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| Takeout from Mignonette (Edgewater) |
One of our favorite pre-pandemic "Happy Meals" would be to secure a perch at the counter at Mignonette, order a seafood tower, maybe a couple other things, and a bottle of something crisp and white. Those are the moments I miss, maybe even more than a long fancy tasting menu. So we'd sometimes do our best to recreate it at home: there were no freshly shucked oysters, but we could still bring home lobster deviled eggs, shrimp cocktail, and smoked fish dip, the fantastic Boston lettuce salad with buttermilk dressing, and maybe a conch po'boy. Mignonette's reopened for dinner service and is still doing takeout with online ordering. Save me a spot at the counter. (All my pictures from Mignonette).
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| It's Brisket B*tch Croissant - Flour & Weirdoughs (Key Biscayne) |
You probably have to be at least a little bit crazy to get into the restaurant business. You are probably more than a little bit crazy to do it in the middle of a pandemic. But that's exactly when Flour & Weirdoughs opened their Key Biscayne bakery, where they make everything from organic flour all milled in-house. They do some delightful breads, including some unorthodox things like their Cacio e Pepe sourdough with pecorino cheese and black pepper or the special Chicharron Loaf studded with bits of crispy pork belly. But I was especially wowed by their croissants – not just because this particular version (the "It's Brisket B*tch") comes filled with smoked Montreal-style brisket, provolone cheese and grainy mustard – but because they were beautifully laminated, all golden-brown and flaky, leaving a mess of pastry shards in your lap when you're done, as a proper croissant should. (All my pictures from Flour & Weirdoughs).
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| Dumplings from Li's Dim Sum |
Raymond Li made his imprint as executive chef at Palmar in Wynwood before jumping to El Cielo just a few months before COVID came along. So with the shutdown, he turned his attention to Li's Dim Sum, a father and son project with Ray Sr. Their dumplings are delicate, silky and flavorful, like these pork dumplings redolent of five-spice, and these vegan trumpet mushroom and watercress versions. Li's Dim Sum is available for pickup or delivery via their website.
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| Porque Mt. Fuji - Su Shin Izakaya (Coral Gables) |
There is probably no single dish I've eaten more often than this: the Porque Mt. Fuji at Su Shin Izakaya in Coral Gables. It appears in the sushi rolls section of their menu, with the disclaimer "(not a roll, let us surprise you!)." Not to spoil the surprise, but it's actually a bowl of sushi rice topped with grilled salmon, shredded tamago, sliced avocado, a generous spoonful of ikura, daikon sprouts and shredded nori. I've included this before in my List of Great Things to Eat in Miami for Less Than $11 (even though it's actually now $12.95); it's never made it to one of these year-end "best" lists before. That's silly, since it's one of my favorite things year in, year out. I'm grateful that Su Shin has been able to survive this past year, and is now open with seating in the dining room, at outdoor tables along Aragon Avenue, and for takeout.
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| Stone Crabs - Joe's Stone Crab (Miami Beach) |
I was not nearly as concerned that Joe's Stone Crab wouldn't make it through: the place has been around since 1913 and shutting down for half the year has already been part of its business model. Nonetheless, it's still a real joy to be able to pick up some chilled and cracked select claws, a chopped salad, some potatoes lyonnaise, creamed spinach, and the best fried chicken that $8.95 can buy.[1] Joe's has reopened and added lots of outdoor seating in the "backyard," with Joe's Take-Away open seven days a week as well. I don't know about you, but I take comfort in knowing that Joe's abides.
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| Char Siu Chicken Dumplings - The Dumpling Lady |
Another welcome new COVID-era pop-up: The Dumpling Lady, which started offering an assortment of frozen dumplings for pickup or delivery a couple months into the pandemic. The format is traditional but the flavors are somewhat less so: spicy pork, mongolian beef, shrimp and chicken, truffled edamame, and my favorite, these char siu chicken dumplings. It's a wonderful thing to have these stocked in your freezer, ready to pop in a pan to sear and steam for just a few minutes to make a perfect meal. Why so many dumpling pop-ups?[2] Don't question; just enjoy.
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| Tuna Crudo - Tigertail & Mary (Coconut Grove) |
I'd only gotten to Michael Schwartz's latest, Tigertail & Mary, a couple times pre-COVID, but had really enjoyed it. There' s a lightness and brightness to a lot of the dishes, which even translates to carry-out in things like this crudo of ahi tuna with lime, slivers of cucumber and kumquat, wispy fennel and sesame seeds. Though Schwartz took some time before bringing T&M back online, waiting until September to reopen, its layout, with the big sprawling patio out front, is an ideal setup for outdoor dining. (All my pictures from Tigertail & Mary).
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| Thanksgiving Torta Ahogada @ Home |
It was particularly strange and sad this year not to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with extended family. It also meant we had even more leftovers than usual. Ergo, my version of a Thanksgiving torta ahogada: sliced leftover turkey,[3] some leftover stuffing, leftover cranberry sauce, cheddar cheese, some Duke's mayo, all in a soft potato bun, then hit with a generous dousing of giblet gravy.[4] This may have been a little bit over the top, but I don't regret it at all.[5]
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| Prosciutto & Mozzarella Panino - Botta Italian Street Food (Upper Eastside) |
Have I told you I like sandwiches? Have I told you I ate a lot of sandwiches in 2020? Yes and yes. But I haven't yet told you about Botta Italian Street Food, which opened up a takeout window along 79th Street in September. They have a short menu of about a half dozen sandwiches, puffy pizza al taglio in a few different varieties, and lasagna (either classic or with pesto) – but simplicity and great ingredients go a long way. I'm especially fond of this panino with prosciutto cotto, fresh mozzarella and house-made mayo on crusty, puffy focaccia. (All my pictures from Botta Italian Street Food).
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| Brisket & Marrow Bone Pho - Tam Tam |
I didn't really know anything about Tam Tam, other than that I was intrigued by the supper club style Vietnamese dinners they were hosting as "Phamily Kitchen" pre-COVID. But when a message popped up that they were selling bowls of pho during a "Miami cold spell" (it dropped into the fifties!) in early December, the timing was fortuitous. And the pho was fantastic: slices of fatty brisket, a big shank bone oozing marrow, ribbons of tripe, bouncy meatballs, soft noodles and crunchy bean sprouts, all in a golden, fat-laced 12-hour beef bone broth redolent with sweet spices. Tam Pham and Harrison Ramhofer restarted their supper club dinners late this month; I'm looking forward to what they do next year.
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| Carrier Pigeon - United States Burger Service (Little Haiti) |
After spending years working with Michelle Bernstein, Michael Mayta and Keily Vasquez started serving fantastic burgers for pop-ups at Boxelder and Lot 6 in Little River, doing business as United States Burger Service a/k/a USBS. They've now found a more permanent home at The Citadel in Little Haiti.[6] The menu is deceptively simple – a single ("Ground") or double ("2-Day") burger, a vegan patty ("Snail Mail"), and a chicken patty ("Carrier Pigeon"), plus you can add "Insurance and Tariffs" (fries with a variety of spices & sauces) – giving little indication of the thought and effort that goes into every component. The burger's a custom blend that gets smashed on the griddle to develop a richly flavored, caramelized crust; the "government cheese" is a silky melted cheddar-fontina fondue; the bun is a house-baked potato roll from Keily, who honed her pastry chef chops at Bernstein's Crumb & Parchment. The same attention to detail goes into the Carrier Pigeon: a chicken burger with a crispy exterior, prepared with "chicken spice," bread and butter pickled cabbage and mayo. It is a pitch-perfect, but umpteen times better, recreation of the original Burger King Chicken Sandwich I used to love. Follow USBS on Instagram for their Bob's Burger style weekly specials, like the "Goose Willis in Die Canard."[7]
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| Mandarin - Bachour Restaurant (Coral Gables) |
Like so many things Antonio Bachour makes, this "mandarin" looks almost too perfect to eat. His work is always gorgeous, so luminous and precise. But what I truly admire about Bachour's pastry work is that it is every bit as delicious as it is photogenic. Concealed within this trompe l'oeil orange was a tangy, floral makrut lime mousse and a rich, creamy mandarin cremeux. What a treat. Bachour Restaurant in Coral Gables is open for regular service, with a very roomy patio for outdoor seating, and a second location opened in Doral in late October.
The mix of old and new that you see here is a testament to the resilience, tenacity, creativity and adaptability of the people who work in the restaurant world. This year has posed challenges like none before, and through it all, Miami's restaurants have fed our community, in both a literal and broader sense. I'm grateful to everyone who managed to navigate the ever-changing rules to give us all the luxury of takeout and delivery, and to serve those who have resumed in-restaurant dining while making every effort to keep their staff and customers safe (often despite the lack of effort from the customers themselves); who found ways to get meals to those in need; who used their own platforms to give voice to those looking to protect and improve our communities.
So even though it didn't work last year, I'll repeat what my grandfather used to say every new year: "Always better, never worse." It wasn't a prediction so much as a statement of hope; and I've got a lot of hope for good things in 2021. I look forward to all of us being able to spend more time together in the coming year. And good riddance to 2020.
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[1] Although it used to be $6.95 for 1/2 a fried chicken, even with the price increase this still remains one of the greatest bargains in Miami.
[2] In addition to Li's Dim Sum and The Dumpling Lady, there's also Haochi Dumplings from Chef Shaggy , which pops up at Union Beer Store in Little Havana and recently did a Noche Buena pop-up at El Bagel; and E&P Dumplings, a dumpling pop-up from Alter chefs Evan Burgess and Pete Mederos.
[3] We made a buttermilk brined turkey breast using a Joyce Farms bird from Proper Sausages and the Samin Nosrat recipe, all of which I highly recommend.
[4] Another shoutout for Proper Sausages and pro tip for next Thanksgiving: Proper is good for all of your turkey part needs. We got turkey necks and gizzards for making stock, as well as for pulling and chopping the meat to supplement the gravy; and also got turkey livers which made for a great turkey liver mousse topped with cranberry chutney.
[5] Hat tip to this post-Thanksgiving post from Michael's Genuine for the inspiration.
[6]As a side note: The Citadel has revamped its lineup and now houses several of my favorite places under one roof: along with being USBS's new home, new tenants also include Lil' Laos, Yuzu (previously at St. Roch Market, which is now known as MIA Market) and Frice Cream, while Ash Pizza Parlor, Society BBQ, Manjay and Vice City Bean still call it home.
[6] Chicken patty, goose mousse, juniper braised apples, and sage, of course.
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