New choices for brunch and ladies night, Deering Seafood Festival, Villa Azur Anniversary’s Wow White Party, Smorgasburg Miami largest outdoor food bazaar and more all in Eating News – Part 1, for March ’22.
After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Deering Estate Foundation to postpone its 16th annual Deering Seafood Festival for more than two years, this popular event is finally coming back – and this time, it’s bigger !Taking place on Sunday, April 10, 2022 at the Deering Estate, the Festival will feature everything from cooking demonstrations by top Miami chefs and delicious food from South Florida restaurants to live music, a Bahamian Junkanoo parade, boat rides, a beer lounge, a dedicated kid’s area and more.
Villa Azur, Miami’s South of France-inspired culinary and entertainment restaurant known for its glitz and glamour, is celebrating its 10 year anniversary on Friday, April 1 with – mais oui – a serious party.The Anniversary edition of the party will feature incredible live music, beats by DJ Irie,eye popping visuals, aerialist choreography and immersive experiences with Perrier-Jouët’s intricate, floral champagnes flowing throughout the night, and more. Guests are encouraged to come in their best all white ensemble.
Reservations for dinner are required to enjoy the festivities and are available beginning at 6:30 p.m. Specialty dishes include appetizers such as Truffle Burrata ($65) and Seared Octopus ($19). Savory entrees include: Pates a la Meule ($48), served table side in a parmesan wheel and Cognac Flamed, Dover Sole Meunière ($70), also prepared table side, the larger than life Tomahawk Steak ($300), a 42 oz. steak roasted to your liking and served with both bordelaise and béarnaise sauce, and much more. To reserve a table, call 305-763-8688 or email reservations@villaazurmiami.com. Villa Azur is open from 6:30PM until midnight and is located at 309 23rd street on Miami Beach.
Coconut Grove has a welcome new chef operated restaurant, Duck N’Sum, serving up solid Chinese favorites. On Virginia Avenue across from the Mayfair Hotel, it has a small dine in area and does a big take out business. We tried several of their dishes and all enjoyed the roasted duck on a bed of fried rice with garlic boy choy and Chinese egg ($18), Singapore noodles ($15), and tasty vegetable offerings including spicy eggplant ($8) and garlic ginger bok choy ($8).3015 Grand Avenue Unit 122 on Virginia St, at the corner of, Florida Ave, Coconut Grove.
My youngest son Kevin who continues the family tradition of being picky, checked out 27 restaurant in the Freehand Hotel and here’s his review: If you’re looking for a no-hassle, delicious brunch in the mid-beach area, check out 27 restaurant. This hidden gem recently launched their brunch and is one of the few in the area in which you likely won’t need a reservation.
Now onto the good stuff!
To start, we ordered the salmon croquetas ($15), oyster mushrooms ($17) and labneh ($12). The highlight from the appetizers was the croquetas as they were perfectly crispy and came with a delicious everything bagel seasoned cream cheese for every bite.
For the mains, we had the steak & eggs ($28) and the smoked salmon latke benedict ($22). The standout was easily the latke benedict as the potato pancake base had a great crisp on the outside and soft on the inside–perfect for soaking up the creamy yolk from the poached eggs. After having latke benedicts I might not be able to go back to english muffins!
While we were definitely approaching fullness at this point, we couldn’t pass up on dessert after seeing the 2 sweet items. First, the sticky bun ($6) was more like a cinnamon roll which was served warm and with heaps of ooey gooey cream cheese frosting. For a fruitier counterpart, we also loved their unique twist on a strawberry shortcake ($10). Instead of traditional cake, they include a warm, crispy biscuit as the base of the dessert. The biscuit paired well with the strawberry jam, homemade whipped cream and freshly cut strawberries. You’ll leave full and happy if you order either of these two desserts!
Smorgasburg Miami from Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, billed as the largest outdoor food bazaar in the country has come to Wynwood. Its target is to have 60 vendors; now it has 50, the far majority local. Think everything from Latin American food faves like empanadas and croquetas, and crowd pleasing dessert items such as fancy doughnuts to burgers, pizza, bao buns and grilled meats. Also find non food items like jewelry and crafts.Smorgasburg Miami is open Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 2612 NW Second Avenue. Note, all seating is outdoors at picnic tables.
Ladies take note! CH’I , the Latin and Asian fusion restaurant in Brickell City Center has a ladies’ night every Thursday. Enjoy complimentary bubbles from 7 p.m. to close. Team that up with some of their delicious starters. For more on the place and menu, click here for my earlier review. And for everyone, there’s unlimited dim sum for $25 on Tuesday from 6 p.m. until closing.
