restaurant review

Miami Spice 2015: Quality Meats Miami Beach

August 9, 2015 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

What a treat to be invited to a Miami Spice, food bloggers’ tasting at Quality Meats Miami Beach! After attending several events there and already impressed with their bites, my hubby and I were super excited to have a sit down dining experience and we were not disappointed and you won’t be either!

Collage — Clockwise, top left: amuse bouche of delightful watermelon and salt with fluffy bread; I love how they use fresh fruits and veggies for decoration; mixologist, Jasper says hello; wonderful dining room punctuated with art deco elements!

As always, I stress it’s not just about the food but the service, ambience and decor, sometimes you forgive one or the other if the food is outstanding but seldom do I give top marks in all 4 areas but Quality Meats Miami Beach definitely made it! I loved how they kept a lot of the Art Deco elements of the historic Bancroft Hotel and enhanced the space with superb fixtures and vignettes. I am a huge fan of good design and appreciated how they mixed vintage with new.

The minute you entered, you immediately realize it’s a first class restaurant. All the wait staff are very well trained, they remind me of staff in upscale hotels and restaurants in Asia. Very accommodating, good manners and well spoken, nothing was too much in order to please you.
As an Asian, I may be biased but I think it has something to do with Craig Koketsu, chef and partner at Quality Meats. Craig is Japanese though French trained. The Japanese are precise and meticulous in everything they do and I could see his attention to the smallest details when I met him when they first opened.

So, what about the food? Executive chef, Patrick Rebholz, a cheery and friendly fellow opened Quality Meats Miami Beach and I must say his brilliant butchery skills and in-house cured meats were very impressive. Here’s how the Miami Spice tasting evening unfolded…
After the amuse bouche of watermelon, salt teaser with their famous bread, Chef sent out two Chacuterie lazy susan trays which were not even on our menu! It’s always a pleasure to get together with fellow food bloggers and compare notes, that’s the amazing thing about food, we all have such different opinions.

QualityMeatsMB-Chacuterie — My two favs were the thin slivers of pork, so tender and fois gras which melted in your mouth. I didn’t bother with corn ball skewers, bacon wrapped sausage or popcorn but they added a fun element to the Chacuterie platter. Thank goodness for a refreshing green goddess salad and kale and manchego salad with chorizo vinaigrette!

QualityMeatsMB-KaleSalad — We all wanted an action shot of the server adding honey to the Kale and Manchego Salad!

QualityMeatsMB-meatballs-bacon-peanutbutter — More appetizers: dry aged meatballs were very crunchy and tasty. House-cured bacon with peanut butter was heavy but the diced cucumber and jalapeno jelly helped cut the richness. After eating his superb slabs of bacon which reminded of bacon I grew up eating in England, it’s hard to eat commercial thin, crispy ones slithers.

QualityMeatsMB-Hamachi-Crudo — Appetizer: Hamachi Crudo, very light!

Yet another appetizer: Appetizer: Perfectly seared Diver Scallops with black garlic reduction and celery leaves. — Yet another appetizer: Perfectly seared Diver Scallops with black garlic reduction and celery leaves.

Finally, the Entrees, clockwise top left: sides were just as good as the mains – corn creme brulee, crispy skillet potatoes which they poured garlic butter over that smelt heavenly, creamed spinach, mac n’ cheese, trumpet mushrooms; Everything-Crusted Branzino; Grilled Bravette; Honey Glazed Baby Back Ribs. Only one missing is Filet Mignon cause it was dark and I was ready to eat!

QualityMeatsMB-Chicken-kumquats — Entree: Roasted Chicken & Kumquats, I don’t know how they got the breast part so tender!

Dessert: Dressed Up Scoop included chocolate cake, with variety of different flavored ice cream.

QualityMeatsMB-ChefPatrick-WokStarEleanorHoh — Of course, we all had to get our shots taken with Chef Patrick Rebholz, thank you chef for a knockout dinner!

Whether you’re a local or visiting Miami, give Quality Meats Miami Beach a try, I think you’ll be as impressed as I was. And do take the opportunity to try many restaurants participating in Miami Spice from August 1-Sept.30. It’s a great way to get a 3 course meal at pricier restaurants you normally wouldn’t go to!
Check out what New Times and Miami Herald say about Quality Meats Miami Beach! I’d love to hear about your experience(s) there.
Note: this Miami Spice tasting was complimentary but doesn’t sway my opinion!
Quality Meats
1501 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 340-3333

Lemoni Pizza & Kitchen

August 5, 2015 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

I wish there were more restaurants like Lemoni Pizza & Kitchen and its sister restaurant 2 doors down, Lemoni Cafe in Buena Vista! It is so cozy and you feel like you’re in a European cafe! There’s loads of choices for omnivores and vegetarians, even vegans! What’s very amusing about these sister restaurants is that you can order from either menus and they will bring the food over to you! Take a peek at Lemoni Pizza’s vast menu. I will be writing about Lemoni Cafe as well! Just be aware their weekend brunch menu is not the same as weekday menu. Their daily lunch specials are under $10, can’t be beat!
The chef partners Maria from Argentina and Assia from France but Moroccan descent are fantastic at making their food so tasty using simple ingredients! They call it ‘conscious cuisine’, I really appreciate that. It’s like home cooking.
Because my hubby enjoys meat, I ordered skirt steak Chimchurri and we were not disappointed. The stuffed portobello appetizer was a beautiful presentation with tomato, goat cheese and kale with a side of Greek Salad. Wow, that was magic, I am salivating just thinking about it!
Our friend ordered pizza with lamb sausage and tzatziki sauce, it was dynamite. I’ve never had a pizza with wet sauce but it worked and extremely appetizing, you need to try this!
One lovely way to end your dinner is to hop over to Buena Vista Chocolate for some freshly made dark chocolate or go next door to The Embassy for some music!
We love these few blocks in Buena Vista, go visit soon!
Lemoni Pizza & Kitchen
4600 NE 2nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33137
305-576-7444

Ayesha Indian Restaurant Review

June 25, 2014 By Eleanor Hoh 12 Comments

After having lived in Hong Kong and London where you can find the best Indian food, I have been so disappointed with Indian food in Miami till Ayesha Indian Restaurant in Pinecrest, they have another in Key Biscayne! It was a hike, deep down south Miami but so worth it.

I get the feeling most of the Indian restaurants cook their meat separately and add ready made sauce on top. You can see and taste the meat hasn’t absorbed the sauce when you bite into the meat. Not Ayesha, my Lamb Apna were tender morsels soaked in a creamy tomato sauce, I noticed they used curry leaves which makes all the difference. Each sauce had its own distinct flavors and spices, that’s what I love about curries. It’s cooked over low heat for a long time so all the spices get to work their magic. The smell and taste of curry leaves made me so homesick for my mom’s cooking.
Well, you can’t have curry without naan. So, I fell off my paleo wagon (more about this in an upcoming blog) and had garlic naan to sop up all that sauce. I will be back to try more. It’s a little on the expensive side, mains were $16-$24 for whole fish. But when you think of all the work involved with the spices etc. They don’t have a menu on their own website, so you can view one here.
They have a private room (see bottom left photo) which makes me want to throw a party there!
Indian food makes me so happy! It was doubly nice to share this meal with super photographer, food blogger and Wok Star Brenda and her kids. Check out her review here.
What’s been your experience there? I want to hear what dishes you’ve tried?

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