Miamism» local restaurants

Best Miami Sunday Brunches

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:00:46 +0000

There is nothing better than waking up any given Sunday Miami morning and going to one of the best known brunches around. It can get a bit pricey, but we are in Miami, you will enjoy atmosphere, good food and may even share the room with a celebrity or two.

Biltmore Sunday Champagne Brunch

Located at the Biltmore Hotel – 1200 Anastasia Avenue in Coral Gables – (305) 913-3202. The atmosphere is elegant and the spread is magnificent, from French Champagne to lobster and caviar. Reservations are recommended. The price is $65/person and it is open from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Delano Sunday Brunch

At the Delano Hotel’s Blue Door Restaurant – 1685 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach – (305) 674-6400. Here’s the best place to sit alongside a celebrity, could be J-Lo or even Madonna. Reservations are required and the price is $62/person. Served from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM

Nemo Sunday Brunch

Located at Nemo’s – 100 Collins Avenue in South Beach (area known as SoFi) – (305) 532-4550. This one is my favorite – the food is outrageous (I am salivating as I type) and the atmosphere does not get any better. The price is $29/person. Served from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Ritz-Carlton Sunday Brunch

In Bizcaya Restaurant at 3300 SW 27th Avenue in Coconut Grove – (305) 644-4680. Surrounded by gorgeous views and opulence, includes free flowing champagne and everything you can imagine. The price is $68/person. Served from 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM

Rusty Pelican Sunday Champagne Brunch

Located on Key Biscayne at 3201 Rickenbacker Causeway – (305) 361-3818. The Rusty Pelican is not a fancy place but the views are breathtaking – enjoy your champagne and Mimosa brunch overlooking the Miami Skyline with a fabulous spread. The price is $27.95/person, you need reservations and it is served from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Emeril’s Sunday Brunch

Located at Emeril’s Miami Beach – Loews Miami Beach Hotel – 1601 Collins Avenue – (305) 695-4550. Start it of with a BAM! What I love about this place is the attention to detail, from the time the server takes your order to the time the dish is delivered to the table. The menu is a-la-carte and although reservations are recommended, walk-ins are welcome. Served from 11:00 AM to 2:30 PM

There you have them – my favorite Sunday brunch spots in Miami. One thing they all have in common…. bring an appetite!! Feel free to comment on your experiences and let me know if you have a favorite Sunday Brunch that I did not include.

**photo courtesy of The biltmorehotel.com **

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Food and Wine Festival 2009 – South Beach

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:30:05 +0000

Another of those Miami events that just makes you happy to live in paradise! Not only do we have perfect weather, but now we can also satisfy our palates to their hearts content! (do palates have hearts?….mine does ) The festival is going on now until Sunday – run to South Beach or anywhere in Miami and Miami Beach because even small restaurants are joining in the fun.

So what is the Food and Wine Festival? – day and night events, wine tastings, food, food, and more food! and then when you get tired you have more wine and learn whatever it is that you want to learn about discerning tastes – mmmm

OK….I think I went off on a tangent.

Who can you expect to see? in addition to people like Martha Stewart and all the cool celebrity chefs like Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batali and Rocco DiSpirito, you will also see our local celebriy chefs Michael Schwartz and Michelle Bernstein, to name a few. And you know who else is here? The King and Queen of Spain!! I even heard you can have dinner with them for $1000 a pop (I only heard, cannot confirm…….it’s these type of rumors that get me into trouble).

And of course we cannot leave out Mojitos! There are even cocktail clinics.

Here’s the official website – SoBeFest.com- you can get ticket information, events, parties, photos, celebrities and much more.

*photos courtesy of The Food Network at SoBeFest.com*

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Burritos Grill Cafe – New and improved

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:11:10 +0000

If you never ate at Burritos Grill in North Miami, you missed awesome authentic Mexican Food. The owners Mario and Karina Manzanero are not only gracious hosts, but really nice and down to earth people.

Their old establishment on 125th Street was known as a “hole in the wall” because the place was tiny, but it never took away from the food nor the service. Mario and Karina listened to their customers and decided to open a new, bigger and better restaurant.

They are now located at 11717 Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami – (305) 891-1041

Their Grand Opening was last month and they took off with a BAM!! With more tables, new servers and new cooks…but same great taste!

Rick likes the Enchilada Suiza, the kids love their Flautas and I try something new every time I go. Don’t leave without trying the Yucatan Tamales! Their salsa is fresh and you can request the strength of the kick (if you are brave). In the photograph you can see Rick, Karina and Mario toasting to their new establishment with a Modelo Especial Mexican Beer.

We love to see good people do well, and Mario and Karina deserve the best. Go give Burrito Grill a try and let us know how you liked it. Let them know that Miamism sent you!

Here you have Karina and Mario

Burritos Grill Cafe

11717 Biscayne Boulevard

North Miami, FL 33161

(305) 891-1041

Take a look at their new website: www.burritosgrillcafe.com

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Captain Jim’s Seafood Restaurant and Market

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:43:32 +0000

Who said you have to go to the Miami River to eat fresh fish? Captain Jim’s Seafood Market is located in North Miami at 12950 W. Dixie Highway. I will be the first one to admit that it’s not a pretty place, but the service is out of this world and so is the food.

Jim Hanson has a fleet of fishing boats and is constantly bringing fresh fish for everyone’s enjoyment. You can say it’s a small mom-and-pop shop because they are concerned with quality and they really enjoy fishing. You can buy fresh fish at the counter or you can eat there as well.

It’s Stone Crab season right now and they even have “colossal sized claws”. My favorite dish (and I know this grosses a lot of people out) is the whole fried yellow tail which they bring with head and all. I only have to mention it and my mouth waters.

They have all kinds of fish on their menu, from fried grouper to grilled dolphin (mahi-mahi….not the pretty dolphins). They also have conch ceviche and a delicious crab salad which they bring to your table as an appetizer when you first sit down…..and if you are accompanied by a non-fish person, they have the usual burgers and chicken – but why in the world you would order those, I have no idea!

Here’s the crew at Captain Jim’s. From Left to right: Dee-dee, Jody, Ansony, Lisa, Baley and Green. When you try that whole yellow tail, think of me.

Captain Jim Hanson’s Seafood Market – 12950 W. Dixie Highway, North Miami, FL 33161 305-892-2812

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South Beach Hiro’s Sushi Express

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 23:18:16 +0000

I have to admit that seeing the words “SUSHI” and “FAST FOOD” in the same sentence makes my stomach churn. How wrong was I !!

We ran into a friend that told us that he had opened a Sushi restaurant in South Beach and we should go try it. This guy (Sui Tam) is a genius when it comes to food and customer service so we HAD to try out his restaurant. When we got there, we were surprised to see that it was one of these small sushi restaurant chains that we have seen pop up in a couple of places around Miami. The variety of sushi is great and the prices are fabulous.

How can sushi be cheap, fast and good???

Don’t know…..but Sui Tam did it! The food is FANTASTIC!! My kids devoured their rolls and asked for more (and I have to tell you they are picky sushi eaters).

Here’s some items from the menu:

The Emperor – tuna, salmon, white fish, crab, shrimp and white tuna.
The Ecstacy – crab, eel and shrimp
California – crab, cucumber, avocado and masago
Salmon Tempura – salmon, cream cheese and asparagus
Tuna California – tuna, cucumber, avocado and sesame
Crunch and Caliente – salmon, crab, avocado, crunchy and spicy hot sauce
Tempura Box – shimp tempura, vegetable pilaf and daily special

The choices are endless and they also have vegetarian plates and choices for kids. The staff is pleasant and helpful and they let me take a picture, (Sui Tam is at the far right). Don’t you love it when restaurant owners are hands on and there to greet and help their customers?!

Hiro’s Sushi Express – South Beach is located at 1518 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139 – (305) 531.6068

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Frankie’s Big City Grill merging with Andiamo’s Pizza

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:04:23 +0000

Not often do I get to tell you about awesome news like this; news so great and exciting and beyond Miami Real Estate that I myself can’t wait for it to actually happen!

Frankie’s Big City Grill is merging with Andiamo Pizza!!

We walked into Frankie’s and Frank asks, “Ines, what is your favorite pizza place?”.

I responded without hesitation “Andiamo’s”.

Priscilla and Frank (the owners of Frankie’s Big City Grill), look at each other with a huge grin and say “We have merged with Andiamo!”.

I almost started jumping for joy……wait…..I think I DID jump for joy!

We obviously congratulated them and can’t wait for the change to happen. Let me tell you a little about both places.

Frankie’s Big City Grill was created by Frank and Priscilla Crupi and in their own words, “Frank Crupis dream was to open a sandwich shop reminiscent to the legendary places of his native Philadelphia/New Jersey roots. Not just a place to find a great sandwich, but a place which people could call a neighborhood “joint” of their own for generations. While calling South Florida home for 10 years, one thing was missing; a place to say “Lets go get a sandwich!“.

From the first time we walked into Frankie’s, Priscilla greeted us, gave the kids fun things to do and never forgot our names. She had notes for the kids from other children every time we visited; she even keeps a bulletin board full of pictures of her customers. They give the most personable and friendly service I have seen in a long time, and it doesn’t hurt that Frank’s food is awesome!

Andiamo has to be the best pizza I have ever tasted (but you have to eat it there, once delivered it is not the same). It is gourmet and brick oven baked with the freshest ingredients. They offer from regular cheese (Andiamo Pizza) to Prosciutto with artichokes, Roma tomatoes and Arugula (that’s my favorite). It is located in a beautiful MiMO Building in Miami’s Upper East Side with a great ambiance.

In my opinion, the only thing missing from Andiamo was personal service and now with Priscilla and Frank joining forces – it will be perfect! Especially because Frank’s sandwiches will be added to Andiamo’s pizza menu.

Their location is 5600 Biscayne Boulevard, in Miami and their phone number is (305)762-5751

Go say hello and come back and tell me what you thought.

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Scorch Grillhouse and Wine Bar – Fabulous restaurant in North Miami Beach

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:08:03 +0000

I’ve been meaning to tell you about Scorch, one of our favorite restaurants, for some time now because it is definitely worth the visit. We actually come here on a regular basis not only because the food is superb, but because we love the atmosphere and the owners are awesome (and they are always there to greet you).

The story of Scorch is not an easy one because the place opened in 2004 in a location where several restaurants had gone belly up. How do you break the curse of a place that is just bad for business?? Well……I guess it wasn’t that hard for Tony Puche and Luis Vargas; by serving great food and providing a beautiful and friendly atmosphere, they have come up with an incredible restaurant that people love to come back to. Here’s a picture of Rick with Tony Puche.

How did Scorch make it past the curse? They remodeled, they added landscaping and outside eating (with a lot of grief from the city, I may add), a lot of love, great service, good food and BAM! AWESOME PLACE! Let me share Tony’s and Luis’ vision with you, and that should say it all:

“The owners of Scorch Grillhouse|Wine Bar’s vision is to create a casual environment that provides homestyle dishes from scratch using the highest quality and freshest ingredients. Their goal is to make everyone that comes to Scorch feel that they can have a great meal in a warm and relaxing environment without breaking their budget”.

Our favorite dish is the Scorch Steak – which is exquisitely seasoned, always cooked perfectly, and served with your choice of side dish (we like their sweet potato fries). They also bring fresh bread to the table and they have a sign inside the restaurant that reads “Conserve water, drink wine” which makes us smile every time we go. The Pork Tenderloin and the Seafood Pasta are also delicious and the garlic mashed potatoes are …..hmmm…..I think I better stop because my mouth is watering and I am getting hungry.

Scorch is located in North Miami Beach at 13750 Biscayne Boulevard, next to Dairy Queen. And their telephone number is (305) 949-5588

Go check it out and come back and tell us how you liked it!

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Football Sandwich Shop in Miami

Ines Hegedus-Garcia — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:32:03 +0000

Have you ever driven by a really ugly looking place and you see that it is packed with cars and wonder if it is any good?

I mean absolutely no offense to the owners of The Football Sandwich Shop in Miami but they know that their pink building is everything but pretty – one thing is for sure though, everything I have ever eaten there is delicious! The outside has no reflection on the taste of the food.

So heres the scoop. This is a family owned establishment that has been in the same location ever since I can remember. Their subs are to die for, I always have a Steak Sub or a Turkey Sub, but they have everything from Grilled Chicken Phillys to Corned Beef and even Cuban Sandwiches. They also have Deli-Sandwiches and are known as the ‘Home of the Zonker‘ (Ham, Salami and Provolone Cheese).

The place is always Jam-packed and you can sit outside or in, can pick up through the drive through window and they even deliver.

The Football Sandwich Shop is one of those small town community places that you cannot miss. You will always be greeted by one of the owners, everyone there is super friendly and always very attentive. They are located just South of Miami Shores and El Portal on Northeast 2nd Avenue. (8484 NE 2nd Avenue – 305-759-3602 and 305-756-7996).

If you go by, dont forget to say hi to Doug or Dick – one of them is bound to be there – they give the place a special touch.

Did I make you hungry yet? The Football Sandwich Shop – ‘Home of The Zonker’…another MIAMISM .

Contact the Football Sandwich Shop directly at: 305-759-3602 and 305-756-7996 – It’s been a running joke between Doug and us that people are calling us to place orders.

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Miamism» local restaurants

Best Miami Sunday Brunches

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Food and Wine Festival 2009 – South Beach

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Captain Jim’s Seafood Restaurant and Market

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Scorch Grillhouse and Wine Bar – Fabulous restaurant in North Miami Beach

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