The neigh- 3451 NE 1st Ave. #104, 305-424-9588 The Taco Stand cheese roasted asparagus. Shrimp and grits compete with borhood Italian-fusion restaurant is serving flavorful In Italy, salumerias started, like American delicatessens, 313 NW 25th St., 786-580-4948 any in Charleston; pork and beans, topped with a perfectly food that hits the spot no matter the occasion. Small as shops selling salumi (cured meats), but evolved into We know what you’re thinking: “Oh great, another taco runny fried egg, beats Boston’s best. $-$$ (PRB) bites like piquillo peppers are perfect for splitting with the equivalent of eat-in deli/restaurants that also serve shop in Wynwood.” The neighborhood is certainly not friends over a bottle of wine, whose budget-friendly cold and hot prepared foods. At this modern Midtown salu- lacking in options, but this San Diego transplant is Bon Gout BBQ pricing may tempt you to order a second. Larger appe- meria, the soups-to-salads-to-sweets range of fare is the sure to give its neighbors some healthy competition. 99 NW 54th St., 305-381-5464 tites are welcome, too, and they can indulge in braised same. Custom-sliced imported cold cuts are a main focus, Those familiar with the brand know that the seafood Bon Gout BBQ will have you smacking your lips in no time. rabbit tagliatelle and other hearty items. $$-$$$ (MFP) especially for those who enjoy taste-testing a plate pair- offerings like the Baja taco (battered fish) and spicy All your favorite proteins make an appearance at this ing Italy’s two most famous prosciuttos: Parma and San shrimp taco are winners; just one bite is all the proof Little Haiti shop: chicken, pork, beef, and fish. The griot — Palermo Restaurant & Wine Bar Daniele. But homemade pastas are also impressive, as you need. Another must: a mountain of carne asada Haitian fried pork — is a must for first-timers and a steal at 4582 NE 2nd Ave., 786-502-4460 are hard-to-find regional entrées like fegato alla Veneziana, and fries, which can feed a group of four. $ (MFP) $10. Heftier plates like the fried fish dinner are still surpris- When it comes to cooking up delicious Argentine cuisine, which will turn liver-haters into lovers. $$-$$$ (PRB) ingly affordable and double as lunch and dinner; you’ll Palermo Restaurant & Wine Bar succeeds on all fronts. Vista be rolling out of here. There are some big Haitian flavors At Palermo, you can expect quality and value; prepare for Sergio’s Cuban Café + Grill 5020 NE 2nd Ave., 305-405-7547 hidden inside this small storefront. $ (MFP) big portions and flavors across the board. Since this is 40 SW 12th St., 786-500-0201 The husband-and-wife team behind Italian restaurant an Argentinean restaurant, your order should include one Cuban cuisine expands its footprint in Brickell with the Fratelli Milano has struck gold again. Vista, the latest Boteco of their many cuts of meat. We suggest the oh-so-tender addition of Sergio’s Cuban Café + Grill. This branch of venture from Roberto Bearzi and Fiorella Blanco, builds on 916 NE 79th St., 305-757-7735 skirt steak plus a few empanadas for good measure. If the popular chain leans on the ubiquitous “healthy bowl” the best parts of the downtown Miami favorite and infuses This strip of 79th Street is rapidly becoming a cool you’re not big on steak, the restaurant also serves up a concept. Guests have full freedom to create their perfect them with a Latin flair. There’s a bigger emphasis on sea- alt-culture enclave thanks to inviting hangouts like variety of Italian dishes. $-$$ (MFP) meal from an assortment of proteins, including turkey food at Vista, so expect to find a variety of crudos, fresh this rustic indoor/outdoor Brazilian restaurant and bar. and beef. Sizeable sides like black beans and mojo yuca fish, and other selections that will perk up your palate. Especially bustling on nights featuring live music, it’s Prohibition ensure you get your money’s worth. Craving more tradi- Pastas haven’t gone anywhere: gnocchi, rigatoni, risotto, even more fun on Sundays, when the fenced backyard 3404 N. Miami Ave., 305-438-9191 tional Cuban food? Their pan con lechon and croqueta and more are available to scratch that itch. $-$$$ (MFP) hosts an informal fair and the menu includes Brazil’s Frankly, we don’t get why this expansive, high-ceilinged preparada sandwiches have you covered. $ (MFP) national dish, feijoada, a savory stew of beans plus fresh space with enormous front windows and open kitchen Zak the Baker and cured meats. But the everyday menu, ranging from is so often described as evocative of a Prohibition-era Sette Osteria 405 NW 26th St., 786-280-0327 unique, tapas-like pasteis to hefty Brazilian entrées, is speakeasy; ambiance here is artfully and amusingly sin- 2103 NW 2nd Ave., 305-576-8282 This part-rustic/part industrial-chic breakfast and also appealing – and budget-priced. $$ (PRB) ful, not secretive. Fare is a fun, familiar mix of modern Eagle-eyed visitors will find an unassuming Italian res- lunch spot, located in Zak Stern’s bakery, is one cer- comfort foods (truffled lobster mac ’n’ cheese, NY strip taurant at the southern end of Wynwood: Sette Osteria. tified-Kosher café where neither religious dietary laws Café Roval steak with truffled parmesan fries, many other items The Washington, D.C., transplant is located away from nor culinary standards are compromised. Reason: The 5808 NE 4th Ct., 786-279-6800 featuring truffle oil) and retro favorites like meatballs. It’s the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood, but it’s only menu of open-face sandwich “toasts,” soups, salads, Café Roval’s Old World flourishes set the perfect mise-en- simple, solid stuff served in generous portions to match a matter of time before word gets out about this culi- and small plates doesn’t overreach, but stays cen- scène for magic. Restaurateur Mark Soyka of News Café, the menu items that best truly evoke Prohibition times: nary gem. Earthy tones and an open kitchen welcome tered on Zak’s substantial and superbly crusty organic the Van Dyke, Andiamo, and Soyka Restaurant made a hefty, old-fashioned, two-fisted cocktails. $$$ (PRB) diners, who will fall in love with signature dishes like sourdough loaves, arguably the best bread in Miami. bold move opening his latest restaurant in the storied seafood linguine and veal scallopini. A bevy of Italian Varieties range from classic Jewish deli rye to exotic pumphouse building just north of his 55th Street Station Pummarola Pizzeria Napoletana wines await to quench your thirst as well. $$-$$$ (MFP) olive & za’atar or All American cranberry/walnut. Toast property. The subtly anachronistic décor casts an ambi- 3328 N. Miami Ave., 786-535-4988 toppings, sweet or savory, are mainly local vegetable ance suspended in time. Coral-rock walls extend toward Proof in Midtown Miami may be long gone, but good pizza is Shokudo World Resource Café and dairy combos, so non-carnivores, as well as diners a beautifully vaulted ceiling in the dining room adorned not. Pummarola — a Coral Gables favorite — has taken over 4740 NE 2nd Ave., 305-758-7782 keeping Kosher, luck out. $$ (PRB) with antique chandeliers. Elsewhere, quirky touches Proof’s former location, pumping out pies and pastas that At its former Lincoln Road location, World Resource’s abound throughout the dining room and into the outdoor are far more affordable than its predecessor. Don’t let the café was better known for people-watching than for seating area. During the cooler months, dining is best low prices fool you: This is high-quality cuisine. Just a taste its standard sushi/Thai menu. But as the new name Upper Eastside experienced by candlelight on the backyard patio, comfort- of their margherita pizza, gnocchi pasta, or meatballs is signals, this relocation is a reinvention. The indoor/ ably nestled between lush gardens and a reflecting pool. evidence enough. Best of all, you won’t be waiting long; most outdoor space is charming, but creative takes on pop- Andiamo The restaurant’s menu is influenced by a savory fusion of items take just a few minutes to come out. $-$$ (MFP) ular pan-Asian street foods are the real draw. Travel 5600 Biscayne Blvd., 305-762-5751 Mediterranean, Asian, French, and American cuisine. Lots from Japan and Thailand through Korea, Vietnam, With brick-oven pizzerias popping up all over town the to try here, including caviar, tuna crudo, grass-fed lamb R House China, the Philippines, and beyond via light house- past few years, it’s difficult to remember the dark days burgers, oxtail buns, and some vegetarian options such 2727 NW 2nd Ave., 305-576-0240 made momo, curried potato-stuffed Tibetan/Nepalese when this part of Mark Soyka’s 55th Street Station as sprouted chickpea cakes and the vegan dish du jour. A strikingly stylish restaurant that’s part art gallery steamed dumplings; savory pulled pork buns with kim- complex was mainland Miami’s sole source of open- Selections from the bar include playful cocktails eschew- could be pretentious, in a still largely ungentrified area chi and crisped onions. Noodle dishes, hot or chilled, flame-cooked pies. But the pizzas still hold up against ing liquor in favor of wine, beer, and sake. $$$-$$$$ (AM) of cutting-edge artsy yet still working-class Wynwood. are especially appealing. $$-$$$ (PRB) the newbie pack, especially since exec chef Frank Crupi But modular movable walls to accommodate changing has upped the ante with unique-to-Miami offerings like a Cake Thai Kitchen installations, and its own name make it clear the art Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill white (tomato-free) New Haven clam pie. Also available: 7919 Biscayne Blvd., 305-534-7906 component is a serious working gallery. Hardworking 3250 NE 1st Ave., 786-369-0353 salads, panini, and a tasty meatball appetizer with ricotta. Helmed by a perfectionist young chef (formerly from chef/owner Rocco Carulli demonstrates a locals orienta- This chic indoor/outdoor space is an offspring of There’s a respectable wine and beer list, too. $$ (PRB) Makoto) and his host/dessert-maker mom, this hip hole- tion with a menu highlighted by skillfully crafted, hearty Lincoln Road’s SushiSamba Dromo and a sibling of in-the-wall serves typical Thai street food. Many dishes entrées (Brazilian seafood moqueta stew, coffee/chili- Sugarcane lounges in NYC and Las Vegas, but more The Anderson are astonishingly ambitious, like peanut/garlic chip/ rubbed short ribs, sweet pea falafel) available in afford- informal than the former and more food-oriented 709 NE 79th St., 305-757-3368 cilantro-sprinkled roast duck noodle with Chinese broc- able half-portions: small plates of big food for starving than the latter, as three kitchens — normal, raw bar, “Come for the drinks. Stay for the food.” That should coli, and intense pork fat-enriched broth. Other unique artists. $$-$$$ (PRB) and robata charcoal grill — make clear. Chef Timon be the sign outside The Anderson, the neighborhood specialties include spicy house-cured pork/crispy rice Balloo’s LatAsian small plates range from subtle watering hole from the team behind Miami Beach’s sausages, soy and whisky-marinated steak jerky, swoon- Riviera Focacceria Italiana orange/fennel-marinated salmon crudo to intensely award-winning bar Broken Shaker. To complement the fully sinful pork belly with basil sauce, and citrus/curry- 3252 NE 1st Ave., 786-220-6251 smoky-rich short ribs. At the daily happy hour, select outstanding drink menu (which is full of South Florida- tinged fried chicken wings. Arrive early to score the wings. This kitchen actually serves a full menu of specialties dishes (like steamed pork buns with apple kimchi) are inspired concoctions), the venue offers a just-as- Surprisingly scrumptious tofu and veggie preparations, firmly rooted in Liguria, the northern Italian coastal discounted. $$-$$$ (PRB) outstanding list of snacks and mains that includes the too. $-$$ (PRB)

74 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Dining Guide: RESTAURANTS

Cream Parlor like churros and paletas, and floor-to-ceiling fridges of ice- The Plantisserie beans and rice and mofongo (crushed sweet plantains) 8224 Biscayne Blvd., 786-534-4180 cold beer. The most popular tacos are the carne asada with 7316 NE 2nd Ave., 786-502-3363 guarantee that you leave with a full belly. Get some Don’t let the name fool you: This eclectic eatery is a lot tomato, onion, cheese, garlic chili aioli, and cilantro and the Plant-based dieters have a new reason to celebrate: Haitian-style beignets to go if you have room. $-$$ (MFP) more than just ice cream. At this cozy neighborhood spot, Tinga Club with chicken, avocado cream, bacon, tomato, Little River has its first plant-based organic deli. Inside you can enjoy breakfast items all day or nosh on house queso, garlic chili aioli, and scallions. $$ (MB) the Plantisserie, customers have vegan options Ms. Cheezious specialties like the grilled smashed potato — the name galore to choose from — available à la carte or in bulk. 7418 Biscayne Blvd., 305-989-4019 says it all — for lunch or brunch. Dessert is a must at Ironside Pi zza Hosting a party? Stock up on meatless lasagna and This brick-and-mortar location of Miami’s most awarded Cream Parlor, and first-timers need to experience Unicorn 7580 NE 4th Ct., 305-531-5055 shepherd’s pie by the pound. Or if you plan on eating food truck has an expanded menu, featuring favorites Poop ice cream (much more appetizing than it sounds). From the team behind Brickell’s upscale Toscana Divino, this in, try a quiche Lorraine with eggplant bacon or a jack- like mac ’n’ cheese, but what you’ll mostly want is just Even if you’re not hungry, stop in to admire the vintage casual indoor/outdoor pizzeria (hidden inside Little River’s fruit empanada. Rotating specials ensure that there’s grilled cheese. Which is a misnomer. “Just grilled cheese” décor and crack a smile. Check out the patio in back. $-$$ artistic Ironside complex) retains the strengths of it predeces- something new every time you visit. $ (MFP) sandwiches are what your mom made. Here you’ll find (MFP) sor, Ironside Pittzza — an award-winning Neopolitan pizzoalo; cunning creations like Frito Pie Melts (the Southwestern mouthwatering wood-oven crusts; vegetarian/vegan and glu- Loba classic corn chip/cheese/jalepeño/onion/chili combo, Doggi’s Arepa Bar ten-free toppings. But the expanded menu, including impec- 7420 Biscayne Blvd., 786-536-6692 served on sourdough instead of in a Frito bag), or the 7281 Biscayne Blvd., 786-558-9538 cable cured meat options, is a vast improvement. Especially As suggested by this comfie gastropub’s interactive liter- Croqueta Monsieur (ham croquettes, tavern ham, Swiss MiMo residents, rejoice: Doggi’s Arepa Bar has brought recommended: housemade porchetta; nduja Calabrese ary ambiance (décor features shelves of paperbacks), cheese, béchamel). A welcome expansion: the spacious its Venezuelan street food offerings up north. The restau- (salami spread); the Regina pizza with prosciutto crudo, buf- the concept of young financial-analyst-turned-restaura- backyard, featuring lawn chairs and sizable shade trees, rant’s second location features everything that regulars fala mozzarella, perfectly ripe tomatoes, and arugula; involtini teur Jessica Sanchez is to encourage creativity, including is definitely a more relaxed dining area than a hot side- have come to know and love about the place: giant (stuffed pizza rolls); an unusual carciofi salad with pine nuts exploring Miami’s unique culture-agriculture through walk. $$ (PRB) portions, reasonable prices and an extensive menu. If and mint slivers. $$ (PRB) food created by a staff including experienced chefs, FIU it’s your first foray into this type of cuisine, start with the culinary students, and her mom Libia, former owner of Moshi Moshi shredded beef arepa — essentially a corn flour pocket of Jimmy’s East Side Diner the traditional Colombian Patacón chain. Needless to say, 7232 Biscayne Blvd., 786-220-9404 flavor. The cachapa — a corn pancake with cheese and 7201 Biscayne Blvd., 305-754-3692 the menu is eclectic, ranging from South American (the This offspring of South Beach old-timer Moshi Moshi is cream — is another beloved specialty that’s not to be Open for more than 30 years and still regularly packed Patacón, a bandeja paisa-inspired sampler plate) to mod- a cross between a sushi bar and an izakaya (Japanese missed. $-$$ (MFP) with locals, Jimmy’s respects the most important ernized Old South (MiMo Fried Chicken with crispy kale tapas bar). Even more striking than the hip décor is the American diner tradition: breakfast at any hour the and local honey). Boredom? Impossible. $$-$$$ (PRB) food’s unusually upscale quality. Sushi ranges from Dogma Grill pristine individual nigiri to over-the-top maki rolls. Tapas 7030 Biscayne Blvd., 305-759-3433 are intriguing, like arabiki sausage, a sweet-savory pork Since opening, this hot dog-PLUS (capital letters intended) fingerling frank; rarely found in restaurants even in Japan, joint has had several owners and menu changes. they’re popular Japanese home-cooking items. And rice- Currently it’s in a “Best of” phase. Main draw remains based plates like Japanese curry (richer/sweeter than 100% beef dogs with numerous regionally inspired topping Indian types) satisfy even the biggest appetites. $-$$$ combos (our favorite: the elaborate, authentic Chicago), (PRB) but vegetarians can again enjoy the original menu’s veg- gie franks, absent for several years, topped identically. Ni.Do. Caffe & Mozzarella Bar More recent adds worth sampling are regional specialty 7295 Biscayne Blvd., 305-960-7022 sandwiches, like New Orleans shrimp po’boys. And though Don’t let this little café’s easily overlooked strip-mall loca- there’s no indoor seating, current owner Diego Villamedi tion, or its informal interior, fool you. The warm welcome has expanded the outdoor area and spruced up its land- is authentically Italian, as are cleverly crafted antipasti, scaping for better insulation from Boulevard traffic, mak- simple but full-flavored pastas, and homemade pastries ing picnicking more pleasant. $ (PRB) (from rosemary breadsticks to fruit-topped dessert tortas) that will transport your taste buds to Tuscany. And the East Side Pizza housemade mozzarella or burrata cheeses — truly milk 731 NE 79th St., 305-758-5351 elevated to royalty — will transport you to heaven. A small Minestrone, sure. But a pizzeria menu with carrot market area provides Italian staples, plus superb salumi ginger soup? Similarly many Italian-American pizzerias and the magnificent mozz, to go. $$-$$$ (PRB) offer entrées like spaghetti and meatballs, but East Side also has pumpkin ravioli in brown butter/sage O Munaciello sauce, wild mushroom ravioli, and other surprisingly 6425 Biscayne Blvd., 786-907-4001 upscale choices, including imported Peroni beer. As Neapolitan pizza is the star of the show at ’O Munaciello for the pizza, they are classic pies, available whole or Miami, whose roots originate in Florence, Italy. The full- by the slice, made with fresh plum tomato sauce and service restaurant and pizzeria is bright and inviting, and Grande mozzarella (considered the top American pizza its menu is home to an array of pizza selections sure to cheese). Best seating for eating is at the sheltered please the pickiest of palates. A standout: the San Daniele, outdoor picnic tables. $ (PRB) which masterfully mixes mozzarella, fresh arugula, shaved Parmesan, and cured ham. Diners not in the mood for Ferraro’s Kitchen pizza can opt for pastas like a linguine with clams or a spa- 1099 NE 79th St., 786-534-2136 ghetti cacio e pepe with prawn; a small selection of meat Seasoned restaurateur Igor Ferraro, who’s honed and seafood entrées is available as well. $$-$$$ (MFP) his chef chops here and abroad in Italy, has opened a new eatery for those seeking two of life’s tastiest Organic Bites pleasures: pasta and wine. The inviting dining room is 7010 Biscayne Blvd., 786-542-9654 also spacious, and you’ll find ample room at the bar Too often healthy eating is associated with deprivation, as well; saddle up to the latter for a better view of the but not at this breakfast/lunch/dinner bistro. Co-owners kitchen, where Chef Ferraro is busy creating home- Andres and Ana Reid’s concept focuses mainly on people- made pappardelle, lasagna, and other Italian classics. pleasing dishes that are 100% chemical/GMO-free, not on Complement your meal with a bottle from the expan- calorie-counting. The ingenious international comfort food sive wine selection, then order the signature tiramisu menu of ex-José Andres Bazaar chef Goncalo Costa does for a sweet ending. $$$ (MFP) include vegetarian/vegan dishes but ranges far beyond: deceptively decadent-tasting eggs Florentine (with tomato Fiorito and avocado hollandaise); Portuguese bacalhau cakes 5555 NE 2nd Ave., 305-754-2899 with black-eyed pea salad; big juicy certified-organic burg- While owners Max and Cristian Alvarez’s description of their ers with smoked truffle mozzarella on onion brioche buns, eatery as “a little Argentinean shack” is as charming as the with sweet potato fries. To accompany: fresh juices or brothers themselves, it conveys neither the place’s cool organic wines. Ambiance is kid-friendly; prices, atypical of warmth nor the food’s exciting elegance. Dishes are authenti- many organic eateries, are parent-friendly. $$ (PRB) cally Argentine, but far from standard steakhouse stuff. Chef Cristian’s background at popular pop-up The Dining Room Phuc Yea! becomes instantly understandable in dishes like orange and 7100 Biscayne Blvd., 305-494-0609 herb-scented lechon confit (with pumpkin mash, pickled cab- When renowned pop-up Phuc Yea quietly folded back bage salad, and Dijon mojo) or sopa de calabaza, derived from in 2011, restaurateurs Ani Meinhold and Cesar Zapata Argentina’s peasant stew locro, but here a refined, creamy refused to let their innovative “Viet-Cajun” cuisine soup. Many more surpris es — even steaks. $$-$$$ (PRB) become another Miami memory. Fast forward several years and patience has undoubtedly paid off: Phuc Yea Flavorish Market is back, sporting a swanky new permanent home and 7283 Biscayne Blvd., 305-754-8787 place is open — though that’s only through mid- Lo De Lea a menu that not only expands upon but improves what As Zabar’s reflects Manhattan’s Upper Westside neighbor- afternoon. Menu highlights include pecan waffles, 7001 Biscayne Blvd., 305-456-3218 the restaurant did right the first time. The new multi- hood, this smaller specialty foods shop is geared toward biscuits with sausage gravy, and eggs any style, from In Casa Toscana’s former space, this cute, contemporary story restaurant is effortlessly hip, featuring neon signs Miami’s Upper Eastside lifestyle. The carefully curated old-school western omelets to trendy frittatas. Among parillada is proof that you can have an Argentinean meal and weathered rustic wood furniture throughout. The stock ranges widely: upscale packaged foods; boutique sides, truly crispy hash browns are neighborhood leg- and a cholesterol test in the same month. While tradi- menu leans toward smaller tapas-style plates, which wines/beers; artisanal cheeses and cured meats; cook- end, with creamy grits a satisfying second. For those tional parillada dishes are tasty, they’re meat/fat-heavy, are sure to infuriate Miami’s gourmands, but make up books, kitchen utensils, more. But highlights are locally who like lunchier fare, hot open-faced turkey sand- basically heaps of grilled beef. Here the grill is also used for diminutive portion sizes with flavor for days. The produced fare: Mimi’s famed raviolis; Roc Kat’s tropical wiches feature the real deal, not gelatinous deli-type for vegetables (an unusually imaginative assortment, signature Cajun woks are superb, while the smaller ice creams; chef/restaurateur Ken Lyon’s prepared foods, turkey roll. $ (PRB) including bok choi, endive, and fennel), two of which are dishes such as the fragrant yet mild-tasting eggplant including daily-changing dinners for two; Zak the Baker’s paired with your protein of choice. You can indulge in a curry and the stellar “Broken Rice” — saucy caramelized crusty sourdough breads, plus sandwiches on same. La Placita mouthwateringly succulent vacio (flank steak), and walk pork belly served over short grain rice — are great for Best-kept secret: While there’s no official café component, 6789 Biscayne Blvd., 305-400-8173 out without feeling like you’re the cow. $$-$$$ (PRB) sampling when friends or family join in on the fun. If comfie counter seats enable on-premises breakfasting, La Placita, the new Puerto Rican restaurant from local you order dessert, opt for the extremely popular bread lunching, and coffee/pastry breaks. $-$$ (PRB) chef José Mendin, made massive headlines at its open- Manjay pudding, or the mung bean pudding if you’re feeling ing, all due to a controversial flag mural on its exterior. 8300 NE 2nd Ave., 305-542-2971 adventurous. $$$ (AM) Firito Taco Don’t let this squabble with the city distract you from When you’re craving Caribben cuisine, keep Manjay top 1071 NE 79th St., 305-793-6676 the food, which continues the Pubbelly chef’s hot streak. of mind. This establishment inside The Citadel food hall Sandwich Where? Nestled between Tap 79 and Royal Bavarian Schnitzel Key West conch salad, seafood stew, and tamales are may have a small menu, but its flavors are anything but. 36 NE 54th St., 786-419-2772 House, this low-key taco shack features two sections — one among the many highlights here, but the crowd favorite The jerk chicken bites with plantain fries are a substan- Don’t let the cute name fool you. Sandwich Where? for eating and one for playing bocce. The menu is limited to is the mofongo. Get the mashed plantain dish with ropa tial starter that should be succeeded by the Kreyol Bib, takes its namesake item seriously. The homey shop ten overstuffed tacos (two per order), quesadillas, desserts vieja, and watch your taste buds perk up. $-$$$ (MFP) a Creole-style slow braised pork sandwich. Sides like red offers tasty sandwiches at affordable prices — a lunch

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 75 Dining Guide: RESTAURANTS special with half a hoagie, chips, and a drink will set Mexican pizza are just a few tasty ways that 222 Taco Silverlake Bistro sauce served with meat or pasta — steal the show, and you back roughly $6. That’s a bargain, as are their regu- is making a name for itself. Larger parties can opt for a 1211 71st St., 786-803-8113 are worth the considerable uptick in price. Meanwhile, lar sandwich offerings like prosciutto mozzarella, turkey one-pound al pastor taco platter and other affordable At Silverlake Bistro, American influences abound. The everything from the pasta to the seafood is fresh, and and brie, and soppressata. Pair one with a delectable family-style options. Fun fact: They also serve breakfast. cozy eatery features an array of rich items like the Napa the service makes up for its slight inattentiveness with smoothie like the Tevez (pineapple, orange, and rasp- $-$$ (MFP) grilled cheese sandwich and gnocchi mac and cheese that affability and charm. The wine menu, while diminutive, is berry), and you have yourself a great lunch. $ (MFP) will have you hating yourself — but they’re oh so worth it. diverse enough to pair well with the meats, pastas, and Oggi’s Caffe Balance these out with some vegetables like the baby car- sauces with aplomb. Considering the quality of the food, Siam Rice 1666 79th St. Cswy., 305-866-1238 rots with honey and ricotta, one of the restaurant’s many Barok Café is a bona fide sleeper hit. $$$-$$$$ (AM) 7941 Biscayne Blvd., 305-758-0516 This cozy, romantic spot started back in 1989 as highlights. Our suggestion: Throw caution — and your diet You’ll find all the familiar favorite Thai and Japanese items a pasta factory (supplying numerous high-profile — to the wind and get the burger, a double-patty monster Café Crème here, and prices for curries and noodle dishes (all customiz- restaurants) as well as a neighborhood eatery. And with porcini mayo and the kitchen sink. $-$$$ (MFP) 750 NE 125th St., 786.409.3961 able regarding choice of protein, preparation, and heat level) the wide range of budget-friendly, homemade pastas, You don’t have to circle the world in search of sweet and are especially good at lunch. But don’t overlook somewhat made daily, remains the main draw for its large and savory treats from the City of Lights. Situated adjacent to pricier specialties like a deep-fried yet near-greaseless bone- loyal clientele. Choices range from homey, meaty MIAMI SHORES the Museum of Contemporary Art, Café Crème is a French less half duck with veggies in red curry sauce. There’s also lasagna to luxuriant crab ravioli with creamy lobster bistro helmed by Buena Vista Café proprietors Claude an unusually extensive list of salads, some with inventive sauce, with occasional forays into creative exotica Côte Gourmet Postel and Cory Finot. Open for breakfast, lunch, and din- fusion touches, like a grilled shrimp/soba salad featuring such as seaweed spaghettini, with sea scallops, shi- 9999 NE 2nd Ave., #112, 305-754-9012 ner, their selection of tartines, croissants, soups, salads, traditional Thai flavors (sriracha chiles, fish sauce, lime) and takes, and fresh tomatoes. $$-$$$ (PRB) When it comes to Miami’s dining scene, neighborhoods and daily quiches won’t disappoint diners seeking simple Japanese green tea noodles. $-$$$ (PRB) like Wynwood and Brickell tend to get all of the atten- dishes in this spacious and welcoming dining room. Service Rico Sandwich Café tion. Côte Gourmet, however, is putting Miami Shores is attentive and friendly, allowing you plenty of space to Sherwood’s Bistro & Bar 1440 79th St. Cswy., Suite 1402, 305-867-4977 on the map. This locals spot specializes in appetizing linger over your velvety latte. A word of caution: Those with 8281 NE 2nd Ave., 786-359-4030 Two adjectives describe Rico Sandwich Café perfectly: French cuisine, such as staples like escargots and an indomitable sweet tooth, beware! Pastry chef Romain Little Haiti isn’t exactly known for its culinary options, good and fast. This low-key North Bay Village shop cooks foie gras. Brunch is a highlight, featuring more casual Soreauto has made it near impossible to resist the pastries, but the new food hall at The Citadel will change that up satisfying Latin food in a jiffy. The menu is much cuisine like crêpes and a decadent croque madame to all baked on-site daily. They will leave visions of coffee perception by year’s end. Until then, Sherwood’s more than sandwiches — in fact, sandwiches make fill you up. Regardless of whether you visit for brunch, éclairs, tarts, macarons, and Napoleon cakes dancing Bistro & Bar is doing its part in filling the neighbor- up just a small portion of the selections here. Mains lunch, or dinner, expect reasonable prices, service with through your mind for days to come. Très bon! $-$$ (AM) hood’s void. Expect larger-than-life plates like rabbit include grilled palomilla steak, chicken parm, short ribs, a smile, and oh-so-satisfying food. $-$$$ (MFP) pot pie, gnocchi with oxtail ragu, and bouillabaisse at pastas, pizzas, omelettes — basically everything except Cane á Sucre this comfort-food-centric restaurant. The word “homey” the kitchen sink. Despite the eclectic mix of food, there PizzaFiore 899 NE 125th St.,305-891-0123 immediately comes to mind: Sherwood’s could literally is one constant: quality. $-$$$$ (MFP) 9540 NE 2nd Ave., 305-754-1924 From the Vega brothers (who pioneered the Design be someone’s house (we’re fairly certain it was), and Owned by Arcoub Abderrahim, who opened South and MiMo districts with, respectively, the original Cane the fascinating design just adds to the eatery’s allure. Shuckers Waterfront Grill Beach’s original PizzaFiore way back in 1996, this café A Sucre and UVA 69), this charming artisanal sand- With convenient parking all around, there’s no reason 1819 NE 79th St. Cswy., 305-866-1570 serves the kind of nostalgic, medium-thin crusted, oozing- wich bar is the perfect breakfast/lunch stop before or not to visit. $$-$$$ (MFP) Sometimes accidents can lead to better things. Case with-gooey-cheese pizzas reminiscent of our childhood after ingesting visual arts at nearby MOMA. Actually, in point, this North Bay Village waterfront institution pies in northern NJ Sopranos’ territory, except now there creations like El Fig (fig confit, gorgonzola cheese, Sushi Siam are options for today’s toppings — sundried tomatoes, walnuts, and honey on an authentically French crisp- 5582 NE 4th Ct., 305-751-7818 buffalo mozzarella, etc. But there’s also a full menu of crusted fresh-baked baguette) are art in their own On the menu of sushi-bar specialties plus a small Italian-American classics, including antipasto salads, right. Inventive, substantial salads, sides, daily soups, selection of Thai and Japanese cooked dishes, there subs, and particularly popular, pastas. Garlic rolls are a and homemade sweets (including mouthwateringly are a few surprises, such as a unique lobster maki must, but we didn’t have to tell you that. $-$$ (PRB) buttery croissants) complete the menu. $-$$ (PRB) that’s admittedly huge in price ($25.95), but also in size: six ounces of crisp-fried lobster chunks, plus Chéen-huyae asparagus, avocado, lettuce, tobiko (flying fish), masa- NORTH MIAMI 15400 Biscayne Blvd., 305-956-2808 go (smelt) roes, and special sauces. Thai dishes come Diners can get some Tex-Mex dishes here, if they must. with a choice of more than a dozen sauces, ranging Alaska Coffee Roasting Co. But the specialty is Junean-rooted Yucatan cuisine. from traditional red or green curries to the inventive, 13130 Biscayne Blvd., 786-332-4254 So why blow bucks on burritos when one can sample such as an unconventional honey sauce. $$$ (PRB) When people speak of the West Coast as the USA’s Caribbean Mexico’s most typical dish: cochinita pibil? quality coffeehouse pioneer territory, they’re thinking Chéen’s authentically succulent version of the pickle- Tap 79 Seattle — and then south through coastal California. North onion-topped marinated pork dish is earthily aromatic 1071 NE 79th St., 305-381-0946 to Alaska? Not so much. But owner Michael Gesser did from achiote, tangy from bitter oranges, and meltingly One-time fine-dining chef Alfredo Patino, whose still thriv- indeed open this hip place’s parent in Fairbanks back in tender from slow cooking in a banana leaf wrap. To ing wine/tapas bar Bin No. 18 was one of the first chef- 1993, after years of traveling through every coffee-growing accompany, try a lime/soy/chili-spiced michelada, also owned restaurants to bring casual culinary sophistication country in the world. Brews like signature smooth yet authentically Mexican, and possibly the best thing that to the downtown/midtown Biscayne Corridor, does the exotic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe don’t even need cream or ever happened to dark beer. $$-$$$ (PRB) same for still-transitional 79th Street with this convivial sugar, much less frappe frou-frou. All beans are house- gastropub, which has a similar sharable-plates menu, but roasted. There’s solid food, too: brick-oven pizzas, salads, KC Healthy Cooking built more around beer than wine pairings. Highlights sandwiches, and pastries. $-$$ (PRB) 11900 Biscayne Blvd. #103, 786-502-4193 range from carefully curated, imported charcuterie/ Hidden inside an office building across from Home Depot, cheese plates to fun chef-driven items: house-cured beef Amarone this family-friendly spot has no fancy features — such as jerky, brown sugar/ginger-marinated salmon “Scooby 15400 Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 107, 305-440-0766 a sign outside. But walk through the corporate lobby and Snacks,” hearty Coke-braised short ribs with sweet corn Amarone touts four things in their logo: wine, pasta, you’ll find truly heartfelt, health-conscious, homemade polenta and pungent Junetag blue cheese. $$-$$$ (PRB) pizza, and spirits. Where to start? Try the brick-oven dishes, some surprisingly sophisticated. There’s no red pizzas. While they don’t break new ground in the cre- meat on the globally influenced menu, but there are poul- Via Verdi Cucina Rustica ativity department, this North Miami Italian restaurant try and fish, along with many vegetarian or vegan choices: 6900 Biscayne Blvd., 786-615-2870 gets the classics right — even your basic margherita is organic pumpkin soup, zingy Thai curried veggie soup, an After years of critical acclaim cooking the cuisine of is back with their casual, no-fuss service, cheap beer, impressive. Decadent pastas with truffle oil and other elegantly layered, molded tuna/avocado/quinoa “cup- their native Piedmontat ultra-upscale Quattro, on special grilled wings (that require no sauce), and raw rich ingredients make this place a carb lover’s dream. cake,” a real Bundt cake — vegan (no dairy) but remark- Lincoln Road, twin brother chefs Nicola and Fabrizio oysters. The revamped space makes the entire experi- Wine connoisseurs will also have their hands full with ably tasty. $$ (PRB) Carro decided to work for themselves, hands-on reno- ence just a little fresher and a little happier. Speaking selections from all over Italy. $-$$ (MFP) vating the former space of MiMo District pioneer Uva of happy, their happy hour deals are still as good as Pastry Is Art 69. Cuisine here is similarly authentic, with creative ever. $$ (MB) Basilic Vietnamese Grill 12591 Biscayne Blvd., 305-640-5045 twists. But there are important differences: emphasis 14734 Biscayne Blvd., 305-944-0577 Given owner Jenny Rissone’s background as the Eden on local, rather than mostly imported, ingredients; inspi- Sushi Siam Those who say great pho is few and far between are in Roc’s executive pastry chef, it’s not surprising that her ration from all Italian regions; and best, astonishing 1524 NE 79th St. Cswy., 305-864-7638 for a treat: Basilic Vietnamese Grill offers a stunning take cakes and other sweet treats (like creamy one-bite affordability. Housemade spinach/ricotta gnudi baked (See Miami / Upper Eastside listing) (PRB) on the subtle majesty of this humble noodle soup. It June truffle “lollipops”) look as flawlessly sophisticated as in an ocean of burrata is a delight, but it’s hard to go be enough for some restaurants to rest on the laurels of they taste — perfect adult party fare. What the bak- wrong here. $$-$$$ (PRB) Tacos vs Burritos Cantina one spectacular dish, but brothers and co-owners John, ery’s name doesn’t reveal is that it’s also a breakfast 1888 79th St. Cswy., 305-868-2096 Chuck, and Vince Vu aim for the bleachers, offering a and lunch café, with unusual baking-oriented fare: a Winewood When you pit tacos against burritos, everyone wins. broad selection of delicious contemporary and traditional signature sandwich of chicken, brie, and caramelized 7251 Biscayne Blvd., 305-754-8282 Despite its competitive name, Tacos vs Burritos Vietnamese foods that aim to please. The bahn mi peaches and pecans on housemade bread; quiches; Along the Upper Eastside’s Biscayne Corridor best Cantina shows equal love to both culinary vessels. In sandwich is only served during lunch, but is alone well pot pies; even a baked-to-order Grand Marnier soufflé. known for its historic MiMo architecture, this darkly fact, diners will find a lot more than just tacos and worth the trip to this wonderful addition to North Miami. The pecan sticky buns are irresistible. $$ (PRB) wooden and quirky neighborhood wine bar stands burritos: tostadas, quesadillas, and tortas can also be $$-$$$ (AM) out. Although a lucky few will appreciate the tiny rustic filled with your protein of choice. While you could load Petit Rouge dining area, the majority of guests will sit outdoors up on the usual suspects like carne asada and chorizo, Bagel Bar East 12409 Biscayne Blvd., 305-892-7676 at the mercy of Miami’s grueling summer heat. The you’re better off being adventurous and going for less 1990 NE 123rd St., 305-895-7022 From the mid-1990s (with Neal’s Restaurant and later menu leans heavily upon Argentinean staples and traditional (and harder-to-find) fillings like tongue and Crusty outside (even without toasting) and substantial- with Il Migliore), local chef Neal Cooper’s neighborhood- Italian cuisine, echoes of Devita’s Restaurant and Che tripe. $ (MFP) ly chewy inside, the bagels here are the sort homesick oriented Italian eateries have been crowd-pleasers. Soprano, which previously occupied this space. Entrées ex-New Yorkers always moan are impossible to find in While this cute 32-seat charmer is French, it’s no excep- such as lomito, seafood tablas, and fresh pastas and Miami. For those who prefer puffed-up, pillowy bagels? tion, avoiding pretense and winning fans with both clas- stuffed raviolis are generously portioned and delicious. NORTH BEACH Forget it. Have a nice onion pocket. There’s also a full sic and nouvelle bistro fare: frisée salad with lardons, Exploring the wine menu will take patience as the list menu of authentic Jewish deli specialties, including poached egg, and bacon vinaigrette; truite Grenobloise promotes a thoughtfully diverse terroir from regions all Café Prima Pasta especially delicious, custom-cut — not pre-sliced — (trout with lemon/caper sauce); consommé with black over the world. Those reeling from weekend withdrawal 414 71st St., 305-867-0106 nova or lox. Super size sandwiches easily serve two, truffles and foie gras, covered by a buttery puff pastry can opt for a glass of wine with a side of live entertain- Who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks? Opened in and they’ll even improvise a real NJ Sloppy Joe (two dome; perfect pommes frites, and equally perfect apple ment beginning Tuesday through Saturday. $$-$$$ (AM) 1993 (with 28 seats), the Cea family’s now-sprawling meats, Swiss, coleslaw, and Russian dressing on rye) or lemon tarts for dessert. $$$ (PRB) trattoria has added inventive chef Carlos Belon and if you ask nice. $$ (PRB) modern menu items, including fiocchi rapera (pear/ Piccolo Pizza NORTH BAY VILLAGE cheese-filled pasta purses with truffled prosciutto Barok Café 2104 NE 123rd St., 305-893-9550 cream sauce), an unlikely (soy sauce and parmesan 12953 Biscayne Blvd., 305-456-0002 Pizzas at this spin-off from family-owned Il Piccolo 222 Taco cheese?) but luscious Italian/Japanese fusion tuna Barok Café forgoes the usual pomp of upscale eater- impress even NYC visitors, thanks to recipes propri- 1624 79th St. Cswy., 833-222-8226 carpaccio, and fresh-fruit sorbets. But traditionalists ies and focuses on simple, delicious, and effective etor Hubert Benmoussa learned from an authentic At first glance, the menu at North Bay Village’s 222 Taco needn’t worry. All the old favorites, from the café’s French cuisine. The middling décor and surrounding Neapolitan pizzaolo. Other favorites here include subs may look like that of your standard taco joint. But a deeper famed beef carpaccio to eggplant parm and pastas sunbleached strip malls leave something to be desired, on homemade baguettes and, surprising for a pizzeria, dive into the selections reveals more than just tacos, sauced with Argentine-Italian indulgence, are still here but all is easily excused when the food is this good. The delightfully custardy quiche (Benmoussa is part French). quesadillas, and other traditional fare. “Coco-Ceviche” and and still satisfying. $$$-$$$$ (PRB) morel dishes — large, spongy mushrooms in a fragrant But it would be unthinkable to miss the pies, especially

76 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Dining Guide: RESTAURANTS our favorite Italia: subtly sweet tomato sauce, fresh Whole Foods Market buttery croissants, plumply stuffed empanadas, or Ají Carbón tomatoes, mozzarella, onions, plus mixed greens and 12150 Biscayne Blvd., 305-892-5500 elegant berry tarts and other homemade French pas- 16978 NE 19th Ave., 786- 955-6894 uncooked prosciutto on top — both pizza and salad. (See Brickell / Downtown listing.) tries. $$-$$$ (PRB) Embracing a decidedly contemporary take on traditional There are also nicely priced catering trays of finger subs, Peruvian dishes, Ají Carbón serves up tacu tacus, rice quiche squares, pizza bites, more. $-$$ (PRB) Zaika Indian Cuisine Open Kitchen lomos, and chaufas, risottos, soups, and salads with 2176 NE 123rd St., 786-409-5187 1071 95th St., 305-865-0090 an artful twist. Among the many standout entrées is Pinecrest Bakery This friendly and dateworthy-cute spot features “Modern If we were on Death Row, choosing a last meal, this the arborio, made with rocoto sauce and panko shrimp, 13488 Biscayne Blvd., 305-912-4200 Indian” cuisine — both North Indian-type traditional favor- very chef-centered lunchroom/market’s PBLT (a BLT embellished with a surprisingly welcome drizzle of Pinecrest Bakery has opened up shop in North Miami ites interpreted without the oiliness and heavy sauces sandwich with melt-in-your-mouth pork belly substitut- sweet passion fruit reduction. Fans of Peru’s most trea- and brought an extensive selection of Cuban special- typical of westernized curry houses, plus refined reinven- ing for regular bacon) would be a strong contender. sured seafood treat, ceviche, will appreciate the variety: ties to the other side of town. As you’d expect, pasteli- tions using authentic (though heat-adjustible) spicing Co-owners Sandra Stefani (ex-Casa Toscana chef/ in addition to the traditional leche de tigre, guests can tos, empanadas, and other traditional delights are on in original creations and/or less familiar South Indian owner) and Ines Chattas (ex-Icebox Café GM) have sample ceviches made with various sauces, including the menu, but the bakery also doubles as a café. This coastal dishes: coconut-rich Konkan fish curry, irresist- combined their backgrounds to create a global gour- rocoto, yellow pepper, and cilantro. $$-$$$ (AM) means you’ll also find sandwiches galore, including ible lasooni jhinga (yogurt/garlic-marinated char-grilled met oasis with a menu ranging from light quiches and staples like the Cuban sandwich (ham, pork, swiss shrimp). Vegetarian dishes featuring paneer cheese are imaginative salads to hefty balsamic/tomato-glazed The Alchemist cheese, pickle) as well as Philly cheesesteaks and outstanding, but even samosas sparkle, with peas still shortribs or daily pasta specials (like wild boar-stuffed 17830 W. Dixie Hwy., 786-916-3560 turkey melts. And of course, there’s no shortage of popping-fresh. Multi-course lunch specials ($9-$13) — ravioli). Also featured: artisan grocery products, and It’s impossible to walk into The Alchemist without smil- cafecito. $ (MFP) custom-cooked, not old steam-table buffet stuff — are a Stefani’s famous interactive cooking class/wine din- ing. The café is gorgeous, with plenty of indoor and terrific deal. $$ (PRB) ners. $$-$$$ (PRB) outdoor seating for all, including pets. Inside, the cof- Ricky Thai Bistro fee shop lives up to its name with cool containers and 1617 NE 123rd St., 305-891-9292 quirky art that befit a mad scientist’s office. Open-face Named after the Thai/Italian owners’ son, this “best sandwiches and pizzettas make up most of the menu, kept secret” neighborhood eatery is regularly packed which also includes risotto, escargot, and other fun by food-savvy locals for good reason: Southeast Asian items not typically found at your usual java joint. Plus, herbs grown right outside the bistro, plus locally made there’s beer and wine for unwinding. $-$$ (MFP) rice noodles and precision cooking make the Thai fare among the most sparkling fresh, and authentically Cacio e Pepe spiced/spicy in town. Must-haves include Pad Kee Mow 15903 Biscayne Blvd., 305-627-3436 (called “drunken noodles,” but a more accurate transla- When you name your restaurant Cacio e Pepe, you’d tion is “drunkard’s noodles,” for their assertive and better be serving good pasta. Fortunately, chef alcohol-free chili/ basil flavoring); duck or whole hog Stefano Mazzi’s food backs it up. At this North Miami snapper, both crisp outside, juicy inside; succulently Beach gem, guests will find a wide range of Italian sour ground beef larp salad. Portions are unusually classics such as butternut ravioli, black truffle risotto, generous. $$ (PRB) and seafood linguine. They’re items you can find elsewhere, but they’re done especially well here. A Sergio’s Cuban Café + Grill meal can get pricey — some mains are upwards of 1821 NE 123rd St., 305-702-7211 $30 — but you’ll quickly understand why dining here Abuela’s Cuban cooking can make us feel all warm commands a premium. $$-$$$ (MFP) and fuzzy. Unfortunately, it can also make us fat. Enter Sergio’s Cuban Café + Grill, a somewhat healthier Chef Rolf’s Tuna’s Seafood Restaurant approach to the beloved cuisine. Guests can create their 17850 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-932-0630 own bowls and add healthy mix-ins like lean ground tur- Known for decades as simply Tuna’s, this indoor/ key and cauliflower rice for a satisfyingly “skinny” meal. outdoor eatery, combining a casual vibe with some Of course, the usual suspects like the Cuban sandwich surprisingly sophisticated food, now has a name rec- and even a Cuban cheesesteak make an appearance for ognizing the culinary refinements introduced by Rolf those not watching their waistline. $ (MFP) Fellhauer, for 28 years executive chef at Continental fine-dining spot La Paloma. Additions to the predomi- Steve’s Pizza nantly seafood menu include chateaubriand or rack of 12101 Biscayne Blvd., 305-891-0202 lamb for two, both carved, with old-school spectacle, At the end of a debauched night of excess, some tableside. Owner Michael Choido has also renovated paper-thin designer pizza with wisps of smoked the interior dining room, and added the Yellowfin salmon (or similar fluff) doesn’t do the trick. Open till Lounge, which features an extensive selection of arti- 3:00 or 4:00 a.m., Steve’s has, since 1974, been serv- san beers. $$-$$$ (PRB) ing the kind of comforting, retro pizzas people crave at that hour. As in Brooklyn, tomato sauce is sweet, with CY Chinese strong oregano flavor. Mozzarella is applied with aban- 1242 NE 163rd St., 305-947-3838 don. Toppings are stuff that give strength: pepperoni, Szechuan cuisine is a fascinating and sometimes polar- sausage, meatballs, onions, and peppers. $ (PRB) izing art — not everyone is a fan of the pain wrought from the distinctive mouth-numbing heat. But if spicy pain is the Sushi Lucy name of your game, there’s plenty of joy to be found at CY 1680 NE 123rd St., 786-391-2668 Chinese, a worthy Chinese restaurant specializing in region- One of the worst parts about dining out is the wait. At al southwestern cuisine with a kick. Dishes range from North Miami’s Sushi Lucy, waiting for your food is a typical Chinese fare (dumplings, egg rolls, pork, and duck foreign concept. The Asian eatery sends out items served a million-and-one different ways) to exotic (signature by the boatload — literally — so guests pick out their dry pots, Szechuan dishes) to adventurous cuisine (tip: don’t dishes as they pass by on a conveyor belt. If you’re not order the mung bean jelly if you’re on a date, and if you in the mood for sushi, rest assured you won’t leave don’t already know and love tripe, you might want to pass). hungry. Hot kitchen entrées like the shrimp dumplings, All of the dishes sampled were delicious and unequivocally salmon rice bowls, and chicken skewers round out the authentic, although perhaps a little bit too oily. All meals establishment’s extensive menu. $-$$ (MFP) can be made to taste, so specify how much salt, oil, and spice you’d prefer with your server while ordering. If you can Tatore excuse the shabby interior and idiosyncratic yet strangely 15180 Biscayne Blvd., 305-749-6840 charming table service, the real deal is waiting for you at CY Meet the fugazzeta, a regional Argentinian specialty Chinese. $$-$$$ (AM) that is essentially a white pizza with mozzarella, onions, and oregano. And although simple, it’s hard to Eat Green come by in town. FYI: You can find it here. An ample 14881 Biscayne Blvd., 305-948-6006 outdoor space is popular on the cooler days, and What does it take to be the most eco-friendly, health con- inside, the great red oven takes center stage. You can The Palm scious, and accessible restaurant in the city? Eat Green, go traditional with your pizza or try the Nicanora, which BAY HARBOR ISLANDS 9650 E. Bay Harbor Dr., 305-868-7256 a minuscule blip relegated to the sidelines of Biscayne has caramelized onions and bacon. The restaurant It was 1930s journalists, legend has it, who transformed Commons shopping plaza, June have the answers. Tiny opens early enough to serve the breakfast of champi- Asia Bay Bistro NYC’s original Palm from Italian restaurant to bastion of but beautiful in a sleek minimalist way, Eat Green deserves ons — empanadas. $-$$ (MB) 1007 Kane Concourse, 305-861-2222 beef. Owners would run out to the butcher for huge steaks credit for its thoughtful design: sustainable bamboo decor, As in Japan’s most refined restaurants, artful presenta- to satisfy the hardboiled scribes. So our perennial pick pleasant lighting, and chemical-free diningware make eat- Tomato & Basil tion is stunning at this Japanese/Thai gem. And though here is nostalgic: steak à la stone — juicy, butter-doused ing clean seem like an infinitely more attractive proposal. 653 NE 125th St., 305-456-1193 the voluminous menu sports all the familiar favorites slices on toast, topped with sautéed onions and pimentos. Expect standard organic and farm-raised fare, including This rustic Italian eatery with reds, whites, and lots of from both nations, the Japanese-inspired small plates This classic (whose carb components make it satisfying salads, wraps, quesadillas, soups, cold-pressed juices, and light wood, will instantly transport you to the carefree will please diners seeking something different. Try jala- without à la carte sides, and hence a relative bargain) isn’t coffee. While this June seem like more of the same, it’s in streets of Italy, Vespa included — so will the thin pizza, peño-sauced hamachi sashimi; toro with enoki mush- on the menu anymore, but cooks will prepare it on request. no way disappointing, and should be noted that everything creamy polenta, and carefully curated wine list. Their rooms, bracing ooba (shiso), tobiko caviar, and a sauce $$$$$ (PRB) not only tastes good, but is affordable, too. Eat Green suc- complimentary rolls with homemade tomato sauce are almost like beurre blanc; rock shrimp/shitake tempura ceeds at paying respect to the earth while soothing the body, extra heavenly. Delivery available, but if you decide to with a delicate salad; elegant salmon tartare with a mix- soul, and wallet with equal aplomb. $-$$ (AM) dine in, there is plenty of free parking. $$ (MB) in quail egg. And spicy, Juneo-dressed tuna rock makis NORTH MIAMI BEACH are universal crowd-pleasers. $$$ (PRB) El Gran Inka Urbano Steak House Area Code 55 Brazilian Steakhouse 3155 NE 163rd St., 305-940-4910 2114 NE 123rd St., 786-637-7711 Bay Harbor Bistro 16375 Biscayne Blvd., 305-947-6202 Though diners at this upscale Peruvian eatery will If you’re vegetarian, Urbano Steak House is not for 1023 Kane Concourse, 305-866-0404 Area Code 55 Brazilian Steakhouse’s name is a mouthful find ceviches, a hefty fried-seafood jalea, and Peru’s you; the “Let’s Eat Meat” sign inside this Argentinian Though small, this ambitious European/American — and so are its meats. The all-you-can-eat establishment other expected traditional specialties, all presented establishment is a dead giveaway. Once you sit down, fusion bistro covers all the bases, from smoked puts you in total control of the experience. A flip of a card far more elegantly than most in town, the contempo- you’ll see a variety of different cuts on the menu along salmon eggs Florentine at breakfast and elaborate signals to the restaurant’s gauchos that you’re ready to rary Peruvian fusion creations are unique. Especially with native staples like empanadas and sweetbreads. lunch salads to steak frites at dinner, plus tapas. As chow down on everything from filet mignon and lamb recommended are two dishes adapted from recipes There are non-carnivore options, but you’re not here for well as familiar fare, you’ll find atypical creations: cara- chops to bacon-wrapped chicken and pork sausage. Eat by Peru’s influential nikkei (Japanese/Creole) chef a salad. Instead, get the “parillada” — the gigantic meat melized onion and goat cheese-garnish ed leg of lamb until you’re full or hate yourself; nobody’s stopping you. Rosita Yimura: an exquisite, delicately sauced tiradito platter comes with steak, short rib, blood sausage, and sandwiches; a layered crab/avocado tortino; pistachio- A word of advice: Don’t fill up on the restaurant’s super- de corvina, and for those with no fear of cholesterol, an assortment of other proteins. Good luck finishing it by crusted salmon. A welcome surprise: The bistro is addictive cheese bread, no matter how tempting. $$-$$$ pulpo de oliva (octopus topped with rich olive sauce). yourself. $$-$$$ (MFP) also a bakery, so don’t overlook the mouthwateringly (MFP) $$$-$$$$ (PRB)

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 77 Dining Guide: RESTAURANTS

Empire Szechuan Gourmet of NY dining room entrance. There’s also a better than aver- that make it not just a soup but a whole ceremony), and margaritas can be as big as your head. $ (MFP) 3427 NE 163rd St., 305-949-3318 age selection of seasonal Chinese veggies, like delicate many other Vietnamese classics. The menu is humongous. In the 1980s, Empire became the Chinese chain sautéed pea shoots. The menu is extensive, but the best $-$$ (PRB) Siam Square that swallowed Manhattan — and transformed public ordering strategy, since the place is usually packed with 54 NE 167th St., 305-944-9697 perceptions of Chinese food in the NY metropolitan Asians, is to see what looks good on nearby tables, and Merkado 31 by Cholo’s This addition to North Miami Beach’s “Chinatown” strip area. Before: bland faux-Cantonese dishes. After: point. Servers will also steer you to the good stuff, once 1127 NE 163rd St., 305-947-3338 has become a popular late-night gathering spot for lighter, more fiery fare from Szechuan and other prov- you convince them you’re not a chop suey kinda person. Merkado 31 is a welcome update to the Peruvian spot chefs from other Asian restaurants. And why not? The inces. This Miami outpost does serve chop suey and $$ (PRB) formerly known as Cholo’s Ceviche & Grill. Apart from its food is fresh, nicely presented, and reasonably priced. other Americanized items, but don’t worry. Stick with spiffy new digs, there’s a new menu, including an entire The kitchen staff is willing to customize dishes upon Szechuan crispy prawns, Empire’s Special Duck, cold Korean Kitchen section called Merkado Green, aimed at healthy eaters, request, and the serving staff is reliably fast. Perhaps sesame noodles, or similar pleasantly spicy specialties, 1661 NE 163rd St., Ste. A, 954-766-5558 vegetarians, and vegans — the citrusy quinoa is a must-try. most important, karaoke equipment is in place when and you’ll be a happy camper, especially if you’re an ex- It may not look like much on the outside, but deli - But if you’re looking for something a little more traditional, the mood strikes. $-$$ (PRB) New Yorker. $$ (PRB) cious Korean food awaits inside this North Miami the piled-high causas and Ceviche Clasico are mainstays. Beach gem. Korean Kitchen cooks up a wealth of familiar dishes like beef bulgogi and sweet $-$$ (MB) Tania’s Table Fat Boy’s Wings & Tings and spicy wings — things you may encounter at 18685 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-932-9425 1562 NE 165th St., 305-209-2533 similar spots. The real winners are the “less acces - Moon Thai A location at the tail end of a tiny, tired-looking strip At Fat Boy’s Wings & Tings, you know what you’re sible” items like fish cake soup, squid stir fry, and Intracoastal Mall 3455 NE 163rd St., 305-974-5129 mall makes this weekday lunch-only kosher eatery getting yourself into: wings — and a lot of them. steamed eggs; you’ll be hard pressed to find those The original Moon Thai opened in Coral Gables in easy to miss. But the cute bistro, an extension of chef These are some meaty wings, so six pieces should be selections elsewhere. Go in with an open mind and 2000, and the restaurant has since expanded with Tania Sigal’s catering company, is well worth seeking enough for most folks at this North Miami business you’ll have a great time. $ (MFP) Kendall, Coral Springs, and Weston locations (to name for its unusually varied daily-changing menus — not (but you can order up to 100). They’re tasty on their a few). One of its newest outposts is in North Miami just familiar Eastern European-derived dishes (chicken own, but they really shine with flavor options like Kuten Inclusive Kitchen Beach, where guests can dig into a variety of Thai and matzoh ball soup, blintzes, etc.) but numerous lemon pepper and pineapple jerk. As for other “tings,” 3507 NE 163rd St., 305-944-3189 Japanese specialties. Whether you choose the organic Latin American specialties (zesty ropa vieja), Asian- Fat Boy’s offers entrées like jerk shrimp pasta, oxtail, Kuten Inclusive Kitchen takes its name seriously: All Japanese menu or the organic Thai menu, there’s no influenced items (Thai chicken/noodle salad), light- and curry goat. Be prepared for leftovers. $-$$ (MFP) diets are welcome. This charming breakfast and lunch shortage of options for any palate. If you’re only a little ened universal Ladies-Who-Lunch classics (custardy spot’s offerings lean on the healthier side, so expect bit hungry, then the à la carte seafood selections are quiches, grilled trout with mustard sauce), and home- Ginza Japanese Buffet tartines, salads, soups, and other lighter fare (including the way to go. Otherwise, the noodles and curries are made baked goods. $$ (PRB) 16153 Biscayne Blvd.,305-944-2192 vegetarian options). Most items can be made gluten- your best bets. $$-$$$ (MFP) Highlighting the lunch and dinners spreads at this all- free, such as its hearty bacon and egg roll as well as Vegetarian Restaurant by Hakin you-can-eat Japanese buffet are a hibachi station (where the pasta auvergne with roasted eggplant (one word: Nothing Bundt Cakes 73 NE 167th St., 305-405-6346 chefs custom-cook diners’ choice of seafood or meat), yum). Customers in a hurry should opt for fun bakery 15400 Biscayne Blvd., Suite #112, 305-974-4536 Too often purist vegetarian food is unskillfully crafted plus many types of maki rolls and individual nigiri sushi, selections like almond keto cookies, popcorn cake, and Nothing Bundt Cakes is saying something with their sat- bland stuff, spiced with little but sanctimonious intent. both featuring a larger variety of seafood than at many cheese bites. $ (MFP) isfying sweets. The bakery behemoth’s new location in Not at this modest-looking vegan (dairy-free vegetarian) sushi bars -- not just salmon and tuna but snapper, esco- Aventura offers Nothing’s signature item in a wide range of restaurant and smoothie bar. Dishes from breakfast’s lar, surf clam, snow crab, and more. But there are also Laurenzo’s Market Café sizes and flavors. Want to indulge without hating yourself blueberry-packed pancakes to Caribbean vegetable steam-tabled hot Japanese and Chinese dishes; an array 16385 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-945-6381 later? A bite-size red velvet or pecan praline bundtini is the stews sparkle with vivid flavors. Especially impressive: of cold shellfish and salads with mix-and-match sauces; It’s just a small area between the wines and the fridge way to go. Otherwise, dig into a mini confetti bundtlet or go mock meat (and fake fish) wheat-gluten items that beat and desserts. Selections vary, but value-for-money is a counters – no potted palms, and next-to-no service in all out with a bundtlet tower or a tiered cake. If you have a many carnivorous competitors. Skeptical? Rightly. But given. $$ (PRB) this cafeteria-style space. But when negotiating this particular bundt cake in mind, they likely have it. $-$$$$ we taste-tested a “Philly cheese steak” sandwich on the international gourmet market’s packed shelves and (MFP) toughest of critics — an inflexibly burger-crazy six year-old. Hiro Japanese Restaurant crowds has depleted your energies, it’s a handy place She cleaned her plate. $$ (PRB) 3007 NE 163rd St., 305-948-3687 to refuel with eggplant parmesan and similar Italian- Oishi Thai One of Miami’s first sushi restaurants, Hiro retains an American classics, housemade from old family recipes. 14841 Biscayne Blvd., 305-947-4338 Yakko-San amusing retro-glam feel, an extensive menu of both Just a few spoonfuls of Wednesday’s hearty pasta At this stylish Thai/sushi spot, try the menu of spe- 3881 NE 163rd. St. (Intracoastal Mall), 305-947-0064 sushi and cooked Japanese food, and late hours that fagiole, one of the daily soup specials, could keep a cials, many of which clearly reflect the young chef’s After sushi chefs close up their own restaurants for the make it a perennially popular after-hours snack stop. fanatical devotion to fresh fish, as well as the time he night, many come here for a rare taste of Japanese The sushi menu has few surprises, but quality is reli- spent in the kitchen of Knob: broiled miso-marinated home cooking, served in grazing portions. Try glistening- able. Most exceptional are the nicely priced yakitori, black cod; rock shrimp tempura with creamy sauce; fresh strips of raw tuna can be had in maguro nuta skewers of succulently soy-glazed and grilled meat, fish, even Nobu Matsuhisa’s “new style sashimi” (slightly – mixed with scallions and dressed with habit-forming and vegetables; the unusually large variety available of surface-seared by drizzles of hot olive and sesame oil). honey-miso mustard sauce. Other favorites include goma the last makes this place a good choice for vegetarians. The specials menu includes some Thai-inspired cre- ae (wilted spinach, chilled and dressed in sesame sauce), $$ (PRB) ations, too, such as veal massaman curry, Chilean sea garlic stem and beef (mild young shoots flash-fried with bass curry, and sizzling filet mignon with basil sauce. tender steak bits), or perhaps just-caught grouper with Hiro’s Sushi Express $$$-$$$$ (PRB) hot/sweet/tangy chili sauce. Open till around 3:00 a.m. 17048 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-949-0776 $$ (PRB) Tiny, true, but there’s more than just sushi at this Panya Thai mostly take-out spin-off of the pioneering Hiro. Makis 520 NE 167th St., 305-945-8566 are the mainstay (standard stuff like California rolls, Unlike authentic Chinese cuisine, there’s no shortage SUNNY ISLES BEACH more complex creations like multi-veg futomaki, and a of genuine Thai food in and around Miami. But Panya’s few unexpected treats like a spicy Crunch & Caliente chef/owner, a Bangkok native, offers numerous AQ Chophouse maki), available à la carte or in value-priced individual regional and/or rare dishes not found elsewhere. Plus 17875 Collins Ave., 305-918-6888 and party combo platters. But there are also bento he doesn’t automatically curtail the heat or sweetness AQ Chophouse may have a small menu, but the plates boxes featuring tempura, yakitori skewers, teriyaki, levels to please Americans. Among the most intriguing: are anything but. All appetites are welcome here. In the stir-fried veggies, and udon noodles. Another branch is moo khem phad wan (chewy deep-fried seasoned pork mood to nibble? Tuna tartare and seafood ceviche have now open in Miami’s Upper Eastside. $ (PRB) strips with fiery tamarind dip, accompanied by crisp your back. Craving carbs? A short rib ravioli with sage and green papaya salad); broad rice noodles stir-fried with butter will hit the spot. Just plain hungry? AQ’s signature Holi Vegan Kitchen eye-opening chili/garlic sauce and fresh Thai basil; and 18-ounce NY strip is calling your name. A concise selection 3099 NE 163rd St., 786-520-3120 chili-topped Diamond Duck in tangy tamarind sauce. of sushi rounds out the dinner offerings, any of which goes Science confirms that eating an exclusively plant- $$-$$$ (PRB) well with a black cherry Old Fashioned or another delicious based vegan diet is unequivocally the healthiest and libation. $$-$$$$$ (MFP) most eco-friendly lifestyle around. Unsurprisingly, Paquito’s Miami turned a blind eye to science for years, forcing 16265 Biscayne Blvd., 305-947-5027 Biella Ristorante the wandering vegan to settle on steakhouse salads From the outside, this strip-mall Mexican eatery couldn’t 17082 Collins Ave, 305-974-0174 of ill repute and other questionable dishes. Today, be easier to overlook. Inside, however, its festivity is Romantic dates and family outings are just a few of the after years of compromise, we have another vegan impossible to resist. Every inch of wall space seems to situations where a visit to Biella Ristorante is a good idea. restaurant in town: Holi Vegan Kitchen, a fast-casual person shopping for hours. And now that pizza master be covered with South of the Border knickknacks. And This Sunny Isles Beach restaurant welcomes patrons oasis of plant-based treats intended to satisfy the Carlo is manning the wood-fired oven, you can sample if the kitschy décor alone doesn’t cheer you, the quickly with a vast menu of high-quality Italian favorites. Harissa minds, bodies, and souls of earth’s most conscious the thinnest, crispiest pies outside Napoli. $-$$ (PRB) arriving basket of fresh (not packaged) taco chips, or the tuna tartare and beef carpaccio are notable starters foodies. Expect vegan and gluten-free options for mariachi band, or the knockout margaritas will. Food that prepare the palate for an onslaught of fun flavors. breakfast, lunch, and early dinner, as well as a selec- Lettuce & Tomato ranges from Tex-Mex burritos and a party-size fajita plat- Entrées like Biella’s pear ravioli and black truffle risotto tion of wine, beer, cold-pressed juices, and delec- 17070 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-760-2260 ter to authentic Mexican moles and harder-to-find tradi- are full of said flavors, and a dessert menu featuring tira- table plant-based desserts. $$$ (AM) Despite its inauspicious location, this unassuming gas- tional preparations like albóndigas – spicy, ultra-savory misu, gelato, and more ensures a memorable evening. tropub is a certified gem, priding itself on using fresh, meatballs. $$-$$$ (PRB) $$-$$$ (MFP) Ivan’s Gastro seasonal ingredients to create inspired takes on salads, 14815 Biscayne Blvd., 305-944-4826 sandwiches, burgers, and gourmet bites. An earnest labor PhoMi2Go Chayhana Oasis Diners who remember Haitian-born, Le Cordon Bleu- of love for husband and wife team Roy and Agostina 17010 W. Dixie Hwy., 786-916-2790 250 Sunny Isles Blvd., 305-917-1133 trained Miami chef Ivan Dorvil’s lightened/brightened Starobinsky, this cozy spot presents a thoughtful selection Run — don’t walk — to this hidden North Miami Beach Sampling traditional Uzbeki cuisine brings to mind a Caribbean dishes at pioneering Nuvo Kafe already of flavorful offerings, including a quinoa cremosa adorned gem that boasts a bevy of Vietnamese staples like pho confluence of several Eastern styles, including the best know how French technique and gentle global (mainly with truffle oil and microgreens, a house-cured salmon and bahn mis. Given the name, such selections should flavors from Turkish, Russian, and Chinese cooking, Asian) touches can elevate homey island fare. A tosta, braised pork belly buns, and grilled octopus. Drink come as no surprise. What is surprising, though, is the cherry-picked and mixed to surprising effect. Chayhana decade later, at the Chopped champion’s hip yet selections include a Tokyo Bloody Mary, mimosas, and a pricing. The majority of items cost less than $10, but Oasis, a bold mid-size restaurant that manages to blessedly affordable new gastropub, the remarkably delightfully satisfying Asian take on a classic mojito, made their quality warrants a higher valuation. No meal here look opulent without seeming gaudy, showcases refined Haitian/Carib/Asian fusion dishes remain reve- with sake instead of traditional rum. Lettuce & Tomato is complete without an order of 5-spice chicken wings Uzbekistan’s diverse cultural heritage in its food, latory: rich yet clean-tasting shrimp mofongo; dainty deserves credit for crafting an unpretentious menu that or egg rolls, either of which can be had for less than a which has a comforting, understated simplicity to it. akra (grated malanga fritters, crisp outside, creamy doesn’t skimp on quality or inventiveness. A most wel- Lincoln. $ (MFP) Vegetarians might have trouble navigating the menu, inside), served with puréed watercress sauce; oxtail, come surprise. $$ (AM) which skews heavily in favor of carnivorous appetites. If slow-braised in a red wine-enriched sauce — as sophis- Reposado Tex-Mex Cantina you’re game for a meaty dish, try the deliciously authen- ticated as the best boeuf Bourguignon, but more deca- Little Saigon 2995 NE 163rd St., 786-802-3124 tic pilaf, the Eastern salad made with cucumbers and dent. $$-$$$ (PRB) 16752 N. Miami Ave., 305-653-3377 At Reposado Tex-Mex Cantina, every day is “Taco fried beef, the lamb filled Manty dumplings, and any This is Miami’s oldest traditional Vietnamese restaurant, Tuesday.” The restaurant’s big draw is its daily happy one of the many kebabs. Service is also friendly and King Palace but it’s still packed most weekend nights. So even the hour, during which you can enjoy dirt-cheap street above average. $$-$$$ (AM) 330 NE 167th St., 305-949-2339 place’s biggest negative – its hole-in-the-wall atmosphere, tacos and discounted tequila. With such low prices, Specialties here are authentic Chinatown-style BBQ not encouraging of lingering visits – becomes a plus since you’d think there’s some sort of catch. There isn’t. Il Mulino New York (whole ducks, roast pork strips, etc., displayed in a glass it ensures fast turnover. Chef/owner Lily Tao is typically This is great food at a great value. The rest of the 17875 Collins Ave., 305-466-9191 case by the door), and fresh seafood dishes, the best in the kitchen, crafting green papaya salad, flavorful beef menu features familiar items like ceviche, street corn, If too much is not enough for you, this majorly upscale made with the live fish swimming in two tanks by the noodle pho (served with greens, herbs, and condiments and other Latin staples. Consider Ubering here, as the Italian-American place, an offshoot of the famed NYC

78 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com August 2019 Dining Guide: RESTAURANTS

original, is your restaurant. For starters, diners receive gouda) and the Beauty Queen (avocado chicken salad). remains a lively place. Lately they’ve been promoting Guilt-free food does not mean flavor-free food at the enough freebie food — fried zucchini coins, salami, Order them all if you want; they’re only $6-$9 each. $ their Saturday and Sunday brunches, every week of Little Beet. The Aventura Mall establishment prides bruschetta with varying toppings, a wedge of quality (MFP) the year, along with special events tied to holidays. itself on its local, sustainable food sources, and it parmigiano, garlic bread — that ordering off the menu But any day of the week, the restaurant’s patio is the shows. The menu is composed of bowls, and there’s seems superfluous. But mushroom raviolis in truffle Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza place to be, with its sweeping views of Turnberry Isle’s no shortage of options: nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, cream sauce are irresistible, and perfectly tenderized 17901 Biscayne Blvd., 305-830-2625 lushly landscaped golf course. Full review coming vegetarian, vegan — the list goes on. For starters, try veal parmesan, the size of a large pizza, makes a When people rave about New York pizzas’ superiority, soon. $$$-$$$$ some brown rice, throw in some beets and lentils, and great take-out dinner…for the next week. $$$$-$$$$$ they don’t just mean thin crusts. They mean the kind finish off with braised pork and sweet chili garlic. The (PRB) of airy, abundantly burn-bubbled, traditional coal (not CVI.CHE 105 sheer number of choices means you’ll be coming back wood) oven — like those at Anthony’s, which began 19565 Biscayne Blvd., 786-516-2818 again (and again). $ (MFP) Kitchen 305 with one Fort Lauderdale pizzeria in 2002 and now CVI.CHE 105 has made its way up north, opening a loca- 16701 Collins Ave., 305-749-2110 has roughly 30 locations. Quality toppings, though tion inside Aventura Mall’s latest expansion. This is the Midici Offering eclectic American fare, this resort restaurant limited, hit all the major food groups, from prosciutto Peruvian brand’s third restaurant, and it follows a tried- 18841 Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 130, 786-654-2194 room, despite its contemporary open kitchen, has the to kalamata olives. There are salads, too, but the sau- and-true formula: “Don’t mess with a good thing.” The cevi- When you get a hankering for pizza, Midici has your retro-glam look of a renovated discotheque — which sage and garlic- sautéed broccoli rabe pie is a tastier ches, tiraditos, and other Peruvian fare that diners have back (and stomach). Neapolitan pies are this chain’s is what it was. In fact, it’s still as much lounge as eat- green vegetable. $$ (PRB) fallen in love with are available here, including the ever- claim to fame, and you’ll understand why at first bite. ery, so it’s best to arrive early if you want a relatively popular lomo saltado. The one major difference: Diners up Perfect for a quick meal — pizzas are done in 90 DJ-free eating experience. A seductive mango-papaya Araxi Burger north no longer have to make the trek to Brickell or Miami seconds — Midici’s offerings come with a variety of BBQ sauce makes ribs a tasty choice any night, but 17861 Biscayne Blvd., 305-952-3143 Beach. $$ (MFP) tasty toppings. Opt for classics like margherita pizza or most local diners in the know come on nights when the If you’re in Aventura and find yourself craving a burger, embrace decadence with the truffle and prosciutto or restaurant features irresistibly priced seasonal seafood head to Araxi Burger. The low-key restaurant is a Dr. Smood the egg n’ bacon pizza. Diets have no place here. $-$$ specials (all-you-can-eat stone crabs one night, lobster burger fanatic’s paradise: There are 20 bun-and-patty 19501 Biscayne Blvd., 786-334-4420 (MFP) on another). A spacious dining counter overlooking the combos to choose from, including a Greek burger with It’s no secret that dining out adds up — both in terms of cooks makes the Kitchen a comfortable spot for singles. lamb and tzatziki sauce as well as a Venezuelan burg- calories and costs. Dr. Smood is focused on controlling Mo’s Bagels & Deli $$$ (PRB) the former by providing customers with “Smart Food 2780 NE 187th St., 305-936-8555 for a Good Mood.” That healthy motto has gotten the While the term “old school” is used a lot to Mozart Café company far. This beautiful Aventura branch follows describe this spacious (160-seat) establishment, it 18110 Collins Ave., 305-974-0103 successful openings in Wynwood and South Miami. actually opened in 1995. It just so evokes the clas - This eatery (which serves breakfast as well as lunch While Dr. Smood is mostly known for its juices and sic NY delis we left behind that it seems to have and dinner) is a kosher dairy restaurant, but not the detox programs, this branch at Aventura Mall also pro- been here forever. Example: Lox and nova aren’t familiar Old World type that used to proliferate all vides visitors with grab-and-go grub befitting its setting. pallid, prepackaged fish, but custom-sliced from over New York’s Lower Eastside Jewish community. The free wireless internet here is the icing on the cake. whole slabs. And bagels are hand-rolled, chewy Décor isn’t deli but modern-artsy, and the food is not $-$$ (MFP) champions, not those machine-made puffy poseurs. blintzes, noodle kugel, etc., but a wide range of non- As complimentary pastry bites suggest, and the meat items from pizzas to sushi. Our favorite dishes, Etzel Itzik massive size of the succulent, sufficiently fatty though, are Middle Eastern-influenced, specifically 18757 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-937-1546 pastrami sandwiches confirm, generous Jewish Yemenite malawach (paratha-type flatbread sand- Though this homey kosher oldtimer, self-described as Mo(m) spirit shines here. $$ (PRB) wiches, savory or sweet), and shaksuka (nicknamed a deli but really more of an Israeli/Middleterranean “eggs in purgatory”; the spicy eggplant version will restaurant (think kebab on pita, not pastrami on rye), Mr. Chef’s Fine Chinese Cuisine & Bar explain all). $$-$$$ (PRB) opened in 1997, it’s still something of a locals’ secret 18800 NE 29th Ave. #10, 7, 86-787-9030 due to its location in a nondescript strip mall. But it’s Considering our county’s dearth of authentic Chinese Saffron Indian Cuisine worth seeking out even by diners not restricted by reli- food, this stylish eatery is heaven-sent for Aventura 18090 Collins Ave. #T-22, 786-899-5554 gious laws; food is both highly flavorful and hugely fun residents. Owners Jin Xiang Chen and Shu Ming Saffron Indian Cuisine makes us happy. Miami is lack- — starting with the array of free veg appetizers that (a.k.a. Mr. Chef) come from China’s southern sea- ing in Indian food, and this Sunny Isles Beach addition appear before you even order: herbed chickpeas, pick- coast province of Guangdong (Canton). But you’ll find helps fill that void. The restaurant replaces another led salads, more. Especially recommended: shakshuka no gloppily sauced, Americanized-Cantonese chop Indian eatery — Copper Chimney — and fans of that (eggs poached in complexly spiced and spicy chunky sueys here. Cooking is properly light-handed, and place will find plenty to love here. Garlic naan and veg- tomato sauce), a breakfast dish but available later, seafood specialties shine (try the spicy/crispy salt gie samosas are musts as snacks, but don’t overdo it. too. $-$$ (PRB) and pepper shrimp). For adventurers, there’s a cold The lamb tikka masala and kebabs deserve a spot on jellyfish starter. Even timid taste buds can’t resist your order as well. $-$$ (MFP) Fuji Hana tender fried shrimp balls described this way: “With 2775 NE 187th St., Suite #1, 305-932-8080 crispy adorable fringy outfit.” $$-$$$ (PRB) Sumo Sushi Bar & Grill A people-pleasing menu of typical Thai and Japanese 17630 Collins Ave., 305-682-1243 dishes, plus some appealing contemporary creations Poke + Go Sushi June well have been served in Sunny Isles before er with garlic mayo and fried egg. Although it’s easy (like the Spicy Crunchy Tuna Roll, an inside-out tuna/ 2451 NE 186th St., 305-705-3784 this longtime neighborhood favorite opened, but Sumo to stuff your face with a burger and Araxi’s signature avocado/tempura maki, topped with more tuna and It seemed like only yesterday that South Florida suf- was the neighborhood’s first sushi bar to double as a BBQ chicken wings, you’ll want to save some room for served with a luscious creamy cilantro sauce) has made fered from a lack of decent poke restaurants. In just popular lounge/hangout as well as restaurant. Ladies’ their decadent hazelnut and red velvet milkshakes. this eatery a longtime favorite. But vegetarians — for one year, though, the diced raw-fish specialty has nights are legend. While Thai and Chinese dishes are $-$$ (MFP) whom seafood-based condiments can make Asian popped up everywhere — including here. Poke + Go’s available, as well as purist nigiri, few can resist the truly foods a minefield — might want to add the place to their fast-casual vibe is perfect for scarfing down the flavor- sumo-wrestler-size maki rolls, the more over-the-top, the Bagel Cove Restaurant & Deli “worth a special drive” list, thanks to chefs’ winning ful Hawaiian seafood bowl, which can feed at least better. Our bet for biggest crowd pleaser: the spicy Pink 19003 Biscayne Blvd., 305-935-4029 ways with tofu and all-around accommodation to veg- two people here. Mix and match to your tastes or opt Lady (shrimp tempura, avocado, masago, cilantro, and One word: flagels. And no, that’s not a typo. Rather only diets. $$-$$$ (PRB) for a combo like the Slammin’ Salmon, which features spicy Juneo, topped with rich scallop-studded “dyna- these crusty, flattened specimens (poppy seed or the namesake fish and adds Asian slaw and white mite” sauce. $$-$$$ (PRB) sesame seed) are the ultimate bagel/soft pretzel Genuine Pizza garlic sauce for good measure. Either way, you’ll leave hybrid — and a specialty at this bustling Jewish 19565 Biscayne Blvd. #956, 786-472-9170 full. $-$$ (MFP) Sushi Zen & Izakaya bakery/deli, which, since 1988, opens at 6:30 a.m. Local celebrity chef Michael Schwartz continues to 18090 Collins Ave. 305-466-4663 — typically selling out of flagels in a couple of hours. grow his culinary empire with an Aventura location Serafina In an area with no lack of Chinese, Japanese, and Thai Since you’re up early anyway, sample elaborately of his new Genuine Pizza concept, inside Aventura 19565 Biscayne Blvd., #1944, cuisine, it’s hard for yet another Asian restaurant to garnished breakfast specials, including unusually Mall. At first glance, the pizzeria’s menu may look 786-920-0989 stand out. But Sushi Zen & Izakaya succeeds by offering flavorful homemade corned beef hash and eggs. For familiar — especially to fans of Harry’s Pizzeria down New York’s Serafina is now open at Aventura Mall, variety — and lots of it. Name any traditional dish, and the rest of the day, multitudes of mavens devour south. Genuine Pizza is Harry’s 2.0; all of the latter’s and this location is a pizza lover’s dream. Pies are a they probably have it here: ramen, fish balls, udon, pad every other delectable deli specialty known to locations are being rebranded into GP. While the res- big part of the menu, which also includes a bevy of thai, tuna poke … the list goes on (and on). Don’t miss humankind. $$ (PRB) taurant’s design has changed, the food hasn’t. Guests Italian classics and more creative fare. Skip the basic their Japanese lunch specials. At $12-$14 for a sizable can still enjoy favorites like the rock shrimp pizza, margherita and get the tartufo nero with black truffles Bento Box, you’ll leave with your stomach and wallet full. Bourbon Steak polenta fries, and warm chocolate chunk cookies. $$ — your sense of adventure will pay off with this pizza $$ (MFP) 19999 W. Country Club Dr. (Turnberry Isle Miami), (MFP) that’s the very definition of richness. Also, save room 786-279-0658 for the panna cotta, whose simple description hides Timo At Bourbon Steak, a venture in the exploding restaurant International Smoke some mind-blowing flavor. $$-$$$ (MFP) 17624 Collins Ave., 305-936-1008 empire of chef Michael Mina, a multiple James Beard 19565 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 946, 786-254-0422 Since opening in 2003, the inventive yet clean and award winner, steakhouse fare is just where the fare International Smoke — a collaboration between televi- Sr. Ceviche unfussy Italian/Mediterranean-inspired seasonal starts. There are also Mina’s ingenious signature dishes, sion personality Ayesha Curry and chef Michael Mina 2576 NE Miami Gardens Dr., food at this hot spot, created by chef/owner Tim like an elegant deconstructed lobster/baby vegetable — takes barbecue seriously. The Aventura Mall establish- 786-440-7851 Andriola (at the time best known for his stints at Chef pot pie, a raw bar, and enough delectable vegetable/sea- ment fuses American and international influences for While northern Miami-Dade County has other Allen’s and Mark’s South Beach), has been garnering food starters and sides for noncarnivores to assemble a unique take on BBQ, a cuisine that Aventura sorely Peruvian places, none serve award-winning cevi - local and national raves. Don’t bother reading them. a happy meal. But don’t neglect the steak — flavorful lacks. Get messy with the signature smoked St. Louis ches like those of chef/co-owner Alonso Jordan, Andriola’s dishes speak for themselves: a salad of dry-aged Angus, 100-percent Wagyu American “Kobe,” cut pork ribs and then dive into smoked Korean bone- who took top honors at the first International crisp oysters atop frisée, cannelloni bean, and pan- swoonworthy grade A5 Japanese Kobe, and butter- in short rib, grilled Moroccan spiced lamb chops, and Day of Ceviche festival. Varieties range from tra - cetta; foie gras crostini with a subtle caramelized poached prime rib, all cooked to perfection. $$$$$ (PRB) other mouthwatering bites from around the world — all ditionally based (albeit with distinctive personal orange sauce; a blue crab raviolo with toasted pigno- for much less than a plane ticket. $$-$$$$ (MFP) tweaks) flash-marinated raw fish preparations to lias and brown butter; or a wood-oven three-cheese Cantina Laredo contemporary creations like Lima-style fried cevi - “white” pizza. $$$-$$$$ (PRB) 501 Silks Run, 954-457-7662 Le Pain Quotidien che, crisp-coated like jalea but sauced/garnished When that craving for tacos or fajitas hits, Cantina 19565 Biscayne Blvd., 786-629-5056 in ceviche’s more complex style; sampler plat - Laredo at the Village at Gulfstream Park should be top At Le Pain Quotidien, diners get the best of both ters feature several choices, and serve a small AVENTURA / HALLANDALE of mind. The modern Mexican joint serves up all the worlds. Those on the run can grab LPQ’s ready-to-go army. Also a standout on the full Peruvian menu: familiar classics from guac and queso to quesadillas, croissants, scones, and soups, while guests who’d pescado a lo macho, precision-fried whole fish Amaize tamales, and flautas. Feeling particularly hungry? Ask rather sit back can enjoy hot dishes l ike croque showered in an unusually luxurious assortment of 19129 Biscayne Blvd., 786-279-2260 about their daily fish selection; the seafood here is no monsieurs and crispy quinoa cakes at their leisure. seafood. $$-$$$ (PRB) You come to Amaize for one thing only: an arepa. At joke (especially the ceviche). For dessert, the Mexican Regardless, both types of diners should make it a this fast-casual establishment, the popular Venezuelan/ apple pie with brandy butter is all you need to cap a point to order the bakery’s signature drinks, which Sushi Siam Colombian corn-meal pockets can be customized with fantastic meal. $-$$$ (MFP) range from healthy to downright decadent. The 19575 Biscayne Blvd., 305-932-8955 different proteins and other fillings. Those new to arepas Belgian mocha — available hot or iced — is the perfect (See Miami / Upper Eastside listing) should try a classic Mechado Mix (shredded beef, black Corsair post-dinner treat. $-$$ (MFP) beans, baked plantains, and shredded white cheese), 19999 W. Country Club Dr. (Turnberry Isle Resort) Whole Foods Market which serves as a satisfying introduction. Other more out- 786-279-6800 The Little Beet 21105 Biscayne Blvd., 305-682-4400 of-the-box selections include the Shaggy (pulled beef and Celeb chef Scott Conant has moved on, but Corsair 19501 Biscayne Blvd., Floor 3, 305-359-5808 (See Brickell / Downtown listing.)

August 2019 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 79 Dining Guide: RESTAURANTS Multi-Specialty Practice ALL YOUR DENTAL NEEDS UNDER ONE ROOF

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