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restaurants

Rusty Pelican Restaurant Review

October 7, 2012 By Eleanor Hoh 2 Comments

The iconic Rusty Pelican went through a $9 million renovation that has been transformed into a sexy spot with THE BEST waterfront view in Miami!  Every room has spectacular water views.  Looking at the Yachts docked on the side make you feel like you’re on holiday in St. Tropez!  The spacious outdoor patio has gorgeous views of the Miami skyline, perfect for sunset Happy Hours and dining under the stars. There aren’t many great waterfront restaurants in Miami even though we are surrounded by water, so we’re lucky to have this.  Rusty Pelican is located on Key Biscayne, an island off the mainland of Miami, so you feel like you’re going on a holiday.

Yachts docked looks like St. Tropez
The menu is Modern American, so it’s interesting that there’s a British chef running the restaurant!  Chef Michael Gilligan has that cheeky sense of British humor which he also applies to his food and he does a nice job of it.
Sea Bass ceviche, choclo, aji amarillo, soy yuzu dressing
So far, I’ve been to Happy Hour and lunch so I got the full experience of Chef Gilligan’s style.  And I can tell you I like his style, he’s playful and creative.  One of my favorites is a cute presentation of Sea Bass ceviche in a tin can with its lid open, and sits on a bed of ice.  That in itself was enough for me to give it a 9 out of 10.  Sea Bass is such a rich fish so it requires ingredients that complement it.  I liked the sweetness from the sweet potatoes, crunch from the Peruvian choclo (corn) and spiciness from fresh red chillies & Aji amarillo (South American yellow chilli pepper), ummm.  Every bite was refreshing and light. A great first course to ‘open the palate.’
I so enjoyed Chef Gilligan’s humor, creativity and unique style to food that makes this waterfront restaurant such a pleasure to dine at.
Chef Michael Gilligan, Happy Hour with American Chacuterie platter
Lobster Bouillabaisse poured tableside with melange of seafood, toasted corn and roasted tomatoes
Lobster Bouillabaisse was another playful dish.  The bisque was poured tableside into a dish filled with a melange of seafood, roasted tomatoes and toasted corn relish.  I got the waiter to pour slowly so I could get this shot. It was such a colorful and delightful dish.
Cocktail, have to ID this, oops
I’m not a huge drinker but must admit their cocktails were pretty intoxicating and beautifully presented. The Rusty Spice is watermelon and ginger with tequila, srirachi and fresh lime juice, all went down well with everything we ate. I can’t figure out what cocktail is the photo, need to ID this and let you know, oops.
Eel Foie Gras Tostone with gelee soy truffle glaze
The Eel & Fois Gras on tostone was gorgeous and a very creative dish! The ice wine ‘gelee’ soy truffle glaze was like a sprinkling of delicate glass jewels. It’s not a dish you could eat often because it’s so rich, but it was a palate pleaser and so extraordinary.
Chocolate Sabotage, no need to describe!
Rusty Pelican in a Fifty's style decor
 
Rusty Pelican
 
Disclosure: my lunch was complimentary but that doesn’t sway my judgement.
Rusty Pelican on Urbanspoon
 
 

Filed Under: Miami Events, restaurants Tagged With: 'restaurant review', "Chef Michael Gilligan", "Miami restaurant review", "Rusty Pelican Restaurant", dining, Miami events, restaurant

Rusty Pelican Restaurant Review

October 7, 2012 By Eleanor Hoh 2 Comments

The iconic Rusty Pelican went through a $9 million renovation that has been transformed into a sexy spot with THE BEST waterfront view in Miami!  Every room has spectacular water views.  Looking at the Yachts docked on the side make you feel like you’re on holiday in St. Tropez!  The spacious outdoor patio has gorgeous views of the Miami skyline, perfect for sunset Happy Hours and dining under the stars. There aren’t many great waterfront restaurants in Miami even though we are surrounded by water, so we’re lucky to have this.  Rusty Pelican is located on Key Biscayne, an island off the mainland of Miami, so you feel like you’re going on a holiday.

Yachts docked looks like St. Tropez
The menu is Modern American, so it’s interesting that there’s a British chef running the restaurant!  Chef Michael Gilligan has that cheeky sense of British humor which he also applies to his food and he does a nice job of it.
Sea Bass ceviche, choclo, aji amarillo, soy yuzu dressing
So far, I’ve been to Happy Hour and lunch so I got the full experience of Chef Gilligan’s style.  And I can tell you I like his style, he’s playful and creative.  One of my favorites is a cute presentation of Sea Bass ceviche in a tin can with its lid open, and sits on a bed of ice.  That in itself was enough for me to give it a 9 out of 10.  Sea Bass is such a rich fish so it requires ingredients that complement it.  I liked the sweetness from the sweet potatoes, crunch from the Peruvian choclo (corn) and spiciness from fresh red chillies & Aji amarillo (South American yellow chilli pepper), ummm.  Every bite was refreshing and light. A great first course to ‘open the palate.’
I so enjoyed Chef Gilligan’s humor, creativity and unique style to food that makes this waterfront restaurant such a pleasure to dine at.
Chef Michael Gilligan, Happy Hour with American Chacuterie platter
Lobster Bouillabaisse poured tableside with melange of seafood, toasted corn and roasted tomatoes
Lobster Bouillabaisse was another playful dish.  The bisque was poured tableside into a dish filled with a melange of seafood, roasted tomatoes and toasted corn relish.  I got the waiter to pour slowly so I could get this shot. It was such a colorful and delightful dish.
Cocktail, have to ID this, oops
I’m not a huge drinker but must admit their cocktails were pretty intoxicating and beautifully presented. The Rusty Spice is watermelon and ginger with tequila, srirachi and fresh lime juice, all went down well with everything we ate. I can’t figure out what cocktail is the photo, need to ID this and let you know, oops.
Eel Foie Gras Tostone with gelee soy truffle glaze
The Eel & Fois Gras on tostone was gorgeous and a very creative dish! The ice wine ‘gelee’ soy truffle glaze was like a sprinkling of delicate glass jewels. It’s not a dish you could eat often because it’s so rich, but it was a palate pleaser and so extraordinary.
Chocolate Sabotage, no need to describe!
Rusty Pelican in a Fifty's style decor
 
Rusty Pelican
 
Disclosure: my lunch was complimentary but that doesn’t sway my judgement.
Rusty Pelican on Urbanspoon
 
 

Filed Under: Miami Events, restaurants Tagged With: 'restaurant review', "Chef Michael Gilligan", "Miami restaurant review", "Rusty Pelican Restaurant", dining, Miami events, restaurant

Snail Award Party Updated

March 23, 2012 By Eleanor Hoh 5 Comments

Winner of last night’s Snail of Approval Award went to Chef Paula Dasilva, 1500 restaurant for her OUTSTANDING Crispy pork belly in a crispy wonton wrapper. The execution of this dish was truly sensational. I knew the minute I bit into it she’d be the winner!

Slow Food Miami’s 2012’s Snail of Approval Awards Party last night was held at the newly renovated Miami Beach Botanical Gardens in South Beach!   Fourteen Chefs using locally sourced quality ingredients competed for title Snail of Approval.  Judges included Lee Schrager, Bruce Seidel, Chef Art Smith and Victoria Pesce Elliott, with event ambassador, Chef Michael Schwartz.  There was a nice variety of dishes from an exotic Yucca Gator Croquetta to a simple Feta Cheese Mousse. As I’m not a chef or a foodie, I was worried I wasn’t going to meet anyone I knew there so was pleasantly surprised to see 2 guests who were both chefs and had attended my classes!
What a beautiful setting and perfect weather for this inaugural Awards Party to help raise funds for the Edible School Garden Program.  I’m all for encouraging kids at a young age to have a healthy, respectful attitude towards food.  That’s why getting to meet Chef Art Smith, founder of Common Threads was one of the highlights of this evening. I so enjoyed teaching a Common Threads class, their mission is similar to this Edible School Garden Program. Find out how you can get involved with Common Threads here. The other highlight was meeting Bruce Seidel, now with Electus.  He developed Food Network Star and Iron Chef America and is now heading up Youtube’s new food channel beginning July.  I’m working on a video of Bruce, so stay tuned.

Find out what the Slow Food movement is all about here and see how you can get involved or to attend future events.

Finally, here’s what everyone wants to see, the chefs and their dishes!  If you were there, tell us which dish you liked and why?

 
 
 
 
 
 

Filed Under: Miami Events, restaurants, Slow Food, sustainable Tagged With: 'farm to table', 'Slow Food', 1500 Degrees, Chef Paula Dasilva, Miami Event, Snail Award

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