Fooq's & Friends with Chef Alex Chang 11/22/15

Fooq’s will host Chef Alex Chang of Vagabond Restaurant & Bar this Sunday, November 22nd, for a néo-bistrot style ​5-course dinner $65 ​with an optional wine pairing for $35.

Tickets are available HERE

or by emailing david@fooqsmiami.com or calling 917.251.4845

MENU by Chef Alex Chang

Amuse-bouches

Stone crab, avocado, caviar, almond

Uni and caramelized chicken jus, key lime

5 Course Meal

Fromage de tete, burnt onion mustard, nasturtium salsa verde

Ember roasted carrots, shaved foie, katsuobushi, mamey

Brassicas, smoked oyster, reduced whey, bone marrow

Veal breast, trapper salt, hazelnut milk, fermented chard, pickled wing bean

Allspice leaf ice cream, cane sugar and ginger geranium granita, smoked almond

  Fooq'sis located at 1035 N. Miami Ave. (Downtown Miami)

Oyster Hour @ db Bistro Moderne

OYSTER HOUR: 6-7PM
FRESH OYSTERS 1.00 EACH ARTISANALLY FARMED OYSTERS PAIR PERFECTLY WITH FRANÇOIS MONTAND
BLANC DE BLANCS, BRUT 9.

PINTXOS

BY THE PIECE

3 EACH.

STUFFED DATES
Almond, Bacon, Valdean

BACALAO CROQUETA
Salt Cod, Béchamel, Romesco

“HUEVO DIABLO”
Hopper Shrimp, Guindilla Pepper

TORTILLA ESPAÑOLA
Chorizo, Piquillo, Potato

TOSTA PULPO
Aïoli, Black Garlic, Pickled Onion

CRISPY PORK BELLY
Honey Glaze, Cherry Mostarda

SMOKED SARDINE
Tomato, Pickled Garlic

PAN CON TOMATE
Ibérico Ham

 

FRUITS DE MER

FRESH OYSTERS
3.5 EACH.

PERUVIAN CEVICHE
Choclo, Aji Amarillo, Plantain Chip
13.

SHRIMP COCKTAIL
Mignonette, American Cocktail Sauce, Lemon
13.

SEAFOOD PLATEAU
Oysters, Clams, Shrimp, Mussels, Crab, Smoked Salmon
petit 55. | grand 75.

 

SHARE & TASTE

POMMES FRITES
Garlic, Parmesan Cheese, Rosemary
7.

MEZZE PLATE
Smoked Eggplant, Ricotta, Hummus
11.

SAUCISSON SEC
Pickled Vegetables, House-Made Mustard
11.

FLATBREAD
Vermont Sausage, Potato, Onion Compote
12.

MINI LAMB PITA
Cucumber, Yogurt, Tomato
13.

FRENCHIE BURGER
Rillon, Morbier Cheese, Caramelized Onions
17.

SHRIMP AL AJILLO
Florida Rock Shrimp, Lemon, Garlic
14.

TARTE FLAMBÉE
Fromage Blanc, Onions, Bacon or Mushroom
14.

IBÉRICO HAM
Almonds, Olives
17.

ASSIETTE LYONNAISE
Assortment of House-Made Charcuterie
32.

ARTISANAL CHEESE BOARD
fruit chutney, candied nuts, raisin walnut toast
3 selections 14. | 5 selections 21.
7 selections 28.

 

DANIEL’S TOP 5 BAR BITES

5 EACH.

CRISPY OLIVES
Pecorino, Iberico Ham, Basil

AÏOLI
Market Vegetables, Fruit de Mer,
Crostini

TARTE FLAMBÉE
Fromage Blanc, Bacon, Mushroom

FRENCHIE SLIDER
Rillon, Morbier Cheese,
Caramelized Onions

MINI SALAD LYONNAISE
Leeks, Lardon, Poached Quail Egg




ON TAP

FLORIDIAN HEFEWEIZEN

Funky Buddha Brewery, Oakland Park, Florida
8.

STRONG GOLDEN PALE ALE
Duvel, Breendonk, Belgium
9.

90 MINUTE IMPERIAL IPA
Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, Delaware
9.

 

BOTTLED BEER

AMSTEL LIGHT
Holland
5.
STELLA ARTOIS
Belgium
5.
CRAFT LAGER
Due South Brewing Company, Boyton Beach, Florida
6.
DALE’S PALE ALE
Oskar Blues Brewery, Logmont, Colorado
6.
‘HEAD HUNTER,’ IPA
Fat Head Brewery, Akron, Ohio
7.

 

WINES BY THE GLASS

WHITE
Pierre Henri, Chardonnay, Pays d’Oc, France 2012
6.
ROSÉ
Moulin de Gassac, ‘Guilhem,’ France, 2013
6.
RED
Vega Sindoa, Cabernet Sauvignon, Navarro, Spain 2012
8.
CHAMPAGNE
Charles Collin, ‘Royal Riviera,’ Brut Supreme NV
12.

 

SIGNATURE COCKTAILS

RUM FASHIONED
aged rum, smoked maple syrup, allspice dram
8.
GRAPEFRUIT BLOSSOM
bombay dry, st. germain elderflower, grapefruit
9.
WHITE COSMOPOLITAN
sobieski vodka, white cranberry, lime
10.

 

SEASONAL INSPIRATIONS

LUNA DE SANGRE
tequila Plata, clove syrup, blood orange
8.
CLOUD 9
don q gold, house-made horchata, spices
8.
MOSCOW MULE
ketel one, lime, ginger beer
10.

 

LIQUOR

GIN
Pinnacle, England
7.
RUM
Don Q, Puerto Rico
8.
SCOTCH
Old Parr, Scotland
9.
VODKA
Ketel One, Netherlands
10.


db Bistro Moderne Miami
255 Biscayne Boulevard Way, Miami, FL 33131
305.421.8800 | www.dbBistro.com/Miami

Cobaya El Cielo with Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos 11/8/15

Experiment #58 was conducted by Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos a/k/a Juanma at his third El Cielo restaurant located in downtown Miami.  This is his first restaurant in the United States with the first two located in his home country of Colombia. Three restaurants in two countries is an impressive accomplishment for a 31 year old.
 
He attended culinary school in Argentina followed by two years of cooking in Spain including a stage at Arzak in San Sebastian. He opened his first El Cielo in Medellín in 2007 followed by Bogotá in 2011 and Miami in 2015.

El Cielo Bogotá was named one of the Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants in 2013 & 2014 by the well regarded S. Pellegrino & Aqua Panna World's 50 Best Restaurants .  This year he impressively climbed to 30. 

He is a creative, innovative and artistic chef who is passionate about his food.  His restaurants are tasting menu only which he calls The Trip.  During that trip he attempts to stimulate your senses which includes getting your hands dirty with his staple, chocotherapy.  But he doesn't let his modern cuisine and artistic flare overshadow the flavors of his food.  Those aspects along with his experimental nature put him on the Cobaya radar.

Juanma was into the "underground" aspect of Cobaya and had a cool plan that didn't come to fruition.  But he pivoted to his plan B and had the 40 hungry guinea pigs meet at a nearby wine and cheese shop that serves sandwiches and coffee too called Bon Fromage. There guests were served a glass of prosecco along with a small sandwich bite. Once done, Juanma revealed the final destination.

Upon arrival at El Cielo we were greeted with a welcoming cocktail before starting The Trip. There were several highlights throughout the night included his staple The Amazon Tree of Life,  The Roasted Corn Soup, the crowd pleasing Smoking Cow and the corn water broth.  I didn't get a shot of the chocotherapy because my hands were preoccupied...

There will always be some misses with this type of cuisine but if you go with an open mind you should enjoy the ride Trip.

Big thanks to Chef Juanma for opening his restaurant for us on a Sunday night and his entire kitchen crew for a fun, creative and tasty night.  And thanks to his skeleton team in the front of the house for serving several courses in an impressive fashion. 

And big thanks to all the guinea pigs out there for your continued interest and support.  See you at #59.

Oompa Loompas hard at work.

Follow the Stars.  Unfortunately, I missed this dish while I was escorting people inside.  I'm not sure what it was but it looked good.

Amazon's Tree of Life prep station.

Amazon's Tree of Life.  An edible and delicious tree.  The chewy flatbread is made with yuca and cheese and paired with an even better spicy coconut dipping sauce topped with squid ink powder.

Roasted Corn Soup. Juanma's creamy and flavorful riff on an arepa was a highlight of the night.

Fishing in Corn Water. The fish, salmon, was a bit overcooked for me but the accompanying broth made up for it.

Chicken and Beer - I didn't take any notes and I don't recall exactly what was going on here.  Nevertheless, I do recall wanting to lick the green stuff off the plate. And I think I did.

Guinea Pigs excited for the arrival of The Smoking Cow.

The Smoking Cow - Sushi style steak. Sold!

Spicy Guava - Cayenne pepper for dessert is always an interesting twist.   

Bocadito

 


Rose Petal

El Cielo
31 SE 5th St, Miami, FL 33131
(305) 755-8840

OmaMichy @ Cena by Michy

"OmaKaseMichy"

Michelle Bernstein introduces OmaMichy, her new weekly chef’s tasting menu, at Cena by Michy.

Beginning Wednesday, November 11 and continuing every Wednesday in November, a select few will have the opportunity to dine at CENA’s six-seat food bar and experience a multi-course  degustation menu prepared by Michelle and chef de cuisine Mikey Mayta.

“I want to treat my guests to a one-of-a-kind event,” says Bernstein. “I love leaving a meal up to a chef. I love the spontaneity and sense of adventure that comes with it. It’s not something I get to do much of these days. It will be really fun for us to cook this way and truly interact with our diners.  We want OmaMichy diners to walk away dazzled and well fed.” 

The tasting menu, which will change weekly, is priced at $75 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity; a $45 beverage pairing is available. Menus are created day-of and not available in advance; dietary restrictions will be taken into consideration.  

There will be two “OmaMichy” seatings every Wednesday night: 7PM and 9:30PM. With only six seats available, guests are required to make reservations in advance by logging on to https://resy.com/?venue_id=201&date=2015-11-04.  

To launch the tasting series, CENA by Michy will be giving away the coveted first six seats for the first OmaMichy” sitting on Wednesday, November 11 at 7PM.  To enter tweet @chefmichy using hashtag #omamichy and describe your most adventurous meal – what you had and where you had it.  Bernstein will personally pick six winners; deadline for entries is midnight on Sunday, November 8. 

CENA by Michy is located at 6927 Biscayne Boulevard in the MiMo District.

Dinner is served Tuesday – Sunday at 6PM.

Thanksgiving @ Bourbon Steak 2015

BOURBON STEAK

Miami

Turnberry Isle
19999 West Country Club Drive

Miami, FL 33180

Tel: 786.279.6600

Sunday Night Family Meal @ Vagabond

         

   

                         

             
786.409.5635
Vagabond Restaurant & Bar
7301 Biscayne Blvd
Miami, FL 33138  

Cobaya Seagrape 10/6/15

Cobaya experiment 56 went down at Michelle Bernstein's Seagrape restaurant located at the Thompson hotel on Miami Beach. 26 guinea pigs were treated to a terrific night thanks to Jason Schaan, executive sous chef at the Thompson along with the recently promoted chef de cuisine of Seagrape, Tony Velazquez and their kitchen team.

This was the second foray into the Cobaya Kitchen for both chefs. Jason assisted Michelle at Cobaya 12 and Tony assisted Paula DaSilva at Cobaya 27. Wine director Zach Gossard is another Cobaya veteran. He was responsible for the impressive pairing at Cobaya 45 with Danny Grant at the now defunct Restaurant 1826. As expected, he delivered another outstanding pairing which was a steal at $35. Don't sleep the pairings guinea pigs.

The front of the house was in the hands of another Cobaya vet, general manager Jorge Anaya-Lopez who always brings a touch of class to the table.

I've always been interested in doing a solo Cobaya with Jason because he's on the short list of underrated talents in Miami. He's been cooking with Michelle for over ten years dating back to Azul and was her chef de cuisine at Michy's. As Biggie would say "if you don't know now you know...."

Tony is on the rise and has previously worked under Kerry Simon, Alessandro Stratta, Bradley Ogden and Joachim Splichal.

We did not eat or drink any seagrapes but the night was littered with a plethora of my favorite things  highlighted by fantastic whole roasted foie gras. Pastry chef Richard Vaughn ended the night on a sugar high with his coconut and plum pies.

Big thanks to the entire Seagrape and Thompson team for an enjoyable night and to all the guinea pigs for your continued interest and support.

Calm before the guinea pig storm...

SNACKS

Gougéres 
l'explorateur and shaved lardo

Masami Wagyu Beef Belly Tartare
chorizo, quail egg, bearnaise sabayon

Maine Lobster Toast
salted butter, shaved radish, trout caviar

The terrific trio of snacks 

Sparkling Rose of Gamay, Grandin, Nuits Saint Georges

Brussel Sprouts
tonnato, bottarga, rye toast

Pasta "Vongole"
hand-rolled garganelli, venus clams, manila clams, salsify, uni butter

Domaine Lupin Roussette de Savoie, Frangy

Side of uni butter!!!!

Whole Roasted Foie Gras
vadouvan spiced pumpkin jam and house brioche

La Tour "Vielles Vignes" Banyuls, Roussillon

Crispy Potato Wrapped Fluke
burgundy black truffle, artichoke barigoule, calabrian chili roe

Domaine Joseph Voillot Bourgogne Rouge, Volnay

Colorado Lamb Chop
fall legumes, lamb sweetbreads, potato gnocchi, roasted bone jus

August Clape "Vin de Amie," Northern Rhone

Blood Orange Sorbet Intermezzo

Coconut Cream Pie

Plum & Raisin Pie

A sweet ending to a delight full night.

SEAGRAPE
4041 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140
(786) 605-1043