"Miami restaurant review"

Made In Italy Gourmet, Miami

January 26, 2015 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

Congratulations Pietro Morelli, Francesco Belcaro and Marco Toderti! You’ve succeeded in setting the highest standards in Miami with Made In Italy Gourmet, there’s NOTHING like this. All the superlatives couldn’t describe what you’ve created, a hip hangout for foodies to linger, sip wine, taste real Italian paninis and take home delicacies to continue the experience. For me, it’s always about the EXPERIENCE, and you’ve nailed it, 10 out of 10!

The high ceilings and loft like space spans 3,500 sq. ft. and will open to the public from 10-8pm TODAY, so get yourself over there to experience this mini Eataly. There’ll be daily wine tastings and food sampling as well as private VIP gatherings, chef presentations and cooking classes. Visit Made In Italy Gourmet for latest updates!

I’m so honored and thrilled to be invited to make Italian dishes in my wok, a challenge I’m excited about, stay tuned!
For more, check out Eater Miami, Digest Miami.
Taste, Live, Share a little bit of Italy…Made In Italy Gourmet is at 10 NE 27th street, Wynwood, FL 33137, click here for map.

My absolute favorite was sitting at this community table made of wood with Murano chandeliers overhead, it makes you feel so grand!

I love your slogan, Taste, Live, Share! My brother in law is Italian and this is definitely somewhere he’d feel right at home, hanging and having a glass of wine, reading his papers, chatting and people watch.

Look at the details!

Down to the tray with wine glass clipped with a peg to steady it and slots for containers and even a place for cutlery, I absolutely love it.

The salads had a nice delicate dressing, not overpowering. The chacuterie was melt in your mouth tender and tasty. These were served during a VIP preview.

Very cute idea: 5 sandwiches created by 5 different chefs will be judged by their popularity and will get “chopped” off the menu on a monthly basis, find out more here!

Hot sandwiches on focaccia, ciabatta, baguette with fine cheeses and chacuterie and cold salad selections!

The wine library even has a vault!

The mercato stocks every Italian delicacy you can imagine!

Exploring different regions on a weekly basis with grab and go ingredients!

left to right: Susan Pierres, Pietro Morelli, Sze Liu, Francesco Belcaro, Marco Toderti and yours truly in the front at VIP preview!

Made In Italy Gourmet
10 NE 27th St
Wynwood, FL 33137
786-360-5671

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?

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.

RustyPelican-yachts — 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.

Seabass-ceviche — 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.

ChefMichaelGilligan — Chef Michael Gilligan, Happy Hour with American Chacuterie platter

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.

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 — 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.

Choc Sabotage2 — Chocolate Sabotage, no need to describe!

RustyPelicanRestaurant — Rusty Pelican in a Fifty's style decor

Disclosure: my lunch was complimentary but that doesn’t sway my judgement.

"Miami restaurant review"

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