Food and Dining Radio Show Restaurant Roundabout– 5.15.08
**ALL RESTAURANTS DISCUSSED ARE LISTED AT THE END WITH ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBERS
Linda Gassenheimer (LG)
Joseph Cooper (JC)
Fred Tasker (FT)
Jen Karetnick (JK)
JC: Today is our restaurant roundabout with Linda Gassenheimer. We’ll hear from Fred Tasker and, most importantly, from you. We have the full hour to talk about restaurants. And of course there’s dinner in minutes.
LG: It’s our popular restaurant review program. There’s a lot of restaurant news. We’ll find out what’s been going on from Jen Karetnick. She’s our expert today. She’s going to tell us about the restaurant scene in South Florida. Welcome Jen. We’re delighted to have you with us. Smiling in his usual seat is Fred Tasker. He’s the wine columnist for the Miami Herald. Jen, I’m amazed at all the new restaurants. Especially in this economic climate…
JK: Isn’t it fabulous?! Even when we’re poor, we’re rich!
LG: There’s Ariston on 71st Street, which a Greek restaurant with very good food. And another Greek restaurant is Ouzo on the Beach. I also heard about a place called Buena Vista Bistro, just north of the design district.
JK: That place is really nice. They have good steak and salmon. You can bring your dog because they have tables outside. Depending on what time of night you go, it’s very relaxed and the owners are really nice, genuine people.
LG: There’s also 1 Bleu at the Regent in Bal Harbour.
JK: Aside from the food they have great views. It’s extremely pricy but it is fabulous views.
LG: Maybe just for drinks?
JK: I sat out there and had drinks and appetizers and still managed to spend a bundle.
LG: There are so many “blue” restaurants. So also there’s Merry Brickell Village.
JK: Yes, Abokado opened recently. It’s pretty spicy stuff. If you like jalapeno on your sushi you’ll love this. I’ve had great dishes there. They don’t make gigantic rolls, they’re bite-size. You can actually pick them up.
LG: And there’s another blue.
JK: Blue Pizza and Cucina, yes. They are going to be running a special where they’ll fly you to the Bahamas for a picnic. It’s something to do for an anniversary or something special.
FT: How much would that cost?
JK: Probably about a $1000. They fly you over on a small plane. You have a picnic and then fly back. This is the time of year where all the price fixes come up. The Herald usually announces those kinds of things.
LG: Coral Gables is having their restaurant week the first week in June.
JK: Yes, I think it’s the first one ever. Go to www.coralgablesrestauarntweek.com. Also Por Fin is finally opening and I heard it’s very good.
FT: You should call and ask about wine prices. Because sometimes the dinner is cheap with these price fixes, but the wine is very expensive.
JK: That’s a good point. They expect you to amplify your check with beverages. Sometimes you can bring your own so ask for corkage fees.
LG: Also, ask about hours. Price fix hours aren’t always regular hours.
FT: So the reduced price isn’t always served?
LG: Yes, and you can go online to see the menu.
Caller 1: I want to tell you about Pei Wei. I had a great experience there.
JC: It’s an interesting operation. They have Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Thai.
Caller 1: I’ve been to the one on Pines Blvd. I only eat shell fish so I’ve had all of their shrimp entrées and I liked every single one.
JC: And there’s one on Ludlam Rd. They are owned by PF Changs.
Caller 1: We went to PF Changs in Aventura and I have to pan it. We went and there were tiny shrimp and the shell was left on each shrimp. Since it’s in a sauce you have to get your hands dirty. We complained about it.
JC: Gripe, gripe, gripe. [laughing]
Caller 1: I have a question though. Obviously you tip 20%. But if you take a cab, what is the proper protocol for tipping the driver?
JK: I tip 15-20% but people tip 10%.
LG: I would say not more than 15%.
JK: To the airport I tip more because I like them to take my bags.
LG: Thank you for your call. We’re going to a break now. I’m Linda Gassenheimer. My guest is Jen Karetnick, the Miami Magazine restaurant critic. We’ll be right back.
[break]
LG: We’re back and it’s our restaurant review program. My guest is Jen Karetnick, the Miami Magazine Restaurant Critic. She’s been filling us in the restaurant scene.
Caller 2: My place is Puerto de Vallarta. It’s a Mexican Seafood place in Homestead on South Dixie Hwy and 248th street. The food is delicious.
LG: Say the name again…
Caller 2: Puerto de Vallarta.
JK: They have a great seafood soup and the cured shrimp is good.
LG: Jen, some Chefs have been leaving town. Tell us about that.
JK: We’ve had a rocky year. Some of these things haven’t been that surprising though. In particular I’m talking about all of the Mark’s Place locations closing, except for the one in Boca. He had four and three have abruptly closed in the last month. Mark himself says “I don’t see why this is such a big deal.” It’s a big deal because he’s an award winning Chef and an original of the Mango Gang.
FT: Why did they close?
JK: I think it’s pure economics. Four restaurants right now is probably not fiscally responsible.
LG: It’s probably a good idea that the Chef is there cooking too.
JK The one in Boca is going to be mostly sushi actually. So I’m not sure how much he’ll be there. His investor wants something that’s going to be profitable.
LG: I was just at a conference and pollsters were saying 62% of people they polled said they’re going to be eating out less.
JK: I don’t think that’s surprising. It’s been coming for a long time. The first industry to feel it is the restaurant industry. That’s where people tighten their belts.
Email: I wish to highly recommend Caramelo in Coral Gables. Chef Willy Hernandez is great.
FT: I was there recently. It was excellent food but it was really loud.
JC: Music?
FT: People talking. The tables are close together.
LG: A lot of restaurants are designed to be noisy right Jen?
JK: Yes, they want it to sound like there are a lot of people there.
LG: Let’s go to a caller.
Caller 3: I just want to recommend Art’s Barbeque. They come from South Georgia. It’s right on University Drive a couple of blocks south of Royal Palm Blvd.
JK: We can always use more Barbeque.
LG: Thanks so much for your call.
JK: We do have Bulldog Barbeque opening. That’s Howie from the TV show on Bravo called Top Chef. It’s on Biscayne. We’re going to have some more tasty ribs and stuff!
Caller 4: I have a question. I particularly enjoy Wednesday nights at Jake’s in South Miami because of half priced wine night. Where else can I find that?
FT: Captains Tavern on South Dixie Hwy has excellent prices and he has the best red wine list of any seafood places I’ve been.
LG: A lot of restaurants are doing special wine nights.
FT: Also, check my blog because we list those things.
Caller 5: I want to recommend The Boutique Kitchen in the Morningside area. It’s on Biscayne and 68th street. They do take out, catering and have a little eat-in place. It’s cute and much more than you would expect. The Chef has a Caribbean background.
LG: For lunch and dinner?
Caller 5: Monday thru Saturday for lunch and dinner.
LG: Thanks.
Caller 6: I love Indian food and I haven’t been able to find a really good Indian restaurant.
LG: Are you willing to travel?
JK: There’s a new place in Coral Gables called Mint Leaf. That might be worth the gas money.
LG: It was very good.
JC: What about North Broward?
JK: They tend to have better Indian restaurants there.
Caller 6: The atmosphere isn’t up to standard.
JK: Yes, those places are kinda dumpy.
Caller 6: I like it to not look dumpy, as you say.
LG: It’s hard to find very good Indian restaurants with nice atmosphere. Well we’re going to take another short break. My guest today is Jen Karetnick, the Features Editor for the Wine News. We’ll be right back.
[break]
LG: We’re back and it’s our restaurant review program. My guest is Jen Karetnick, the Miami Magazine Restaurant Critic. She’s been filling us in the restaurant scene.
Caller 7: I have a few suggestions. My favorite Indian Restaurant is called Taj. It’s in The Cove Shopping Center in Deerfield Beach. It has a nice atmosphere. Also we have a new Indian restaurant called India Garden. It’s on Atlantic just west of University Drive. Their service isn’t too good yet but the food is worth it.
LG: Chefs making comebacks.
JK: Jonathan Eismann is back. He had been on the Beach with Pacific Time and he had suddenly closed. But his rent had been going up and up and he couldn’t keep upping his prices. He does cook and was doing everything he could. At the time he was beginning to open a new place in the Design District. It’s finally opening within a couple of weeks. We are happy to welcome him back. He’s joining the area near Michael’s Genuine.
LG: The same name?
JK: Yes, Pacific Time. Also Norman Van Aiken is no longer doing the Key West venture. I’d like to see him doing something small and really good with him there. He has mentioned that he’s looking for properties.
Caller 8: I’m calling to recommend The Lotus Garden on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables. It’s family owned and operated. They’ve been in Coral Gables for over 20 years. It’s excellent Thai and a moderately priced menu.
LG: Thanks. Now we’ll go to another caller.
Caller 9: My favorite Indian restaurant is Anoka in Coconut Grove. I think they just moved to a larger location behind Cocowalk.
JK: I didn’t know they had moved. I hope they have more than one cook in the kitchen.
Caller 9: Yes, they’re a little slow.
JK: I’ve always really liked Anoka but it can take hours to eat.
Caller 9: That’s true. I was just wondering, with all of these extremely expensive restaurants in Miami, we still don’t have a Michelin starred restaurant, right?
JK: I don’t’ think we have any Michelin stars here. Michy’s…
LG: No, she doesn’t have a star. We’d love to have one here.
Caller 9: Are we years away from a restaurant like that? I think Michy’s is far from that point as far as service.
LG: Atmosphere is also important…
JK: The service pool we have to draw from makes it very difficult for owners and chefs. I don’t think philosophy is too far off if you consider that Las Vegas has a Michelin starred restaurant.
LG: We have a lot of possibilities and we should have one.
JK: We do have Gotham Steak coming in. I think it would have to be in a hotel environment.
LG: And Daniel Boulud is coming soon.
JK: The service pool is transient and not professional because they’re not in it for the long haul.
Caller 10: I want to recommend a Spanish restaurant place called La Boraca [spelling?] in Hollywood. They have flamenco dancing there.
JK: You know about that Linda.
LG: [Laughing] Jen and I were in a Flamenco Bar in Spain and I got picked up and Jen protected me. [laughing] Enough about that.
Caller 11: I’m calling about The Black Bean Café in Hollywood. It’s just south of Johnson Street. They’re open the day after a hurricane. They serve all meals. It’s a hole in the wall with awesome food.
LG: Sounds good.
Caller 12: I’m calling to recommend Key West in the Gables. It’s on Red Road just north of Coral Way. It’s the freshest seafood and the nicest people. I enjoy it greatly.
JC: Do you have a stake in that?
Caller 12: [laughing] No, but it’s close to my house.
JK: I was supposed to go there last night. They were having a poetry reading. But I was too tired from my travels.
LG: Okay. We have another caller.
Caller 13: I’m calling to recommend a Filipino place called Meng Lee on Military Trail. It’s cafeteria style and the menu changes every day. They have the great desserts.
LG: Thank you. We need to go to take another break. My guest is Jen Karetnick, the Miami Magazine Restaurant Critic. We’ll take a short break and be back with more.
[break]
LG: We’re back and I’m Linda Gassenheimer. It’s our restaurant review program. My guest is Jen Karetnick, the Miami Magazine Restaurant Critic and the Features Editor for the Wine News. She’s been filling us in on the restaurant scene. But it’s dinner in minutes time. This is for those nights when you’re not going out for dinner. I’ve made a Teriyaki Steak with Chinese Noodles.
JC: It’s very good.
LG: Thank you. For the recipe go to my website, www.dinnerinminutes.com. Fred, are we drinking today?
FT: Here’s the problem. You want to take someone special out to a fancy restaurant but you’re terrified by the thick wine list. What do you do? In the past I recommended borrowing the list and taking it to someone who knows about wine.
LG: Or you can look on the internet.
FT: A lot more restaurants now are putting their list on the internet. Fleming’s, the restaurant in Coral Gables, has made a separate website for the wine list. It’s called www.vinevoyage.com. They have 100 wines by the glass, and they have all of those listed. They have 80 wines by the bottle and they’ve listed them in terms of light to heavy. That’s very helpful. They also have wine flights you can put together. So you can try different vintages of one wine or several different kinds. The most unique thing is the website now features videos from the wineries. As I said they interview the wine maker and give you a tour. It’s very ambitious and interesting. The only big hole is they don’t list the price of the wines. I called and asked and the bottles go from $70. They have wine by the glass that starts at $5. So you still need to pick up the list to see the prices. But other than that, it’s something that’s spreading and very interesting.
LG: Talking about affordable wines and all, how do we have an affordable dinner?
JK: A lot of people have been talking about Red Light. Kris Wesell is open but he doesn’t have a full menu up yet. It’s just below 79th street and Biscayne Blvd. That neighborhood has cleaned up.
LG: It’s called Red Light?
JK: Yes, as in the district. He’s really cleaned up the area and readied the place.
LG: He’s a good Chef.
FT: One thing I forgot to mention is that people can tune in and get the pod cast now on www.miamiherald.com/wine. You can read more about Fleming’s on my website.
JK: The Red Light menu is limited to about 5 items and the seating is limited, but it’s coming along.
FT: Like an urban adventure.
LG: We have a lot of people who called in that we never got to. I want to apologize that we couldn’t get to all of your phone calls. Thank you Jen. It’s been a fun day. Jen Karetnick, the Miami Magazine Restaurant Critic. Join us next time.
Restaurants Mentioned
Abokado (901 S Miami Ave, Miami, 305-416-6031)
Anokha Indian Restaurant, (3195 Commodore Plz, Miami, (786) 552-1030)
Ariston, (940 71ST Street, Miami, (305) 864-9848)
Art’s Barbeque (2070 N. University Drive (19th) Coral Springs, (954) 346-9246)
Black Bean Café (712 N State Road 7, Hollywood, (954) 966-6773)
Buena Vista Bistro (4582 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, (305) 456-5909)
Bulldog Barbeque (Northeast 154th Street and Biscayne Boulevard, North Miami)
Captains Tavern (9621 S Dixie Hwy, Miami, (305) 666-5979)
Caramelo (264 Giralda Avenue, Coral Gables, (305)-445-8783)
Fleming’s Prime Steak House (2525 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Coral Gables, (305) 569-7995)
India Garden (10436 W Atlantic Blvd, Coral Springs, (954) 752-2226)
Jake’s Bar (6901 SW 57th Ave, South Miami, (305) 662-8632)
Key West By the Gables (2238 SW 57 Avenue, Miami, (305) 262-0205)
Mark’s Place (344 Plaza Real, Mizner Park, Boca Raton, (561)-395-0770)
Michy’s (6927 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, (305) 759-2001)
Mint Leaf (276 Alhambra Cir, Coral Gables, (305) 443-3739)
Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink (130 N.E. 40th Street, Miami, 305-573-5550)
1 Bleu (The Regent Bal Harbour, 10295 Collins Avenue, 800-545-4000)
Pacific Time (Design District – NE 40th (305)-722-7369)
Pei Wei (13616 SW 88th St, Miami, (305) 386-8510)
PF Changs (17455 Biscayne Blvd, Aventura, (305) 957-1966)
Puerto de Vallarta (24811 S Dixie Hwy, Homestead, (305)-257-5012)
Por Fin (2500 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Coral Gables (305)-441-0107)
Red Light (7700 Biscayne Blvd, Miami)
Taj (620 NW 78th Street, (305)-758-2929)
The Lotus Garden (6388 S Dixie Hwy, South Miami, (305) 666-8134)
The Harrison (411 Washington Ave, 305-538-0398)
The Boutique Restaurant (Biscayne Blvd. and 68th Street)
Ouzo (1766 Bay Rd, Miami Beach, (305) 604-0008)
