Bargain Burgers @ Steak 954

We had a great meal at Stephen Starr’s bastion of beef at the W Ft. Lauderdale when it opened a few months ago. We've been meaning to get back there, and now that the restaurant just slashed the price on their signature burger and fries to a namesake-worthy $9.54 it's a pretty attractive lunch option. Now that the weather's cooling down, dining out on the patio overlooking A1A sounds downright decadent.
11am-2:30pm, weekdays, 401 N Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd, 954-414-8333.

2 For 1 Lobsters @ Andu

I grew up in Massachusetts, where lobsters are cheap and you can buy them at Cape Cod gas stations and eat them on salty dockside tables so this deal at Andu sounds about right. On Tuesdays the Mediterranean bistro on Brickell is giving away two 1.5-pound lobsters for the usual price of one ($28.95).
141 SW 7th St, 786-871-7005.

Wino Mondays @ Bourbon Steak

Miami Spice may be over, but the bargain-priced gluttony continues at this cushy Aventura steakhouse. All 850 bottles of wine on their epic list are fifty per cent off on Mondays. Meaning a bottle of Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc can be had for $18 or you could spring for the ’96 Opus One at $210. It’s cheaper than flying to Napa. Check out the wine list here.

Bourbon Steak, 19999 West Country Club Dr, 786-279-6600.

Michelle Bernstein @ The Omphoy Palm Beach

We recently took a trip "up north" to Palm Beach for a quick and local getaway. It feels different up there (less treffic, less people, lots of classy old folks with sweaters tied around their shoulders) and it's a nice escape from the craziness of Miami. We stayed at the recently-opened Omphoy Hotel which is a dark, zen-like place that represents a new direction for Palm Beach - less staid, more hip. All the in-house dining is run by Miami favorite Michelle Bernstein so we were excited to see how the sassy Latin chef had adapted herself to the new WASPY digs.

The dining room faces the ocean which at night is pointless since that's like overlooking a vast sea of blackness but it's probably a nice spot for a daytime wedding reception. The main restaurant is only open for dinner (during the day you dine downstairs at MB Terrace. More on that later). The decor is in keeping with the rest of the hotel - dark woods, royal blues, plush chairs. It's not as cozy as Michy's or as warm as Sra. Martinez but it definitely feels more formal. The first things we noticed when we went up for dinner was that the restaurant was packed. Granted, it was a Saturday night and it's a hot new restaurant, but it seems that Michelle has won over the Palm Beach set. We sat next to a couple that seemed SO Palm Beach (i.e. the guy had a really obvious toupee). Turns out it was the mayor of Palm Beach and he commented to a neighboring table that it was his third time there since they opened.

In terms of the menu - apparently she's still tweaking things in the kitchen but it seems like she's got the greatest hits of Michelle Bernstein on there with a few new creative additions. The crispy sweetbreads, white gazpacho, croquettas (spinach and feta), roasted bone marrow, fried chicken with all the fixings and braised short ribs.

We started with the tuna carpaccio topped with foie gras "snow" and diced apples. This was one of the best dishes of the night. It was a delicate portion but it had big flavors. The tuna was lightly dressed with soy and sesame oil that cut the richness of the foie gras shavings. The apples added a refreshing finish.

Next was the buratta with fried green tomatoes and luscious heirloom tomatoes. Nicely composed and pitch perfect. The black cod in dashi broth was another great dish with very subtle flavors that came together well - the buttery fish with a crisp pan sear, flavorful mushroom broth and hefty side of bok choy.

We also tried the Malaysian curried snapper and found it less compelling - the sauce lacked something, spice, complexity...something. It just didn't pop.

Desserts were fun - a trio of hot chocolate-filled homemade donuts with a cafe con leche pot de creme and the "dreamsicle," a chocolate mousse cake served with orange creamsicle ice cream.

We had two lunches while there (we missed breakfast as I slogged my way through a 9am Core Fusion class, a class I think should be renamed Core Refusin') and they were more of a mixed bag. Daytime eats are served on the second floor lobby and oceanfront terrace. The terrace is a lovely al fresco patio and the indoor dining room serves as seating for the O Bar and reminded me a bit of Kelly Wearstler's style at the Viceroy though not as rich and textured.

The highlights off the lunch menu were the Greek salad and roasted half chicken over Israeli couscous, both were flavorful and satisfying. The falafel wrap was disappointing with dry, dense falafel. Admittedly, I am a falafel snob having grown up on the stuff and gorged on it on frequent trips to Israel but we found ourselves dousing it in the tzatziki sauce just to give it some flavor and moisture. The fish and chips were also a bit bland but the hand cut fires made up fir it.

It's too early to judge as the restaurants have been open just over a month and Michelle is running quite an empire these days but so far it looks like Palm Beach is getting a taste of what we Miamians have known all along, MB is quite good at what she does.

Endless Meatballs @ Talula Wednesdays

Talula is a standard go-to for intimate dates with foodies and now it can serve as a go-to for carb-loading. For $29 you get a bottomless bowl of rigatoni dressed with chef Andrea’s tangy Sunday Sauce topped with ricotta and alongside unlimited sides of homemade meatballs, salad and garlic rolls. They’re also throwing in a dessert course of espresso panna cotta which ought to wake you from that food coma.
Wednesdays, 6:30-10:30pm, 210 23rd St, 305-672-0778.

Empanadas @ Go Go Fresh Food Cafe

They're tasty, cheap and charming. You got to love a place that takes the time to label each half moon pie with its own descriptive flag. Tucked away in an unassuming strip mall on Alton Road, the mod café is great for a quick lunch with healthy salads (the Greek was good) and dozens of varieties of the Argentinean snack.
Go Go Fresh Food Cafe, 926 Alton Road,(305) 673-3137.

Recap: Todd English Wine Dinner

Todd English's Ft. Lauderdale resto da Campo Osteria was packed to the gills (which isn't hard to do - the place has about 65 seats) last Wednesday for a wine dinner hosted by the celeb chef and Ruffino Wines CEO, Adolfo Folonari. I managed to get English (who is by the way, one tall drink of water) to divulge that though he is opening another restaurant in Boca he does have his sights set on Miami, possibly something in the Brickell area, but it's very far off. It shows that downtown is now on radar of these big chef empires, whereas it used to always be South Beach.

Here's the menu and highlights afterwards.

Diverte Bocca
Seared Scallop, Cauliflower, Tomato Water

Antipasti
Swank Farms Greens, Vin Cotto, Falconero Olive Oil,
Wild Flower Honey, Dijon, Parmesan
Ruffino Libaio Chardonnay, Toscana

Primi
House Made Burrata “Caprese”

Pasta
Suckling Pig Raviolo
Parsnip, Thyme, Toma Piemontese, Crisps, Broth
White Truffle
Tenuta Santedame Chianti Classico, Toscana

Secondi
Braised Short Rib
Horseradish, Potatoes Puree,
Baby Chard, Pine Nut Gremolata,
Black Truffle
Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro Chianti Classico Riserva, Toscana

Dolce
Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate
Cake, Whipped Ganache, Gelato, Streusel, Strawberry
Ruffino Modus “Super Tuscan”, Toscana

The home made burrata was great, and reminds me that I need to get over to that restaurant more often to polish off that fresh-pulled mozzarella they do so well. We also really enjoyed the scallop starter with its thimble of tomatoe water, a refreshing palate cleanser. As the evening went on English really took to his emcee job, joking that he wanted to be reincarnated as the Ruffino wine maker (totally understandable, the man makes wine and lives in a villa on the Italian countryside, hello it's every foodie's dream). It also occured to us that the suckling pig ravioli with white truffles was sort of a play on the fact that they use pigs to find the truffles and now here they were, sharing the same plate. Culinary poetic justice or just very decadent plating?

By the time the braised short rib rolled around we were as stuffed as suckling pigs but didn't stop us from sipping what was probably the best wine pairing of the evening - the Chianti Classico Riserva with the hearty beef and pine nut combo - perfection.

Pamela Anderson Hosts PETA Dinner

Also tonight: you can pay $180 to eat vegetarian food with Pamela Anderson and Richie Rich at Solea at the W South Beach.

Tonight: Todd English And Wine

Celeb chef Todd English has been making headlines in Miami gossip blogs for personal drama but tonight he'll doing what he does best - cooking amazing food. He'll be hosting a dinner along with Ruffino Wines CEO, Adolfo Folonari at his Fort Lauderdale eatery, da Campo Osteria. Menu items for the five-course dinner include house made Burrata Caprese and short ribs with horseradish mashed potatoes with black truffles. Cost is $150 per person.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 7:00-10:00 PM
da Campo Osteria at il Lugano Suite Hotel, 3333 N.E. 32nd Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308.Call (954) 226-5002 for reservations.

Lou's Beer Garden @ The New Hotel

A little while ago I covered a deco hotel in North Beach that used a lot of green elements in their redesign. They also put in a great little bar in their pool area and dubbed it a beer garden. Since then I've been back quite a few times because the beer selection is small but good, the food menu has a few quirky yet delicious items and the atmosphere it pretty sweet. Plus, it's in my neighborhood and I like the fact that I can walk home after downing a few Longboard lagers on a Sunday night. So the namesake Lou is actually the chef and he's got some respectable gigs in his background. He worked at the Setai and alongside Kris Wessel at Elia at Bal Harbour. The menu's got some standard tiki bar stuff - quesadillas,nachos, fried calamari - but you know that stuff is just there to please the beer-swilling hotel guests. If you're lookingin for something different and delicious go for the crispy sardines. They come with a light pepper-flecked breading and a couple of fresh squeezes of lemon (no Tabasco necessary) for six bites of delectable fried fish. Sort of like something you might get off a boat off the coast of Greece.

The pizzas are good, too, with a thin crispy crust and nicely balanced toppings. It's impressive how fresh everything is as you'd expect a place like that to be busting out the frozen stuff but I think the chef hopes to make the place more of a gourmet destination. He's really keen on adding tripe to the menu, so yes, this definitely isn't your typical hotel pool bar.

Beers on tap include Shock Top, LandShark and Longhammer I.P.A. There's also wine and sake-infused cocktails. Prices are low, with most beers under $6 and pizzas around $12.
The New Hotel, 7337 Harding Ave, 305-704-7879.

BluePrint Cleanse Day 3

I've been cleansing this weekend. After Yom Kippur and all that spiritual cleansing I figured it was time I did the same for my digestive tract. Now I'm on the last day of a 3-day juice cleanse/detox journey. It's my first one. I'd always been curious about these juice fasts so when the good folks at BluePrint Cleanse offered to let me try it (along with a slew of other media folk in Miami - don't be alarmed if you see editors around town chugging these plastic bottles) I agreed. And, like Buster's character in Arrested Development, I am a glutton for free juice.

This is how it works: 6 juices a day for three days = 18 bottles of fresh squeezed goodness. Their motto is "You drink, we think" so they make the whole experience easy for you. You choose your cleanse online (I went with the intermediate level because level 1 seemed too wimpy and I was a bit scared of level 3, also known as the "excavation" cleanse. Yikes.) and it arrives packed in ice packs the day you begin.

It's actually not that bad. Sure, you give up solid food for three long days but the juices are mighty tasty. My favorite juices so far are the second juice of the day - pineapple, apple and mint - and the fourth juice - lemon, agave nectar and cayenne pepper which strikes me as a great mixer for vodka or Bloody Marys. These are things I think about when forced to drink juice and only juice for three days. And I look forward to the last drink of the day - cashew nut milk with vanilla and cinnamon as a treat for being so good all day long (it's kind of like a vegan milkshake). I'm not super-starved but I also don't feel full. I definitely feel hydrated. And it's changed my perspective on food a bit, meaning I realize how much sodium is in so much of what I eat everyday. Will it be the life-changing experience so many have claimed it to be? Hmm, we'll see. Will it get rid of the residue collecting in my intestines from so many night spent drinking wine and ingesting rich food? Let's just say, it works as advertised...

Update: Also, this month only the peeps at BPC are offering free shipping on orders to Florida which is a $60 savings.

So from now until November 5, Florida residents will enjoy free BPC delivery to anywhere in the state. There's no discount code, it's automatically deducted from your order.

$2 Cocktails @ The Tides

The alfresco patio at the Tides could be my new go-to spot for kicking off the weekend, now that they've introduced drink specials that correspond to the hours from 2-8pm. So drinks at 2pm are $2, $3pm, $3 and so on. Meaning you'll be there until the clock strikes adequately buzzed.
2-8pm daily, The Tides South Beach, 1220 Ocean Dr, 305-604-5070

Wine Classes @ Fratelli Lyon

I have a conflicted relationship with wine tastings. On the one hand I love them, absolutely love 'em. They're fun, tasty and educational. On the other hand, I usually end up having too much fun, meaning my notes get sloppy and I forget which wine was which, what the differences were and which ones I liked best. But last Wednesday as I settled into my seat for class #4 of Fratelli's six-course Passport to Italy wine series I was determined to come away with a few nuggets of wine-stained info. Two hours, six wines (including a bubbly aperitif), and six mini-meals later I emerged more than a bit tipsy but confident in the knowledge that I rilly, rilly like Babera d'Alba. Or was it Barbera d'Asti?

The classes are taught by Julie Mushett (above), the lovely oenophile behind WineLifeStyle Miami and Aniece Meinhold, Fratelli Lyon's manager and resident wine expert. Both ladies did a great job of imparting their extensive knowldege of Italian wines and kept things running smoothly by keeping the pours coming and instructing which dishes should be paired with the different wines.

The restaurant pitched in with 6 different food pairings that complimented the two whites and four reds we were tasting. The focus was the Piedmont region - Italy's northwest located at the foothills of the Alps. I remember this only because the instructors put together these very thoughtful packets on the wines and the region with nifty little maps that I studied in between munching on Fratelli's addictive breadsticks and marinated olives.

Boozy highlights include:

-an amazingly stinky blue cheese that went well with the Barbera d'Alba (Pelissero 2005)

- a full-bodied Barolo (Icardi 1998) paired with tender slices of steak

- Best in show foodwise: my first time tasting a bagna cauda, a Piedmontese sauce made of pureed anchovies, walnuts, garlic and cream. I was seriously in love with this sauce, I could have downed a mug of it. Needless to say, I licked the little bowl clean with an ample supply of bread sticks and gulps of the floral Cortese (Icardi 2007).

The wine classes ($45 each) are held Wednesdays from 7:30-9:30pm, at Fratelli Lyon's glass-enclosed side dining room. 4141 NE 2nd Ave, 305-572-2901. Tonight's class features the wines of Northern Italy.

Free Vodka Cocktails @ Segafredo Brickell Tonight

Party like a Russian tycoon tonight when Segafredo Brickell turns their outdoor courtyard into a vodka-soaked hideaway replete with leggy Eastern Bloc women in fur coats dispensing complimentary cocktails for the first two hours. This is obviously as close as you’ll get to snowy weather all season long.
8pm, October 1, 1421 S Miami Ave, 305-577-9809, RSVP to VIP@SZE-Brickell.com.

Obba Sushi, Brickell

There's not much in the way of affordable sushi on Brickell, so this tiny new spot on the ground floor of the Brickell Harbour condo building ought to come in handy the next time you're craving spicy tuna rolls and shrimp tempura. Lunch specials are $10-$12 and come with the requisite miso soup or salad with a tasty carrot ginger dressing. The menu's not too exotic but the fish is fresh and the rolls are generous. They're also dishing well-priced sakes and Japanese beers, or you can stay home and let their Smart Car delivery service do all the work.
200 SE 15th Rd, 786-953-8710

Elle Mag Taking Over the Bal Harbour Shops

Attention fashion people: ELLE is taking over Bal Harbour Shops in October with their Shopping to A to Z program. It includes the Personal Style Awards, a runway fashion show honoring Miami’s top trendsetters, and Passport to Personal Style, a shops-wide event with interactive seminars moderated by Creative Director Joe Zee.

Here's a breakdown of the sartorial madness to ensue:

STYLE POD OPENS: Oct 1-31–The experiential “Style Pod” erected in front of Saks offers daily programming from ELLE’s A to Zee Best Selections of Fall with each letter of the alphabet represented (A is for aviators, B is for buckles, etc.).

“OPI Manicure Mondays” take place Oct 5 & Oct 19 in the Style Pod –complimentary manicures!

PERSONAL STYLE AWARDS: October 13 – An evening runway fashion show honoring top Miami fashionistas and trendsetters, styled by select brands from Bal Harbour Shops including Calypso, Cartier, DVF, Elie Tahari, Jimmy Choo, Max Mara, Roberto Coin, Tiffany & Co., Tod’s, and Lancome. A percentage of sales from each participating boutique will be be donated to charities personally selected by the honorees.

PASSPORT TO STYLE: October 24 – A shops-wide event featuring product demonstrations in the Style Pod, interactive seminars moderated by ELLE market editor Joann Pailey, informal modeling throughout Bal Harbour Shops and a hunt for ELLE’s “A to Z” must-have items for Fall. Participants include: AG Jeans, Calypso, Diane Von Furstenberg, J Brand, Max Mara, Lancome, Roberto Coin and more.

Fulll schedule of events and to RSVP here.

About Last Night @ Pacific Time

Free cocktails from 8-9pm.

Urbanite Bistro

Dinner at Urbanite Bistro in the "arts and media district," meaning down the street from the Arsht Center and next to the Vagabond. Handsome space, great music - lots of jazz which is always welcome - fantastic wine list with dozens available by the glass. Food is eclectic American. Standouts include:
- duck confit ravioli (he gets the ravioli skins from Mr. Pasta on Collins Ave)
- lamb sliders
- lemongrass mussels (you'll want extra bread for the broth)
- vegetable shu mai
- mushroom empanadas with vegan gravy
- grouper with ancho chili sauce
- whole roasted snapper (with bones and tail, just like they serve in other countries!)

Bliss Spa Deal

Good until October 15.

MOCA at Goldman Warehouse Closing

After four years of innovative exhibits and performances the MOCA has decided to close its annex in Wynwood. From a museum press release:

The MOCA Board’s decision took into account the uncertainties of the current economic climate as well as the expansion of MOCA’s current Joan Lehman Building in North Miami, which will begin in 2010. The expansion will double the museum’s current size and include new gallery space, art storage space, an education wing, and multi-purpose space to present performances, films and lectures.

Over the past four years, the collaboration between the Goldmans and Museum of Contemporary Art increased visitor traffic to the area and offered visitors and students a place to experience the wonders of contemporary art. From December 2005 – July 2009, the Museum of Contemporary Art presented 13 group and solo exhibitions at MOCA at Goldman Warehouse. MOCA’s presence in Wynwood has served to inspire the community within the Arts District and helped validate the quality level of the arts initiative in Wynwood.

A Pep Talk From Ira Glass

For all those creative types out there. Because sometimes you just have to look at your work and cringe. But it's all part of the process.

Where Have I Been Lately?

Traveling a bit. In and out of town, so apologies for not posting more often. Spent a few days in New York and a long weekend in San Francisco. A quick rundown of the best of the best:

A revelatory meal at The John Dory in New York's Meatpacking District. It's Spotted Pig chef April Bloomfield's stab at seafood and what a lovely stab it is. Standouts include kampachi crudo with candied ginger and a delectable little dish that consisted of uni butter on crostini that you dip in an oyster broth- salty, rich, briny luxury.

Wine tasting at Darioush Winery in Napa followed by fresh baguettes at Bouchon Bakery down the road. Oh Napa, you are indeed paradise.

Updated: Fellow blogger Frodesnor pointed out that The John Dory closed over the weekend. Damn. It was really busy the night I was there. Hopefully Bloomfield will bounce back from it.

Sand Bake @ Fairmont Turnberry

MOCA Mystery Dates Kickoff @ Club 50

Dining Deals, Coral Gables Edition

Red Koi Thai & Sushi Lounge
317 Miracle Mile / 305-446-2690
Celebrate the last days of summer with the $5 Summer Lunch Special at Red Koi Thai & Sushi Lounge, now through September 30.

Tarpon Bend Raw Bar & Grill
65 Miracle Mile / 305-444-3210
Refresh your thirst with $3.50 fresh fruit mojitos and $1 tacos during Mojito Madness every Thursday from 3 to 9 p.m.

Por Fin Restaurant & Lounge
2500 Ponce de Leon Blvd / 305-441-0107
Stop by Por Fin Restaurant & Lounge for daily specials, now through September 30.

· Monday Locals Night: Show your Florida license or Coral Gables business card to receive 20 percent off the entire bill.
· Tuesday Date Night: Bring along a date or friend to receive a complimentary bottle of wine when ordering from the special three-course menu.
· Wednesday Wine Day: Take 50 percent off any bottle of wine.
· Thursday Happy Hour: Celebrate with two-for-one cocktails, beer and wine, with $5 tapas.
· Sunday Paella Day: Have a fiesta with a free carafe of red sangria with every two paellas ordered.
· Daily Sunsetter Special: Dine 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and receive 25 percent off the entire bill.

Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe
124 Miracle Mile / 305-445-4567
Enjoy select Coral Gables restaurants and they will waive their corkage fee with wines purchased from Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe. The offer runs until September 30 in conjunction with Miami Spice. Participating restaurants include Ortanique on the Mile, Por Fin Restaurant & Lounge, Pascal’s on Ponce, Houston’s, Tarpon Bend Raw Bar & Grill, La Cofradia, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Spris.

Peterbrooke Chocolatier
227 Aragon Avenue / 305-446-3131
Escape the Miami heat on Wintry Wednesdays at Peterbrooke Chocolatier. Receive a single scoop of gelato for 99 cents every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Cold Stone Creamery
261 Miracle Mile / 305-403-7000
Monday Madness: Get a free Kid's Create Your Own (ice cream plus one mix-in) with the purchase of a medium Love It Signature Creation, shake or smoothie.
Twofer Tuesday: Buy one Kid's Create Your Own and get one free.
Waffle Wednesday: Receive a free plain waffle cone or bowl with the purchase of a medium Love It or a large Gotta Have It Signature Creation.
Thirsty Thursday:Get one half-off any size shake or smoothie from noon to 5 p.m.
Fast Lane Friday: Receive $1 off all cakes and cupcakes

Fratelli Lyon's Spice-Like Menu

Saturday Nights @ The Setai

In case you can't read the fine print - complimentary Negroni cocktails from 9-10pm. And the restaurant is participating in Miami Spice.

Cafe Prima Pasta Pours One Out For MJ

Les you think the North Beach pasta joint is only about the meatballs and red sauce, they're here to remind you that they've got heart. A heart that mourns the loss of the King of Pop.

Lobster Corn Dogs @ Le Meridien

Soon after I wrote about the lobster corn dogs at La Marea at The Tides it was brought to my attention that another restaurant in town, The Restaurant at Le Meridien in Sunny Isles, was also doing their own version of the high-end low-brow snack. Actually, it was the chef himself who alerted me to this, in the form of an email something to the effect of "Wtf? I been doing these for years!" It was a bit more articulate than that, but that's what he meant. So I hopped over to the condo canyon on A1A and claimed a table by the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the pool and the ocean in the too-empty-for-this-good-a-restaurant dining room.



The lobster corn dogs are on the bar menu, but if you ask nicely they'll bring them to you in the dining room. They're $12 for two crispy fritters. These differ from the pups at La Marea, as the chef there forms the lobster mousse into actual sausages and then coats and fries them. These were more like lobster tails breaded with a cornmeal and pancake batter, which added welcome sweetness, and served with a mango dipping sauce. While I was there I decided to take a look at the rest of the menu and discovered some surprising gems.



The truffle mac and cheese, for one. It's actually a delicate bowl of orzo bathed in a not-too-heavy cream sauce offset with a veal demi glace mixed with a sherry gastrique to cut the richness. Chef Tom Ryhneer used to work as a saucier and the man takes his drizzles seriously. Chef's got a good team there, with sous chef Tommy Nguyen who previously worked the kitchen at the ill-fated Nikki Coconut Grove (good food, cheesy atmosphere). He describes the menu as "food for the times," meaning, he wishes he could put more lobster into things - like the petite grilled cheese sandwich that comes with the fantastic roasted tomato soup, but he's trying to keep the prices down and offer something attractive to the hordes of tourists that populate the beachy 'burb. So the few things directed at that crowd - the spinach artichoke dip, the vegetable quesadilla - aren't really the things worth trekking to the hotel for. But the mac and cheese is, as is the churrasco with a fantastic roasted corn relish and the mini steak tacos with cilantro cream. Prices are relatively low, too, with most mains under $25 and starters average $10.

Brunch @ Eos at the Viceroy

When it comes to brunch at Eos the cup is always half full. Or actually, completely full, or bottomless, as in my cup runneth over with champagne and spiked tomato juice. Mimosas and Bloody Marys are free with any brunch order and refills are kindly accommodated. Brunch items starts at $12 for a cast-iron skillet of roasted eggs, grits, bacon and gruyere to $16 for Mediterranean Eggs Benedict (creamed spinach and kefalotiri cheese). These mimosas are made with fresh-squeezed juice and the Bloodys are spicy and well-mixed. Organic eggs and coffee are another nice touch.

The "New York Power Breakfast" is generous platter of house-cured salmon with silky deviled eggs, chopped capers and whipped cream cheese. The buttermilk pancakes were recently lauded as the best in Miami by Lee Klein in The New Times and, while I can't begin to assess the city's flapjack output, I will say those were some of the best pancakes I've ever had - fluffy, comforting discs of pillowy breakfasty delight. There are 3 fritattas to choose from and the wild mushroom, ricotta and leek was fantastic. It's also served in a cast-iron skillet, keeping it warm enough to last through two rounds of mimosas.

So if you're reading this on Sunday morning and have yet to make brunch plans, you should head over to those skyscrapers on Brickell. The place was empty last weekend, which is a shame, but also means it's sort of an undiscovered deal. Also, starting this Sunday, you get free entrance to the pool party at Club 50, the Viceroy's 50th-floor club. In case you want to chase those mimosas with amazing views of the city.
Oh, and valet is free too.
The brunch menu is here.
Eos is at 485 Brickell Ave, 305-503-4400.

Caviar Kaspia Miami

Miami has yet to catch on to the one-dish restaurants popular in other food cities (like New York's mac and cheese-heavy 'Smac and Belgian fry mecca Pomme Frites) but we were recently blessed with the opening of French import Caviar Kaspia, serving the Parisian restaurant's namesake fish roe and other smoked fishies. But caviar is expensive and the owners have the shit luck of opening a pricey caviar restaurant right now, during a financial climate when all anyone wants to do is pontificate on pizza crusts and burger toppings.
So they've expanded the menu a bit and added some traditional French dishes like duck confit salad (delicious, but still pricey at $22) and a lunch time Croque Madmoiselle made with smoked salmon and salmon roe. Salmon roe is the way to go if you don't want to spend a lot but still want to experience those lovely pearls of salty oceanic goodness. The salmon roe blinis are $22 for 1 oz. of fish eggs that come with fluffy pancakes and feather-light creme fraiche. Kaspia is famous for their baked potatoe and if you're looking to splurge, this might be the fanciest spud in town. The potatoe is presented with a creamy mash made with chives and creme fraiche and topped with caviar from their list which ranges from $49 for a 1/2 ounce of Imperial Baeri to $360 for an ounce of wild Iranian golden Oscietra. We went with the modest Imperial Baerie and it was a lovely combo, the silky potato enlivened by the slightly iodized roe that pop with mineral saltiness with each bite.

Located at 1220 Collins Ave.

Bar Rosso Has A Blog

And it's kinda cute, with photos from events and videos of wine tastings. What other restaurants out there have well-maintained blogs (and by well-maintained I mean posting at least once a week)?