A foodie’s auction this week for a good cause, dinner extravaganza, Mad Hatter’s Tea, new restaurant openings, ficelle bakery for a top baguette, and more in Eating News for April ’23.

Les Dames d’Escoffier, South Florida Chapter, the leading global professional association for women leaders in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries (I’m a proud member), is  having its first-ever culinary-focused Online Silent Auction. The auction is dedicated to raising funds for scholarships for aspiring culinary and hospitality students and other community efforts. The goal is to raise $10,000 through members and the community bidding on exclusive auction items.

The Online Silent Auction will run from April 12-16, 2023, and will feature items valued at $100 or more. These items include unique experiences to dine with a top restaurant brand executive, gift cards to restaurants, wine shops, or cookware stores, grand opening services for businesses, exclusive wine and olive oil, restaurant experiences, baskets of goodies, and much more. The proceeds from the Online Silent Auction will support culinary scholarships for aspiring students in the industry and other chapter initiatives.

To participate in the auction, visit https://go.charityauctionstoday.com/bid/LesDamesSOFL. NOTE: It goes live on the 12th.

Love the sound of this, the Mad Hatter Spring Brunch. Isabelle’s Grill Room & Garden at the The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, Miami is offering its Mad Hatters Spring Brunch Series  now through May 28, 2023.

Isabelle’s trellised outdoor garden terrace will act as a whimsical playground complete with festive tea party games, themed décor such as Down The Rabbit Hole, a floral and shaken gin drink made with Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru, pineapple juice, lemon, blackberry jam ($20 per cocktail).

And of course, a tea party needs a dessert spread and this one will be no exception.Find decadent delights such as the Chocolate Marble Pavlova, Exotic Caramel Tarte, and  Black Forest Torte.

Dishes from the restaurant’s a la carte brunch menu will also be available including their signature entrée selections like  Isabelle’s Benedict (toasted Italian loaf, prosciutto, poached eggs, watercress, and hollandaise sauce) and  Challah French Toast Skillet (Brown Sugar Streusel, Pecans, Vermont Maple Syrup, Vanilla Bean Mascarpone Whip). The seasonal themed brunch menu will run every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Isabelle’s Grill Room & Garden at The Ritz Carlton Coconut Grove, Miami is located at 3300 SW 27^th Ave., Miami, FL 33133. Complimentary valet is included for guests with reservations. To book a table, please visit opentable.com. Limited availability.

GR8 Experience, a leading international agency that provides access to unique once-in-a-lifetime experiences, announces the return of what they’re calling the world’s most exclusive epicurean event, Once Upon a Kitchen, to Miami for the first time since 2019. The multi-layered sensorial dinner, which started in 2017, offers guests an intimate evening with award-winning culinary masters from the most exclusive restaurants across the globe.

Hosted by world-renowned chef, Massimo Bottura, and his team from Osteria Francescana, this year’s Once Upon a Kitchen is expected to be a culinary voyage like no other, where iconic Italian cuisine will fuse with Latino culture. Bottura will join forces with Juan Manuel Barrientos, one of the most revolutionary young chefs who is changing the face and perception of Latin American cuisine with his Michelin starred restaurant El Cielo; and Chef Bernardo Paladini, the first chef of the Michelin starred restaurant, Torno Subito in Dubai and soon of Torno Subito Miami.

To enhance the journey, Dr. Alex Ott, the famed master alchemist, molecular biologist, flavor scientist, author and healer will create a series of elixirs served during the cocktail hour. Dr. Ott, who has developed over 300 elixir programs globally, including a revolutionary beverage menu for Buddha Bar + Hotel, has worked with the likes of the Oscars, Emmys, VMAs and even NASA/JPL, through the agency’s Space Food System Laboratory. Through nutritional biochemistry and olfactory neuroscience, he plans on creating a truly immersive sensory experience for guests at this year’s Once Upon a Kitchen.

To close out the evening, DJ producer, Benny Benassi, who is behind top hits like “Satisfaction” and “Beautiful People,” will perform during the afterparty, bringing guests energetic beats until the early morning.

Once Upon a Kitchen will be held on May 5, 2023, from 6pm – 2am at The Deck at Island Gardens. The evening will consist of a cocktail hour, dinner, and an after party. Tickets are $6,000 per person and can be purchased HERE.

Light Bites:

Tacology, the popular Mexican restaurant in Brickell City Centre is now in their second location, at Aventura Mall Treats Food Hall with a new concept, Tacology Express.

South Beach landmark, News Café, restaurant, bar, and newsstand has reopened at its original location on the ground floor of The Tony Hotel at 804 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach. In tribute to the original menu, News Café will return with beloved classics such as the tuna melt, eggs benedict and the Aegean Mediterranean plate alongside new dishes such as piña colada pancakes with grilled pineapple and coconut syrup. The menu was conceived by Chef Henry Hané, Founder of Brickell’s popular B Bistro. Open all day, News Café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner inspired by Mediterranean and American cuisine.

Sushi By Bou, the intimate sushi omakase experience that you read about (click here)  is launching Sunday brunch on February 12 with omakase experiences beginning at 1:15 p.m. at its Fort Lauderdale location, tucked inside the trendy Salt7 steakhouse. This marks the first time Sushi By Bou has offered a Sunday brunch omakase.

Typically only open for dinner in South Florida, the restaurant’s new experience led by Chef Moon extends the usual timed dines from 30 and 60 minutes to 75-minute seatings available from 1:15 to 8:45 p.m. Guests can book the standard 12-course omakase for $60 or opt for the “Bou-gie” 17-course omakase for $125 per person, which includes bottomless sake sangrias and mimosas. The bottomless offering is also available with the standard omakase for an additional $25 per person. Guests reserve a spot at Sushi By Bou through OpenTable or by texting the restaurant directly at 954.440.5270.

Zeru Miami has opened on the ground floor of the AKA Hotel, situated in the heart of the Brickell neighborhood. Zeru, which means “heaven” in Basque, serves a signature menu inspired by the cuisine of San Sebastian, a coastal city in the north of the Basque country known as a top Michelin-starred destination in Europe. Highlights are the Getaria-style seasonal fish options, as well as dishes such as Striped Seabass and Green Leaves and King Crab with Saffron Mayo and Grilled Lemon, cooked over charcoal. 1395 Brickell Avenue, Miami.

Friends had been telling me I had to check out the baguettes at Ficelle in River Landing and they were right! I bought one, couldn’t even wait to get home before taking a major nibble. It was sooo crusty outside and appropriately dense inside. It freezes well too. A large baguette is $3.50 and there’s free parking in River Landing. And while you’re there, check out Capsule, a fashion and accessory collective featuring independent designers including a shop selling MiamiCurated approved earrings for under $40. 1440 NW N.River Drive, Miami.

MOTEK, the popular Eastern Mediterranean restaurant celebrated for its award-winning Arayes Burger, is bringing its authentic Middle Eastern flavors to Miracle Mile in Coral Gables!

MOTEK’s authentic kosher-style menu showcases All-Day Brunch offerings, a variety of Hummus options made in-house daily, an array of Cold & Hot Mezzes, Salads, Kebabs, Home-made Flat-Pitas, Wraps in a variety of proteins, and Burgers–  including the restaurant’s famed Arayes Burger, which has been awarded the coveted People’s Choice Award at South Beach Wine and Food Festival’s popular kick-off Burger Bash two years in a row! Located at 45 Miracle Mile, the new 7,600 square foot outpost features the restaurant’s iconic sunshine yellow hue coupled with vibrant floral touches and cozy interiors designed to make you feel as if you’re dining somewhere between Jaffa and Tel Aviv. 45 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables.

 Ice cream lovers take note! Salt & Straw ice cream is offering its Vault Series for the month of April at its locations in Wynwood and CocoWalk  and nationwide the series features a selection of five beloved flavors from co-founder and ice cream innovator Tyler Malek, that represents key moments and milestones in Salt & Straw’s journey.
A selection of these original flavors that first put Salt & Straw on the map, include:

• Black Olive Brittle & Goat Cheese — The first flavor Salt & Straw debuted in Los Angeles. Shards of sweet-and-salty butter brittle made from cured black olives are mixed into a creamy cave-aged goat cheese ice cream created in partnership with California’s Cypress Grove Creamery.
• Honey Marshmallow Rocky Road — First on the menu in 2012, this reimagined classic pays homage to the Pacific Northwest featuring fresh honey from Jacobsen, cooked down and whipped into gobs of pillowy marshmallow, then gently folded into chocolate ice cream spiced with cinnamon and ancho chili. Candied hazelnuts are studded throughout to add a playful crunch.
• Sweet Corn and Waffle Cones — Originally created in collaboration with chef April Bloomfield, this flavor features fresh golden corn, torched until charred and roasty, then tossed into a corn flavored ice cream wrapped in ribbons of brown butter caramel. Bite-sized bits of chocolate-covered waffle cone add a sweet crunch.
• Mango Habanero IPA Sorbet (vegan) — Crafted to be as quenching as cracking open a cold beer, the flavor features Laces IPA from Wynwood Brewing spun until frozen and spiced with fresh habanero, as well as mangoes and citrus. The combination results in a clean sorbet that awakens the senses with a fiery kick, followed by a juicy, hop-heavy flavor.