Kyu has been closed for months due to storm damage just fyi.
in the grove do you like the various ariette spots?
Chug’s is a go-to casual outdoor brunch spot, haven’t gone to Eva yet (mixed reviews from friends), haven’t done Ariete since they switched to the Michelin star fine dining emphasis. But in general they do good work!
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Did a business dinner at Il Gabbiano. Food was fine (nothing to write home about and the wine list was horrific. I searched 10-15 italian wines on Cellartracker that were priced $140-180 and all were 89-90 points. I literally could not find one that was 91+ let alone 92-94. It is as if the restaurant is a dumping ground of plonk on uncaring guests. Went for lower priced wine in that same score category. This restaurant is part of the problem in raising interest for wine…treat wine drinkers as suckers not customers. Noticed 1 page of Napa cabs so thats perhaps what gets ordered more?
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wine lists here blow…corkage ftw
Loved Leku. Beautiful vibe in evening patio. Reminded me of Bar Room at the Modern with the museum feeel. Lettuce salad had the softest pieces of lettuce I havr ever had.
Phuc Yea was pretty cool and was enjoyed. Some of the dishes were a bit pattern recognition (asian style chicken wings were a bit sweet, millionaires fried rice) but others were fresh (broccoli bao). Sambal sauce for the win.
Also enjoyed Mirabu at the brickel mall. It is on the 4th floor of a mall… so not exactly the same setup as Leku. But the food was excellent for staples (think roast pork, rice, yucca etc.)
Lastly, recommend the Allura Cabernet show at Faena Hotel. Skews to an older demographic based on those walking around (30+ if not 4o+). High energy and cool show (I haven’t seen anything like this before) and the hotel is very hip vibe.
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Leku is really what i call a fully realized restaurant. Every aspect is executed at a very high level. The physical space itself could be the draw, but the food is exceptional. Did you get a chance to see the outdoor grills and Josper ovens?
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Did not. We did not order anything grilled either. The cuban restaurant I referenced in the mall had Josper ovens they referenced all over the menu.
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This is a very funny typo!
Had dinner at Omakai in the Grove on Saturday. We live a few blocks away so were hoping this could be a go-to after getting some solid reviews from neighbors.
This rings kinda like sugarfish. Aiming to deliver a value oriented $50 Omakase. We enjoyed the meal and thought it was good value. Not world changing fish. Might try the expanded $95 Omakase next time. They allow corkage (their list is bleh, but at least they have some decent sake coverage).
Even with Omakase cropping up everywhere across Miami, this will be on my rotation for casual++ dining, and I’m of course positively biased by the proximity.
FYI - the Rubel’s grounds are a wonderful location for live events. We did one evening there during Basel and the atmosphere is, well, incredible.
Was a bit too well-heeled, plasticy for my usual tempo, but when in Rome…
went to a wedding there and it was beyond amazing. ceremony in the main gallery, cocktail hour in the garden, then sit down in the open restaurant.