Four FANTASTIC meals including three in one week, two with chef
José Andrés in the house and one that was EPIC in every way.
The Bazaar opened last month in the brand new
SLS Hotel on the corner of 17th St. and Collins Ave. in South Beach. I'm not going to bother discussing the
forty or so dishes I've tried thus far because it would take me forever to do and it would probably put you to sleep. Plus almost every dish was great to outstanding. Instead, I will simply tell you that it is as good as food gets and a complete culinary treat from start to finish in every way.
Service has been equally impressive (with the exception of the busboy who removed half filled gin and tonics from the table on two occasions during my first visit) thanks to general manager Giancarlo Pagani and his friendly team.
Kudos to chef de cuisine, David Thomas, who was previously at Tomas Keller's
Ad Hoc, for executing this extensive menu almost flawlessly from the start while continuing to improve with each visit. Thomas and his kitchen crew quickly made The Bazaar one of the best restaurants in town.
It was also great to meet and chat with
Minibar chef
Jorge Hernandez who was in town to assist with the opening and menu tweaking. Great guy and great chef. Remember that name food fans.
Of course, the biggest treat of all was meeting chef Andrés on two occasions and having the opportunity to discuss food with him along with his overall philosophy and vision. Hearing about the teaching and work he continues to do in
Haiti was impressive and touching. Nevertheless, the highlight was being invited to join him at his table where I witnessed an exciting rapid fire session where every dish and cocktail was brought to the table for him to taste and tweak. Inspiring. Oh and the best "scraps" I've ever had.
The food, creativity and passion of chef Andrés plus the super South Beach setting, easily make this one of the best all around dining experiences in the country.
As promised, I am not going to bore you with details about each dish since I've enjoyed too many. The following is a photo recap via my iPhone of my first four visits. I missed some shots of great dishes along the way and contrary to my dining partner in crime for three of these meals,
Steve "Blind Tastes" BM, my flash was off for a majority of these shots. Although I'm not a photographer and don't carry a fancy camera to restaurants, I still wanted to share my fantastic experience with you via my
crappy shots. Enjoy!!
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Bull con lucha libre mask |
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Blanca room w/ shell chandelier |
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Tableside LN2 Caipirinha |
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The finished product. $5.00!!!! | | | | |
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The ultimate gin & tonic (great drink) |
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'colada cubano'-coffee with foie gras |
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Liquid mango nigiri- sea urchin, shiso, pickled sansho pepper |
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Corte de foie gras-tamarind, olive bread, mango chutney |
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Baby Japanese Peaches-fresh burrata, hazelnuts, arugula |
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Watermelon and Tomato Skewers-pistachios, caramelized tomatoes |
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Traditional Sui Mai-pork, shrimp, peanuts, water chestnuts |
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Sea Urchin Cream-seaweed, ponzu (on right) |
MEAL TWO-EPIC!!!!!
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'Bagel and Lox'-salmon roe, dill cream cheese |
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Aceitunas Rellenas-piquillo pepper, anchovy, olive oil |
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'Colada Cubano'-coffee & foie |
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Bao con Lechon-Chinese bun, pork belly |
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Yuca 'Churros'-with peanut butter and honey |
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Cuban Escabeche "Estefan's Way"-hamachi, pickled onions, sour orange |
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Kueh Pai Ti-Singapore's favorite street food-shrimp, peanuts, chili sauce & Croquetas de Wade Pollo |
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Sea Urchin-butter, black pepper, toasted bread |
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Dragon Fruit Ceviche-tuna, pecans, lime, hibiscus |
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Smoked Oysters-ice and smoke, apple mignonette |
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Sauteed Catalan Spinach-apples, pine nuts, raisins |
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Cuban Coffee Rubbed Churrasco-passion fruit
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Black Rossejat-paella-style, squid ink, shrimp, alioli |
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Special off menu treat from Chef Andrés- His Traditional Cuban. Outstanding! |
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'Cubano'-Secreto de Iberico ham, Iberico ham, swiss, mustard, pickles |
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Tembleque-'jiggling cocnuts', mango, cinnamon |
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Chef Andrés tasting every dish!! |
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GM Giancarlo pouring Chef Andrés the best sangria! |
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We need salt!!!
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Best seat in house!
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MEALS THREE & FOUR
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Jose's Taco-caviar, jamon Iberico |
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Sauteed Shrimp-garlic, parsley, lemon, guindilla pepper |
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Bone Marrow-Hamakua Farms heart of palms, Florida citrus, capers |
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Baby Japanese Peaches part II!! |
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Ajo Blanco-Mango, sherry ravioli, king crab, fresh almonds |
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King Crab, raspberries |
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Empanada a la Gallega-"Spring Roll" soy sauce |
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Papas a la Huancaina-Peruvian potatoes, sea urchin |
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Not Your Everyday Caprese-cherry tomatoes, liquid mozzarella |
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Pisto-vegetable stew, tomato, eggplant, zucchini & golden egg |
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Liquid Mango Nigiri |
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Scallop-on the half shell, Caribbean dressing |
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Frozen Blue Cheese Sandwich-lemon marmalade, walnut bread |
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Jamon de Toro-salt-cured fatty tuna with Iberico fat, picos |
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Japanese Taco-grilled eel, shiso, cucmber, wasabi, pork, chicharrones |
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No clue |
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Tres Leches-Cuban rum, pineapple & 'tres leches' ice cream |
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Tembleque-jiggling coconut |
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Banana-Mojito-mojito sorbet, mint & caramelized bananas
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MORE GREAT TREATS DURING VISIT FIVE
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Pre dinner New York Sour @ Bar Centro |
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Embutidos Platter - They nailed the Pa amb Tomaquet. Iberico ham, loin & chorizo perfecto | |
FANTASTIC FLIGHT OF SOUPS
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Wild Mushroom Idiazabal cheese, organic egg yolk | |
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Onion Soup foie gras 'capuccino' | |
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Gazpacho Patricia with lobstahhh |
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Black Cod Alcaparrado cooked in plastic bag |
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Foie PB&J on Wonder Bread |
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Hyde Beach Pool Side Pops & Frozen Mixed Drinks |
RUN to The Bazaar soon and often. There are a tremendous amount of treats on the menu coupled with great service and a fantastic overall dining experience. Four stars for sure!!
The Bazaar (at the SLS Hotel)
1701 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach FL
305.455.2999
2 comments:
This is epic! Great you got Wade's croquettes in there. I'll always appreciate the simplest thing extremely well executed and those croquettes were phenomenal.
The croquetas are great & a recipe from Mama Andres I believe.
Flash was on in nearly every shot! Let the truth be told! hahaha
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