The Best Meals of 2013 # 6 & 7

The Miami food scene continues to grow and I was fortunate to enjoy several outstanding meals in our own backyard this year.  From the delicious and fun Pop Up Series hosted by chef Michael Schwartz at Harry's Pizzeria, to some great collaborations along the way and to the "underground and experimental" dinners we throw with talented chefs over at Cobaya Miami.

I must admit that doing this was not easy as each were great in their own way. As with my normal "tiers" these rankings take all facets of the meal into consideration. Food is the primary component but phenomenal wine or simply a great time can bolster the ranking.

Big thanks to all of the chefs, kitchen crews, managers, sommeliers, bartenders, servers and support staff for making 2013 another happy year for my belly!!

PRIOR RANKINGS:

15 & 14
13, 12 & 11
10, 9 & 8



      

                                                  

7. Publican Quality Meats Pizzeria at Harry's Pizzeria.  Paul Kahan and Cosmo Goss escaped a January day in Chicago and joined the Genuine Hospitality crew for an outstanding meal. Highlights included a super stracciatella with roasted baby beets, Oregon hazelnuts, dandelion greens and aged balsamic, blood sausage and squid and a dynamite lamb shoulder.   My original recap here.

6. SPQR Pizzeria at Harry's Pizzeria.  Matt Accarino was kidnapped by GourmandJ and transported to Miami paid a visit from San Francisco and provided us with an excellent meal that featured a ton of food.  His chicken liver was unreal as was his corn ravioli with huitlacoche butter and chives.  And I could not stop eating his tomato tagliatelle with royal red shrimp puttanesca.  My original recap is here.

The Best Meals of 2013 8, 9 & 10

The Miami food scene continues to grow and I was fortunate to enjoy several outstanding meals in our own backyard this year.  From the delicious and fun Pop Up Series hosted by chef Michael Schwartz at Harry's Pizzeria, to some great collaborations along the way and to the "underground and experimental" dinners we throw with talented chefs over at Cobaya Miami.

I must admit that doing this was not easy as each were great in their own way. As with my normal "tiers" these rankings take all facets of the meal into consideration. Food is the primary component but phenomenal wine or simply a great time can bolster the ranking.

Big thanks to all of the chefs, kitchen crews, managers, sommeliers, bartenders, servers and support staff for making 2013 another happy year for my belly!!

PRIOR RANKINGS:

15 & 14
13, 12 & 11

Brad, a bearded fellow & Conor

                             

10. Spring Equinox Dinner with Conor Hanlon. Brad Kilgore, Joshua Gripper and one killer bird at The Dutch Miami.  My original recap is here.


                            

9. Trufflepalooza with Andrew Carmellini, Conor Hanlon, Joshua Gripper and a ton of white truffles at The Dutch Miami. Original recap is here.

                                  

 .
8. Cobaya Makoto with chef Makoto Okuwa and unreal monkish, blowfish and Kobe shabu shabu.  Original recap here.

The Best Meals of 2013 #11-13

The Miami food scene continues to grow and I was fortunate to enjoy several outstanding meals in our own backyard this year.  From the delicious and fun Pop Up Series hosted by chef Michael Schwartz at Harry's Pizzeria, to some great collaborations along the way and to the "underground and experimental" dinners we throw with talented chefs over at Cobaya Miami.

I must admit that doing this was not easy as each were great in their own way. As with my normal "tiers" these rankings take all facets of the meal into consideration. Food is the primary component but phenomenal wine or simply a great time can bolster the ranking.

Big thanks to all of the chefs, kitchen crews, managers, sommeliers, bartenders, servers and support staff for making 2013 another happy year for my belly!!

Rankings:

Link to #'s 14-15 plus ties.

13.  Brad Kilgore Tasting.  This was a dinner Brad did prior to becoming the chef de cuisine at J&G Grill.  He nailed it as usual.  You can read more about it here.

12.  Jeremiah Bullfrog dinner at The Wolfsonian.  I've enjoyed several dinner with Jeremiah over the years.  This one was one of his best efforts across the board.  Recap here. 

11. A solo visit to Macchialina and a self curated tasting menu that included some great specials.  I was seriously unable to stop eating.  Yellowfoot chanterelles with bone marrow and parsley toast, veal cheek and pork meatballs, veal crudo with crispy prosciutto, braised escarole and tonnato sauce, tripe parmigiana, yellowfoot, white button and shiitake risotto with preserved truffles and spaghetti vongole with Calabrese peppers.  Great meal and a great place.  And YES I ate all of that by myself.  

The Best Meals of 2013 #14, 15 & ties

The Miami food scene continues to grow and I was fortunate to enjoy several outstanding meals in our own backyard this year.  From the delicious and fun Pop Up Series hosted by chef Michael Schwartz at Harry's Pizzeria, to some great collaborations along the way and to the "underground and experimental" dinners we throw with talented chefs over at Cobaya Miami.

I must admit that doing this was not easy as each were great in their own way. As with my normal "tiers" these rankings take all facets of the meal into consideration. Food is the primary component but phenomenal wine or simply a great time can bolster the ranking.

Big thanks to all of the chefs, kitchen crews, managers, sommeliers, bartenders, servers and support staff for making 2013 another happy year for my belly!!

15. Chef Dale Talde Upstairs at Khong River House.  I never wrote about the meal but was able to locate some pictures.  Dale packed a lot of flavor into each dish and Allegra Angelo poured some great rieslings with each course.  This was a fun evening.

1st - Croquetas de Bacalao - summer asparagus, Lake Meadows farm egg, local calabazza, tuscan olive oil.



2nd - lamb carpaccio. Dales take on a gyro.



3rd - Long Island Peking duck - Burmese noodle wrap, summer squash, heirloom tomato confit, foie gras, duck "beicon."



4th - Creamy Tom-Yam, local spiny lobster, egg noodles + sweet, crispy vermicelli noodles, grilled prawn, lump crab, fish roe.



5th - local Florida snapper, tomato jam tacos.

Pre dessert- local seasonal fruit sorbet.
Dessert - Coconut creme brûlée, sticky rice, Citrus Madelines, Milk Jam.


15. A delicious 17 course tasting menu courtesy of Micah at neMesis Urban Bistro.  You can read the original post here.


15. A Cobaya Brunch with the pastry man Antonio Bachour. Click on the link but be careful if you're hungry.


14. The White Collar/Blue Collar Odd Couple dinner featuring Danny Serfer and Brad Kilgore going head to head with each course.  Fun time and I'm still full.  My recap is here.

Chef Serfer and Chef Kilgore

                                                 

Mandolin (Miami Design District)

I must admit that I did not recall writing a short post about Mandolin in March of 2010 until I finished this one and went to link it to Urbanspoon.  However, I did not need to read that post to refresh my recollection. Thus, I left the current post unchanged below.  You can read my 2010 thoughts here.

Yes, this post is almost four years overdue, I know, I know.  But better late than never. Although I have strong opinions about food I can admit when I make a mistake. And failing to return to Mandolin for so long may be one of my biggest food mistakes to date.

I visited Mandolin a couple of times after they opened a few years ago.  At that time they had a very small interior area with some tables out back. I went for lunch on both occasions and while I recall the food being fine, it didn't blow me away enough to warrant repeat visits in the heat. 

Flash forward, this small spot has transformed into a charming destination- yes I described something as charming - with expanded seating inside and out.  The design and decor are attractive and inviting.  The outdoor courtyard is an ideal setting for Miami's great winter weather.

Mandolin is now a versatile spot perfectly suited for meals with your children, your parents, the entire family, friends or a first date.

My wife and I were blown away by the friendly, knowledgeable and efficient service. It's as good as it gets anywhere. 

The food is straight forward Greek and Turkish fare.  Everything I had during my two recent visits was fresh and flavorful. 

Bottom line, I was wrong for neglecting this place for so long. I will not make that mistake again.

Here are some of the dishes I enjoyed on my recent visits.



The tasty Turkish Sampler includes hummus, fava bean purée and tomato walnut dip. Thumbs up for the great fresh bread too.

 

The refreshing Pink Sultan which is a combination of shredded beats, Greek yogurt, garlic and fresh mint.

 

The Kopoglu was a dish I did not enjoy following an initial visit. I have no recollection of that dish but I really enjoyed it recently. It features eggplant, potato, zucchini and pepper topped with tomato garlic yogurt. 

 

The Shrimp Ouzo dish is an delicious combination of shrimp, tomato, feta and ouzo.This is a must get dish. 

 

I recalled that they served an outstanding octopus and they still do. Their marinated and grilled octopus is fresh, meaty and tender.

 

Grilled Butterfly Prawns with Paprika are a dish I could eat all day and every day.

 

Manti is a Wednesday only special consisting of mini hand wrapped dumplings filled with lamb. It's topped with Greek garlic yogurt, burnt butter and Turkish hot paprika.  This is not a dish for non garlic and paprika fans.

 

Turkish Tea Biscuit Dark Chocolate layer cake 

 

I'm not a big sweets fan but their Baklava is outstanding.

 

Turkish Coffee.

4312 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33137

(305) 576-6066

   

  

Cobaya Compton @ Scarpetta 12.9.13

                        




The latest underground and experimental Cobaya Dinner featured Chef Nina "gnocchi queen" Compton, chef de cuisine at Scott Conant's popular Scarpetta in the Fontainebleau hotel on Miami Beach.

Chef Nina can currently be seen showcasing her culinary skills on this season's Top Chef New
Orleans. Those watching know that she has been dominating challenges with almost every dish being well received by the Judges. She has moved on to the great eight and looks primed for a run to the finals. If you haven't been watching now is the time to catch up. You can root her on every Wednesday night at 10 on Bravo.

A couple of weeks prior to our dinner, I joked with Nina that we were going to do a Cobaya quick fire challenge dinner and just toss ingredients at her once the guests were seated. I suspect if pressed she would have done it and crushed it. But all kidding aside, she actually "quick fired" herself by creating the menu that morning. Impressive.

Nina is my style of chef. She has huge range, respects ingredients, balances flavors and cooks with finesse. Those skills blended perfectly together for our Cobaya dinner and resulted in diverse dishes that were great and an excellent overall meal from start to finish.

That makes sense given her culinary background. Nina hails from St. Lucia and after graduating from the CIA she trained in Caribbean, French and Italian kitchens. Her resume includes stints under Daniel Boloud, Alex Lee, Norman Van Aken, Philippe Ruiz and Michael Pirolo.

I've unfortunately neglected Scarpetta over the past few years for various reasons unrelated to the food. I won't make that mistake again and you should't either.

Top Chef New Orleans champion? I hope so. Regardless, she's a winner and a Chowfather/Cobaya Champion for sure.

The Scarpetta patio provided a perfect setting for 40 guinea pigs.

Discreetly nestled within the basket of bread were splendid slices of stromboli.

Nina's amuse-bouche set the tone for the evening. Her scallop crudo was a clean and tasty bite of very nice scallop paired with fennel, orange and pine nuts.

 

Out next was a terrific trio of sophisticated salumi comprised of whipped morcilla, testa and fegato. I've been craving more of each one of these bites all week.

 

Nina really showcased her skills with a superb sweetbread dish that included sunchokes, brussels sprouts and black trumpet mushrooms. The sweetbreads were cooked right and the supporting ingredients really elevated the dish. I suspect that you win Top Chef with a dish like this.

 

Pasta of the sea!! The gnocchi pasta queen delivered a dynamite pasta course that was perfect in every way. Nina served a great gemelli pasta that was cooked perfectly and paired with Key West pink shrimp and ricci di mare. Yes, pasta and uni are two of my favorite things. 

 

How do you follow perfect pasta? with a lardo wrapped monkfish of course. Here, Nina served a meaty and tasty monkfish that was wrapped in lardo and paired with a romesco and prosciutto jus. My only slight gripe of the night was the saltiness of a couple of the bites of this dish.



The last savory dish of the night highlighted a dynamite duo of Pork. Here, Nina wowed us with an incredible confit jowl along with a pancetta spiced loin. Both sat on a delicious butternut squash.

 

The Confit Pork Jowl up close. Off the charts good.

  

Dessert was a very nice yogurt mouse with lemon, apple and celery. A nice ending  to an enjoyable night.

Scarpetta opens daily for dinner at 6 p.m. Fontainebleau Miami Beach is located at 4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach.

www.fontainebleau.com/scarpetta.  

A Storied Night Rum Supper @ Meat Market 12.17.13

I attended a cocktail dinner at Meat Market over the summer and it was outstanding .  The menu looks great for this one and it's a good deal too.The dinner will take place on Tuesday, December 17th at 7:30 p.m. and is $75.00 plus tax and tip.

The dinner will be paired with Mount Gay® Rum cocktails designed by mixologist Ezra Pattek.

Mercado

 
Amuse Bouche - conch ceviche spoons with coconut, lime and rum; curried carrot soup shots topped with basil rum foam; and rum BBQ braised lamb spare ribs. This will be paired with Pattek’s Black Barrel Daiquiri consisting of  Mount Gay® Black Barrel Rum, fresh lime, sugar and a touch of Campari.

First Course - achiote-marinated shrimp and scallops with celeriac purée, roasted pepper and papaya salad. It will be paired with The Mercado – a tropical blend of Mount Gay® 1703 Rum, passion fruit, fresh lime, mint and habanero.

Second Course - wood grilled Texas quail with a rum molasses glaze, sweet corn pudding tartlets and sous-vide purple endive will be served with a classic Dark n Stormy – Mount Gay® Eclipse Rum, fresh lime, house-made falernum and ginger beer, topped with a Mount Gay® Extra Old Rum floater.

Third Course - diners will sample one of Meat Market’s signature delicacies – Snake River Farms Waygu beef shoulder wrapped with apple-smoked bacon and sliced on sweet potato and plantain hash and truffle honey glazed miatake mushrooms. Paired with Pattek’s Barbadon Manhattan – Mount Gay® Black Barrel Rum, sweet vermouth, peppercorn honey syrup and aromatic bitters.

Dessert - white chocolate passion fruit & almond bread pudding with rum crème Anglaise and passion fruit fluid gel will be offered for dessert. The Extra Old Fashioned – Mount Gay® Extra Old Rum, white crème de cacao and tiki bitters.

Guests wishing to attend the dinner may make reservations by calling (305) 532.0088 or booking online at www.meatmarketmiami.com.

Meat Market is located at 915 Lincoln Road on South Beach and serves lunch daily from noon – 4pm and dinner from 6pm - midnight. Bar opens at 5pm daily and Happy Hour is available each Friday, 5pm – 8pm.

Jason Wang @ Khong River House 11.21.13 Recap

I was very excited when Khong River House announced that they were hosting a dinner with Chef Jason Wang. Jason along with his father currently own four popular restaurants in Manhattan, two in Flushing and one in Brooklyn.  Although I never visited any of his spots, I was very familiar with Jason and Xi'an Famous Foods because they were featured on Anthony Bourdain's No Resrvations as well as Andrew Zimmern's  Bizarre Food America.

The original Xi’an Famous Foods opened in 2005  inside a basement stall in the Golden Shopping Mall in Flushing, N.Y.  They featured the cuisine of Xi’ which is situated in the northwestern region of China and combines Chinese and Middle Eastern Flavors. Cumin, chili and Sichuan peppercorns dominate. 


Their signature hand-ripped "biang biang" noodles are the draw along with secret spices and their lamb burger.

The dinner was a collaboration with the Khong kitchen doing some of their dishes too.  This was my first visit to Khong since Chef Bee left and I enjoyed it.  It was also fun experiencing the meal with Wok Star and Frodnesor  




Jason pulling and slapping the noodles on the table prior to hand ripping them. 



The night started with a dish from Jason that had some nice heat on the back end of it. The Spicy Mungbean Jelly was served cold and paired with a spicy Sichuan Bean Sauce. I liked the texture and the heat in this one.  



Dish two featured a Burmese Noodle Wrap from the Khong kitchen.  It featured roasted dried red chili, peanuts, palm sugar and lemon juice mixed with chopped cilantro and culantro.  It was paired with a sweet black soy sauce and Sriracha.



A light and clean Tiger Vegetable Salad hit the table next. Cilantro, green peppers, green onions and celery were dressed in a sesame vinaigrette. 



A nice Spicy Papaya Salad moved us into the main section of the menu.



A Salt Crusted Local Snapper was cooked perfectly with nice moist pieces of meat. The Nam Jim Ta Laey dipping sauce added some great flavor to the dish.  I recommend ordering this dish on your next visit.



Jason working his noodle.  



The finished product was an outstanding bowl of noodles. I now know why their Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped noodles are famous.  The noodles were perfect on their own and the combination of spice and lamb really made the dish special.  Jason sauteed the lamb with onions, garlic and scallions with their secret spices and then mixes in the hand ripped biang biang noodles.  



The Pandan Egg Custard with Mango was a nice was to follow the last savory dish and end the great meal.




A classic Almond Cookie to go.

Trufflepalooza Recap @ The Dutch

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of The Dutch. How can you not be? It's led by one of the best chefs in the country, Andrew Carmellini, a James Beard and Michelin starred chef and run by an outstanding rising star, Conor Hanlon along with one of the best pastry chefs in town Joshua Gripper.

Trufflepalooza wasn't the first time Cobaya and The Dutch came together for an awesome meal. Chef Carmellini flew down last year for a kick ass Cobaya that was my Best Meal of Year  for 2012.  We paired up again for a Charitable Cause (Hurricane Sandy) last November that turned out to be a very special night with Miami's best chefs.

So yes, I was excited to have Chef Carmellini fly down to throw his NYC famous Trufflepalooza dinner in Miami.  And as expected, they nailed it. It should be noted that the terrific truffles were provided by a generous sponsor 5 Diamond Delicasies.

Hopefully this will be an annual tradition in Miami as well.  If so, don't miss Trufflepalooza 305 Dos.



The bar also participated in the event and offered guests a delicious drink comprised of White Truffle infused Russian Standard Vodka, Cynar, Green Chartreuse, Arts in the Age Rhubarb, and White Truffle Salt.



First up was a Truffle Crostino, a dish of the year caliber bite.  Shaved lardo, white truffles and sea salt were served on warm grilled bread.



A magnificent Maine Sea Scallop Crudo was out next.  Confit Black Truffle, Sunchoke, Garlic Brown Butter, Shaved White Truffle and Soft Herbs paired perfectly with the super scallop.



Trufflepalooza Carmellini HAD to include a pasta dish. Duh!! They opted for a chewy Chestnut Garganelli with Roasted Chestnuts, Cardoons, Taleggio and of course White Truffles.  

Chef Conor shaving some truffles over an amazing dish.



Okay, if I decide to do a dish of the year post this will be given serious consideration.  Beef Wellington gone Dutch.  Even The Grip was involved as he was responsible for the perfect outer pastry of the this old school dish with a truffle twist.  White Truffle Sabayon, Roasted Chanterelles and Foie Jus all assisted in this awesome dish. 



Josh came to play too and served a tasty Truffle Ice Cream Coupe with Olive Oil Ice Cream, Pine Nut Brittle and Roasted Bosc Pear.
 

The Gripper getting in on the Truffle thing.



Not one but two truffle desserts for you.  The night ended with a White Truffle Semifreddo, Malted Milk Chocolate Ie Cream, Hazlenut Meringue and Dark Chocolate Custard.

Obviously, Trufflepalooza was fantastic meal and I would highly recommend paying a visit to the Dutch  so you can experience the incredible dishes coming out of the kitchen on a nightly basis.