Here’s more eating news you’ll want to know about including Walk & Grub Brickell, new outdoor dining choices, a transformative kitchen accessory, a different mandel bread, a bakery/cafe find in West Palm Beach, Labor Day grilling kit from La Mar, and popup happening at The Citadel. In case you missed Part 1, click here.
Take your Labor Day BBQ up a notch with a Peruvian inspired meal from La Mar restaurant of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel! Available for pickup and delivery from Sept 4 – 7 for $149 (serves 4), the La Mar Labor Day Grilling Kit includes ready-to-grill meats, seafood and vegetables. The kit includes: 1 Whole Branzino with Chimichurri; 12 Shrimp Marinated with Aji Amarillo; 2 Octopus Tentacles with Anticuchero; 2 Chicken Thighs with Anticuchero; 4 Peruvian Yellow Potatoes; 2 Whole Peruvian Choclos with Garlic Butter and Ocopa Sauce; 1 Huac n Cheese and Rocoto Sauce. Cocktails, beers and desserts are available to add-on. For pickup and delivery, order HERE.
More outdoor dining choices
Chef Michael Schwartz has reconceptualized the menu at Traymore of COMO Metropolitan Miami Beach focusing on what he describes as ” a well-priced menu featuring brasserie staples and crowd pleasers culled from his success over the years”. The terrace has been tented for beachside outdoor dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Traymore by Michael Schwartz’s menu includes highlights such as the Grass-fed Double Cheeseburger, handmade pasta dishes, Belgian Endive Salad, Roasted Chicken, Spicy Morrocan Lamb Meatballs, Wok Salmon and a selection of small bites. A Monday through Friday Sunset Sips special from 4pm until 7pm offers half off wine, cocktails and snacks. Traymore by Michael Schwartz is located at COMO Metropolitan Miami Beach, 2445 Collins Avenue. For more information visit traymoremiamibeach.com
Popular Wynwood spot KYU has a new covered outdoor terrace where it’s offering its signature dishes including roasted cauliflower, crispy pork belly, chicken with red chili and coconut cake. Also, takeout and delivery and meals packs for two and four people including cocktails. 251 NW 25th St.
1-800-LUCKY, a place I’ve been to many times, a food hall that’s always good, is jumping with its outdoor terrace. Seven Asian eateries offer everything from dumplings and a great selection of bowls to Peking duck and Taiyaki, Japanese fish-shaped ice cream cones. There’s also takeout and delivery . 143 NW 23rd Street.
My earlier review:
A reader tip: Le Chick, a buzzy place in Wynwood that specializes in fried and rotisserie chicken along with burgers and got solid marks from Yours Truly a few years ago, now offers outdoor dining in a covered patio. 310 NW 24th St.
I was happy to hear popular Coconut Grove spot Sapore di Mare now has outdoor dining and the food is as good as ever. It’s a little pricey for being such a casual place, but the quality is worth it. Pastas, risotto, fish are the dishes to get. 1111 Grand Avenue.
My good friend in Palm Beach who has spent time in the fanciest watering holes in the South of France told me not to miss her fave bakery and cafe, Loic, so off we went. The charismatic French owner, chef and patissier, Loic Autret, has a devoted following who flock to the West Palm Beach spot for baguettes, quiche, croissants, breakfast specialties, sandwiches, salads and excellent coffee. His secret to success is the onsite bakery where everything is made fresh daily, 83% fat content butter, Belgian chocolate and passion for what he does. Signature items include the decadent white chocolate pistachio croissant, aptly named double chocolate passion cookies, baguettes, and the quiche with a novel and welcome twist — the crust is made from croissant pastry. Don’t miss the avocado toast either, with a very generous topping of avocado topped with crunchy pistachios served on an addictive walnut raisin bread. The outdoor seating is an appealing area with trees and some umbrella topped tables. Prices are reasonable. Loic, 700 S.Dixie Highway. They also offer pickup, delivery and catering.
I tend to try to get rid of kitchen gadgets and accessories rather than buy more. But a look at a friend’s Kapoosh knife holder was a game changer. Instead of struggling to try to fit knives into slots that don’t fit, or figuring out which knife goes where, the Kapoosh remedies all of that. It’s the slotless knife holder and its sleek design and stainless steel fits in well with contemporary kitchens. The technology is about flex rods that allow you to slide in the knife wherever there’s room. Unlike traditional wood insert blocks, the Kapoosh conforms to each tool inserted and doesn’t scratch blades. Plus, you can clean it. You can buy it on Wayfair for $39.99.
Mandelbrot, the twice baked cookie, was a favorite in the household of my Eastern European grandparents. Meaning “almond bread”, some say its culinary origins are from Italy and their twice baked biscotti. I haven’t had it for years, nor have I seen it anywhere in Miami until now. Michael Reiss and his passion have changed that. He always liked mandelbrot, but knew he could greatly improve upon the crusty and often hard exterior. With a little love, and tinkering through the years, Michael perfected his secret recipe to create Michael’s Mandel Bread here in Miami . Unlike the original, Michael’s is soft and cookie-like, and filled with chocolate chips. It’s especially good dunked in coffee, milk or tea, and he also recommends crumbling it and using it as a topping for ice cream. For those with nut allergies, curiously, the Mandel bread is nut free since the almond extract is made from the oil of an apricot pit! A loaf with 12 slices is $25; 2 for $45 and 3 for $60. It can be frozen. Free nationwide shipping .They’ll also gift wrap. For more information on the Mandel Bread, click here.
The Citadel, a destination in itself with food hall, sustainable fashion and beauty market, rooftop bar, and home to the Nu-Deco Ensemble Company, continues to innovate. Newest offering is a popup on its rooftop bar with a Beaker & Gray curated happy hour. The takeover showcases Beaker & Gray’s craft cocktail bar program with new rooftop tropical desert vibes. You can look forward to fresh ingredients, house-made products, and rotating frozen cocktails. Citadel Bar Bite menu, and the full food menu are available from the Food Hall downstairs.
The pop-up offers weekly programming such as, Wine Down Wednesday, Locals Night on Thursdays, and Brunch on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The Rooftop is open Wednesday through Friday, 4 p.m. to close, Saturday and Sunday 12 p.m. to close.