2 TASTE 2012 miaminewtimes.com Double Burger Grilled Picanha Quinoa & Shrimp Salad Giraas Giraasusa Giraas giraasusa GiraffasAd.indd 1 miaminewtimes.com TASTE 20122/17/2012 5:43:43 PM3 (O) Feast2011_NewTimesad_4_7292x11.pdf 1 1/20/12 4:12 PM he Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival celebrates its 11th year beginning this Thursday, February 23. Expected to draw more than 55,000 people during its four days, the event offers the nation’s top epicurean celebrities — Rachael Ray, TAndrew Zimmern, and Paula Deen among them — in dozens of events, from seminars to tastings to wild parties. Started at Florida International University as a tiny educational gathering, it has grown into perhaps the nation’s premier food event, largely thanks to the genius of its founder, Lee Brian Schrager. This guide offers the ins and outs of the stars as well as the regulars. So prepare yourself. Then eat up! EVENT MAP Contents PAGE 18 WHAT’S NEW . 6 Lee Schrager, the man who started it all, describes the year’s debuts. WISH LIST . 10 Miami’s top toques tell which SoBeWFF event is their favorite. SWEET PAULA DEEN . 12 Despite her recent admission, crowds fl ock to the Food Network star for her charm. BEYOND FAMOUS FACES . 20 On February 25, a bevy of seminars and other events will glimpse the future. BURGER DREAMS . 22 The Bash is cool and all, but we have some better ideas. FAKE AWAY . 24 South Beach Wine & Food Festival winetastings and fi ve tips on how to look smarter than you are. MAJOR-LEAGUE EATS . 28 That Hanley Ramirez really cooks. EXOTIC TREATS . 30 Andrew Zimmern rolls into Miami for the South Beach chow shindig. FOOD TRUCK FINISH . 32 To wind the whole thing down, roll over to the beach. GRAND TASTING PREP . 35 Before you go to the big show, read these tips. XX TASTE 2012 4 TASTE 2012 miaminewtimes.commiaminewtimes.com miaminewtimes.com TASTE 2012 5 Courtesy of The South Beach Wine and Food Festival brunch at the botanical gardens. Gabriele [Marewski] from Paradise Farms is plant- ing everything and will be harvesting it just for the participating chefs. And we’re doing Dining in the Dark What’s New with David Burke at the Perry Hotel, which I think will be great. Lee Schrager, the man who started it all, Guests will be blindfolded? describes the year’s debuts. Not blindfolded, but it will be a pitch- black room and you’ll have no idea what you’re eating. A lot of times we enjoy our BY LEE KLEIN food because it’s so pretty or we don’t redit Lee Brian Schrager, founder and organizer of the Food Network South like something because it’s ugly. So I Beach Wine & Food Festival, for keeping things fresh during the 11-year run. think that’s going to be interesting — not Like the general manager of a sports team, he spends each off-season tinker- only the food, but the wine will be all ing with the lineup — adding a big bat here (like Roy Choi), removing a tired blind tasting. veteran there (the BubbleQ). What remains constant is the intriguing mix of If it’s pitch black, how will we know serious culinarians (Ferran Adrià, Alain Ducasse) and, um, less than serious that David Burke is really there? Cfood personalities (Paula Deen, Rachael Ray). Schrager chatted with New Times about some of Because at the end, he will come out the new events debuting in 2012. and ask what you thought it was. David New Times: There’s a different theme to the dinner-at-sea this year. Burke will definitely be there, and he’s Lee Schrager: We did a Michael’s Genuine boat cruise last year, and we’ve always wanted to big enough in stature to recognize. do something with salsa, so we’re doing a Salsa at Sea cruise with Doug Rodriguez and Aarón Any exciting chef who has never Sanchez. And I’m looking forward to Conscious Bite Out in the Sacred Space in Wynwood (with been to the festival coming this year? Geoffrey Zakarian). Roy Choi will be here; he’s the guy What will the food be like? who kind of started the food cart craze I don’t want to use the word vegetarian or vegan. It’s going to be a lot more. It’s geared toward in L.A. (Koji BBQ). There will also be a new demographic... This is probably not for the Burger Bash clientele. new chefs at Best of the Best. We keep What else is new? the names at that event fresh each year. We also have the Farm to Table Brunch at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, with Michael Another big finish on tap? Schwartz, Andrea Reusing (Lantern), and a few really great farm-to-table chefs (like Tim Cushman of Our closing party — brand new O Ya and Tony Maws of Craigie on Main). We are growing everything that’s going to be eaten at that — will be food carts on the beach (of- XX6 TASTETASTE 2012 2012 miaminewtimes.commiaminewtimes.com miaminewtimes.com TASTE 2012 7 Adriana Restaurant Flanigan’s Seafood ficially called Trucks on the Beach). THE RESTAURANTS OF SURFSIDE 9477 Harding Avenue Bar & Grill 305-867-1220 9516 Harding Avenue On Sunday night, we’ll have 23 305-867-0099 of the top carts in South Florida Asa 2 9489 Harding Ave Ho Wang Chinese and one from outside Florida. 305-866-6400 Restaurant What will that look like? 9462 Harding Avenue TASTE B & H Pizza 305-866-7105 Imagine the BubbleQ tent or 233-95th Street Burger Bash tent with the carts THE 786-245-5557 (Kosher) Lotus Miami 9487 Harding Avenue and live local bands. Andrew Bal Harbour Juice 305-397-8062 (Kosher) 9427 Harding Avenue Zimmern is hosting that. 305-763-8865 Moncheese Pizza Sad to see BubbleQ go? WORLD 9459 Harding Avenue Bistro 305-868-6499 We have retired the BubbleQ ON TWO BLOCKS 9555 Harding Avenue and it’s back to The Q. Rather than 305-763-8584 Pescecane Ristorante 9551 Harding Avenue being a champagne-only event, Café Ragazzi 305-861-1060 it is now going to be all the great 9500 Harding Avenue 305-866-4495 Serendipity Yogurt Café wines and spirits from the Moët 9457 Harding Avenue USA portfolio [hosted by Emeril Café Vert 305-865-1506 (Kosher) 9490 Harding Avenue and Guy Fieri]. Plus we have a late- 305-867-3151 (Kosher) Specchio Café night party called Q After Dark. 9485 Harding Avenue Chow Down Grill 305-865-5653 And Dim Sum Disco 9517 Harding Avenue is retired too. 305-397-8494 Subway 9536 Harding Avenue We’re giving Dim Sum Disco a Cine Citta Caffe 305-866-2033 break after five years. We are going 9544 Harding Avenue 305-866-8688 (Kosher) Sushi Republic to be doing a Dolce Asian Lunch at 9583 Harding Avenue the Setai [with Charles Phan of San Cine Citta Grill 305-867-8036 9472 Harding Avenue Francisco’s renowned Slanted Door]. 305-865-8383 (Kosher) The Greek Place 9561 Harding Avenue Dim Sum and Let Them Eat Divine Pizza 305-866-9628 Cake at 1111 Lincoln were a couple 9476 Harding Avenue Harding Avenue / 94th - 96th Streets 305-397-8581 The Harbour Grill of the better parties in recent years. Southbound AIA 9415 Harding Avenue The Epicure event, Party: Im- 305-861-0787 (Kosher) possible, will take place at 1111 Lincoln. We love the 1111 venue, T OWN OF R FSI D For a listing of stores & restaurants SU E so we’re coming back. It’s a really Surfside Tourist Bureau / www.visitsurfside.com cool garage. We’re basically re- FLOR IDA M I Y A M NT I -DADE C OU 305.864.0722 creating an afternoon at Epicure [Gourmet Market] — all of the best prepared foods you can find in the market will be there. Do you have a favorite among the new events? I love food cart food, so I’m ex- cited about that. We do it in New York and it’s really successful. And last year I didn’t get to appreciate the 1111 space since it was kind of like my birthday party. I’m looking forward to being back there this year. And of course Sunday night EVERY FRIDAY I’m a little calmer and I get to sit down and really eat a meal — so I’ll love the Sunday Supper... It will be an outside, family-style Sunday ALL YOU CAN supper on the deck of the beauti- ful Standard. The Meatball Shop from New York will be there, and EAT STONE CRABS we’ll also use some of our favor- *Seasonal ite meatballs locally. So Michael D’Andrea from Macaluso’s will be involved, and Steve Martorano from Café Martorano. It’s re- ally a family supper, with Sunday gravy and that type of thing. $55 After the inaugural South Beach Wine & Food Festival fin- Japanese & Thai Cuisine ished, did you ever think, Geez, DINE IN | TAKE OUT | DELIVERY OPEN this is going to get big? SATURDAY & SUNDAY/HOLIDAYS 12:30am - 11:00pm MONDAY - FRIDAY 11:30am-11:00pm I never expected we’d be back 3425 MAIN HIGHWAY, COCONUT GROVE, FL 33133 for a second year. Seriously. I’m not 305.446.8800 a long-term thinker. I work best 1719 EAST HALLANDALE BEACH BLVD year by year. We still don’t have a BETWEEN FEDERAL HWY. AND OCEAN DRIVE 954.456.8878 NEWPORTBEACHSIDERESORT.COM five-year plan — ten years later.