June 2008 - Biscayne Times

Transcription

June 2008
Serving the communities along the Biscayne Boulevard Corridor, including Arch Creek East, Baypoint, Bayside, Biscayne Park, Belle
Meade, Buena Vista, Davis Harbor, Design District, Edgewater, El Portal, Keystone Point, Magnolia Park, Miami Shores, Morningside,
North Bay Island, North Miami, Oakland Grove, Omni, Palm Grove, Sans Souci, Shorecrest, Wynwood, and Venetian Islands
Change Is the Only
Constant
My Amazing Miami
Orchid Adventure
www.BiscayneTimes.com
O
The future of Biscayne Landing:
Q&A with North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns
It had never been seen here. It was truly exotic.
And it was my lucky day.
By Tiffany Rainey
BT Staff Writer
Beach to help transform the Superfund
wasteland. In return for leasing the land,
North Miami would receive millions to
nce slated to host a world exposition known as Interama, a large put toward affordable housing and other
improvements throughout the city.
parcel of land east of Biscayne
Eventually Swerdlow sold his share in
Boulevard in North Miami instead lanthe deal to Boca Developers, now the
guished as a de facto dump that the
city’s sole partner in the project.
Environmental Protection Agency evenNorth Miami’s mayor, Kevin Burns,
tually declared one of the nation’s worst
was
not an elected official at the time of
toxic-waste sites.
these
negotiations, but was a vocal
But Michael Swerdlow proposed
native
resident who supported a project
another scheme for the bayfront property
he
thought
would boost North Miami’s
owned by the City of North Miami.
profile
as
nothing
else had. The
The commercial developer wanted to
Coldwell Banker
clean up the tract
broker threw his
of land, nearly 200
“It’s going to create commerce.
weight behind
acres, stretching
It’s going to create thousands of
Biscayne
from NE 137th to
jobs. I think it’s going to be a
Landing. By 2005
NE 151st Street,
viable community and only good
he was mayor,
and transform it
things can come out of it.”
staking his politiinto the largest
cal career largely
mixed-use develon the success of
opment the city had ever seen. In 2002
the
massive
development.
the North Miami City Council gave him
Since Burns’s election, Biscayne
the go-ahead: Biscayne Landing was to
Landing
issues have come before him a
include a minimum of 2800 residential
few
times.
The flexibility in the original
units, a 150-room hotel, nearly 35 acres
contract
binding
the city and Boca
of parkland, and commercial space to be
Developers,
known
as the Munisport
incorporated in a town center, conference
Agreement,
allowed
the plans to change
center, and retail and office buildings.
with every shift in the real estate market,
Swerdlow sought residential expertise
Continued on page 18
from Boca Developers of Deerfield
Dining Guide
More new
restaurants 170 total!
Page 50
Community News
Another
construction
crane
casualty.
Page 31
Volume 6, Issue 4
By Don Wallstedt
Photos by Silvia Ros
Special to BT
I
am an orchid hunter. Obsessed.
Tenacious. Dashing. Okay, so maybe
I’ve never been to the Amazon or the
jungles of Peru in search of my quarry,
but in my own small way I’m continuing
a grand romantic tradition that dates
back to Victorian England.
Our Correspondents
Beware the
parking ticket
demon!
Page 24
Recently I discovered an unusual, rare
orchid that had never been seen in the
United States. And instead of mounting
an elaborate expedition to an alien locale,
all I had to do was stroll a few blocks up
the street from my home in Miami’s
Upper Eastside. I’ll get into that amazing
event shortly, but first a little background.
Orchids and the people who are fanatical
about them (orchidphiles) have been
BizBuzz
Excellent
June specials
from our
sponsors.
Page 8
2
Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com
June 2008
MIMO HISTORIC DISTRICT
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FRAGRANCES
305-751-7591
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June 2008
3
C O M M E N TA R Y : F E E D B A C K
PO Box 370566
Miami, FL 33137
Member of the
Florida Press Association
w w w. B i s c a y n e Ti m e s . c o m
PUBLISHER & EDITOR
Jim Mullin
[email protected]
STAFF WRITER
Tiffany Rainey
[email protected]
INTERN
Michael Finch
[email protected]
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Victor Barrenchea, Pamela Robin Brandt,
Yahaira Cespedes, Christian Cipriani, Bill
Citara, Wendy Doscher-Smith, Kathy
Glasgow, Jim W. Harper, Lisa Hartman, Jen
Karetnick, Jack King, Derek McCann, Lynn
Roberson, Frank Rollason, Robin Shear,
Jeff Shimonski
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Marc Ruehle
[email protected]
Hasan Johnson
[email protected]
OFFICE MANAGER
Andrea Ferro
[email protected]
DESIGN/PRODUCTION
Image Tech Studios
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publisher is prohibited.
The Biscayne Times is published the first
week of each month. We are hand delivered
to all the homes along both sides of
Biscayne Boulevard from downtown and the
Venetian Islands to Arch Creek.
The neighborhoods we serve include: Arch
Creek East, Bayside, Biscayne Park, Belle
Meade, Buena Vista, Davis Harbor, Design
District, Edgewater, El Portal, Keystone Point,
Magnolia Park, Miami Shores, Morningside,
North Miami, Oakland Grove, Omni, Palm
Grove, Sans Souci, Shorecrest, Wynwood,
and Venetian Islands. In addition we are distributed to select businesses in Buena Vista
West, Little River Business District, Design
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4
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Madam’s Castle Was Her
Home: Hey, Let’s Rebuild It!
I was delighted by “Madam Sherry’s
Moorish Castle” (May 2008). It’s a real
love story by architect and author Antolin
Carbonell. Why shouldn’t the castle be
rebuilt? Please contact me for a brainstorming.
Hans Klemm
Miami
Madam’s Castle Was Her
Home: Short, Sweet
Extremely interesting, this story by
Antolin Carbonell. Great research!
Marily A. Reyes, executive director
The Cove/Rincon International
Miami
Thanks, Scotty, It Was a
Valiant Effort
I’ve been good friends with North
Miami City Councilman Scott Galvin
for about 20 years now. He’s a truly
dedicated individual who always seems
to have the best interests of the city and
its residents on his mind. As noted in
COVER STORIES
Tiffany Rainey’s article “Absolute
Power” (May 2008), Galvin made a
valiant effort to get Florida Power &
Light to relocate or bury its lines. He
organized a campaign, rallied the people, staged demonstrations, and made
sure the news media were aware of
every step along the way.
Running those lines toward the southwest by following the FEC railroad
right-of-way would be several miles
shorter and would be affecting much
less residential property. I live on NE
14th Avenue, where the poles take the
lines north to NE 135th Street. That’s
the opposite direction of the other substation! There’s just no way FPL can
claim it’s the shortest and most direct
route. There it is, right outside my bedroom window, a huge ugly pole. There
are rows of them as far as I can see in
both directions.
Thanks for trying, Councilman Galvin.
You really went above and beyond, and
I think I’m safe in saying I speak on
behalf of the other residents of North
Miami in extending our gratitude for
your caring and your efforts.
Al Kaplan
North Miami
TABLE
OF
Change Is the Only Constant...........................................................1
My Amazing Miami Orchid Adventure ..........................................1
COMMENTARY
Feedback ..........................................................................................4
Word on the Street .........................................................................10
OUR SPONSORS
BizBuzz ...........................................................................................8
NEIGHBORHOOD CORRESPONDENTS
A Week in the Life.........................................................................22
Parking Pandemonium...................................................................24
Mouse in the House.......................................................................26
COMMUNITY NEWS
Primed and Waiting .......................................................................28
Farewell to Flagler.........................................................................28
One Eyesore Down, Umpteen More To Go ..................................29
Last Night Someone Stole Your Bicycle.......................................29
Soyka Gives Birth – Again! ..........................................................30
There’s Something Sad About Mary House..................................31
Neither Antelope Nor
Ostrich Be
Like Frank Rollason (“Where the
Antelope Play,” May 2008), I’m a Belle
Meade resident and have been for six
years. I’ve spent 16 years in the Upper
Eastside and 31 years in South Florida.
Those who have not read his article need
to do so. All of you who are denying the
need to wake up and be aware of your
surroundings are complete and utter fools.
Every time I go out in our neighborhood
or any of the neighborhoods in MiamiDade County or the City of Miami, both
good and not so good, I see people oblivious to their environment who needlessly
place themselves in obvious danger,
apparently choosing to ignore what is
really going on.
No, I’m not a cop or former member of
the military. I’m just a citizen who’s been
held up and robbed by a guy with a TEC9 machine gun when I was admittedly at
the wrong place at the wrong time.
We live in a very quiet neighborhood –
and surely we can enjoy that – but it’s
no excuse to fall into a deep sleep with
our heads buried in the sand. I’m certainly prepared to protect myself and my
CONTENTS
COMMUNITY CONTACTS .....................................32
COMMUNITY CALENDAR ....................................32
POLICE REPORTS
Biscayne Crime Beat .....................................................................34
ART & CULTURE
Rock and Art..................................................................................36
Art Listings ....................................................................................38
Culture Briefs ................................................................................41
PARK PATROL
A Refuge That’s for the Birds – and Humans Too........................42
COLUMNISTS
Kids and the City...........................................................................44
Harper’s Environment ...................................................................45
Pawsitively Pets.............................................................................46
Your Garden...................................................................................48
DINING GUIDE
Restaurant Listings ........................................................................50
Wine: Red, White, and You 50Wine: Red, White, and You..........50
June 2008
June 2008
5
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
C O M M E N TA R Y : F E E D B A C K
property. Is this not the reality for all of us
of living in a major city during these modern times?
Stephen Suddarth
Belle Meade
We Keep Them in the
Refrigerator
My friend forwarded me Wendy DoscherSmith’s “Gymophobic” column (May
2008). I was utterly amused. I find your
writers refreshing. Keep up the good
work!
Mary Whistler
Weston
Let’s Move Beyond AntiSemitic Semantics and
Synagogues
Ordinances and anti-Semitic semantics
aside, to me it seems truly shortsighted to
think that in order to build Jewish community there has to be a building for worship,
as suggested by Jen Karetnick (“If We
Build It,” April 2008). In an age of postdenominational and post-affiliating
Judaism, I can’t understand why anyone
would want to build a synagogue.
Synagogues across the country and across
the streams of Judaism are struggling to
sustain themselves. The smart ones reinventing themselves in order to become relevant to a population that finds community in ways outside of the traditional congregational model.
Further, who stays in their own neighborhood for anything in our culture? All synagogues in Miami – and especially Temple
Israel of Greater Miami – have members
who drive from all corners, people who
identify with the particular culture of a
6
given institution. And you really can’t
compare the number of churches to the
number of synagogues anywhere – there’s
a church on practically every corner in this
nation. Keep in mind, we “Members of
the Tribe” are a minority!
If you want a Jewish community near
your home, be creative! Start a chavurah,
a friends group, for worship, learning, and
holidays. I know a whole bunch of Temple
Israel members in Miami Shores who
would probably happily jump onboard.
You know, you don’t need a rabbi to pray
or learn or even to mark life-cycle events,
but you can remain affiliated with Temple
Israel for the services of a rabbi and the
context for your community if you require
it. And that would actually help Temple
Israel in its own effort to sustain and
evolve into the future.
Call me if you want to be part of my
chavurah.
Jenni Person
Miami
Editor’s Note: Jenni Person writes the
“Kids and the City” column for BT.
Anti-Semitic Semantics? A
History Lesson from Miami
Shores’ Original Jew
My parents were the first Jewish family
to reside in the Miami Shores, at least the
first known Jewish family. They bought
our home in 1947. Yes, there was antiSemitism here and my father would
never have bought here if he had known
of the restrictions.
I still live in that home and I’m 72. I
would love to see a synagogue here. Do
not make the mistake of thinking that
Miami Shores is anti-Semitic. People are
anti-Semitic wherever they live. Go to the
country club for Passover Seder or the
breakfast after Yom Kippur and you’ll see
the change of attitude in our village.
Vicki Tatcher
Miami Shores
Anti-Semitic Semantics? It’s
Not Over Till the Rabbi Speaks
As rabbi of Beth Moshe Congregation,
I’ve been following the Miami Shores
synagogue discussion with great interest. We have a terrific shul that has been
serving the Miami Shores community
for more than 30 years, just a mile from
the center of town.
Beth Moshe is a synagogue that serves
residents from Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor
Islands, North Miami, and Miami
Shores. Although we would always support the creation of a new synagogue to
benefit area residents, many of our
members are already Miami Shores residents, including the chairperson of our
membership committee.
Located behind the Sans Souci Plaza,
Beth Moshe is not on a main thoroughfare – perhaps one reason it is sometimes off the geographic radar of many
people. However, I want to remind your
readers that this congregation is alive,
thriving, and a great option for Shabbat,
the High Holidays, Jewish education,
and community programs.
Please feel free to stop by and join us
any Friday night. If you have any questions about our many programs, please
visit our Website
(www.bethmoshe.com) or call the office
at 305-891-5508.
Rabbi Jory Lang
North Miami
Hey, Newman, the Barely
Visible Ball’s in Your Court!
Tiffany Rainey interviewed me in reference
to the Miami Shores Planning and Zoning
Board (“What Parking Problem?” April
2008), of which I am a member. It looks
like she is doing a great job at the paper. I
have read Tiffany’s articles and feel she has
done fine work and positive reporting.
However, on another note, Kenneth
Newman, who sent a letter regarding the
Miami Shores Recreation Department not
lighting its fields at night (“Take This Park
and Shove It – I Can’t Play Soccer Here at
Night!” May 2008), completely missed a
major point and had his facts wrong. There
is a real and legal reason these fields are
unlit, which I would be glad to discuss
with Mr. Newman if he is interested.
Keep up the good work. If I can help
Biscayne Times on any Miami Shores
projects, please contact me.
Sid Reese, member Miami Shores
Planning and Zoning Board
Where the Green Things
Are: All Over Australia
In reference to Tiffany Rainey’s “Guerrilla
Gardeners” (April 2008), I say, “Plant on!”
I recently was traveling in Australia, where
I saw trees planted between parking spaces,
actually in the street where the sidewalks
are too narrow to accommodate trees.
Miami will never have the parks most
world cities have. That’s why Miami leaders need to aggressively encourage and
assist residents and businesses in planting
and caring for shade trees on all public
streets and get tough with anyone who
injures or destroys a tree.
Steve Hagen
Belle Meade
June 2008
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OUR SPONSORS
S
By Nancy Kavanaugh
Special to BT
Sales, special events, and more from the people who make Biscayne Times possible
ummer becomes official on June 21, but
someone forgot to alert the atmosphere.
The recent 90-plus-degree temperatures
are already keeping many people indoors, hiding from the heat and humidity in their hermetically sealed environments. Yet some adventurous rebels will still tackle any sort of weather.
This month BT’s advertisers have plenty of
opportunities for activity – inside and out – and
BizBuzz has compiled them all for you.
Driving to a destination in the City of Miami
means you’ll need to park somewhere. Well,
now you can pay for a spot without cash. You
have a cell phone, right? Good, because the
Miami Parking Authority has implemented
the Verrus Pay by Phone service at more than
8000 street spaces and 20 parking lots. First,
register your cell phone, tag, and
Visa/MasterCard numbers with Verrus by calling toll-free 866-990-PARK (7275) or visiting
www.paybyphone.com. After establishing a free
account, call the toll-free number from that cell
phone, key in the location number (on the parking meter or nearby signs) and the amount of
parking time you want. Your credit card will be
ART & CULTURE
Biscayne Writers
305-600-2398
Page 40
Design District Art +
Design NEW
305-573-8116
Page 11
First United Methodist Church
400 Biscayne Blvd.
305-371-4706
Page 37
Temple Israel
137 NE 19th St.
305-573-5900
Page 39
AUTOMOTIVE
Europa Car Wash NEW
6075 Biscayne Blvd.
305-754-2357
Page 25
Karma Car Wash & Café
7010 Biscayne Blvd.
305-759-1392
Page 24
Miami Parking Authority
305-373-6789
Page 37
Plaza Tire & Auto
3005 NE 2nd Ave.
305-573-3878
Page 35
CLOTHING & JEWELRY
Rumeur Boutique
170 NE 96th St.
305-754-9800
Page 19
8
BizBuzz: June 2008
charged the total plus a 35-cent service fee and a
text message reminder fee.
At the outdoor Upper Eastside Green
Market at Legion Park (Saturdays, 9:00
a.m. to 3:00 p.m.), vendors peddle veggies,
fruits, and eggs, plus home-baked cookies
and barbecue cooked onsite. Enjoy a picnic
under the park’s shade trees. Visit the Market
on June 7 to get menu info for the Jazz, Art
& Dinner event at the American Legion Hall
that evening. Sponsored by The Market
Company and the Arts at St. Johns, the event
begins at 8:00 p.m. and features jazz trio
Sonido Batido. Admission is $10.
Real estate agents whose outdoor activities
are directed more toward business are invited to
the Commercial Networker hosted by Douglas
Elliman Florida agents Darin Tansey and
Rachelle Ginsberg, Michael’s Genuine Food,
and Atlas Plaza in the Design District.
Commercial specialists should be at Atlas Plaza
(NE 40th Street between 1st and 2nd avenues),
from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on June 5. Call 786-8775100 (Ginsberg) or 305-924-4100 (Tansey).
Before hitting the networking event or any
event at which you can make connections,
contact Pinnacle Design Studio and stock up
on business cards. This month, with a $200-
or-more purchase, they will throw in 1000
free business cards.
Vampire types, or others who only go out at
night, will feel comfortable outside at
Moonchine Asian Bistro’s Full Moon Party on
June 18. Gather around the fire on the back
patio. There’ll be a DJ spinning while you
enjoy sushi and drink specials. Bring your own
CDs and a drum for the drum circle.
Ready to retreat to the great indoors for
food, drink, and fun? From June 14 to 19,
Latitude Zero invites patrons to watch the
World Cup soccer tournament on the café’s
plasma-screen televisions. Each Tuesday,
from June through August, Mike’s at Venetia
will offer half-pound Cheeseburger Platters
for just $3.95. Show up at Mike’s on Friday
and you can swig $5 martinis all day. Every
day is a holiday at Hoagie Hut Cafe, which
is commemorating its first anniversary with
eight-inch hoagie submarines for $3.99 and
foot-long hoagies for $4.99.
More celebrating is in order at Biscayne
Pet House, which has been owned by the
Klimetz family and at the same Boulevard
location for 30 years. Customers who bring in
a copy of the store’s Biscayne Times ad get a
20-percent discount.
A D V E R T I S E R
SEO’s Jewelry
Shops at Midtown
3401 N. Miami Ave.
305-722-2889
Page 39
Shores Square Cleaners
9023 Biscayne Blvd.
305-756-9875
Page 49
55th STREET STATION NEW
Twenty individual businesses
within one block.
305-759-8227
Page 3
FINANCIAL & LEGAL SERVICES
Steven K. Baird
Attorney at Law
305-754-8170
Page 25
Guardian Financial
1-866-201-0680
Page 20
Darin Woods
305-528-3380
Page 16
FURNITURE & ACCESSORIES
Agora
611 NW 72nd St.
640 Lincoln Rd.
305-757-4448
305-673-5589
Page 24
Beau Living
8101 Biscayne Blvd. #102
305-751-1511
Page 5
Also this month, at Pet Place, your very
furry friends will receive 10 percent off
grooming services.
After being pampered, your four-legged pal
might appear deceivingly sweet, but his temperament could be another story. Which may
explain why you’re sick of looking at your living-room furniture after Fido shredded it.
Solution: Visit Beau Living and replace that
chewed-up chair or sofa at a discount. All this
month its current collection will be marked
down by 20 percent.
If your kids and not your pets are responsible for destroying the furniture, maybe you
should keep the tykes occupied during the
summer. Send children from age three up to
the sixth grade to First United Methodist
Church’s Vacation Bible School. Running
from June 16 to 21, the mini summer camp
includes music, craft, and science lessons.
Sessions run from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily,
except the last day, when from 10:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m. the kids take a field trip to
Grapeland Water Park.
Something special coming up at your business? Send info to [email protected].
For BT advertisers only.
D I R E C T O R Y
The Loft Sofas
250 NE 25th St.
786-228-8981
Page 26
Avery Glass & Mirror
813 NE 125th St.
305-891-7734
Page 49
Sheds and Things NEW
2350 NE 135th St., Apt. 608
786-473-2846
Page 26
Fortune International
Realty NEW
305-323-9988
Page 39
Casa Toscana
7001 Biscayne Blvd.
305-758-3353
Page 61
Mike’s at Venetia
1( WK 6W WK ÀRRU
305-374-5731
Page 52
Magy Interiors
217 NW 36th St.
305-756-1222
Page 35
Barnett Tree Service
305-538-2451
Page 43
PETS
Majestic Properties
35 NE 40 St.
305-677-5000
Page 64
Côte Gourmet
9999 NE 2nd Ave.
305-754-9012
Page 59
Moonchine
7100 Biscayne Blvd.
305-759-3999
Page 58
Metro 1 Properties
120 NE 27th St.
305-571-9991
Page 2
Dogma Grill
7030 Biscayne Blvd.
305-759-3433
Page 56
Que Pizza
1701 W. Flagler St.
305-649-9669
Page 53
Dunkin’ Donuts
5128 Biscayne Blvd.
305-762-6796
Page 55
Royal Bavarian Schnitzel Haus
1085 NE 79th St.
305-754-8002
Page 60
Edible Arrangements NEW
150 SE 2nd Ave.
305-577-6101
Page 20
River Oyster Bar
650 S. Miami Ave.
305-530-1915
Page 57
Hoagie Hut Café
8650 Biscayne Blvd.
305-757-0910
Page 62
Sake Room NEW
1800 Biscayne Blvd.
305-775-0122
Page 60
Indochine
638 S. Miami Ave.
305-379-1525
Page 59
Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant
4029 N. Miami Ave.
305-573-1819
Page 54
Latitude Zero
36 SW 1st St.
305-372-5205
Page 62
The News NEW
5580 NE 4th Ct.
305-758-9932
Page 51
Mahogany Grille
2190 NW 183rd St.
305-785-6420
Page 63
Upper Eastside Green
Market at Legion Park
305-775-2166
Page 6
Planet Lighting
5120 Biscayne Blvd.
305-757-5001
Page 22
HEALTH & HAIR
Bay Oaks Home for the Aged
435 NE 34th St.
305-573-4337
Page 27
+LSHU¿W
7120 Biscayne Blvd.
305-762-6600
Page 17
Mount Sinai Medical Center
2845 Aventura Blvd.
305-692-1000
Page 15
HOME IMPROVEMENT
AAA Miami Locksmith
3531 NE 2nd Ave.
116 NE 1st Ave.
305-576-9320
Page 43
America’s Best Service
305-345-6385
Page 43
Assemblage Collective NEW
275 NE 18th St., Suite 1107
786-269-0440
Page 26
Biscayne Tile & Marble NEW
880 NE 79th St.
786-556-6540
Page 23
Dart Services
305-758-1697
Page 40
Fab Interior and Exterior
305-751-4447
Page23
Grout Doctor
786-522-5433
Page 22
Guarantee Floridian
305-758-1811
Page 10
JC Electric
305-754-6949
Page 40
Joe Blair Garden Supply
320 NE 79th St.
305-757-5554
Page 27
Las Top Security
19553 NW 2nd Ave.
305-751-6141
Page 37
Renu at Hand
305-866-8408
Page 21
Adam’s Veterinary Clinic
672 NE 79th St.
305-757-7309
Page 47
Biscayne Pet House
10789 Biscayne Blvd.
305-895-6164
Page 46
Junior’s Pet Grooming
2500 Biscayne Blvd.
305-571-1818
Page 47
Pet Place
275 NE 18th St. #108
305-401-7444
Page 47
Reef Evolutions NEW
786-326-5184
Page 46
Smiling Pets
305-754-0844
Page 46
PRINTING
Pinnacle Design Studio
16585 NW 2nd Ave. #200 B
305-405-6484
Page 34
REAL ESTATE
Douglas Elliman
1691 Michigan Ave. #210
305-695-6300
Page 9
Miami Spaces
305-495-8712
Page 34
Patrick McCoy & Keith Bacon
Fortune International Realty
305-332-6164
Page 13
Turnberry International Realty
305-632-1588
Page 7
RESTAURANTS & FOOD
18th Street Café
210 NE 18th St.
305-381-8006
Page 55
Ariston
940 71st St.
Miami Beach
305-864-9848
Page 59
Bagels & Co.
11064 Biscayne Blvd.
305-892-2435
Page 54
June 2008
June 2008
9
Where do you go on vacation?
C O M M E N TA R Y : W O R D
ON THE
STREET
Compiled by Victor Barrenechea — BT Contributor
Curtis Nystron
Musician
Buena Vista
I want to go up to New
York because I’m from
there. Then I will be
going to Vermont to cool
off – but also because I
have family there. Along
this river there’s an awesome little pool called
Sheep Dip, where I swim.
I used to go there when I
was little.
10
Sarah Mina
Sales Manager
North Miami
Normally my friends from
Brazil come here and we
go to South Beach. I like
traveling to New York and
my country, Brazil. Vegas
is awesome too. For summers I prefer Miami. The
beach is here; everybody
comes here. Summers here
are so good you don’t have
to leave. This summer I’m
definitely staying. Summer
for me has got to be at the
beach. Nowhere else.
Jairo Ruizmarin
Student/Store Manager
Downtown
Miami is a vacation all
year long, so in the summertime I look for different
kinds of environments. I go
to Colombia. I take cruises.
This summer I’m thinking
of going to Costa Rica. A
vacation for me means
relaxing and getting out of
my environment, so when I
travel I look for something
different – a variety of
places and cultures.
Jorge Vidal
Manager
Upper Eastside
It depends. I go to Italy
because that’s where I’m
from. I travel the U.S. to
visit friends. L.A., Las
Vegas. Lately I’ve been
going to New York.
Because we live in a
beach city, vacations have
become about experiencing something different.
Aline Deca
Personal Shopper
Davis Harbor
Sometimes I go to Brazil,
but usually I’m in the bay.
I go boating a lot. I wakeboard. We have the best
nature here. We have
water, sun, parties. What
more can we ask for? I
like to stay here in the
summertime especially. In
the winter I run away.
Jessy Galendez
Student
Downtown
California, because I have
friends there. I just love
California – the people and
the weather. It’s a lot different from Miami. People
are nicer. There’s more
diversity and more culture.
The sights are great, and
it’s much prettier.
June 2008
ON SATURDAY, BLAH,
+
BLAH, CONVERSANDO,
BLAH, BLAH SOME MORE...
SATURDAY / JUNE 14 / 7-10 PM
/ RICKY RAYNS / Reflectivity Part 1: Mind Fields
Creatively exploring a world that is at once familiar yet transformed, Rayns’ work employs
the techniques of uncertainty and their surrounding social conditions while referencing
notions of fragility, and the modern social preoccupations with stability and control.
Located in the Marcy Building_3850 N. Miami Ave.
/ LUCIA ROHRMANN / Story Tellers
Eubo Art/Design proudly presents Lucia Rohrmann, world-renowned Guatemalan artist,
with her latest collection of paintings and sculpture. This will be Rohrmann’s first solo
exhibition in Miami. Located in the Buena Vista Building_180 N.E. 39th Street. Suite 120
/ EMESHEL /
Emeshel has opened its first showcase branch in Miami. Embracing the growing popularity
of cut crystals, Emeshel’s latest collection reflects the exquisite beauty of crystal with
the very best in contemporary and modern design. Located in the Melin Building
3930 N.E. 2nd Ave. Suite 204
ART +
/ ORNARE /
Ornare, the unquestionable market leader and trendsetter for high-end closets in Brazil,
with its flagship store in the Miami Design District is an innovative company that creates
fully customized solutions that reflect the individuality of each client.
Located in the Melin Building_3930 N.E. 2nd Ave. Suites 102 & 103
+ Conversando by Lucia Rohrmann, 80 x 80 cm, acrylic on canvas. On view at The Buena Vista Building.
DESIGN
NIGHT
2ND SATURDAY
OF EVERY MONTH IN
T / 305.573.8116 N.E. 2nd Avenue [ between 39th & 40th Streets ]
miamidesigndistrict.net
VALET IS AVAILABLE AT 163 N.E. 39TH STREET ( IN FRONT OF BROSIA RESTAURANT )
June 2008
11
C O V E R S TO RY
Orchid
Continued from page 1
Florida too. It reached fever pitch in
1994, when a man named John Laroche,
often described as an “eccentric” and a
“renegade,” crept into the protected
Fakahatchee Swamp in the southwestern
part of the state to snatch the rare and
beautiful Ghost Orchid, Dendrophyllax
lendinii. He reportedly had grand plans to
clone and sell the highly prized Ghost,
much like his British predecessors. But
before Laroche could fulfill his colorful
dream, he was arrested for poaching an
endangered species that was protected by
both state and federal law. His court case
around for thousands of years. We have
records of orchids going back at least to
the time of Confucius, some 500 years
before Christ. Orchids have been present in
nearly every culture around the globe,
from the ancient Greeks and Chinese to the
Aztecs and Incas. Although they’ve been
cultivated for centuries, the orchid craze
didn’t really take off until the early 1800s,
when an English botanist named William
Cattley made a surprising discovery.
One day Cattley was unpacking a shipment of mosses and
other tropical plants
that had been sent to
This day seemed routine, even a bit lackluster,
him by his collector,
when something caught my eye. Among the
William Swainson,
tall weeds and grass appeared something
who was working in
completely new.
the jungles of Brazil.
When preparing the
shipment, Swainson used
gained fame after Susan Orlean, a staff
some strange, stiff plants to bind the
writer for The New Yorker, authored a
bundle. Cattley was intrigued, and potted book about it, The Orchid Thief. The
them to see what they would do. In
movie version of the book starring
November 1818, they bloomed for the
Nicolas Cage, Adaptation, also spread the
first time. The large purple flowers were
news of Laroche’s foiled flower exploits.
unlike anything anyone in England had
Not long ago I too secured a modest
ever seen, and they caused a sensation.
place for myself — and Miami — in
Soon all of Great Britain was overtaken
orchid history. And just like the orchid colby a virulent affliction — the entire
lectors of old, I have suffered in pursuit of
country had contracted orchid fever.
that elusive flower no one else possesses.
Wealthy patrons dispatched collectors
As a plant lover, I often trade with
to the farthest reaches of the tropical
other enthusiasts or scout vacant and
world in search of new orchid treasure.
abandoned properties for interesting new
Because only the rich could afford to
hire collectors and maintain the necessary greenhouses at home, orchids quickly became a status symbol. Naturally that
only increased demand for specimens.
Orchid hunters braved uncharted, unexplored jungles filled with danger in
hopes of finding ever more exotic plants.
Many contracted an array of tropical diseases — malaria and yellow fever among
them — and countless collectors perished from those and other illnesses or
accidents. Some were simply never
heard from again.
Still, these human losses were not
enough to quell England’s orchid mania.
Even more collectors took the places of
those who had vanished. But their perilous efforts were often in vain. Not
much was known about how to care for
the plants back then, so most died on
arrival in England. Those that survived,
however, allowed the knowledge of the
species to advance and successful orchid
cultivation gradually took hold.
The author’s hand provides a
The orchid-hunting bug bit the state of
sense of scale.
12
Although it’s been nearly two years
and my ankle still hurts often, the injury
hasn’t curtailed my enthusiasm. A couple
of months ago I was walking around a
beautiful vacant lot on the banks of the
Little River, just a few blocks from my
home. Mature live oaks and gumbo-limbos shade the ground. Plenty of interesting flora grows there. I’m told the house
that used to be on the property was torn
down before I moved to the neighborhood about three years ago. I’ve visited
this land many times, and even obtained
permission from the Realtor trying to sell
it to scout for plants there.
This particular day seemed routine,
even a bit lackluster, when something
caught my eye. Among the tall weeds and
grass appeared something completely
new. I bent down for a closer look at a
stalk of flowers about a foot and a half
tall. The delicate, small blossoms, each
Beautiful, delicate, and alien.
only an inch in diameter, were just about
specimens. Two years ago while looking
the prettiest things I’d ever seen: tawny
for orchids in a ficus tree on a vacant lot, brownish-green petals with one special
I slipped and fell some 15 feet. I landed
petal modified into a lip, which was
flat-footed, shattering my left ankle. I
white with a gorgeous purple splash. I
mean that literally. The bones smashed
knew right away this had to be an orchid.
like glass into tiny pieces. I spent six
I’ve been growing orchids for around 20
weeks wearing a big metal contraption
years, so I know the telltale signs. Orchids
on my leg, rods running all the way
are the only plant family to package all of
through my ankle and screws in the bone their reproductive parts into a structure at
of my leg to hold the darn thing in place. the center of the bloom. The column, as
Then I was off my feet completely for
it’s called, contains both the male and
another four months. During the ordeal,
female flower parts.
people kept asking how I hurt myself.
While I knew I was looking at an
orchid, it was one I’d
never seen before. The
John Laroche, often described as a
book Wild Orchids of
“renegade,” crept into the Fakahatchee
Florida lists every orchid
Swamp to snatch the rare, beautiful, and
you’re likely to encounter
in nature around these
protected Ghost Orchid.
parts, including many that
have escaped cultivation
and now grow wild. It even includes
When I told them I fell out of a tree, they
orchids not seen in Florida for decades
gave me this weird look and invariably
or orchids that were seen only once more
wondered, “What were you doing in a
than 50 years ago, then never again.
tree?” (I wish I had a dollar for every time Still, this orchid was not in the book.
I heard that question.) When I told them I
I had stumbled on something utterly
had been looking for orchids, they
unique, but what the heck was it? A
inevitably gave me The Stare. You know
friend of mine referred me to Kent
the one, that “are you from another planPerkins, the director of the herbarium at
et?” or “have you totally lost your mind?” the University of Florida. I spoke to
stare. While I was still in a wheelchair,
Perkins about my discovery. Initially the
though, with the metal screwed into my
response was that I must have seen
leg, a friend took me to the Miami
Eulophia alta, the Wild Coco orchid — a
International Orchid Show. There I found
Florida native. However, not only were
the sympathy and understanding I
the flowers a different color, they also
deserved. When those folks heard what I
were shaped differently. I told Perkins I
was doing up in the tree, their looks said
things like, “You are so cool!”
June 2008
June 2008
13
C O V E R S TO RY
At the discovery site: Back to life after being obliterated by a lawnmower.
Orchid
very specialized. In fact, the orchid family contains some of the most highly
evolved plants on the planet. Many are so
appreciated the educated guess but
specialized that only a certain type of
believed I had something different on my insect can pollinate the flowers. There are
hands. In the meantime, I did doubleorchids that look like bees, wasps, moths,
time on the Google search engine.
lady’s slippers, doves, and rattlesnakes.
Finally I discovered a picture that looked There are those that smell sweet, and are
identical to the flower. It was called
pollinated by bees. But some smell bad,
Eulophia graminea — in fact, a cousin
like rotten meat, and are pollinated by
of the Wild Coco. Eulophia graminea, I
flies or ants. Some offer nectar as a
learned, is not from here. It’s not supreward, and some just trick insects into
posed to be here. What’s more, I can’t
pollinating their flowers. So how was this
orchid managing to get its
flowers pollinated so far
from home? It’s a good
How was this orchid managing to get
bet that whatever polliits flowers pollinated? It’s a good bet that
nates it in its native land
whatever pollinates it in its native land
doesn’t also exist here.
doesn’t also exist here.
So what kind of creature
is doing it? Apparently
this little plant has
find any record of it ever having been
formed a new alliance here.
seen in the United States.
Then, assuming an orchid manages to
It’s native to Japan and Southeast Asia. get its flower pollinated, and assuming it
How it got here is still a complete mysmanages to set seed, there is still another
tery. A couple of unsubstantiated theomajor hurdle: Most orchids rely on a
ries: There may be vendors who export
very specific type of fungus to help their
this species from Thailand, according to
seeds germinate. Here in Florida, so far
Robert Pemberton, of the USDA’s
from home, what’s this particular orchid
Agricultural Research Service. Then
to do without its friendly neighborhood
again, the seeds, which are minuscule — fungus? Maybe it switched loyalties and
like dust — might travel a long way on
relies on a different fungus here to help
the air currents.
its seeds get going.
But what’s even more of a mystery is
A couple of weeks ago, I went back
this: How is this orchid managing to
to the vacant lot to check on the spray
reproduce in the wild? I know that seems of orchids only to find that someone
like kind of a dumb question, right? Well, had mowed the grass and destroyed all
for most plants, that would be true, but
of the orchids — forever, I feared.
not orchids. You see, most orchids are
14
The author at home with his plants: Obsessed, tenacious, dashing.
One arrival theory: The seeds are so small they could be carried by
the wind.
June 2008
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C O V E R S TO RY
Orchid
have yet to unfold their answers. The
work here is just beginning.
The USDA’s Pemberton, who is doing
most of the research on our newest little
gem, has been working on reports of three
other sightings of this orchid in South
Miami dating back to September 2007.
Our Upper Eastside site is bigger, has
more plants, and so far is the farthest
north the orchid has been spotted.
Pemberton is writing a paper on this for
the American Orchid Society. In it, the
Upper Eastside property will be listed,
and I will be credited as the
one who discovered the
As we began looking around, I saw one:
plants on the lot. When
a single flower spike, with new, fresh blooms
the next edition of the
just beginning to open. And then another.
book Wild Orchids of
And another!
Florida comes out, there
will be at least one new
addition, Eulophia
graminea, and I will have played a part in
then another. And another! That little
getting that orchid in there.
orchid really is tough. Ros’s photo
That’s got to be one of the coolest
shoot may have solved another mystery
things that has happened to me in all the
regarding pollination: While she was
years I’ve been sick with this darned
taking pictures, a tiny gray-and-white
orchid fever.
butterfly landed on one of the flowers
and drank from it. But many more
Feedback: [email protected]
questions surrounding this discovery
Luckily, the trimmings I had taken
previously and transplanted to my yard
seemed to be thriving. Then as this
story was being wrapped up, BT photographer Silvia Ros came to take pictures of the lot where I originally found
the little plants, even though I
explained to her that a lawnmower had
mulched the orchids there already. But
as we began looking around, I saw one:
a single flower spike, with new, fresh
blooms just beginning to open. And
Eureka! This butterfly could be the mysterious orchid pollinator.
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16
June 2008
June 2008
17
C O V E R S TO RY
BT photo by Corey Kingsbury
Biscayne Landing
from increased numbers of residential
units to office space. The company’s
sights are now set on retail.
At each turn North Miami’s city council
has approved the changes, but with Boca
Developers currently the target of intense
media scrutiny for a series of financial losses, including foreclosure on its massive Las
Olas Riverfront project in Fort Lauderdale
and defaults on nearly $300 million in
loans (the Miami Herald recently described
the company as “unraveling”), North
Miami residents fear the city has misplaced
its trust in the developer. Causing further
concern is Boca Developers’ limited commercial experience.
Disgruntled residents voiced opposition when the developers came before the
city council again this past April 22 asking for more alterations to Biscayne
Landing’s original agreement and ground
leases. Again the council approved the
developer’s requests — this time to
increase the commercial square footage
of the project from 400,000 to approximately 1.2 million, to slow residential
construction, and to offer existing condos
as rental units with the goal of converting
all units to ownership within five years.
The amendments also included a change
that will bring the City of North Miami a
return on its investment in Biscayne
Landing much more quickly and a promise from Boca Developers to put $8 million toward the expansion of the Museum
of Contemporary Art (MOCA), a nonprofit institution the city supports.
BT caught up with Mayor Burns after
the latest twist to get his take on residents’ lingering doubts about Boca
Developers’ Biscayne Landing project.
BT: You’ve been a big advocate of
Biscayne Landing since before you came
into office. What do you think, in general,
Biscayne Landing can do for North Miami?
Kevin Burns: It can take a piece of
property that was producing no money,
that was a landfill that wasn’t closed
properly, to being a tax-paying entity
that’s going to pump millions of dollars
into the City of North Miami that it desperately needs for a lot of the infrastructure we need to upgrade. It’s going to
create another living community. It’s
going to create commerce for people to
come in and open businesses and make
money to support their families. It’s
going to be supportive of a lot of the
nonprofit groups that are within our
18
option to hold off on any kind of development until the real estate market and
economy stabilize?
No. If you ask people in the real estate
industry, they’ll say, “When is ever the
perfect time? There isn’t.” If you ask
people [who] wanted to buy a house over
the past five years, they would say, “Wait
until the market goes down.” There’s a
difference in opinion. The government
and businesses don’t stand still. They
make the economy happen. In the City of
North Miami, we hope to build through
these bad times and take advantage of the
cheap money that’s out there. There is no
waiting for some kind of perfect timing.
Right now the commercial and office
components are what are in demand.
Initially developer Michael Swerdlow
had some doubts that commercial property could be viable in that location
given its distance from I-95. There are
also other malls nearby — Aventura and
Mayor Kevin Burns: “It’s not going to be a mall. It’s going to be living
Bal Harbour — not to mention talk that
streets within the community, more along the lines of a Las Olas or
some of the nearby strip malls are havMain Street in Miami Lakes.”
ing trouble getting and keeping tenants.
Do you think retail is viable in that locacommunity. Everybody has their hands
Let’s say Boca Developers comes back tion right now? What has changed since
out to them, always asking for donations
with additional amendments to the
Swerdlow’s original assessment?
to something. It’s going to create thouagreement in the future. How much more
There are lots of things. It’s the mix of
sands of jobs, which is very important to is North Miami willing to negotiate to
tenants. Aventura Mall has continually
our economy and to South Florida. All of address developer and market issues
performed as one of the best malls in the
this from a piece of land that people in
before deciding not to go forward with
country. Along with performing as one
North Miami politics claimed was usethe plan?
of the best malls in the country, your
less. I think it’s going to be a viable
It’s an ever-evolving contract, and the
rental rates go way up. There are a lot of
community and only good things can
original agreement was designed this way. businesses that would meet the Aventura
come out of it.
That was prior to me becoming mayor,
Mall criteria but cannot afford to. The
way a mall works is that you split a
What have you learned through
percentage of your revenue. The
this process about public-private
“We hope to build through these bad times bigger a company you are, the
partnerships?
more rent you pay. So if you don’t
and take advantage of the cheap money
You mean what have I taught?
produce enough revenue, they get
that’s out there. There is no waiting for
[Laughs.] It’s like anything else. In a
rid of you for somebody else [who]
some kind of perfect timing.”
public-private partnership, you’ve
is going to come along and progot to be able to work with your
duce more. There are a lot of simipartner and figure out what is in the
lar tenants [who] would like to be
best interest of both people — the city
but I was a community activist involved
in an area where there are other tenants
and the developer — to make it a viable
in the very open and transparent negotiabecause there’s a draw. Biscayne
project. That’s why I’ve been supportive
tions that were taking place. The original
Landing will have 15,000 to 20,000 peoof the new concept — it’s best for the
intent was that, while Biscayne Landing
ple living out there [who] need to go to a
city. The city will eventually get more
was going to take 10 to 15 years to build
coffee shop, the dry cleaners, a dress
money quicker.
out, market conditions were going to
store, or restaurants. It’s all going to be
It’s going to have people staying in the change. That’s why we never approved
in the mix. The market will dictate, but I
North Miami area to buy and purchase
the site plan all at one time. We approved
think an extra five minutes from I-95 is
goods that they need and hopefully draw [parts] even after my administration.
not going to make a difference.
people in. We don’t plan on being anoth- There’s a master plan for the whole area
Also the appeal of Biscayne Landing’s
er Aventura Mall. That’s not the intenand then each phase has to be approved,
commercial aspect is that it will, maybe,
tion, and we’re only a quarter of that
and we did it that way purposefully so
have some things that malls don’t have.
size. It’ll be nice to go down a street and there would be lots of flexibility.
It’s not going to be a mall. It’s going to
have five or six of some of the best
Instead of continuing to switch the
restaurants in the country all in one area. focus of the project, would it be an
June 2008
C O V E R S TO RY
BT photo by Tiffany Rainey
Biscayne Landing
be living streets within the community,
more along the lines of a Las Olas or
Main Street in Miami Lakes. It’s not an
enclosed type of a mall. We think that
it’s going to work.
And what effect do you think the additional retail will have on existing businesses in the city?
“If something happens to Boca
Developers, the bank will still have
to meet obligations and continue
with the project to recoup their
money and pay
the city.”
Well, we’re trying to make sure the
smaller businesses we have within the
downtown district of North Miami and
W. Dixie Highway aren’t affected. That’s
one of the reasons I extracted an additional $8 million from Boca Developers
for the expansion of MOCA. MOCA,
right now, has about an $8 million to $10
June 2008
Today there’s not much to see at Biscayne Landing, aside from a couple of towers and their parking garage.
million direct impact to our local economy. So by expanding the MOCA museum as the anchor of downtown, we will
attract more people to this area. We’re
also considering putting in a hotel down-
town. The businesses we have on Dixie
Highway, NE 7th Avenue, and [in]
downtown North Miami are services
geared toward the residents, everyday
shops — hair salons, shoe repairs, some
restaurants, income tax returns. Those
businesses won’t be affected negatively
from Biscayne Landing because people
will shop in their own neighborhood for
19
Courtesy of Boca Developers
C O V E R S TO RY
Since this vision of Biscayne Landing was unveiled in December 2007,
the proposed commercial component has tripled in size.
Biscayne Landing
repairs and for everyday essentials. You
don’t necessarily go to Aventura Mall to
get a pair of shoes fixed or dry cleaning or
your hair done. The people [who] live
within Biscayne Landing will use some of
the shops for themselves, but a lot of the
shops in downtown North Miami and on
Dixie Highway have a draw. They’re not
going to be affected.
20
Given the market now, Boca
Developers, like a lot of other developers
and builders now, has had serious financial problems. What assurance does North
Miami have that the developer will be able
to get the money it needs from banks to
really complete this and follow through?
They can have the best intentions, but if
they don’t get the funding, it won’t work.
June 2008
C O V E R S TO RY
Biscayne Landing
There are banks now that have loans
out there, and the banks are ultimately
responsible for completing the project.
So it’s in the banks’ best interest — and
that was one of the reasons that we
increased the commercial. The lenders
said, you need this formula of residential, commercial, and office space [for
the project] to work. So [Boca
Developers has] already been in negotiation with [its] lenders and kind of
[knows] the criteria. There’s always
funding available; it’s just meeting the
guidelines. And whether it’s this year or
the next year, it’ll happen.
Should, for some reason, Boca
Developers no longer be involved in
Biscayne Landing, what will come of
the plans for the Community
Redevelopment Agency, affordable
housing, the library, and all of the
other benefits slated to come to the
community from this project?
The lenders assume the responsibility.
The city’s not at risk. We have an agreement. As collateral, Boca Developers
June 2008
gives the bank the lease and the lease,
the Munisport Agreement, calls for certain things to be done. If something happens to Boca Developers and the bank
takes over, the bank will still have to
meet the obligations and the bank has to
continue on with the project to recoup
their money and pay the city. And [even]
if one of the largest banks goes out of
business, we always own the land. It’s
our land. If the lease comes back to us,
we will have somebody else develop it
for us. But that’s a hypothetical scenario.
like and what they dislike so you don’t
get your head handed to you on a platter.
They tried to work out the details ahead
of time. They came to me and I had my
opinions that were strictly mine of what I
wanted to see in the Munisport
Agreement, what some of the past failures were, and some of things I wanted
for the future. I let them know, and some
of the things they agreed to.
So you feel the council, across the
board, was equally involved?
People are being
A few people
disrespectful to
“People have accused me for the
have said you’ve
my council memlast
few years of negotiating everymostly been negobers, because I
tiating this deal
know they all met
thing. I’m very forceful and direct with Boca
with members of
it’s called leadership.
Developers yourthe developer’s
I’m hands-on.”
self and haven’t
legal team and
been consulting the
had their own
concerns and opinions. People have
council. What is your response?
accused me for the last few years of
Boca Developers met with every single one of the council members, which is negotiating everything. I’m very forceful
and direct — it’s called leadership. I tell
[legal] and is very customary when you
want to amend an agreement or do some- people what I would like to see and
hopefully they accomplish it. That’s why
thing. You visit the people in charge and
the city has gone through so many
you present your views to see what they
changes — I’m hands-on. I don’t wait
for someone else to try to say it, because
it’s the mayor and council’s responsibility to set policy. We don’t run the day-today operations of the city, and this is
strictly a business and policy decision.
It’s not a legal issue and it’s not an issue
for the city manager. It’s an issue for the
council people, and we’re the only ones
[who] make that decision.
You’ve been dealing with Boca
Developers for years now and you’ve
developed a kind of professional relationship with them. Is there any possibility that you would ever work for
Boca Developers?
No. I’ve never worked for anybody
before and I wouldn’t start working for
anybody now. I’m a real estate broker
and I’ve worked on my own most of my
life. I’m not one of those elected officials
to get a consulting job. There’s nothing
there they could offer me, and that
applies to all of the council people. I’ll
be continuing in the real estate business.
21
A Week in the Life
NEIGHBORHOOD CORRESPONDENTS: BELLE MEADE
Of common crooks and civic schemes
T
o say the week of May 12 was
interesting would be an understatement. That Monday I was
scheduled to attend the trial of the career
criminal I’d followed out of our Belle
Meade neighborhood this past October
as he carried loot (a large saw) from
someone’s house.
It was one of those “just doesn’t look
quite right” situations, so I trailed the guy
to the edge of El Portal until police units
arrived and took him into custody.
Obviously not the sharpest knife in the
drawer, he dropped his jail card on the
swale right across the street from the
house where he’d stolen the saw. (The
county’s Corrections Department has gone
high-tech and now issues repeat inmates
credit card-style IDs, complete with photo
and swipe bar, so they can be processed a
bit faster. Can’t have them waiting around
to get checked in or out, you know.)
Courtesy of Miami Art Museum
By Frank Rollason
BT Contributor
Future Miami Art Museum: Sleek, yes, but we should have voted on its location.
The victimized homeowner and I
showed up in court for the second time
during the past couple of weeks, only to
discover the case had been postponed
once again. I think the theory is we’ll get
tired of showing up and the case will be
dropped – which will be a cold day in
hell! (By the way, he’s on trial for violating his probation rather than for actually
stealing something.) I’ll keep you posted,
but I can see why witnesses get tired of
all the hassle and eventually give up on
the process.
The next evening, Tuesday, came our
monthly Belle Meade Homeowners
Association meeting, at which Miami
Police Department Cmdr. David
Magnusson officially informed us that violent crimes in the Upper Eastside are on
the rise – mostly robberies involving the
use of guns or the threat of the use of a
gun. He also advised us he’s taking appropriate action to realign his forces and
counteract this upsurge. I took the opportunity, again, to state my position that we
just don’t have enough police presence
within the Upper Eastside’s borders to
deter anyone from putting a gun to our
heads and relieving us of our possessions.
Additional information of note: Two
robberies (perhaps carried out by the same
person) were initiated with the command:
“Give me your watch!” Both victims
apparently sported Rolexes. A word to the
wise: You may be sized up and targeted
because of the jewelry you’re wearing.
Next on my agenda was a Wednesday
meeting of the Miami Sports and
Exhibition Authority (MSEA) board of
directors, of which I’m an appointed
member. An item of particular interest: the
City of Miami’s proposal to convey to
MSEA the Bicentennial Park parcel on
which two new museums – the Miami Art
25% OFF
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miami
t: 305.757.5001 • [email protected]
22
June 2008
NEIGHBORHOOD CORRESPONDENTS: BELLE MEADE
Week
Museum and Miami Science Museum –
are to be erected. At an agenda briefing
before the meeting, the assistant city attorney who represents the board explained
that insofar as no other museums are interested in the land, the transfer is appropriate and renders putting a bid out on the
property unnecessary.
This logic aside, to my mind such a
transfer has more to do with the city’s
desire to avoid putting the lease for these
parcels on the ballot, which would enable
taxpayers to decide whether this waterfront land should be used to allow the
two museums to relocate inside the park.
You see, years ago former Miami Mayor
Joe Carollo successfully sponsored an
amendment to the city charter that
requires any city-owned waterfront property to go before the voters before it is
disposed of – either by outright sale or by
lease. The city can, however, convey the
property to another government agency,
thereby dodging a distasteful exercise in
community participation.
At any rate, I made my case for not
transferring the land to MSEA, as did fel-
who among other roles is one of the
low board member and Miami
attorneys representing Braman; Sushma
Commissioner Tomas Regalado. Mayor
Sheth, director of programs for the
Manny Diaz and other board members,
Miami Workers Center, which advocates
including Commissioners Joe Sanchez
for low-income black and Latino comand Angel Gonzalez, listened attentively
munities; and Patrick Walsh, campaign
and dutifully to my pleading, then quickcoordinator for the South Florida Jobs
ly approved the proposed transfer.
Regalado and I were the lone dissenters. I With Justice organization’s “Public Good
From Public Money” effort.
don’t think this one is over, though. It
will probably rise from the ashes in some
fashion as an element in
Norman Braman’s ongoing We just don’t have enough police presence
lawsuit against the city and in the Upper Eastside to deter anyone from
putting a gun to our heads and relieving us
Miami-Dade County over
of our possessions.
their three-billion-dollar
development deal known as
the “global agreement.”
Speaking of the global agreement, I
I don’t run across many people who
rounded out my week with a panel discus- even know what the global agreement is.
sion late Wednesday afternoon on that
Of those who are familiar with it, plenty
very topic, which was sponsored by the
feel their local elected officials have
Miami-based Community Benefits
shafted them. At the debate’s core lingers
Coalition. The group (motto: “Develop,
Braman’s contention that the projects the
global agreement entails – the museum
Don’t Destroy!”) invited me to comment
park, a port tunnel, a new ballpark,
on the role of CRAs (Community
increased funding for the cost overruns of
Redevelopment Agencies) in general and
specifically how the Omni CRA interfaces the performing arts center, and the development of a streetcar system – should
with the global agreement’s provisions.
have gone before voters countywide for
Sharing the dais was Frank Schnidman,
approval as a package, or on a project-byproject basis, before their tax dollars were
obligated in such a manner. The rest is
just details and arguments on one side or
the other. In fact Braman has offered to
drop his suit if the agreement is placed on
the ballot, but the governments involved
have told him to go fly a kite.
There’s not enough space in this column
to dissect and expound on the global agreement, but this one is worthy of us all staying in touch with its outcome. I suggest
reading the papers throughout our community to stay abreast. The agreement can be
viewed online at www.miamigov.com/cms/
Files/Global_Agreement.pdf.
Ultimately the issue boils down to our
tax dollars and whether we’ve been hoodwinked by “legal mumbo jumbo” (as
Commissioner Gonzalez likes to call legal
arguments) into a multibillion-dollar obligation we were never given a fair chance
to debate. Should be interesting to see how
it plays out.
Well, that constitutes a pretty interesting
week in my world. How was yours?
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23
Parking Pandemonium
NEIGHBORHOOD CORRESPONDENTS: MIAMI SHORES
I
By Jen Karetnick
BT Contributor
Do the rules make sense? No. Will you still get a ticket? Um, yes.
was driving home from the baseball
field at the Miami Shores Recreation
Department when I noticed two police
cars circling the area – one cruising down
Park Drive, the other coming up NE 7th
Avenue from NE 96th Street. “Here it
comes,” I thought.
My son’s game had been over for only
a few minutes, and because it was the last
day of the season, a barbecue was scheduled for all the players and their parents
near the Ed Abdella Field House. That
meant there were still dozens of cars
parked all over the streets and swales,
willy-nilly and, as usual, in full disregard
of “No Parking” signs and tow zones. I
decided to follow the cops for a few minutes (purely for journalistic purposes, of
course – my own amusement having nothing to do with it) and watch the pandemonium erupt as they began ticketing.
What a waste of $4-per-gallon gas. The
24
officers didn’t pause for a second. Then
again, they turn a blind eye to illegal parking around this area – as many Miami
Shores residents believe they well should
– on regularly attended practice and game
days. There simply isn’t enough parking to
accommodate us taxpayers. Besides, we’re
in flat-as-a-tween’s-chest South Florida.
Aren’t swales here considered public-private property in that we homeowners must
maintain them, but anybody can park a car
or walk a dog on them?
This and other questions came to my
attention during last month’s Spring
Concert in the park, one of the annual
freebies sponsored by the town’s Fine Arts
Commission. Owing to roadway construction, the South Florida Jazz Orchestra’s
performance took place on the Recreation
Playing Fields instead of at Veterans Park.
However, the scene was far different from
that of a baseball game when, in the middle of the show, two patrol cars pulled up
and began ticketing vehicles that had been
parallel parked on Park Drive near the tot
lot and all the way up the block. The mass
exodus of panicked drivers hoping to
escape the zealous officers included the
trombone player, who leaped off the stage
in the middle of a tune.
For many, though, it proved too late,
and the complimentary concert was no
longer such an economical outing.
The same thing often happens if you
attend a birthday party at the tot lot.
Deposit your car anywhere along Park
Drive and you’ll be ticketed stealthily –
unless someone sounds the alarm in time.
June 2008
NEIGHBORHOOD CORRESPONDENTS: MIAMI SHORES
Parking
Why is the agenda of the police officers during concerts and birthday parties
so vastly different from what it is during
regular sporting events? It’s only a guess,
but everyone I’ve spoken to has the same
notion: The cops come to ticket when a
homeowner calls in a complaint.
Otherwise it’s live and let live.
This is irritating and unpredictable
but fair. If you were the homeowner,
you’d expect the police to respond in an
appropriate manner. After all, there are
signs telling drivers not to leave their
vehicles there.
More to the point, though: Why exactly are the “No Parking” signs placed randomly – on this block of NE 7th but not
that one, on that corner of NE 101st and
Park Drive but not Grand Concourse and
NE 7th Avenue? The patches of grass are
deep enough to accommodate vehicles
without putting them, or another driver
rounding a corner, in harm’s way; certainly they’re no different from the swale next
door that does not carry a sign.
Indeed in the case of the corner of NE
101st and Park Drive, only the Park Drive
June 2008
hill and a stand of woods, and it was
half of the corner is illegal to park on;
only when home construction occurred
when I went to check my facts at the corner firsthand, I found a car quite comfort- on one side of our one-block street that
more roads and a clear, walkable cutably ensconced on the 101st side, the
through appeared. Savvy parents, trying
sign-free part of the swale. It all seems
to avoid congestion in the regular parkawfully arbitrary.
ing lots, began to use Mayhew Drive to
I’m not suggesting any course of
action, but I would like to tell you a little park and then stroll what had become a
short distance to the field. It was all very
story from my past. You see, I grew up
convenient – for them.
in a town not unlike Miami Shores –
For my mom and dad, however, it
except it was surrounded by suburban
was intolerable. Every spring and early
towns that resembled it instead of an
urban core – in a house that was situated summer their once-quiet, seven-house
very close to the Little
League fields. Little
The mass exodus of panicked drivers hoping
League season was
to escape the zealous officers included the
tremendous fun for my
trombone player, who leaped off the stage in
brother and sister (both
the middle of a tune.
good ball players) and
me (a horrible player,
but a great gum chewer).
It was our social life, and it was a life we cul-de-sac turned into a carnival of slamwere allowed to live unsupervised.
ming doors and shouting voices. Litter
from the field house was dropped into
Unlike some of the homeowners on
the gutters – gum and candy wrappers
NE 7th, Park, and other nearby roads,
we then had to pick up. So many people
though, my folks did not knowingly buy
used our driveway to turn around that
an abode for the recreational advantages
both kids and dogs were constantly in
it might give their kids. The fields were
danger of being run over.
actually located on the other side of a
Which is precisely why my dad badgered the folks at Town Hall until they
came and hammered a few “No Parking”
signs in the ground. Interestingly, the
signs were never actually enforceable.
No laws were amended and the signs
never went on the books, but Town Hall
figured nobody needed to know that.
And they were right. Problem solved.
Afraid of being ticketed, people stopped
parking there, and my parents got their
peace and quiet back. At least until the
next round of bulldozers came to extend
the street and build up the other side of
the block with more houses.
The funny thing is, those signs are
still there, long after my parents and
everyone else who knew they were
dummy restrictions have moved away.
Moreover, I bet today’s residents wonder
why those “No Parking” signs are on one
section of a now-long-and-windy street.
And I also wager that if someone parks
there, they’ll get a ticket for no real reason they can figure out. But they’ll still
have to pay.
25
Mouse in the House
N E I G H B O R H O O D C O R R E S P O N D E N T S : B I S C AY N E P A R K
T
Could small furry creatures be the answer to world peace? Why not? Nothing else seems to be working
By Wendy Doscher-Smith
BT Contributor
he first time we met, I’m not sure
who screamed louder, me or the
mouse. There I was, puttering
around our sliver of a kitchen, sniffing
out some prime-time junk food, when,
like some scene out of a B movie, the
Doritos bag moved.
And just like every jackass in every B
horror movie, rather than walk away, I
ventured into the proverbial basement. I
took a tentative step toward the zesty,
mobile snacks. Then I waited.
Out scurried something furry, the color
of tree bark, causing me to shriek and run
backward. I’m no shrieker – or even a
screamer – so my outburst elicited a
“What happened?” from my husband,
who was on the other side of the house.
I can’t say we weren’t warned. Before
we moved into our house, the previous
tenant said mice might live among us. I
hadn’t thought about it much, and after
26
living here for the better part of a year, I
forgot about the prophecy. Right up until
the Night of Bark.
After I caught my breath, I silently
chastised myself for making a fuss over
a mouse. My husband came to see what
was going on and, in a rather manly
with a capital M way, poked around
while I held back. We discovered Bark
had been making a nest of sorts in a
large blue oven mitt that was tucked
behind the microwave. In the mitt we
found bits of paper and crumbs. Bark
also made him or herself at home by
chewing through peanut butter cracker
packages atop the microwave.
When the temporary shock wore off, I
began thinking about Bark and his rodent
ways. I saw him (or her?) disappear
behind the stove, specifically through a
crack between where the stovetop meets
the oven controls panel. The way Bark
scampered off into the crack, a last bit of
tail slipping out of sight, was all very
Through the Looking Glass.
Perhaps I should have named this
mouse Alice instead.
A few nights later I was writing at the
computer, my back to the kitchen. I
began to sense I was not alone. Sure
enough, I caught a glimpse of the brown
rodent once again. It occurred to me then
that Bark may have been dissatisfied
with his nocturnal buffet.
So I started feeding Bark. I knew peanut
butter crackers were a favorite and that
seemed a likely place to begin. I left one
out and the next morning only a half-nibbled nub remained. This thrilled me and I
started experimenting with the menu.
I could only guess at Bark’s preferences based on what treats were left
June 2008
N E I G H B O R H O O D C O R R E S P O N D E N T S : B I S C AY N E P A R K
Mouse
behind. Although Chex Mix was decidedly popular with Bark, cheese crackers
seemed to be snatched up first and transported to the Mouse Lair. I say “seemed”
because at that point I hadn’t seen Bark in
action. So cheese crackers apparently beat
Chex Mix squares, but peanut butter
crackers trumped all. Eventually I
switched from regular-size crackers to
what I imagined to be more mouse-manageable minis.
This continued for some time, but one
day I panicked because I knew our lease
was almost up and we might need to
move. This presented all sorts of ethical
and moral quandaries. Feeling I had quasidomesticated Bark, I didn’t think it
responsible or correct to leave him behind
for new tenants to kill. Besides I now was
quite fond of this creature, even though
the little guy had nibbled my Cadbury
Crème Egg.
Many nights I stood on the other side
of the kitchen counter listening to Bark’s
quiet munching sounds, watching Bark
peer through the dark, thinking how soothing it was to have a mouse in the house
als.” Daily Blend’s packaging informed
and wondering if perhaps what everyone
me it was “nutritionally complete and
needed was his or her own house mouse
made with corn and molasses.”
to help bring about world peace.
“Nourriture pour rats et souris.” Somehow
In the meantime, I needed a plan. I
the folks at Daily Blend must have figured
found a humane mousetrap on the PETA
this food description, like everything else,
site and ordered it. It arrived but then I
would sound more impressive in French.
wasn’t sure what to do. If I caught Bark,
Well, I was convinced. Plus, I could get 24
would he bite? Might Bark carry rabies?
Even if I set up a posh,
pimped-out
Just like every jackass in every B horror movie,
Mousatorium, would
Bark long for the more I ventured into the proverbial basement, toward
the bag of zesty Doritos. Then I waited.
freewheeling, feral
days? What if Bark was
the designated Food
Transport mouse in the family? The last
ounces for less than three bucks and there
thing I wanted was to disturb the rodent
had been no previous mouse or rat food
hierarchy and leave behind starving mice.
recalls. I chucked it in the cart.
I called the vet and talked to my neighBack home I was eager to see if the
bor Bevin (a vet tech) about my dilemma.
blocks worked. Coincidentally, I had just
viewed the Disney movie Ratatouille,
After laughing and telling me I was crazy,
about a rat gourmet, and I was concerned
Bevin assured me Bark wouldn’t have
Bark would be insulted by my choice of
rabies and said I could try to catch him
feed. After all, call me a snob but I
and feed him mouse food. Mouse food!
assumed my mouse couldn’t read French.
What had I been thinking, filling up Bark
The presentation was less than perfect and
on junk? At Target I found a food called
maybe not as palatable as some other
“Daily Blend.” It’s food for pet mice and
munchies, but the box assured me the
rats described as “delicious, nutrition-rich
“large, hard pellets” were “perfect” for rats
blocks fortified with vitamins and miner-
and mice to help satisfy their “natural
chewing instinct.” Ah. That was something I’d been neglecting.
The new diet was a success. Despite
complicated “conversion and feeding”
suggestions, which included mixing portions of the fortified Legos with “current
food” (aka peanut butter crackers and
Chex Mix), I decided to be a food conversion rebel. I left out a few pretzels from
the Chex Mix and one Daily Blend block
to see what would happen. Although the
next morning the pretzel was gone, the
block was chewed up as well.
But wait, the Daily Blend instructions
also said to keep “a fresh supply of water
available at all times.” Doh. Caring for a
feral, quasi-domesticated rodent was not
quite as simple as one might originally
suspect. However, I was confident that
with daily rations of Daily Blend, I was on
the right track.
Besides, the food “meets or exceeds the
nutritional requirements of rats and mice
as established by the National Research
Council.” And that was written not in
French but in bold type, which has to
count for something, right?
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27
COMMUNITY NEWS
N
Primed and Waiting
Boulevard property owners say they’ll renovate their motels as soon as the city makes up its mind
ew shops and restaurants pop up
almost weekly along Biscayne
Boulevard. More and more pedestrians stroll the sidewalks during the day
and step out to dinner in the evening. In
many ways, everything supporters of the
MiMo-Biscayne Boulevard Historic
District promised is coming to pass in the
two years since the stretch of road from
NE 50th to NE 77th streets was officially
designated.
Only the motels, a key architectural
component in obtaining historic designation from the City of Miami, seem to be
lagging. A few – Motel Blu, for one –
have invested in major renovations and
seen huge increases in guest bookings, but
others are barely scraping by on a trickle
of legitimate visitors. Still others remain
shuttered, stuck in a perpetual state of
construction – or deconstruction.
The majority of motel owners are
eager to participate in the Boulevard’s
revival but must check their enthusiasm
until city officials can sort out exactly
what kind of renovations they are allowed
to do on their now-designated historic
structures. Further, the waivers for parking, unit size, and signage that are common in historic districts, already exist in
Miami’s zoning code, which dictates the
type of construction that can take place in
the city. But for motel owners to utilize
these waivers and avoid the need for variances, the historic renovation specifications must first be moved into the city
code’s Chapter 23, which specifically
addresses historic preservation.
Originally Miami 21, the sweeping
project to rezone the entire city, was supposed to streamline historic guidelines,
but given the controversy surrounding the
proposed overhaul by architectural firm
Duany Plater-Zyberk, activists and motel
owners are pushing the city to advance
the Chapter 23 amendments now, to keep
up momentum and morale for the MiMo
district’s restoration.
On April 24, Miami commissioners
heard an ordinance that would allow the
legal language to be shifted into the
Farewell to Flagler
And perhaps it’ll be back to the Boulevard for the Coppertone Girl
he’s pushing 50, still parading topless
in public, and her fans love her that
way. But time has been cruel to the
famous Coppertone Girl. That’s why the
vintage bathing beauty came off her downtown pedestal last month – to get herself a
face-lift.
With members of the Dade Heritage
Trust and MiMo Biscayne Association present, a historic Coppertone sign that graced
Miami streets for 49 years was gently dismantled and removed from its 14-year home
on Flagler Street for repair. Before that, the
neon sign overlooked Biscayne Boulevard at
the now-demolished Parkleigh Hotel near
the Freedom Tower. Former caretakers Dade
Heritage Trust recently bequeathed the sign
to the MiMo Association for the relocation
28
King Motel owner Henry Patel says the MiMo district will succeed only if
Boulevard motels thrive.
BT photo by Margaret Griffis
S
By Margaret Griffis
Special to BT
appropriate document. However, the discussion quickly became bogged down in
confusion over what details should be
included. Transfer of Development Rights
(TDR), a Miami 21 feature that would
allow property owners unable to build to
their full zoning allowance to sell the
remaining height to areas in need of more
infill, was proposed for inclusion. A
height cap within the MiMo district also
was suggested. “[We] are in favor of
[amending] Chapter 23 at this moment
without any of the other problems people
are making,” says Nancy Liebman, a
preservationist speaking on behalf of the
MiMo Biscayne Association. Liebman, a
veteran of efforts to gain historic designation for South Beach’s Art Deco district,
is helping the nonprofit MiMo group.
The call for a height limit seems to be
making the most waves, even though
nearly all involved parties, including
Liebman, District 2 Commissioner Marc
Sarnoff, and the city’s planning department, agree that height restrictions don’t
belong in Chapter 23. “It cannot be
included, and anybody that thinks it can is
deluding themselves,” Liebman says,
pointing out that a height limitation is
By Tiffany Rainey
BT Staff Writer
Coming apart at the seams: If the
girl and her dog can be restored
at a reasonable price, they’ll once
again grace the Boulevard.
and restoration work.
All Tropical Signs of Florida unexpectedly needed two Saturdays (May 17 and 24) to
complete the work of bringing down the
sign. Alec Blotnick, president of the
Hialeah-based company, explains that
removal often takes more work than installation. Happily, the delay gave passersby
more time to witness the event, and many
were thrilled to learn of the restoration.
Jerry Bengis, whose father built the sign and
is working with Tropical on the project, estimates that repairs could run between
$30,000 and $40,000.
Recognizing the goodwill and continued
advertising value of the sign, owner of the
Coppertone brand, the Schering-Plough
Corp., is willing to help the project financially. Spokeswoman Jennifer Samolewicz says,
“If the repair cost is reasonable and an
appropriate new location is assured,
Schering-Plough will consider funding some
or all of the cost.” She adds that future maintenance will be part of that decision-making
process. (Schering-Plough is picking up the
cost of the sign’s removal and inspection.)
The MiMo Association wants the
Coppertone Girl moved to the MiMo
Biscayne Historic District, where her
kitschy 1950s appeal will blend naturally
with the post-war architecture. A specific
relocation site has not yet been identified,
but association president Fran Rollason says
the MiMo District is “where she will be
treasured and enjoyed as she should be, for
many more years to come.” Indeed, with all
the loose ends seemingly coming together,
that blue bathing suit could soon enjoy
another day in the Miami sun.
June 2008
One Eyesore Down, Umpteen More To Go
COMMUNITY NEWS
f all the eyesores along all the
blocks of Biscayne Boulevard,
none is better situated to get
right in your face than the old Café del
Mar. For several years it has sat abandoned and forlorn on the southeast corner of the Boulevard at 87th Street.
Thanks to traffic snarls caused by roadway construction at that intersection,
countless thousands of motorists have
found themselves at a dead stop within
spitting distance of the deteriorating former restaurant.
A protective fence has long since disappeared, as have sheets of plywood that
once covered the windows. Vagrants have
moved in. Rubbish is everywhere. A
parade of different For Sale signs has
sprouted along with the weeds. The place
is a proverbial poster child for neglected
Miami properties that often seem invisible
to city inspectors, though they’re obvious and disgusting to everyone else.
Well, at long last the building will
soon be demolished.
For one neighbor, it’s about time. “Any
W
O
By Erik Bojnansky
Special to BT
The old Café del Mar is about to bite the dust
All too familiar: You’re probably one among thousands who recognize
this building.
average citizen could never have had that
much latitude,” says Shorecrest homeowner
Jack Spirk. “It’s been a dangerous place
for kids, and homeless [have been there]
for months and months.” Spirk says he
complained about it for at least a year.
This past October the property and its dismal condition were supposed to have been
the subject of a hearing before the City of
Miami’s Code Enforcement Board.
According to Spirk, a “legal glitch” caused
the hearing to be postponed.
The property, officially 8699 Biscayne
Blvd., was home in the late 1980s to the
Fish Peddler restaurant. More recently it
saw life as Jacques Ardisson’s Café del
Mar, a seafood and sushi establishment
with a French accent. (Ardisson now owns
Moonchine Asian restaurant at 7100
Biscayne Blvd.) “The multicultural formula
must be working because Café del Mar was
packed with well-heeled patrons the Friday
night we visited,” wrote Fabiola Santiago in
a November 2001 Miami Herald article.
“Café del Mar was an excellent restaurant,” confirms Larry Lempky, owner of
Hoagie Hut Café across the Boulevard
from the property. Today, Lempky complains, “it’s not doing anything for the area
except attract crime.” Miami police Ofcr.
Darrell Nichols can attest to that.
For a while the empty building and
parking lot were well maintained, reports
Nichols, but that changed. “It seems that
over a period of time, I noticed different
real estate signs. Apparently it had been
changing hands,” Nichols says. “I called
[the Realtor] and told the girl, ‘We have a
problem, here are the issues.’ Nobody ever
called me back. It continued to deteriorate.” Soon the windows were broken.
“We had homeless camping out in there,”
Nichols continues, “people using drugs
and people going in to use drugs, things of
that nature.” According to Nichols, the
revolving cast of property owners also
made it difficult for code enforcement
inspectors to deliver notices of violation,
even recently.
Today the property is owned by the
eponymous 8699 Biscayne LLC. Tamara
Vance says she and her partners have
Last Night Someone Stole Your Bicycle
By Tiffany Rainey
BT Staff Writer
hen BT took to the phones and
made the rounds at local crimeprevention meetings for last
month’s “Perception vs. Reality” cover
story, all agreed that those affected must
report any and all incidents in order to
address crime adequately. Reporting
crimes makes statistics more accurate and,
claim police, enables officers to more
fully inform the public.
Still, surprisingly few victims take
time to report petty crimes, particularly in
the City of Miami. The biggest complaint? Inconvenience – especially when
filing a crime report requires trekking
downtown to police headquarters and then
trying to find parking. If the Miami Police
Department would just make the process
a little easier, some say, people would
June 2008
Sure it’s a crime, but chances are you won’t file a police report
actually follow through.
“Over the past few years they’ve made
it harder to report crimes,” insists Richard
Strell, president of the Neighborhood of
Edgewater Association of Residents.
“Crime Watch tells you to report, but
when it’s hard to report, it discourages
you.” He lays the blame in part on the
closure of police mini stations, including
the one located in Edgewater. Strell says
the outposts made reporting easier, and
since the one in Edgewater shut its doors
a few years ago, his neighbors have
stopped informing police of all the minor
crimes still plaguing the residential
enclave north of downtown. “That’s a
guaranteed way to cut down the crime
stats,” he remarks.
Miami Police Ofcr. Darrell Nichols, a
neighborhood resource officer in the
Upper Eastside, counters that the few
mini stations that did exist were underuti-
Aventura residents pay a whopping 1/3 of one penny per month to
subscribe to crimereports.com and get cool maps like this.
lized. He also contradicts Strell’s claim
that reports for less serious crimes, like
vandalism or missing property, have to be
made at the police station. “Our policy is
that we respond to all calls, but they are
prioritized by need,” he says. Still, he
concedes, “It will probably be much faster
to go down to the station.” These types of
reports, which are primarily for insurance
purposes, always take a back seat to
crimes in progress, he explains.
29
COMMUNITY NEWS
Soyka Gives Birth – Again!
BT photos by Silvia Ros
By Nina Korman
BT Contributor
Pioneering entrepreneur vows no more business babies after this
“I can live in the past, present,
and the future all at the same time,”
quips restaurateur and developer
Mark Soyka. A visionary of sorts,
Soyka hasn’t gained the ability to
time-travel. He’s just recounting the
many types of music played during
a typical car ride with some of his
children and marveling at how
smoothly their diverse tastes – classical, rock and roll, hip-hop – seem
to co-exist. The fact that Soyka is a
father of four (two girls and two
boys, ranging in age from 15 to 21)
has probably made it easier to deal
with the disparate personalities of
his six other offspring: the restaurants he has created, nurtured, and
guided toward continued success.
The oldest is the News Café on
South Beach, turning 20 this
December. Then came the Van Dyke
Café, Segafredo, Soyka, and
Andiamo. His youngest venture, the
News Bar, Lounge, and Café,
recently opened in the courtyard of
his 55th Street Station complex in
Miami’s MiMo historic district.
“It’s an evolution of what I have
here,” Soyka says of The News,
nestled among a gym, boutiques,
and offices. The idea was to establish a place where Biscayne
Corridor locals could pop in for
breakfast, grab a quick lunch, or
hang out late into the night playing
pool, listening to music, watching
films, and of course, eating and
Mark Soyka’s newest venture in the MiMo district offers breakfast for
drinking. Both the hours – from
early-risers and stays open late for night owls.
7:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. on weekdays
and 3:00 a.m. on weekends, depending on the crowd – and the vibe
Boulevard generally and the MiMo
invested in it heavily over the years.
promote what Soyka calls “the café
district in particular. Of course,
This latest endeavor took a year
life – sitting around,
from idea to opening. That may
looking at the sky, readsound rushed to anyone who has
ing the paper, having a
undertaken a construction project
The News serves as another vote of
light bite.”
in Miami, but Soyka managed to
confidence in the financial viability of
The News will be a
get it done with the attention to
the Boulevard generally and the
welcome addition to an
detail that has become his design
MiMo district in particular.
area many have long
trademark. From the tin ceilings to
decried for its lack of
the distressed (new) wall mural to
late-night options. It also
innovative hand-drying systems in
serves as another vote of confidence Soyka was among the first to see
the restrooms, the craftsmanship
in the financial viability of the
the area’s potential, and he has
is apparent.
30
As nonchalant as Soyka may
seem, the growth of his enterprises
might bring headaches as well as
happiness. The steady crowd that
55th Street Station has attracted
since its 1999 inception is sure to
increase with The News. Tight parking, the ultimate sign of prosperity,
is already evident. On The News’s
opening night, there was barely a
space to be had; the situation was
similar on a recent weekday afternoon. Two extra parking lots north
of the complex, on NE 4th Court,
accommodate spillover, but Soyka
is well aware that eventually he
might have to construct a low-scale
parking garage.
The resident population just west
of 55th Street Station will soon
increase permanently too. A multistory building devoted to affordable
housing is in its final stages of construction on property Soyka once
owned. It heartens him to think that
some of his approximately 700
employees might be able to live
within their means and be able to
walk to work. That vibrant mix of
people living, going, and doing, in
Soyka’s view, is part of the energy
of any great city.
With 55th Street Station fully
occupied and the News Café entering its third decade in business,
Soyka says his own life is calm.
Happy to concentrate on his current
creations, he has no plans for new
ventures. “I look at my places as
living organisms, like a home,” he
notes. “They want a new chair, new
paintings, a new chandelier, new
music, new stuff on the menu.”
The need to be ever-vigilant, a
state that would exhaust most people, keeps Mark Soyka from losing
interest. None of his four children
seem poised to join his empire just
yet, but that’s fine with him because
he has no intention of retiring. “I
love where I am. I think it’s a comfortable place to be,” he says. “I
always want to work. I need to go
somewhere when I get up!”
Feedback:[email protected]
June 2008
There’s Something Sad About Mary House
COMMUNITY NEWS
A developer debates whether to demolish a house that holds a place in movie, and Miami, history
T
By Erik Bojnansky
Special to BT
he crane accident that killed two
men and injured four others may
soon claim another victim: the
house in which the fatalities occurred.
On March 25, a 14,000-pound section
of the construction crane at the
Paramount Bay high-rise condominium
somehow slipped loose and plunged
roughly 37 stories, crashing through the
roof of a restored historic home that was
being used by the developer as a safety
office. (At press time, the cause of the
accident was still under investigation.)
The force of the impact not only took a
human toll, it severely damaged the
house.
Known for its role in the 1998 movie
There’s Something About Mary, the twostory home was a remnant of a bayfront
neighborhood of grand old homes along
N. Bayshore Drive, just north of downtown Miami. Paramount Bay developer
Dan Kodsi razed a number of those
houses to make way for his 46-story
skyscraper of a condo. One that he did
not raze, however, he instead painstakingly restored, with plans to convert it to
retail shops and a restaurant when construction was complete. He even had
named it: The Mary House at
Edgewater.
But damage to the home was serious
enough for the City of Miami to issue
an “unsafe structures” violation, giving
the property owner 30 days to demolish
or repair it.
Kodsi is weighing his options. “I
don’t know; it’s still a question,” he says
via e-mail. “We are still waiting for the
Bicycle
Tying up officers with documentation
for insurance purposes doesn’t seem like
the best idea, but neither does quietly
watching crime run rampant. So BT did a
little digging into possible solutions. We
found that, much like the issue of access
to crime statistics, answers can be found
online. Police departments nationwide are
using the Web to facilitate the reporting of
crime.
Several major cities – including San
June 2008
After restoration, before the accident: Mary House at Edgewater was
slated to become shops and a restaurant.
insurance company to give us direction.
We’re also waiting for reports back from
the engineer and the architect. It is a
process that we are in the middle of.”
The Mary House is considered the
last survivor of a Miami neighborhood
once known as Miramar. “It was an
entire area of houses that were constructed in the Teens and Twenties,”
says Paul George, a local historian
affiliated with the Historical Museum of
Southern Florida.
By the 1970s, though, Miami’s leaders envisioned Edgewater – as the
neighborhood had become known – as
future waterfront development. They upzoned it for high-rise development.
The erasure of the former Miramar
neighborhood was hardly noticed. While
preservationists clamored to protect Art
Deco structures across the bay in Miami
Jose, Minneapolis, Denver, and Spokane
– allow residents to file online reports for
crimes such as vandalism, lost property,
vehicle burglary, and theft. The reports
are then forwarded to an officer for
review before being supplied to residents
who need them to make insurance claims.
Certain restrictions are commonplace: the
types of crimes that can be reported
online, and warnings about the illegality
of filing false reports.
While fumbling around on the Web,
BT also discovered it’s much easier and
less expensive than originally expected to
Beach during the late 1970s and early
1980s, no one rushed to the aid of
Edgewater. “The neighborhood has been
so beat up,” says Miami historian Arva
Moore Parks. “There is not much left.”
Houses constructed during World War
I and the Roaring Twenties were
destroyed in 1980s, 1990s, and especially the present decade. Now, in place of a
whole neighborhood, sits the half-finished Paramount Bay project and the
damaged Mary House, surrounded by a
chain-link fence.
Attempts to pin down the house’s
precise history – not to mention its
address – failed by press time. The
Miami-Dade Property Appraiser’s
Website lists the house’s address as 2066
N. Bayshore Dr. and its construction
year as 1925. If that’s true, the home
would be the Bayshore Guest House,
provide useful crime information online.
The Web-based data service crimereports.com, which caters to police departments, takes Computer Aided Dispatch
numbers readily available daily within
every police department and plots them
on a map with a brief description.
Residents in cities that utilize the service,
such as nearby Aventura, can even request
daily crime updates, which are sent to
their e-mail accounts. The best part: The
service costs just $199 per month for
cities the size of Miami and requires no
additional staff.
owned by Archie S. Black, says Ana
Gonzalez, curatorial assistant for the
Historical Museum.
On the other hand, the City of Miami
lists the address as 2040 N. Bayshore
Dr., which is part of the 80,000-squarefoot property owned by Kodsi’s Royal
Palm Holdings.
Parks suspects the house may have
been occupied by the Historical
Museum of Southern Florida at one
time, but isn’t certain. “I knew it as the
Wolf House,” she says. “It might be that
house. I saw it very quickly at a
Planning Advisory Board meeting.”
Located at 2010 N. Bayshore Drive,
the Wolf House was a boarding house
situated on two lots and owned by
Geraldine Wolf. From 1962 to 1972, residents included staff of the Historical
Museum. “There were two apartments
there that were used by the museum
director and family,” Gonzalez explains.
The Wolf House sat across the street
from the now-extinct Miami Museum of
Modern Art.
Because the City of Miami nerver
designated the Mary House as historic, a
permit for its demolition could have
been issued years ago. But while other
developers rushed to tear down home in
Edgewater four or five years ago (sometimes even without demolition permits),
Kodsi opted to retain Mary House. “We
actually had a demolition permit at the
time,” he points out, but says it was a
“nice house” with a “nice history from
the 1920s. There was a lot to it.”
Although he can’t relay the details of
that history, apart from its role in the bigscreen comedy starring Ben Stiller and
Over a period of two weeks, BT
repeatedly tried to reach Miami City
Manager Pete Hernandez and Miami
police brass for an update on whether
they’d had a chance to discuss options for
improving the public’s access to crime
statistics. That’s what the manager said he
would do following publication of
“Perception vs. Reality.” BT also wanted
to give them the good news about affordable services like crimereports.com. But
no one returned the paper’s calls.
31
BISCAYNE PARK
biscayneparkfl.gov
Village Hall (Log Cabin) 640 NE 114th St. .................................305-899-8000
Mayor: John R. Hornbuckle ........................................................305-899-8000
Commissioner: Bob Anderson ....................................................305-899-8000
Commissioner: Kelly C. Mallette ................................................305-899-8000
Commissioner: Dr. Chester H. “Doc” Morris...............................305-899-8000
Commissioner: Steve Bernard ..................................................305-899-8000
Attorney: John Hearn..................................................................305-899-8000
Building/Zoning Official: Salvatore Annese................................786-306-9510
Clerk: Ann Harper .......................................................................305-899-8000
Manager: Frank Spence .............................................................305-899-8000
Code Enforcement Officer: Sira Ramos .....................................305-899-8000
Police Chief: Mitch Glansberg ....................................................305-899-8000
Police Main Office: .....................................................................305-893-7490
Police Non-Emergency Dispatch:...............................................305-595-6263
Public Works Director: Bernard Pratt..........................................305 893 4346
Recreation Director: Elisa Tankersley.........................................305-893-3711
EL PORTAL
elportalvillage.com
Village Hall 500 NE 87th St. .......................................................305-795-7880
Mayor: Mariette SanitVil .............................................................305-795-7880
Vice Mayor: Joyce Davis ............................................................305-795-7880
Councilman: Ruben Jean ...........................................................305-795-7880
Councilman: Harold E. Mathis, Jr. ..............................................305-795-7880
Councilwoman: Linda Marcus ....................................................305-795-7880
Building Official: Raul Rodriguez ................................................305-795-7880
Clerk: Albertha Patterson............................................................305-795-7880
Code Enforcement Officer ..........................................................305-795-7880
Manager: Jason Walker..............................................................305-795-7880
Police Chief: Eugene Morales ....................................................305-795-7880
Enforcement Officer: Larry March ..............................................305-795-7880
MIAMI
miamigov.com
City Hall 3500 Pan American Dr.
One-Stop Call Center: 311
Mayor: Manuel A. Diaz ...............................................................305-250-5300
District 1 Commissioner: Angel Gonzalez ..................................305-250-5430
District 2 Commissioner: Marc Sarnoff.......................................305-250-5333
District 3 Commissioner: Joe M. Sanchez .................................305-250-5380
District 4 Commissioner: Tomas P. Regalado ............................305-250-5420
District 5 Commissioner: Michelle Spence-Jones ......................305-250-5390
Independent Auditor General: Victor I. Igwe...............................305-416-2044
City Attorney: Jorge L. Fernandez..............................................305-416-1810
Communications Director: Kelly Penton .....................................305-416-1440
Building Department Director: Hector Lima ................................305-416-1102
City Clerk: Priscilla A. Thompson ...............................................305-250-5360
City Clerk Assistant: Pamela E. Burns .......................................305-250-5367
Civilian Investigative Panel Executive Director:
Shirley Richardson .....................................................................305-579-2444
Code Enforcement Director:
Mariano Loret de Mola ...............................................................305-416-2039
Code Enforcement Chief: Sergio Guadix ...................................305-416-2089
Community Development Director George Mensah...................305-416-2080
Community Relations Office Coordinator:
Ada Rojas ...................................................................................305-416-1351
Finance Director: Diana M. Gomez ............................................305-416-1324
Fire-Rescue Chief: William W. Bryson .......................................305-416-5401
Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief: Maurice Kemp.................................305-416-5403
Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief: Loran Dougherty .............................305-416-5407
City Manager: Pedro G. Hernandez ...........................................305-250-5400
City Manager's Office Chief Financial Officer:
Larry M. Spring ...........................................................................305-416-1011
Neighborhood Enhancement Teams (NET)
NET Director:
David A. Rosemond ..........................................................305-416-2091
..........................................................................................305-416-1992
Downtown Administrator:
Eddie Padilla-Morales .......................................................305-579-6007
(10 NE 9th Street)
Little Haiti Administrator:
Rasha Soray-Cameau ......................................................305-960-4660
(6421 NE 2nd Ave.)
Upper Eastside Administrator:
Maria T. Mascarenas ........................................................305-795-2330
(6599 Biscayne Blvd.)
Wynwood/Edgewater Administrator:
Alberto Zamorano .............................................................305-579-6931
(101 NW 34th St.)
Parks and Recreation Director:
32
Ernest Burkeen ...........................................................................305-416-1320
Parks Operations ........................................................................305-250-5373
Buena Vista Park ..............................................................305-795-2334
Ichimura Miami-Japan Garden .........................................305-960-4639
Legion Park.......................................................................305-758-9027
Lemon City Park ...............................................................305-759-3512
Margaret Pace Park..........................................................305-350-7938
Morningside Park ..............................................................305-754-1242
Municipal Cemetery ..........................................................305-579-6938
Planning Director: Ana Gelabert-Sanchez..................................305-416-1470
Planning Assistant Director: Carmen Sanchez...........................305-416-1417
Police Chief: John Timoney ........................................................305-603-6100
Police Deputy Chief: Frank G. Fernandez .................................305-603-6120
Police Internal Affairs Division: ..................................................305-835-2000
Police Non-Emergency: .............................................................305-579-6640
Public Works Director: Stephanie N. Grindell.............................305-416-1200
Zoning Administrator: Lourdes Slazyk ........................................305-416-1405
Zoning Information Supervisor: Aldo Reyes ...............................305-416-1493
MIAMI SHORES
miamishoresvillage.com
Village Hall 10050 NE 2nd Ave. .................................................305-795-2207
Mayor: Herta Holly......................................................................305-757-4679
(residence) 305-835-1934 (office)
Vice Mayor: Stephen K. Loffredo ............................305-754-8620 (residence)
........................................................................................305-757-8115 (office)
Councilman: Hunt Davis ..........................................305-751-1300 (residence)
........................................................................................305-691-9090 (office)
Councilman: Prospero Herrera................................305-757-2473 (residence)
Councilman: JC Rodriguez......................................305-754-3891 (residence)
Attorney: Richard Sarafan .........................................................305-349-2300
Building Director: Claudio Grande ..............................................305-795-2204
Clerk: Barbara Estep .................................................................305-795-2207
Finance Director: Vacant
Fire Department
(Miami-Dade County Station #30,
9500 NE 2nd Ave.) .....................................................................305-513-7930
Library Director: Elizabeth Esper................................................305-758-8107
Manager: Tom Benton ................................................................305-795-2207
Planning and Zoning Director:
David Dacquisto .........................................................................305-795-2207
Police Chief: Kevin Lystad..........................................................305-759-2468
Police Crime Watch/Mobile Patrol ..............................................305-756-5767
Police Department Non-Emergency ...........................................305-759-2468
Public Works Director: Scott Davis.............................................305-795-2210
Recreation Director: Jerry Estep ................................................305-758-8103
NORTH MIAMI
northmiamifl.gov
City Hall 776 NE 125th St. .........................................................305-893-6511
Information line ..........................................................................305-891-4636
Mayor: Kevin A. Burns ................................................................305-895-9815
District 1 Councilman: Scott Galvin ............................................305-895-9815
District 2 Councilman: Michael Blynn .........................................305-895-9815
District 3 Councilman: Jacques Despinosse ..............................305-895-9815
District 4 Councilwoman: Marie Erlande Steril ...........................305-895-9815
Animal Control: Tami Fox, Sr. Code Enforcement Officer .........305-895-9876
Attorney: V. Lynn Whitfield..........................................................305-895-9810
Attorney Deputy: Roland Galdos ................................................305-895-9810
Budget Director: Keith Kleiman ..................................................305-895-9893
Building and Zoning Director: Jacqueline Gonzalez ..................305-895-9820
Building and Zoning Department ...............................................305-895-9820
Clerk: Frank Wolland ..................................................................305-895-9817
Clerk Deputy: Jacquie Vieira ......................................................305-895-9817
Code Enforcement Director: Mike Ferrucci ..................305-895-9832(x17001)
Community Planning and Development Director:
Maxine Calloway ........................................................................305-895-9825
Community Redevelopment Agency Executive Director:
Tony E. Crapp, Sr. ......................................................................305-899-0272
Purchasing Director:Debbie Falestra..........................................305-895-9886
Finance Director: Carlos M. Perez .............................................305-895-9885
Information Technology Director:
Hortensia Machado ....................................................................305-895-9850
Housing Assistance Programs: Tom Calderon ..........................305-895-9824
Library Director: Joyce Pernicone ..............................................305-891-5535
Manager: Clarance Patterson.....................................................305-895-9888
Manager Deputy: Dennis Kelly ..................................................305-895-9888
MOCA Director and Chief Curator:
Bonnie Clearwater ......................................................................305-893-6211
NoMi Express Community Bus Service......................................305-947-9995
NoMi Express Community Bus Service Transportation Manager,
John O'Brien ...........................................................305-893-6511, ext. 12159
Parks and Recreation Director: Terry Lytle.................................305-895-9840
Parks Operation Center:.............................................................305-891-9334
Police Chief: Clinton Shannon ....................................................305-891-8111
Police Department Non-Emergency Service ..............................305-891-8111
Public Information Officer: Pam Solomon ..................................305-895-9891
Public Works Director: Mark E. Collins........................305-895-9831 (x12211)
Sanitation Division: .....................................................................305-895-9870
Sewer Backup: ...........................................................................305-895-9838
Stormwater/Flooding: ................................................................305-895-9878
Streets Division: .........................................................................305-895-9878
Utility Billing: ..............................................................................305-895-9880
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
Mayor: Carlos Alvarez ................................................................305-375-2202
District 2 Commissioner: Dorrin D. Rolle....................................305-375-4833
District 3 Commissioner: Audrey M. Edmonson .........................305-375-5393
District 4 Commissioner: Sally A. Heyman .................................305-375-5128
Manager: George M. Burgess ....................................................305-375-5311
Commission on Ethics and Public Trust .....................................305-579-2594
Dept. of Environmental Resources Management.......................305-372-6789
Director’s office ......................................................................305-372-6754
24-hour pollution hotline ........................................................305-372-6955
Inspector General: Christopher R. Mazzella ..............................305-375-1946
Fraud hotline..........................................................................305-579-2593
Hotline....................................................................................305-579-9093
Main Library ................................................................................305-375-2665
TDD (Telecommunication Device for Deaf) ................................305-375-2878
Culmer/Overtown Branch ......................................................305-579-5322
Golden Glades Branch ..........................................................305-787-1544
Lemon City Branch ................................................................305-757-0662
Little River Branch .................................................................305-751-8689
Water and Sewer Department ....................................................305-665-7477
Emergency.............................................................................305-274-9272
Complaints .............................................................................786-552-8970
Water quality ..........................................................................305-520-4738
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Superintendent: Dr. Rudolph F. Crew.........................................305-995-1430
District 1: Dr. Robert Bernard Ingram .........................................305-995-1334
District 2: Dr. Solomon C. Stinson ..............................................305-995-1334
District 3: Dr. Martin Karp ...........................................................305-995-1334
School Police Chief: Gerald L. Darling ..........................305-995-COPS(2677)
FLORIDA
Governor: Charlie Crist...............................................................850-488-7146
Governor: Press Office ...............................................................850-488-5394
State Attorney: Katherine Fernandez Rundle.............................305-547-0100
State Senators:
District 33: Frederica S. Wilson (D) ....................305-654-7150 (district office)
....................................................................850-487-5116 (Tallahassee office)
District 35: Gwen Margolis (D)............................305-993-3632 (district office)
District 36: Alex Diaz de la Portilla (R)................305-643-7200 (district office)
State Representatives:
District 104: Yolly Roberson (D)..........................305-650-0022 (district office)
District 106: Dan Gelber (D) ...............................305-531-7831 (district office)
District 108: Ronald A. Brisé (D) .........................305-623-3600 (district office)
District 109: Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall (D)....305-694-2958 (district office)
Dept. of Environmental Services: citizen services......................850-245-2118
Department of Transportation ..........................850-414-4100; 866-374-FDOT
District 6 Public Information:
Miami-Dade and Monroe.........................................................1-800-435-2368
Interim Secretary of Transportation:
Stephanie Kopelousos................................................................850-414-5205
FEDERAL
Senators:
Mel Martinez (R).......................................................202-224-3041 (DC office)
.............................................................................305-444-8332 (Miami office)
Bill Nelson (D)...................................202-224-5274 (DC office) 305-536-5999
Representatives:
District 17: Kendrick B. Meek (D) ...............................................305-690-5905
District 18: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) ...........................................202-225-3931
District 20: Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D)..............202-225-7931(DC office)
........................................................................305-936-5724 (Aventura office)
DEA (Miami Field Office) ............................................................305-994-4870
FBI (Miami Field Office)..............................................................305-944-9101
For e-mail information on these officials, please visit biscaynetimes.com and click on our Community Contacts link
June 2008
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS
MIAMI
Bayside Residents Association
Louis Bourdeau
[email protected]
www.homestead.com/baysideresidents
Belle Meade Homeowners
Margret Tynan, president
[email protected]
305-759-3848
Buena Vista Heights
Evelyn Andre, president
[email protected]
305-528-4148
Buena Vista East Historic
Neighborhood Association
Pradel Denis, president
[email protected]
305-754-6781
Buena Vista Homeowner’s Association
Julia Colas, president
[email protected]
Citizens on Patrol
Fred St. Amand, chairman
[email protected]
305-754-5454
786-236-1545 Cel
Communities United
Hattie Willis, executive director
BISCAYNE PARK
June 2, 6:30 p.m.
Planning and Zoning Board meeting
Recreation Center
11400 NE 9th Ct.
305-899-8000
June 3, 7 p.m.
Commission meeting
Recreation Center
11400 NE 9th Ct.
305-899-8000
June 10, 6:30 p.m.
Code Review Committee meeting
Recreation Center
11400 NE 9th Ct.
305-899-8000
June 16, 6:30 p.m.
Recreation Center
11400 NE 9th Ct.
305-899-8000
EL PORTAL
June 17, 7 p.m.
Village Council meeting
El Portal Village Hall
500 NE 87th St.
305-795-7880
MIAMI
June 2, 9 a.m.
Code Enforcement Board meeting
Miami City Hall - Commission Chambers
3500 Pan American Dr.
305-416-2030
June 2008
[email protected]
305-754-3993
Lake Belmar Home Owners Association
Manuel Fente, president
305-379-4900
[email protected]
www.lakebelmar.org
Neighbors of Oakland Grove
Agusto L. Newell, president
[email protected]
305-751-2415
Palm Bay Condominium Inc.
Bill Mathisen, president
[email protected]
305-759-2455
Little River Neighborhood
Improvement
Lavon Williams, president
[email protected]
305-490-3160
Palm Bay Towers
Jorge Bosch, president
[email protected]
305-373-0553
Miami Neighborhoods United
Grace Solares, president
[email protected]
www.miaminu.org
Palm Grove Neighborhood
Bob Powers, president
[email protected]
305-299-0052
Magnolia Park
Geoffrey Bash
[email protected]
305-401-9001
Morningside Civic Association
William Hopper, president
[email protected]
305-877-1479
Neighborhood of Edgewater Area of
Residents
Richard Strell, president
[email protected]
Palm Bay Yacht Club
Paul Kushukian, president
[email protected]
305-757-3500
Shorecrest Homeowner’s Association
Millie Santana, president
[email protected]
Upper Eastside Miami
Council
Henry Patel, president
[email protected]
305-757-9780
www.uppereastsidemiami.org
Venetian Causeway Neighborhood
Alliance
Barbara K. Bisno, president
[email protected]
305-374-2566 / 786-390-4134
EL PORTAL
El Portal Homeowners Association
Ana Moré, president
305-494-6978
[email protected]
MIAMI SHORES
Miami Shores Property Owners
Association
Bekky Leonard, president
305-759-2235
[email protected]
www.miamishorespoa.org
NORTH MIAMI
Alhambra Heights
Beverly Hilton, president
[email protected]
786-553-8555
Arch Creek East Neighborhood
Association (ACENA)
Carol Preger, president
[email protected]
305-606-3636
Community Calendar
June 3, 3 p.m.
Historic and Environmental Preservation
Board meeting
305-416-2030
June 4, 6 p.m.
Civilian Investigative Panel meeting
Miami City Hall - Staff Room
305-579-2444, ext. 227
June 5, 5 p.m.
305-416-2030
June 9, 7 p.m.
Zoning Board meeting
305-416-2030
June 10, 6 p.m.
Waterfront Advisory Board meeting
305-416-2030
June 11, 5 p.m.
305-416-2030
June 12, 9 a.m.
City Commission meeting
Miami City Hall - Commissions Chambers
305-416-2030
June 16, 6:30 p.m.
Nuisance Abatement Board meeting
305-416-2030
June 17, 6 p.m.
Civilian Investigative Panel meeting
Miami City Hall - Staff Room
305-579-2444, ext. 227
June 18, 7 p.m.
Planning Advisory Board meeting
305-416-2030
June 19, 9 a.m.
305-416-2030
June 25, 5 p.m.
305-416-2030
June 26, 9 a.m.
City Commission meeting
305-416-2030
MIAMI SHORES
June 3, 7 p.m.
Miami Shores Village Hall
10050 NE 2nd Ave.
305-795-2207
June 5, 6 p.m.
10050 NE 2nd Ave.
305-795-2207
June 17, 7 p.m.
10050 NE 2nd Ave.
305-795-2207
June 26, 7 p.m.
10050 NE 2nd Ave.
305-795-2207
NORTH MIAMI
June 2, 6 p.m.
CRA Advisory Board meeting
City Hall - Council Chambers
776 NE 125th St.
305-891-4636
June 3, 7 p.m.
Planning Commission
776 NE 125th St.
305-891-4636
June 4, 10 a.m.
776 NE 125th St.
305-891-4636
June 9, 6:30 p.m.
Charter Review Board meeting
776 NE 125th St.
305-891-4636
Central
Michael McDearmaid, president
[email protected]
305-893-0566
Enchanted Place
Ken Di Genova, president
[email protected]
305-892-1710
Keystone Point Homeowner’s
Association (KPHA)
Bruce M. Gibson, president
305-606-8662
[email protected]
Karen de Leon, secretary
[email protected]
www.keystonepoint.org
Sans Souci Gated Homeowner
Ernie Long, president
[email protected]
305-931-4284
Sunkist Grove Homeowners
Joyce Mumford, president
[email protected]
305-915-8922
Westside Neighborhood
Association
Clarence Merke, president
305-681-5552
June 10, 5:30 p.m.
CRA Board meeting
776 NE 125th St.
305-891-4636
June 10, 7 p.m.
City Council meeting
776 NE 125th St.
305-891-4636
June 11, 2 p.m.
Staff Review Committee (Building &
Zoning)
776 NE 125th St.
305-891-4636
June 18, 6:30 p.m.
Board of Adjustment
776 NE 125th St.
305-891-4636
June 24, 5:30 p.m.
CRA Board meeting
776 NE 125th St.
305-891-4636
June 27, 7 p.m.
City Council meeting
776 NE 125th St.
305-891-4636
June 26, 2 p.m.
Staff Review Committee (Building &
Zoning)
776 NE 125th St.
305-891-4636
33
POLICE REPORTS
Your Car Is Not Your Temporary Bank
500 Block of NE 15th Street
Yes, the Biscayne Corridor has experienced an amazing transformation during
the past five years, leaving residents
safer, less grimy, and more confident.
But a sleaze factor remains, as do hapless and ignominious so-called victims.
A man who parked his car in a dark area
and inexplicably left his wallet and cell
phone inside returned hours later (was he
taking a dip in the bay?) only to find a
smashed window and his items of value
vanished. Officers checked for prints and
are looking for a well-known neighborhood opportunist. We hope residents will
learn from yet another clueless victim.
Foiled Again!
It was Aristotle who spoke about means,
such as the mean between courage and
cowardice. Well, these criminals displayed a bit too much brazen bravery. In
broad daylight, they broke a window at
34
Biscayne Crime Beat
Compiled by Derek McCann
an auto parts store shortly after closing.
The perpetrators pushed stolen shopping
carts into the business and loaded them
with auto parts. They then made their
escape with their rickety getaway apparatus. They were arrested shortly thereafter and placed in county jail. Beware,
Miami, like a pair of comic book villains, this Shopping Cart Dynamic Duo
is likely planning their next attack.
Finding a Public Restroom
Omni
This desperate man, in an effort to
relieve himself, walked into a neighborhood home and promptly used a bathroom to defecate. Missing items include
several piles of toilet paper. The bathroom bandit, to his credit, was courteous
enough to flush – likely to be a mitigating factor in court. Ironically, at the same
time as this defendant was taking care of
his business in one house, the home next
door (owned by the same person) was
being burglarized. In the latter case, the
bathroom was not used.
More Breakup Drama
200 Block of NE 82nd Street
BT’s monthly “Police Reports” would not
be complete without the obsessive spurnedlover shenanigans. After his woman ended
the relationship, Mr. Boy Toy came by her
home to offer his own version of the serenade ritual. The ex-girlfriend opened the
door after his repeated banging on it. When
she told him it was truly over, he grabbed
her by the throat and commenced choking
her. She was able to fend him off and shut
the door. In a chivalrous effort to win her
back, he tried a variation on the romantic
courtship ploy of throwing small pebbles at
the window to get her attention. However,
he chose to throw a brick, thus shattering
the pane of glass.
June 2008
POLICE REPORTS
Crime
Night of the Living Thief
2000 Block of N. Miami Avenue
A business, showing compassion, hired
a homeless man to be an occasional
handyman. This nontraditional worker
likely did not have any reliable references save for the neighborhood thugs.
As a result, he was found stealing copper wire as well as (gasp!) drinking on
the job. He disappeared and a police
report was issued. He won’t be hard to
find because he is described as having
one arm shorter than the other and keeps
a temporary residence at the Miami City
Cemetery on NE 2nd Avenue. Do not be
alarmed if you see a body moving there
in the wee hours of the night.
Next Time Hang It Around Your Neck
Men – except for the metrosexual manpurse crowd – have an advantage over
women as they tend to keep their everyday valuables in a wallet inside their
pocket. This gender gap became
painfully apparent at a popular nightspot
where a woman wanted to dance the
June 2008
night away but likely found her purse to
be a restrictive nuisance. She placed the
bag on a counter and while she was
shaking her groove thang watched as a
man grabbed the purse and ran out the
door with it. She gave chase but lost
him quickly. Women should adapt to the
wallet lifestyle and wear their purses at
all times – though they should be careful not to let these swinging accessories
knock out prospective hook-ups.
Revenge of the Taxi Driver
800 Block of NE 82nd Street
When a cab driver dropped a fare at his
home, the passenger said his money was
in his apartment and promised to go get
it and come back. The meter kept ticking
away, eventually doubling the original
fare. The driver patiently waited and then
called the cops. They knocked on the
door. The deadbeat opened up, saw them,
then shut it again. Dumb move. The officers broke down the door and hauled his
sorry ass to jail – free of charge.
Abuse of the Taxi Driver
73rd Street and Biscayne Boulevard
In a terrible job market, a newly hired
and eager cab driver readied himself to
assist Miami’s diverse and eclectic populace. His first fare did not go so well.
When he dropped off his passengers,
they not only refused to pay they also
choked him and demanded money.
Because they were his first customers,
he had nothing to give them. The thugs
took off, leaving a devastated driver
who’s likely sending out fresh résumés.
Attack of the Beer-Gut Man and
Aggressive Lesbians – Part 1
Belle Meade
A woman filed a police report, claiming
she had been approached by a man who
stated he was her new boyfriend,
entered her home and forced her to
write out a check to him. When police
responded, she offered her own theory
on the nature of crime: “This usually
occurs with tall black men with pot bellies.” When the suspect was later arrested and the woman was asked to ID him,
she showed up disheveled, with dirty
hair and nails, and lipstick smeared on
her teeth. She then wanted to file a new
report about two area lesbians who are
trying to have sex with her.
Investigation revealed the woman is a
chronic report-filer who changes her
door locks on a weekly basis. And you
thought you had issues?
12 Steps, Miami-Style
3000 Block of NE 4th Avenue
It’s hard to get sober, but The Village, at
30th and Biscayne, has helped thousands trudge that road to a happy destiny. This victim was in his room, likely
in meditation, when a fellow recovering
addict confronted him and accused him
of some rehab drama. The angry man
left the room after being told to, but
returned later – and not with his AA
“Big Book” either. He stabbed the victim in the face with a knife. Fortunately
several residents apprehended him
before he could inflict further damage.
Police arrested him, and he now must
work his program from county jail. We
hope the victim can come to terms with
this incident as he goes through Step 4,
which includes a self-inventory of
resentments.
35
A R T & C U LT U R E
R
Rock and Art
“Sympathy for the Devil” spans four decades of artwork informed by the rebellious sounds surrounding it
By Victor Barrenechea
BT Contributor
ock and roll and avant-garde art
have always existed on the countercultural edges of society, pushing boundaries their own way. The connection between these two seemingly
disparate worlds became clearer sometime in the mid-1960s, when Andy
Warhol hooked up with alt-rock forerunners the Velvet Underground. Ever since
then, the visual culture of rock has left a
lasting imprint on the art world.
“The culture surrounding rock music
has so many visual distinctions that
affect artists,” says Dominic Molon of
Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art
(MCA). Molon curated and created
“Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock
and Roll Since 1967.” The show, currently on view at the Museum of
Contemporary Art (MOCA) in North
Miami, attempts to illustrate and explore
the overlap between these two forms of
expression.
“The show was really inspired by the
fact that my first exposure to avantgarde, contemporary art came from rock
music,” says Molon, who had the idea
for this exhibition as far back as 1994,
when he began compiling a list of pertinent works and artists, as well as configuring and conceptualizing an exhibition
in his mind. It wasn’t until 2005, though,
that he finally proposed the idea. By fall
2007 “Sympathy for the Devil” debuted
at the MCA.
Now, with the exhibition down here,
Bonnie Clearwater, director and chief
curator of MOCA, says its purpose “is to
show that there’s this historic relationship that evolved and is constantly
changing.” Certainly we can trace this
relationship from Warhol’s banana album
cover for the Velvet Underground’s
debut The Velvet Underground and Nico,
all the way up to the 1990s, with people
like installation artist and musician Mike
Kelly or German Pop artist Gerhard
Richter, who have contributed their own
album art to experimental avant-rockers
Sonic Youth, and so on up to the present
day. To truly reflect what a long, sometimes strange trip it’s been, “Sympathy
for the Devil” consists of more than 100
36
Clockwise from top left: A musical
performance in Rirkrit Tiravanija’s
Plexiglas booth, Christian
Marclay's 1991 David Bowie from
the series "Body Mix," Raymond
Pettibon's No Title (Fight for freedom!), and a work from Robert
Longo's Men in the Cities series.
works by 56 artists and artist collectives.
“No one had really done an exhibition
that just sort of looked at this history
comprehensively,” Molon says. “The
most important thing people kept telling
me is to not make it so literal.” As a
result, “Sympathy” takes a more nuanced
approach to exposing how the connections of these two media manifest themselves. More varied and complex than a
mere display of rock’s classic album
covers, there are works by musicians
who double as artists, like Cosey Fanni
Tutti of the English industrial band
Throbbing Gristle, and Bjorn Copeland,
who plays for the New York noise band
Black Dice.
Meanwhile the interplay between
audience and rocker makes interactive
art all the more fitting for this exhibition.
The prime example is Rirkrit Tiravanija’s
Untitled 1996, in which a Plexiglas room
serves as a recording studio where musicians are welcome to sign up and perform in the space. What they record
becomes part of the work’s history.
Then there’s the work of New York
painter and printmaker Robert Longo,
who in addition to having directed music
videos for bands R.E.M. and New Order,
is also a veteran musician from New
York’s late-1970s No Wave scene. Music
remains an integral part of the content of
his work. Three portraits from his Men in
the Cities series represent three musical
notes in a chord (among other things) by
showing two businessmen and one
woman in different contorted poses.
June 2008
Rock
Another note is hit by California’s
Raymond Pettibon, who designed album
covers for the L.A. underground label
SST Records throughout the 1980s. His
work displays the same edgy social
commentary found in the punk rock and
hardcore music that label released. Or
New York’s Jack Pierson, who’s not a
musician but is still inspired by the
imagery associated with rock culture.
His sign-lettering sculpture Phil Spector
evokes the classic punk rock ransom-letter graphics of the mid-1970s.
“I think you see so much work with
rock iconography,” comments Molon,
referring to rock’s increasing influence
on the art world. He sees the two worlds
merging and overlapping more frequently than ever before. It has become familiar territory for bands to play art fairs
and perform in galleries.
Even locally there’s been a steady
relationship between art and rock. In the
mid-1990s, Space Cadet Records was a
major impetus for artist Manny Prieres
to start the now-celebrated artist-run collective the Box, along with Leyden
24 Hour Services
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June 2008
Rodriguez-Casanova and José Reyes.
The defunct DIY studio/indie record
label focused mainly on music but
would occasionally curate art shows of
now-noted local artists such as Robert
Chambers, William Cordova, and Naomi
Fisher.
Miami artist Beatriz Monteavaro is
also a veteran of that 1990s underground
scene, having played drums briefly in
the bands Floor and Cavity. Today
Cavity’s former front man, Rene Barge,
is an artist represented by Wynwood’s
Dorsch Gallery, which occasionally
hosts performances by local bands.
Prieres says rock music has had an
impact on his visual output. “My work
kind of deals with it,” he says. “It’s a
big part, but not the only part.” In the
past, he’s designed album covers and
sleeves for local groups, but he thinks
the interaction has slowed. “I just feel
like the mid-1990s in Miami – there was
a lot more going on in that sense,” he
says, adding, “It probably still happens;
it’s just a younger crowd.”
But at least one member of this
younger crowd believes the art beat goes
on. Interdisciplinary artist Federico
know what I’m more passionate about,”
he admits. “I’m as passionate about
music as I am about art. In terms of the
way I approach my work, there’s no
divide.” The art and music worlds are
strongly intertwined in Miami, he adds.
“There’s definitely a new generation
happening,” he says. Younger groups
such as the Jacuzzi Boys, Hahahelp!,
Luciano Guidini, and Dino Felipe have
band members who attend art schools,
while others employ definite visual and
conceptual components in their onstage
theatrics. Nessi says local musicians
have been exposed to a lot of art. “I
think that’s affected the music scene,”
he says. “It’s an exciting time in Miami.
It’s just a matter of sticking with it.”
A drawing by Japanese Pop artist
Yoshitomo Nara.
Nessi works in photography, video
installation, and music. He’s known for
assembling ambitious multimedia happenings that incorporate video art, performance, and live rock music. “I don’t
“Sympathy for the Devil: Art and
Rock and Roll Since 1967” runs through
September 7 at the Museum of
Contemporary Art, 770 NE 125th St.,
North Miami. For hours and more information, call 305-893-6211 or visit
www.mocanomi.org.
GUARDS
ARMED/UNARMED
ALL LOCATIONS
19553 NW 2nd Avenue
Miami Gardens, Florida
37
WYNWOOD GALLERY WALK & DESIGN DISTRICT ART +
DESIGN NIGHT
SATURDAY, JUNE 14
1st and 21st STUDIOS
2045 NW 1st Ave., Miami
305-608-1998
June 7 through June 14:
“Analog/Digital” with Raymond Adrian, Cristine Brache,
Christina Felisgrau, Gary Fonseca, Juan Griego, Sinisa Kukec,
Marlene Lopez, Ralph Manresa, Nichole Martinez, Jillian
Mayer, Brandon Opalka, Gustavo Oviedo, Ricky Rayns,
Ronnie Rivera, Johnny Robles, Adam Rush, Bopsy, Agustin
Salas, Stephan Tugrul, and Neranjan Venom
Reception June 6, 7 to 11 p.m.
ABBA FINE ART
233 NW 36th St., Miami
305-576-4278
www.abbafineart.com
Through June 11:
"Memories of Eden" by Tony Caltabiano
June 21 through July 31:
"Reflejos de Una Tierra" with various artists
ALBERTINI ARTS
305-576-2781
www.albertiniarts.com
Through June 7:
"Decadence and Decay" curated by Kris Steffner with Eric
Edwards, Fernando “El” Ganas, Joseph Fischer, Kris Steffner,
Laurie Vaughn, Melissa Markowitz, Mike Frick, and Tony
Rosca
Group show with Joseph Fischer, Kris Steffner, Melissa
Markowitz, Tony Rosca, and Magda Audifred
ALEJANDRA VON HARTZ FINE ARTS
2134 NW Miami Ct., Miami
305-438-0220
www.alejandravonhartz.net
Through July 31:
"Minimum Landscape" by Artur Lescher
AMAYA GALLERY
2033 NW 1st Pl., Miami
917-743-2925
www.amayagallery.com
Call gallery for exhibition information.
AMBROSINO GALLERY
2628 NW 2nd Ave., Miami
305-891-5577
www.ambrosinogallery.com
ART FUSION
1 NE 40th St., Miami
305-573-5730
www.artfusiongallery.com
Through June 26:
“Spectrums of Reincarnation” with various artists
ART GALLERY AT GOVERNMENT CENTER
111 NW 1st St., Suite 625, Miami
305-375-4634
www.miamidadearts.org
Through June 3:
“Tethered” by Frances Trombly
June 7 through August 9:
“Distant Wanders, Close Enchantment” by Donna Torres
ART ROUGE
305-448-2060
www.artrouge.com
Through June 12:
Group show with various artists
“Summer Group Show” with Rodrigo Aguilera, Doris Mayoral,
Cheryl Maeder, John Berry, Luciana Abait, Patricia Gutierrez,
and Kevin E. Duffy
38
ART LISTINGS
ARTFORMZ
New location:
171 NW 23rd St., Miami
305-572-0040
www.artformz.net
“Diverse Works” with Fabian De La Flor, Natasha Duwin,
Donna Haynes, Anja Marais, Alejandro Mendoza, Ray Paul,
Rosario Rivera-Bond, Alette Simmons-Jimenez, Chieko
Tanemura, and more
BAKEHOUSE ART COMPLEX
561 NW 32nd St., Miami
305-576-2828
www.bakehouseartcomplex.org
Through June 16:
“Against the Grain” with various artists
DELUXE ARTS GALLERY
305-858-7735
"Subjective Charm" by Tatiana Suarez
Reception June 14, 7 to midnight
DETAILS FACTORY
305-573-1729
BARBARA GILLMAN GALLERY
4141 NE 2nd Ave. #202, Miami
305-573-1920
www.artnet.com/bgillman.html
Ongoing show by Bill Leech
BAS FISHER INVITATIONAL
180 NE 39th St., #210, Miami
By appointment: [email protected]
Through June 14:
“Museum Quality” by Alvaro Ilizarbe
BERNICE STEINBAUM GALLERY
3550 N. Miami Ave., Miami
305-573-2700
www.bernicesteinbaumgallery.com
Through June 14:
“Cornered” by Karen Rifas
"Progeny" with Deborah Willis and Hank Willis Thomas
CAROL JAZZAR CONTEMPORARY ART
158 NW 91st St., Miami Shores
305-490-6906
www.cjazzart.com
By appointment: [email protected]
CENTER FOR VISUAL COMMUNICATION
305-571-1415
www.visual.org
“Recent Editions by Contemporary Masters” with various
artists
Reception June 14, 7:30 to 10 p.m.
CHELSEA GALLERIA
305-576-2950
www.chelseagalleria.com
Through June 11:
“CONSTRUKTS” by Paul Clemence
“Solitary States” curated by Bryan Barcena with Patty Carroll,
Justin Namon, Jason DeMarte, Susan Lipper, Tribble and
Mancenido, José Felix Perez, Paul Clemens, Larry Bercow,
and others
DAMIEN B. CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER
305-573-4949
www.damienb.com
Through June 9:
"Deconstructing Urban Icons" by Enrico Bacci
"ARTundressed" with various artists
DAVID CASTILLO GALLERY
305-573-8110
www.castilloart.com
Through June 7:
Solo show by Frances Trombly
Group show with various gallery artists
ELITE ART EDITIONS GALLERY
305-403-5856
www.elitearteditions.com
"Summer Show" with Chenco, Fabia Nitti, Luis Kaiulani, Jorge
Matas, Miguel and Angel Jiménez
ETRA FINE ART
305-438-4383
www.etrafineart.com
Through July 12:
“Spring Show 2008” with Mario Benjamin and Claudia
Hakim
“June 2008: Art in Context” by Ricardo Pelaez
EUROPEAN ART GALLERY
305-438-9006
www.euartgallerymiami.com
Ongoing exhibitions by Irmaly Brackin and Elmer Hund and
“Light and Water,” an ongoing exhibition by Lily Wicnudel
Mark Handforth, Western Sun, fluorescent light, fixtures, 2004, at
the Miami Art Museum.
DIANA LOWENSTEIN FINE ARTS
305-576-1804
www.dlfinearts.com
Through June 7:
"Consciousness of Conscience" by Gye-Hoon Park and
“SuperNatural” by Jill Hotchkiss
"Season Review" with Sergio Bazán, Rabindranat Diaz, Felice
Grodin, Marc Hello, Ola Kolehmainen, Michael Loveland,
Gye-Hoon Park, Silvia Rivas, Georges Rousse, Guillermo
Srodek-Hart, Graciela Sacco, Karina Wisniewska, and
Michael Wolf
DIASPORA VIBE GALLERY
305-573-4046
www.diasporavibe.net
“The Man, The Work, His Images” by Christopher Carter
DORSCH GALLERY
305-576-1278
www.dorschgallery.com
Through June 7:
"It’s OK to Cross Now" with Karl Bohwinkle, Luis Garcia,
Robin Griffiths, Chin-chin Hsu, Christina Molina, Carrie
Montano, Hugo Montoya, Jon Peck, Toot, Tony Kapel, Travis
Pendlebury, Enrique Quintero, Brian Reedy, Guillermo
Ruballo, John Sanchez, Wiliam Soto, Brandon Sparling, Kyle
Trowbridge, and Maitejosune Urrechaga
“Prescience” with Martin Basher, Katherine Behar, Catherine
Czacki, Cui Fei, Michelle Hailey, Kristine Moran, Martin
Murphy, and Alison Read Smith
DOT FIFT YONE ART SPACE
305-573-9994
www.dotfiftyone.com
Through June 30:
“Personal” by Alicia Fontanills and “Strings” by Juan Carlos
Caldivar
EDGE ZONES CONTEMPORARY ART
305-303-8852
www.edgezones.org
FREDRIC SNITZER GALLERY
305-448-8976
www.snitzer.com
Through June 2:
"We Are All in the Gutter, But Some of Us Are Looking At the
Stars" by Beatriz Monteavaro
Summer group show with Terrence Koh, Christian Holstead,
William Cordova, Hernan Bas, Norberto Rodriguez, Sean
Dack, Brock Enright, Jon Pylypchuk, and more
GALERIE EMMANUEL PERROTIN
305-573-2130
www.galerieperrotin.com
Through July 26:
Solo shows by Cary Kwok and Martin Oppel
GALLERY DIET
305-571-2288
www.gallerydiet.com
Through June 7:
“Here and Forever” by N. Sean Glover
“But We Look So Good in Our Uniforms” by Bridget Baker
GARY NADER FINE ART
305-576-0256
www.garynader.com
GO GO GALLERY
305-576-0696
www.gogogallery.com
HARDCORE ARTS CONTEMPORARY SPACE
305-576-1645
www.hardcoreartcontemporary.com
Through July 5:
"You Cannot Feel It...I Wish You Could" by Grimanesa
Amoros, “Sheer Fear” by Ena Marrero, works by Adam Lewin,
and a site-specific installation by Pepe Lopez
Solo show by Carlos Trilnick
HAROLD GOLEN GALLERY
Temporary location:
305-576-1880
www.haroldgolengallery.com
Through June 7:
“Hipster’s Holiday” with Sam Gambino and Sunny Buick
June 2008
Art Listings
IN-DEPENDENT GALLERY SPACE
175 NW 22nd St., Miami
305-672-1002
www.in-dependent.com
Through June 14:
“The Human Factor” by Jojo Corväiá
“La Feliz” by Flor Lista
KARPIO + FACCHINI GALLERY
1929 NW 1st Ave., Miami
305-576-4454
www.facchinigallery.com
KEVIN BRUK GALLERY
305-576-2000
www.kevinbrukgallery.com
Summer group show with various artists
KUNSTHAUS MIAMI
305-438-1333
www.kunsthaus.org.mx
LEITER GALLERY
6900 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
305-389-2616
LOCUST PROJECTS
305-576-8570
www.locustprojects.org
Through June 28:
"To Have, To Hold, and To Violate: Amber and Doll” by Amber
Hawk Swanson and "Febreze Scentstories" by Matthew
Sutton
June 2008
LUIS ADELANTADO GALLERY
305-438-0069
www.luisadelantadomiami.com
Through June 2:
"En El Nombre del Padre" with Priscilla Mongue, Marta
Maria Perez Bravo, Alexander Apostol, and Milagros
de la Torre
PANAMERICAN ART PROJECTS
305-573-2400
www.panamericanart.com
Through June 10:
Group show with Ernesto Estevez, Paul Manes, Diego Torres,
and Vanguardia
“Off the Walls” with Gene Pearson, Hernan Dompe, Dora
Isdatne, Nora Correas, José Benito, Colin Garland, Kapo,
William Cannings, Leon Ferrari, and Carlos Enriquez
LYLE O. REITZEL GALLERY
305-573-1333
www.artnet.com/reitzel.html
Through July 30:
“Crossroads” by Gerard Ellis
MARCY BUILDING
305-305-6407
www.rickyrayns.com
"REFLECTIVITY Pt.1: Mind Fields" by Ricky Rayns Jimenez
MIAMI ART GROUP GALLERY
305-576-2633
www.miamiartgroup.com
Solo show by Tom Rossetti
MIAMI ART SPACE
305-438-9002
www.miamiartspace.com
Through June 14:
“Painting, Photography, and Sculpture" by Kenneth Treister
MIAM-DADE COLLEGE, CENTER GALLERY
300 NE 2nd Ave.,
Bldg. 1, Room 1365, Miami
305-237-3696
www.mdc.edu
Through June 20:
“I DO, I DO” by W-10
Martin Oppel, Dark Flora (with elements), oil on canvas, 2008, at
Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin.
MIAMI EVENT SPACE
7820 NE 4th Ct., Miami
305-438-9002
www.miamieventspace.com
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ART AND DESIGN
1501 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
305-428-5700
www.mymiu.com
Through June 27:
MFA show with Nadine Andersen Cheng, Sebastian
Barragan, and Veronica Martin
THE MOORE SPACE
4040 NE 2nd Ave., 2nd floor, Miami
305-438-1163
www.themoorespace.org
Through July 1:
“Constantly Expanding” by José Alvarez and a solo show by
Kalup Linzy
PRAXIS INTERNATIONAL ART
305-573-2900
www.praxis-art.com
A performance by Becky Flores and a solo show by Ruben
Torres Llorca
SIGNATURE ART GALLERY
305-576-1645
http://signatureart.blogspot.com
Through July 5:
“Mistake” by Amparo Sard
SPINELLO GALLERY
786-271-4223
www.spinellogallery.com
Through June 30:
"In Between Places" by Lee Materazzi
STEVE MARTIN STUDIO
305-484-1491
www.stevemartinfineart.com
Through June 10:
Solo show by Sidonie Villere
39
Art Listings
“Group Show: Gallery Artist” with various artists
SUYU ART GALLERY
12399 W. Dixie Hwy., North Miami
561-201-2053
www.suyucultural.com
Through June 14:
“Suyu #5 with various artists
Reception June 14, 7:30 to 11:30 p.m.
T WENT Y T WENT Y PROJECTS
2020 NW Miami Ct., Miami
786-217-7683
www.twentytwentyprojects.com
Through June 30:
Solo show by Jay Hines
Reception June 14, 7 to midnight
UNIVERSIT Y OF MIAMI P ROJECTS SPACE
305-284-2542
"MFA Thesis Exhibition" with Grant Bloodgood
UNDERCURRENT ART S
305-571-9574
www.undercurrentarts.com
UNTITLED 2144
2144 NE 2nd Ave., Miami
305-576-2112
www.untitled2144.com
Through June 18:
“Marilyn Monroe” by Lawrence Schiller
40
WALLFLOWER GALLERY
10 NE 3rd St., Miami
305-579-0069
www.wallflowergallery.com
myspace.com/wallflowergallery
WHITE VINYL SPACE
7160 NW 2nd Ct., Miami
305-776-1515
www.whitevinylspace.com
Through June 15:
“Maze” by Skip Van Cel
Installation location: 290 NW 72nd Terr., Miami
MUSEUM & COLLECTION EXHIBITS
CIFO (Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation)
305-455-3380
www.cifo.org
Through June 22:
“CIFO 2008 Grants and Commissions Exhibition” with
Alejandro Almanza Pereda, Johanna Calle, Jonathan
Harker, Mateo López, Daniel Medina, Moris (Israel Meza
Moreno), Amilcar Lucien Packer Yessouroun, Luis
Romero, Ícaro Zorbar Sánchez Laverde, Francisco
Valdés, Pablo Cardoso, and Federico Herrero
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSIT Y FROST ART
MUSEUM
11200 SW 8th St., Miami
305-348-0496
www.fiu.edu/~museum
Through June 7:
“Cintas Foundation Fellowship in Visual Arts, Finalists
Exhibition 2008” with Ray Azcuy, Barbara M. Fuentes,
Issac Maiselman, Ernesto Oroza, Marta Maria Perez
Bravo, Juana Valdes, and Ricardo Zulueta
LOWE ART MUSEUM, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
1301 Stanford Dr., Coral Gables
305-284-3535
www.lowemuseum.org
Through June 8:
“The Metro Series” by J. Tomás López and MFA exhibitions with various artists
June 28 through November 2:
“Excavating Egypt: Great Discoveries from the Petrie
Museum of Egyptian Archeology” rare antiquities from
the Petrie Museum of Egyptology
MIAMI ART MUSEUM
101 W. Flagler St., Miami
305-375-3000
www.miamiartmuseum.org
Through June 29:
“Parres Trilogy” with Melanie Smith and Rafael Ortega
Through July 20:
"The World Outside: A Survey Exhibition 1991 – 2007"
by Quisqueya Henríquez
June 6 through September 21:
“Shadows, Disappearances, and Illusions” with various
artists
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
770 NE 125th St., North Miami
305-893-6211
www.mocanomi.org
Through September 8:
“Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since
1967” with various artists
MOCA AT GOLDMAN WAREHOUSE
305-893-6211
www.mocanomi.org
Through June 28:
"Pivot Points II: New Mythologies" with Matthew Barney,
Hernan Bas, José Bédia, William Cordova, Tracey Emin,
Phillip Estlund, John Espinosa, Luis Gispert, Isaac Julien,
Guillermo Kuitca, Mariko Mori, Raymond Pettibon, Ali
Prosch, Matthew Ritchie, Ann-Sofi Siden, and Kyle
Trowbridge
THE MARGULIES COLLECTION
305-576-1051
www.margulieswarehouse.com
Grant Bloodgood, Poked by Sticks,
video still, 2008, at the University
of Miami Projects Space.
THE RUBELL FAMILY COLLECT ION
305-573-6090
www.rubellfamilycollection.com
Call for operating hours and exhibit information.
Through November 28:
“Hernan Bas: Works from the Rubell Family Collection” by
Hernan Bas; “John Stezaker: Works from the Rubell Family
Collection” by John Stezaker; and “Euro-Centric, Part 1:
New European Art from the Rubell Family Collection” with
various artists
WORLD CLASS BOXING
Debra and Dennis Scholl Collection
305-438-9908
Appointment only: [email protected]
Call for operating hours and exhibit information.
Compiled by Victor Barrenechea
Send listings, jpeg images, and events information to
[email protected]
June 2008
Culture Briefs
ets range from $50-$95. For more information call 305-949-6722 or visit
www.arshtcenter.org.
Sweet Memories and Bingo!
Brazilian Pop Legend
Djavan
Sway to the sounds of samba, bossa
nova, and jazz on June 6 when famed
Brazilian pop musician Djavan returns to
Miami. On his previous stop in the city,
the Grammy Award-winning performer
bestowed his musical gifts on a sold-out
crowd. Now he returns with a new
album, Matizes, and a seven-member
band that includes two of his sons, guaranteeing a similar shortage in tickets. Act
fast and kick off the summer with one of
the most prolific musicians to come out
of South America in decades at 8:00 p.m.
at the Knight Concert Hall, Adrienne
Arsht Center (1300 Biscayne Blvd.).
Ticket prices range from $45-$85. Call
305-949-6722 or visit
www.arshtcenter.org for details.
Frosted with sugary sweet childhood nostalgia, cupcakes are enjoying a comeback.
So is bingo, a game with its own ties to
simpler times. On June 4, June 11, and
June 25, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., the
two simple joys rendezvous in a deliciously carefree evening of cocktails and
companionship. Gorge yourself on guilty
pleasure and leave the calorie-counting
for another day. Entry includes cupcakes,
drinks, and a bingo card. Cupcake Bingo
is played on alternating Wednesdays yearround at Sweetcakes Edibles (8425
Biscayne Blvd.). Admission is $15. For
details call 786-228-7944 or visit
www.sweetcakesedibles.com.
Relive the excitement of Cuban
songstress Celia Cruz from June 9 –
July 6 with the musical Celia: The Life
and Music of Celia Cruz. Dancers, musicians, and singers help reincarnate the
queen of salsa’s journey from a small
village outside Havana, Cuba, to international musical stardom. Told from the
perspective of her late husband and
bandleader, trumpeter Pedro Knight, the
performance spans her six-decade career.
Performances are offered both in English
and Spanish at Knight Concert Hall,
Adrienne Arsht Center. Times vary; tickJune 2008
Blues Legends
Sheldon Epps’s Tony Award-nominated
stage play Blues in the Night, performed
by the M Ensemble cast from June 19 –
July 13, digs into the lives of three
women who all, unknowingly, share the
interest of one man. As the stories of
their relationships unravel, out come the
mournful experiences of abandonment,
love, and deceit each endures. Told
through the music of blues and jazz
giants Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington,
Johnny Mercer, and Harold Arlen, this is
one story that needs no dialogue. M
Ensemble Actors Studio (12320 W. Dixie
Highway, North Miami). Showtime 8pm.
Tickets cost $5. Call 305-895-8955 or
visit www.themensemble.com.
SUMMER CAMP GUIDE
School’s out for the summer and kids are
going crazy with boredom. Parents without a
plan are heading in the same direction, but defFeedback:
initely [email protected]
from a lack of options. What better
way than summer camp to burn off a child’s
excess energy on excruciatingly long days?
An American tradition, camp is the place to
make best friends and lifelong memories. It’s
also a convenient way to give moms and dads
a break while making sure their little ones are
still learning. From soccer to filmmaking,
there are plenty of activities to choose from,
whether you’re raising an athlete, actor, artist,
or academic. Prices and dates vary.
Biscayne Park Recreation Department:
305-893-3711, www.biscayneparkfl.gov
Ages 5 through 13. General camp with weekly field trips and special events.
The Children’s Trust:
305-571-5700, www.thechildrenstrust.org
All ages. Comprehensive list of public and private camps throughout
Miami-Dade County.
Miami Children’s Museum:
305-373-5437,
www.miamichildrensmuseum.org
Ages 3 through 11. Weekly themes include
art, music, theater, and science.
Miami Light Project
305-576-4350, www.miamilightproject.com
Ages 14 through 18.
Filmmakers boot camp.
Long, Hot Summer and
Quick, Cool Theater
The Sounds of Celia
Saturdays. All performances take place
at the Carnival Studio Theater, Adrienne
Arsht Center. Times vary. Tickets cost
from $14.50-$37. For more information
call 305-949-6722 or go to www.arshtcenter.org.
There’s nothing better than the cool
darkness of a theater for escaping summer’s swelter. With three series of plays
less than 20 minutes long, the 13th annual Summer Shorts Festival, produced by
City Theatre, is the perfect excuse to
spend a little more time indoors this
month. The theater series that started it
all, Signature Shorts, began last month
but continues through June 22 with two
parallel programs providing a diverse
mix of comedy and drama. Shorts 4
Kids, running June 12 – June 21, is
geared toward younger theatergoers and
includes a workbook that teaches aspiring playwrights to pen their own short
pieces. A third series, Undershorts, targets more mature audiences, with performances from June 12 – 21 at 10:00
p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 11:00 p.m.
Back to the Future
Long before Miami became the gateway
to the Americas, creative minds were
already working to make it so. Their
idea, conceptualized in the 1930s, was to
create a futuristic wonderland called
Interama, which would draw worldwide
crowds. Plans for the fantasy theme park
in North Miami were scrapped in the
1970s, but from June 21 – January 25,
they once again come to life in a historical exhibition of memorabilia and video
at Historical Museum of Southern
Florida (101 W. Flagler St.). A replica of
the underwater tunnel that would have
welcomed visitors advances the fantastical notion. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. HMSF members and children 6 and
under get in free; adults pay $8; students
$7; children (6 -12) $5. For additional
information call 305-375-1492 or visit
www.hmsf.org.
Miami Parks Department:
311 or 305-755-7800,
www.miamidade.gov/parks
Ages 6 through 14. General, specialty, and
sports camps at more than
40 parks citywide.
Miami Shores Recreation Department:
305-758-8103,
www.miamishoresvillage.com
Ages 3 through 16. Specialty camps include
sports, dance, art, fishing, and Adventure
Camp for Teens.
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA):
305-893-6211,
www.mocanomi.org
Ages 6 through 12. Creative arts camp
and Summer Journalism Institute.
North Miami Parks & Recreation:
305-895-9840, www.northmiamifl.gov
Ages 4 through 15. General, theater, sports,
and outdoors camps.
The PlayGround Theatre:
305-751-9550,
www.theplaygroundtheatre.com
Ages 6 through 12. Musical theater camp.
YMCA of Greater Miami:
305-357-4000, www.ymcamiami.org
Ages 4 through 14. General camp
for children and teenagers.
41
P A R K P AT R O L
A Refuge That’s for the Birds – and Humans Too
F
By Jim W. Harper
BT Contributor
Pelican Harbor has it all -- boats, beaches, and boobies, of the avian variety, that is
uacata! An Unidentified Flying
Animal smacks the windshield
as I drive away from the bird
sanctuary. The exclamation of anonymous splattered guts jolts me out of
my bliss and into remorse for the one
who didn’t make it.
But behind me are dozens of creatures – pelicans and other injured birds
– who managed to find safety at the
Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, 1279
NE 79th St. Causeway. The rehabilitation center is one magical corner of
the county’s off-the-beaten-path
Pelican Harbor Marina.
For a couple of reasons, this marina,
administered by the Miami-Dade
County Park and Recreation
Department, should be renamed Wings.
In addition to the plentiful avian
life in and around the sanctuary, a set
of imposing manmade wings rises
from a grassy plain in Miami’s version of Stonehenge. Strange and
underappreciated, this sculpture garden is self-described as a “monument
to world peace and recycling.” More
on that later.
The park’s north and south
entrances are divided by busy JFK
Causeway (79th Street). Its better half
is the north side, with its many boat
Clockwise from left: The Fin Project on the south side of the causeway:
Get out and walk through it; beach, sand, palms, and concrete; signs of
the times – and places.
slips and, get this, beach. Newsflash:
There’s a beach within walking distance of Biscayne Boulevard. With
sand. And showers. There’s even a
picnic table beneath a picturesque,
permanent tarp stretched atop
turquoise columns, not to mention
panoramic views of Biscayne Bay and
Pelican Island.
Before you get too enchanted,
though, you’ll discover the water
fountain doesn’t work and the sand
gives way to a concrete shoreline,
making it undesirable for swimming.
Alas, no fishing or dogs allowed
either. However, with plenty of
P ELICAN H ARBOR M ARINA
Park Rating
79th St. Causeway
42
1275 NE 79th St.
Causeway
305-754-9330
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Picnic tables: Yes
Barbecues: Yes
Picnic pavilions: Yes
Tennis courts: No
Athletic fields: No
Night lighting: Yes
Swimming pool : No
Special features: Beach,
boat slips, bird sanctuary
coconut palms and the possibility of
dolphin and manatee visitations, this
beach qualifies as scenic.
Around the bend from the beach is
the marina’s shop, where you can grab
some ice and some ice cream, but
beyond that the pickings are slim. The
shop’s shady side, surrounded by
mangroves, has been taken over by
Muscovy ducks and a couple of lazy
marina cats.
On the island’s east end sits the
rehab sanctuary, which provides education and field trip opportunities and
conducts research in addition to nursing wildlife back to health. It receives
no funding from the county and welcomes volunteers. Animal crates positioned outside the facility await the
next deposit of an injured bird at any
time of day. A fenced-in area houses
many pelicans and some exotic-looking migrants with names to make you
giggle, like brown boobies and
masked boobies and Janet Jackson’s –
oh, never mind.
But the park’s greatest attraction
for birds and boaters alike – Pelican
Island, a lush ten-acre dot nearby in
Biscayne Bay – can only be reached
by watercraft. A ferry runs from the
marina when Pelican Island’s pavilions have been rented, but try your
luck on a Saturday and you might be
able to catch a ride for $2 ($1 for
children). Another transportation
option: The nearby Aquatic Rental
Center, 1275 NE 79th St. Causeway,
rents sailboats.
Before crossing the causeway to
get to the park’s south side, you must
brave a gang of jet-black turkey vultures leering down from their perch
atop a radio tower. They stand vigil
over a small building that houses
offices of the Biscayne Bay Aquatic
Preserve, a state preserve encompassing 67,000 acres of submerged land –
much more than the eye can see.
The island marina’s larger south
side welcomes boat trailers and fishers but offers little shade and loads of
parking lots.
The main visual attractions here are
views of the Upper Eastside, downtown, and Miami Beach, not to mention The Fin Project.
June 2008
P A R K P AT R O L
Pelican Harbor
Online Resources
Resources at
Pelican Harbor
Marina
Thousands of people drive past it
daily, but you’ve got to wander
around it on foot to truly appreciate
its scope and meaning. At first glace,
the massive fins assembled for The
Fin Project: From Swords into
Plowshares give the odd sensation
that gray, alien obelisks have fallen
from the sky. Or that Stonehenge has
collapsed. Their actual origin proves
more interesting.
John T. Young, an artist and a
professor, took fins from decommissioned U.S. nuclear submarines and,
inspired by the orca whales swimming around Seattle (home to his
first fin project) placed them whalelength apart. Spanning more than
500 feet, the installation arrived in
September 2002.
The submarine wings convey the
dual messages of peace (let’s bury
our weapons) and recycling (turning
refuse into art). Although peculiar,
the piece deserves a second look
from school kids, veterans, and even
whale-huggers.
Last year Pelican Harbor Marina
Pelican Harbor Seabird Station
305-751-9840
www.pelicanharbor.bizland.com
Aquatic Rental Center
Sailboats and lessons
305-751-7514
http://arcmiami.com
A view of Pelican Island: You could swim there, but try the ferry.
earned its green stripes when it was designated a “Clean Marina” under a program
of the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection. Boaters already
know about the marina, but the property
remains a mystery to most locals.
It’s a shame, too, because Pelican
Harbor Marina is surprisingly pleasant for landlubbers as well. Further,
it boasts the triple crown of parks:
boats, beaches, and boobies (the
feathered kind).
Come to think of it, instead of
Wings, maybe the county should
The Fin Project:
http://faculty.washington.
edu/jtyoung/fins.html
consider changing its name to BiBe
– Biscayne Beach.
Sounds like a TV show waiting
to happen.
BARNETT TREE SERVICE & LANDSCAPING
• Tree Removal
• Ficus Whitefly Prevention
and Treatment
• Stump Grinding
• Tree Crown Reduction
• Shape & Trim
• Transplant
• Up-Righting & Bracing
• Hedge Trimming
• Land Clearing
23 Years
Experience
Licensed & Insured
Free Estimates
Member International
Arborist Society
PAUL WESLEY BARNETT • 321 W. Rivo Alto Dr., Miami Beach • 305-538-2451
• COMMERCIAL
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• HOME THEATER
M IDTOWN L OCATION:
D OWNTOWN L OCATION:
3531 NE 2 Ave · Miami, FL 33137
116 NE 1 Ave · Miami, FL 33132
P: 305.576.9320 • F: 305.576.9321 • www.aaaml.com
•
June 2008
43
Bravo for Banned Books
COLUMNISTS: KIDS
S
AND THE CITY
School may be out of session but your kids can learn a lot this summer by diving into these forbidden fables
By Jenni Person
BT Contributor
summer days is to get them to the (airconditioned) playhouse. City Theatre’s
nationally acclaimed Summer Shorts festival presents its second season of
“Shorts 4 Kids,” a series of brief one-act
plays that were selected to appeal to
those eight years old and up. The performance dates are June 12 to 21 at the
Arsht Center for the Performing Arts’
Carnival Studio Theater.
Stephanie Norman, City Theatre’s cofounder and executive director, is a mom
of three who really understands the
notion of substantial arts for kids. She
commissioned a select group of playwrights from a national pool to develop
new works that appeal to both kids and
their associated grown-ups. She picked
those she found relevant and appealing
to kids, and with enough creativity to
draw adults in as well: X5000, Tina
Thompson Tries the Tuba, Double
Mandible, Becky Meets Mordacai
Baxter, Becky Solves a Case Like Super
Fast, The Big Brain on Bobby Martin.
In all of City Theatre’s work, Norman
says she aims to create a vibe that continues beyond the stage. With “Shorts 4
Kids,” a take-home activity book with
hands-on activities engages young audiences in the creative process and encourages them to express what they experience
at this and other cultural events. Further,
the performances feature talk-backs,
which promote inquiry and discussion
rather than the model of telling kids to sit
in their seats and keep quiet.
chool’s out for summer, and it’s
time to divulge my annual summer
reading list. This year I have only
two words: banned books.
Seriously, what better time could
there be to engage your kids in a little
literary rebellion than when they’ve been
released from the structure, rules, and
standardized tests of school. You’ll all be
better off for these forays – I promise.
Interestingly, at the top of the list of
“challenged books” from the American
Library Association’s Office for
highly recommends Dav Pilkey’s
reasons this tome also has been chalIntellectual Freedom (OIF) is one I sugCaptain Underpants series, a banned and lenged, of course. When it comes to the
gested in this column a year ago. And
challenged collection of adventure books fundamentalist, right-wing circles in
Tango Makes Three relates the tale of
she believes kids – especially six- to
which book banning is so popular, I
two male penguins who create a family
nine-year-old boys – absolutely adore.
imagine veganism is considered nearly
by adopting and raising a baby penguin
Another series she notes: The Stupids,
as subversive as teen sex.
together. Apparently it warrants lots of
written by Harry Allard and illustrated
And then there are the banned YA
complaints around the United States.
by James Marshall. The Harry Potter
classics: Lord of the Flies, The Catcher
A challenged book is defined as one
books, Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in in the Rye, A Separate Peace, The Color
that has been included in a formal, writTime, and James and the Giant Peach by Purple, The Great Gatsby, and Go Ask
ten complaint that has been filed with a
Roald Dahl are all popular and worthAlice. Honestly, where would you be if
library or school, requesting
you hadn’t read those
the materials be removed
books? Make sure your
Objections arose over The Earth, My Butt, and Other
because of content or approoffspring are reading
Big Round Things, which addresses an eating disorder,
priateness. Opponents
them too. You can even
date rape, and real-life young-adult issues.
claimed And Tango Makes
introduce teens to the
Three, by Justin Richardson
Beats with William S.
and Peter Parnell, promotes homosexual- while reading for the tween set – and yet Burroughs’s Naked Lunch – an oft-chality and anti-family values, and is unsuitall are frequently challenged as well.
lenged or censored classic.
able material for its age group.
A slew of Young Adult (YA) literature
So grab the contraband and fill your
In 2007 the OIF received 420 reports
is also frequently challenged, basically
kids with great literature and free thinking
on efforts to abolish materials from
for being exactly what young adult read- this summer. And remember the words of
school curricula and library bookshelves. ers want: angst-ridden reflections on the
the late Supreme Court Justice William O.
Content issues include concerns about
gritty reality you discover life to be
Douglas: “Restriction of free thought and
”Shorts 4 Kids” is onstage June 12 to
language, sexual content, political incorwhen you are 13 or so. For example,
free speech is the most dangerous of all
21 at and in association with the Arsht
rectness, and religion (as in the “wrong”
objections arose over a YA book with a
subversions. It is the one un-American act Center (Carnival Studio Theater, 1300
religious content – anything other than
title I adore, The Earth, My Butt, and
that could most easily defeat us” (from
Biscayne Blvd.). Tickets are $12.50. For
Christian right beliefs are often seen as
Other Big Round Things. It was the
“The One Un-American Act,” Nieman
more information call 305-949-6722 or
black magic and occult). Trina Schart
usual flurry of complaints: sexual conReports, vol. 7, no. 1, January 1953).
visit www.arshtcenter.org/summershorts.
Hyman’s version of Little Red Riding
tent, anti-family, offensive language,
Another great way to stretch your kids’
Hood, which won a Caldecott Honor
inappropriate for age group. But Carolyn gray matter during these lazy, hazy, crazy
more than two decades ago, has been
Mackler’s 2005 book addresses an eating
banned widely because of an evident
disorder, date rape, family complexities,
bottle of wine sticking out of Little
and social politics – just the kind of
Red’s basket on the cover art.
issues contemporary teens face in real
Some important resources, lists, and actions related to censorship
Believe it or not, In the Night Kitchen life. Mackler authored another book with
and Where the Wild Things Are by
a great title, Vegan Virgin Valentine,
www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/
Maurice Sendak are both challenged and which totally sounds like something my
challengedbanned/challengedbanned.cfm
banned books. If your kids don’t know
own teenage niece would write, so I
these books, get on that right away. My
know this stuff is relevant to today’s
http://books.google.com/googlebooks/banned/
mother, a kid-lit scholar and professor
kids. By the way, the narrator is neither a
www.library.uiuc.edu/edx/challenged.htm
who co-edited The Continuum
vegan nor a virgin by the end of the
Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature,
book – the latter just one of the many
READ UP!
44
June 2008
Loco for Locavores
COLUMNISTS: HARPER’S ENVIRONMENT
L
By Jim W. Harper
BT Contributor
Where did that stuff on your plate come from? It’s a good time to start finding the answer
ocavore, the New Oxford
American Dictionary’s 2007 word
of the year, may sound like an
eating disorder or the Spanglish term for
someone with a crazy appetite, but it
actually refers to the enviro-friendly concept of eating locally produced food.
The basic idea behind locavorism is
that knowing the origins of your food
from the ground up makes for a healthier
and more pleasurable experience. You
can taste the difference between a
canned tomato and a vine-ripened tomato from Homestead – not to mention one
from your own kitchen container or
community garden. Local food also
tends to use less fertilizer and pesticides
because it is well adapted to local growing conditions.
Not knowing what you’re putting in
your mouth is pretty disgusting. At your
next meal, consider where your food has
been. Don’t know? It could have been
grown by thieves, handled by diseaseridden varmints, and sold by the devil. I
wouldn’t put that melon in my mouth if I
were you.
Locavorism also supports the local
economy of human farmers rather than
machine-driven mass producers. On the
down side, it usually costs more (think
handblown glass versus Dixie cup).
However, with rising food and fuel
prices all around us, eating locally may
become increasingly necessary and more
affordable.
Locally grown produce isn’t expensive in and of itself, explains Trina
Sargalski, author of the food blog
Miamdish.net, but it does require more
time (and some people understandably
equate time with money). Taking time to
appreciate food is the goal of the group
Slow Food Miami, a chapter of the Slow
Food USA movement that encourages
people to take time to smell the hummus, so to speak. The members help
organize sumptuous “Dinners in
Paradise” that feature local ingredients
and local chefs at Paradise Farms in
Homestead.
Being a locavore is also earth-friendly
because it reduces waste associated with
processing, packaging, and transportation. Grapes flown in from Chile conJune 2008
tribute much more to global warming
than strawberries with the Florida seal.
A good book on eating responsibly is
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural
History of Four Meals by Michael
Pollan. I have no dilemma about eating,
but I do worry about overfishing, pesticides, genetically engineered crops,
over-processed foods, and Taco Bell.
So how local is the average locavore?
The authors of the book Plenty: One
Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year
of Eating Locally define it as the 100-
Consider where your food
has been. It could have been
grown by thieves, handled
by disease-ridden varmints,
and sold by the devil.
mile diet: They try to live off the land
within a 100-mile radius of their home.
Around these parts, that means you
could harvest from Lake Okeechobee
down to the lower Keys and from Naples
to the Bahamas. Our watery environs
beg the question, Where’s the fish?
To commit to local produce you’ll
need to adjust your diet according to the
growing season. You can gorge on citrus
in winter, but in summer you’ll have to
switch to mangos and avocados. For
South Florida, the most productive season runs November to April, so a local
locavore’s summertime pickings at the
farmers’ market will be slim. If you can’t
find an alternative, try to at least keep
your menu within the state, suggests
Sargalski.
Think of your local food sources as a
set of concentric circles. In the center is
the home, where most everyone can
grow some herbs and cherry tomatoes.
The process of watching produce grow
may even make you appreciate it as a
source of the earth’s energy – a bonus
given that vine-picked tomatoes and
fresh-snipped herbs also taste better.
Make a resolution today to tithe your surrounding vegetation to an edible garden.
Growing food will be more of a
hobby than a source of sustenance for
most people in highly urbanized South
Florida, but it’s still possible to buy most
of your food from local sources. Not
easy or cheap, mind you, but possible.
The next circle would be community
gardens, and these are slowly emerging
in Miami. Vegetable gardens have even
popped up in the urban core of
Overtown, thanks to the organization
Roots in the City. Many schools, including Miami Shores Elementary, have
planted and harvested gardens within
the past year. Booker T. Washington
Senior High sells its homegrown produce in the school’s café. Schools and
individuals can obtain a complete
Organic Ring Garden for around $500
by contacting the Earth Ethics Institute
at Miami-Dade College.
Purchasing local produce is getting
somewhat easier because of the expansion of farmers’ markets. The fledgling
Upper Eastside Green Market at Legion
Park on Saturdays was successful for the
first six months of this year, though it
may take a summer break. A Thursday
market also set up shop (for several
weeks) at Bayfront Park in downtown
Miami, and more should appear in the
next dry season.
Visiting farms in Davie or around
Homestead is certainly worthwhile (try
Bee Heaven Farm in the Redland), but
an easier alternative is to summon the
farm to you. The concept of communitysupported agriculture (CSA) has
spawned co-ops such as Redland
Organics, which delivers produce around
Miami-Dade County. Get on their waiting list or search for other farms that
deliver (try www.localharvest.org).
The easiest way to become a locavore
is to enjoy a meal at restaurants that
promote local cuisine, like Michael’s
Genuine Food & Drink in the Design
District, ranked this year by The New
York Times as one of the nation’s top-ten
new restaurants. Although not a purist,
chef Michael Schwartz is a celebrity
among locavores for his local and
organic choices.
To embark on your own local-food
experience, blogger and locavore
Sargalski suggests assembling a salad of
all local ingredients. She also recommends hosting a potluck at which each
person learns the background of his or
her dish.
For Sargalski, the best part of being a
locavore is the sense of community and
place: You get to know the people
behind the food and learn to trust what
goes in your mouth. After all, she says, a
farmer’s reputation rests on his food.
And perhaps our reputation as consumers lies in knowing the source of our
next meal.
RESOURCES
Slow Food Miami
www.slowfoodmiami.com
Trina Sargalski’s Miami Dish blog
www.miamidish.net
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
by Michael Pollan
www.michaelpollan.com/omnivore_
excerpt.pdf (intro)
Roots in the City
www.rootsinthecity.net
Local Harvest
www.localharvest.org
45
There’s No Excuse
C O L U M N I S T S : P A W S I T I V E LY P E T S
I
By Lisa Hartman
BT Contributor
And yet the number of abandoned pets along the Biscayne Corridor is on the rise
n my profession, I get calls every
day asking me to adopt, foster, or
train animals that have been found.
What’s incredibly alarming is the rate
at which these inquiries have been
flooding in lately. Perhaps it has to do
with the economic climate or the many
abandoned pets in and around these
parts. Whatever the cause for the
spike, many factors seem to be conspiring to raise the issue of animal
homelessness to a fever pitch.
Whatever the reasons, there are really
no excuses for these seemingly endless
stories of neglect, of which the following represent just a fraction.
The sign posted next to the purebred papillon abandoned near a wellknown park a few weeks ago read,
“Please give me a good home.” The
tiny pup’s microchip revealed it to be
eight weeks old, recently purchased
from a local pet store for an exorbitant
46
sum. My client, who found the puppy,
doesn’t know why it was dumped, why
the owner didn’t try to resell it or
relinquish it to a rescue organization.
Still, there was the little tot, all three
pounds, on the side of the road. Gizmo
happens to be very stable and friendly
and doing well with potty training.
A week earlier in the same location,
my client found a boxer. He was filthy,
his tail was cut off, and he was missing an ear. Mortified by what she saw,
my client immediately called the
police. They told her a group of men
fight dogs south of the area and then
abandon many of them in this location. This dog “looks like fight bait,”
one cop said.
A good friend of mine is fostering a
purebred chocolate Lab puppy found
tied to a tree on Collins Avenue, left
behind without food, shelter, or care.
He was there at least a day while
onlookers waited for the absent owner
to return. He didn’t. Today six-monthold Collin is happy and healthy.
On my way to meet with a veterinarian, I saw three tired, overheated,
thirsty dogs running around Biscayne
Boulevard. Trying to get the dogs to
approach was no easy task, even armed
with treats, water, and leashes. They
had no tags or collars and were clearly
shy of humans. An assistant at the vet
hospital said, “Oh, they’re always
loose, and there are plenty of others.” I
couldn’t get anyone to help me round
them up because stray dogs have
become a common sight, nothing for
which to stop the clock.
An acquaintance of mine who refuses to neuter his dog just bred him for
the second time. “Don’t worry, Lisa,
June 2008
C O L U M N I S T S : P A W S I T I V E LY P E T S
No Excuse
they all found loving homes!” he
assured me. The dog produced 15 pups
per litter. Neither the breeding male
nor female had their eyes or hips tested, even though the breed commonly
presents with genetic defects in those
parts. (The owners don’t even know
these problems exist.) These “breeders” didn’t tell the new owners that for
any reason, at any time in the future,
they would take the puppies back,
which responsible breeders do to
ensure their puppies don’t wind up on
remain in rescue facilities or be euthahard times. They did not have the buynized for lack of homes.)
ers sign spay or neuter contracts, and neither owner
They had no tags or collars and were
knows how to properly raise clearly shy of humans. An assistant at the
and socialize puppies. So
hospital said, “Oh, they’re always loose,
there are now 30 unaltered
and there are plenty of others.”
puppies possibly facing physical defects who have been
added to the Miami pet gene pool, all
Two former clients of mine live off
within a three-mile radius, and each
Biscayne Boulevard and are real estate
able to reproduce up to 15 more dogs
agents. One adopted a cat she found
abandoned in a house she was appraisof their own. (This also means several
members of the same breed of dog may ing. The other adopted a purebred
Doberman under similar circumstances; the dog was left behind by
the homeowner.
A local pet-sitter had been watching
a beautiful Chow mix navigate his way
around Biscayne Boulevard. Locals
said the dog had been loose at least a
month. Finally able to catch it and
locate his home, she approached the
owners. They told her the pet, who
wasn’t even given a proper name and
was barred from the house completely,
kept escaping from a hole in the fence.
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47
Succulent When Dry
COLUMNISTS: YOUR GARDEN
ecently I traveled to Egypt to
work on a sustainable landscape
development at the southernmost
tip of the Sinai Peninsula. I was enthusiastic about visiting this arid, tropical part
of the world because desert flora has
always fascinated me. I was sure I’d see
many types of succulents in the Sinai’s
bone-dry climate, but not native cacti
because the cactus family is endemic to
the Americas.
The term “succulent” merely
describes a physical characteristic of various plant families and species. This
includes leaves or stems with thick,
waxy cuticles, which resist heat and sunlight and aid in moisture retention. Their
storage of water often gives them a
fleshy or swollen appearance. Succulents
often have spines or even hairy coverings, as in the case of a cephalium on
several cactus species. Yes, all cacti are
succulents, as are many other plants
grown in South Florida gardens, including agaves, aloes, numerous species of
Euphorbia (excluding poinsettias). The
list is quite extensive.
I’ve always enjoyed growing new
species of cacti and succulents. Many
years ago the original Parrot Jungle had
a wonderful cactus garden and nursery
where we grew dozens of species. I
learned over time that cacti and succulents come from many different types of
habitats. This area of the garden required
more fungicides and nematicides than
any other part of the park. We also covered all of the plants whenever there was
a threat of frost. If left uncovered or if
No Excuse
They were getting sick of it, they
explained. Simple. “Fix the hole,” she
told them. That being too much work,
apparently they were happier to lose the
dog than do any work on the fence. The
pet-sitter said she would be more than
happy to take the dog if it really was
unwanted. A month later the homeowner called her and said the dog wasn’t
wanted anymore. “Nobody takes care
of him,” the owner confessed. “Come
get him.” Luckily Mambo found his
forever home, where he will be cher48
under very specific, controlled conditions. My experience growing them
years ago taught me how important it is
to learn the natural growing conditions
of a plant before attempting cultivation.
The group of succulents formerly
known as Mesembryanthemum (now
divided into a number of genera) have
beautifully colored flowers. These lowgrowing succulents, mainly from South
Africa and Namibia, need low humidity,
full sun, and lots of heat. In the arid
Sinai, they provide the most beautiful
ground covers. Because of our humidity
The Opuntia, or prickly pear, is
levels, they don’t grow well in South
native to Mexico but grown worldFlorida but can make wonderful patio
wide for its edible fruit. This plant
plants if planted in a container and shelwas photographed in Cairo, Egypt.
tered from daily rain.
the cover became heavily iced, the plant
Another reason not to grow them in
below froze and turned to mush within a
the ground locally is frost, which will
couple of days. As a result, this was the
kill these plants. They dislike cold or
most expensive section of the park to
even cool weather. Parrot Jungle’s cactus
maintain. We spent thousands of dollars
garden lost many during the cooler days
per year on chemical maintenance and
of fall and winter because when a cold
new plants to replace the ones that had
front came through, it also rained. The
died the previous year.
cool temperature and high humidity
destroyed the plants no matter
how many gallons of fungicide
At plant nurseries, parks, and resorts in
we sprayed on them.
Cairo and the Sinai, I found many
Conversely, when I visited
species of native Central and South
Arizona a few years ago, I saw
American cacti and succulents.
one of the most famous cactus
species, the giant Saguaro. They
were immense, with their great
At the plant nurseries, parks, and
arms extended toward the sky. It gets
resorts in Cairo and the Sinai, I found
very cold in the deserts of Arizona and
many species of native Central and
Mexico, where these magnificent plants
South American cacti and succulents. I
grow. They can handle the cold but not
also found plenty of succulent species
humidity. We killed a few of these at
native to Africa and the Middle East,
Parrot Jungle too.
which are very difficult, if not impossiMany cacti and other succulents do
ble, to grow in South Florida unless
quite well in local climate and soil con-
them or their behavior, such as “the
ished, finally, and regarded as a memkids got bored” or “we don’t have
ber of the family.
time.” In fact, pet stores rely on
A few years ago Miami ranked last
in the nation in a survey
conducted about quality of
Abandonment, religious sacrifices,
life for animals.
pet
stores, back-yard breeders, and low
Abandonment, religious
sacrifices, pet stores, backspaying and neutering rates all contribute
yard breeders, and low
to animal overpopulation.
spaying and neutering rates,
as well as disregard for the
well-being of current and future animal impulse decisions and immediate gratification, not caring what customers do
populations, all contribute to overpopwith the pet the next day.
ulation. Pets are often discarded for
For every dog getting a blueberry
reasons that have nothing to do with
BT photos by Jeff Shimonski
R
By Jeff Shimonski
BT Contributor
Cacti and other xerophytes can thrive in Miami, even with our humid landscape
This very attractive species of
Mesembryanthemum grows well in
a covered container in our climate.
ditions. Adeniums, for example, with
their large tuberous trunks and colorful
flowers, can flourish here in the
ground or containers; some went from
seeds to a height of eight feet at the old
Parrot Jungle location. Pachypodiums
also develop well both in and out of
the ground. Additionally, there are
cactus epiphytes, which grow naturally
in trees: Christmas cactus;
Epiphyllums; Ripsalis; and the Cereus
cactus, which grows in trees locally
and blooms the most beautiful white,
plate-size flowers in the middle of the
night, among them.
When considering cacti or succulents, make sure they’re suited to our
weather conditions. You’ll add the perfect xerophytes (drought-tolerant
plants) to your garden or patio with
them, not a bad idea considering our
current dry spell.
facial at a grooming spa, thousands of
others are barely surviving or are euthanized. Although we may not be able to
change this reality worldwide, we can
have an impact on the world of individual dogs in our community. For one
thing, please spay and neuter your pets.
And don’t shop, adopt!
Lisa Hartman is head dog trainer for
Pawsitively Pets. You can reach her at
[email protected] or
www.pawsitivelypetsonline.com.
June 2008
COMMUNITY NEWS
Motels
more appropriate for the zoning code.
“It’s a dangerous thing to continue talking
about it and not pass Chapter 23.”
After assurances from the planning
department that it did not belong, commissioners decided not to include a height
limit in the ordinance.
Elvis Cruz, vice president of the
Morningside Civic Association, disagrees
and told the commission as much during
the meeting. “People are saying it shouldn’t be in there, but they’re not giving a
reason why,” says Cruz, who favors a 35foot height cap.
His comments caused a stir among
those active in the Boulevard’s renaissance, especially motel owners seeking
freedom to make additions to their
Mary House
Cameron Diaz, the developer
thought Mary House would complement his condo project by “showing
the old Miami versus the new
Eyesore
owned the parcel and building since
January 2006, when she, her husband
Jason, and Coral Gables attorney
Michael Scaglione bought it from real
estate broker Jeff Morr for $2.5 million.
Morr already had obtained a permit
to build a nine-story, 38-unit retail and
condo complex on the property.
Initially, Vance says, they wanted to
pursue the project Morr had envisioned, but those development plans
were derailed by an allegedly
properties. “The height we get will
determine what we can do with our
property,” says Henry Patel, a member
of the Biscayne Boulevard Motel
Association and president of the Upper
Eastside Miami Council, an umbrella
group of neighborhood associations. He
also owns the King Motel. “For Cruz
it’s a lifestyle issue,” says Patel. “For us
it’s an issue of livelihood.”
Cruz claims a similar eagerness to
build big threatened the Art Deco District
before preservationists swooped in to save
it. “The notion that you have to have
something higher than two stories to be
successful is ridiculous,” he says.
Motel owners, Patel says, are asking
for a 55-foot maximum, which equates to
approximately four or five stories. He
feels this is a reasonable compromise
considering buildings closer to the down-
town core can build 20 stories and higher.
“If we don’t get 55 feet, I don’t know
what’s going to happen,” he says. “If we
have to go legal, we will. We will fight
for 55 feet.”
Sarnoff says he supports a 35-foot
cap but only in conjunction with the
TDRs. “I think it will compensate people and create more of a Lincoln Roadtype atmosphere,” he notes. “It allows
for growth without stressing a road
already rated F by the Florida
Department of Transportation.” During
the commission meeting, Sarnoff and
other commissioners requested TDRs be
added to the new Chapter 23 language –
with one stipulation: Any money from
selling development rights must be reinvested to improve the property from
which they were sold.
Patel claims this is useless, at least in
his case. “My property is in tip-top shape.
How is it going to help me?” he asserts,
adding, “It’s not as rosy as it seems.”
A final reading of the ordinance is
anticipated this month. Adding TDRs to
Chapter 23 was a condition of approval
on first reading. Because they’ll need to
know how much additional height
they’ll be able to sell, property owners
will have to wait for an official mandate
before they can move ahead with reconstruction plans.
The fate of the Boulevard’s motels,
Patel cautions, will determine the fate of
the rest of the district: “The restaurants
know they won’t survive without any
tourists. What drives South Beach are the
restaurants and hotels. They go together.”
Miami.” Consequently he used it to
host Paramount Bay’s groundbreaking party (Star Jones was among the
celebrity guests), and later it served
as the project’s sales center. When
construction commenced, the house
became the construction site’s “safe-
ty office,” a tragic irony not lost on
the family and friends of the accident victims.
Despite the fact that it is not officially designated a historic structure,
Arva Moore Parks hopes Kodsi will
preserve it. “At least there would be
something left,” she says, referring to
the old neighborhood. “But when you
surround it with a very tall building, it
does lose a lot of historical integrity.”
unscrupulous lender she and her partners are now suing.
In a written statement e-mailed to
BT, Vance and her partners claim they
were ready to commence construction
in July 2006, but then their lender and
venture partner backed out. “8699
Biscayne could no longer afford the
fence lease, much less demolition or
continually resecuring the building,”
the statement asserts. “With the fence
gone, vagrants immediately broke
through the heavy plywood and began
inhabiting the structure. Once again,
the owners boarded up the building
but could not sustain the ongoing battle against trespassers.”
And those notices of violation from
code enforcement? “They were sent
to the wrong address or the postings
apparently [were] ripped from the
building,” the partners say.
Eventually the bureaucratic gears
were engaged, and this past May 21
the county’s Unsafe Structures Board
was scheduled to hear arguments from
Miami’s building department that the
old restaurant should be torn down at
the owner’s expense. (Only the county can authorize such demolitions.)
Had that happened, the city would
have slapped a $21,000 lien on the
property, on top of the $3500 in
unpaid fines already levied by
code enforcement.
But shortly before last month’s
hearing, Tamara Vance and her partners agreed to pay for the demolition
themselves, and have it completed
within 30 days. “It will be demolished
within 30 days,” Vance assures. “That
is what we agreed to. It is not staying.
It absolutely needs to go.”
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49
N
By Bill Citara
BT Contributor
othing says suave, sophisticated,
romantic – and loaded – quite like
champagne, the magical sparkling
wine made in the Champagne region of
France.
But though suaveness, sophistication,
and romance may be within reach for most,
having bucks to burn is another story altogether; and true champagne, which only
comes from a 150-square-mile area 90
miles northeast of Paris, is not for the faint
of wallet. It’s not cheap to produce because
there are a limited number of vineyards,
with a limited number of grapes those vineyards can yield. The labor-intensive, timeconsuming production process, despite
increasing use of technology in viticulture
and winemaking, is still largely hands-on.
And it’s champagne, so you’re paying
for the brand name. Sure, you can buy a
Corvette that will run nose to nose with an
intercontinental ballistic missile for
$65,000, but a Ferrari will run you
$265,000. After all, it’s a Ferrari.
Red, White, and You
Agreeable wine for $12 or less
The good news, however, is that those
lacking a Ferrari budget don’t have to settle
for stinky Metrorail bubbly. Spain, Italy, the
United States, and even France
turn out some first-rate sparkling
wine. They may not exude the
dreamy and debonair cachet of
champagne, but they aren’t slapped
with champagne’s price tag either.
Anyone whose head hasn’t been
buried in a keg of Budweiser for
the past few years knows the wines
of Spain, whether sparkling or still,
represent some of the best wines,
and best values, on the market
today. I can’t recall tasting a wine
that aced the cost-to-quality ratio
better than the nonvintage (NV)
Codorníu Brut Original.
Codorníu wine, a giant of Spanish
cava (sparkling wine) production
(overshadowed in the U.S. by the
even more gigantic Freixenet),
proves consistently good, and good for the
money. This lovely bubbly, with its brisk,
citrusy aromas and elegant, refreshing flavors, is an absolute steal at $10. I’d drink it
in place of sparklers that cost two or three
times as much.
I was rather less enthralled with the
Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de
Noirs NV, though fans of a fruitier, more robust bubbly should sip
it happily. Its fresh raspberry and
strawberry aromas practically leap
from the flute and feel just as pronounced on the palate. Although it
doesn’t contain the subtlety or
refinement of the Codorníu, it’s an
easy drinker and would be right at
home at a backyard barbecue.
The François Montand Brut
Blanc de Blancs NV is equally
emphatic, announcing its
“Frenchness” with a lean, racy
nose that balances tangy lemonlime fruit with aromas of yeast,
minerals, and fresh-baked bread.
There’s a bit of green apple on the
palate too, but its bright acidity
and restrained fruit flavors make it the
opposite of the sweeter Ste. Michelle.
Another Spanish cava, Cristalino’s Brut
NV, is the vinous equivalent of bubbly lite.
With predominant flavors of lemon and
toast, this very light-bodied wine would be
at its best taking the edge off a scorching
South Florida summer day. One more terrific value is the Mionetto Prosecco
Valdobbiadene NV. This Italian bubbly
costs less than $10 and delivers Frenchstyle balance and refinement, with toasty,
yeasty aromas segueing into a clean peach
and citrus tastes and ending in a long,
lemony finish.
At these prices you just may have
enough money left over to buy a Ferrari.
Acqua
those who want it all. One offering, “A Study in Tuna,”
includes tuna sashimi, Maine crab, avocado tempura, and
caviar, with several Asian sauces. Moroccan lamb is three
preparations (grilled chop, harissa-marinated loin, and
bastilla, the famed savory-sweet Middle Eastern pastry,
stuffed with braised shank), plus feta and smoked eggplant.
Finish with a vanilla soufflé your way, a choice of toppings:
chocolate, raspberry, or crème anglaise. $$$$$
R E S TA U R A N T L I S T I N G S
Restaurant listings for the BT Dining
Guide are written by Pamela Robin
Brandt. Every effort has been made to
ensure accuracy, but restaurants
frequently change menus, chefs, and
operating hours, so please call ahead to
confirm information. Icons ($$$)
represent estimates for a typical meal
without wine, tax, or tip. Hyphenated
icons ($-$$$) indicate a significant range
in prices between lunch and dinner
menus, or among individual items on
those menus.
$= $10 and under
$$= $20
$$$= $30
$$$$= $40
$$$$$= $50 and over
50
MIAMI
Abokado
Brickell / Downtown
900 S. Miami Ave., 305-347-3700
www.abokadosushi.com
Hamachi chiles rellenos? Shiso leaf “nachos” topped with
raw spicy tuna, kaiware sprouts, and other Asian ingredients?
The Viva, a sushi roll that starts with standard Japanese stuff
(spicy tuna, cucumber, avocado), adds typical Latin sabor
(jalapeño, cilantro), wraps it all in a flour tortilla, and garnishes it with South of the Border heat (spicy snow crab mix)?
Miami hasn’t tended to initiate too many food “firsts,” but
this Japanese/Pan-Latin fusion place is surely one. Intended
as the groundbreaker of an international chain, this stylish
indoor-outdoor eatery features inventive makis (executed by
Hiro Asano, formerly Bond Street’s sushi maestro), plus
LatAmer/ Asian small plates and meals like pasilla chilebraised short ribs with wasabi-shiitake grits. Prices are higher
than at neighborhood sushi spots, but in keeping with
Abokado’s Mary Brickell Village neighbors. $$$$
1435 Brickell Ave., Four Seasons Hotel, 305-381-3190
Originally an Italian/Mediterranean restaurant, this comfortably elegant, upscale spot switched chefs in 2006 (to
Patrick Duff, formerly at the Sukhothai in Bangkok), resulting in a complete menu renovation. Thailand’s famed sense
of culinary balance is now evident throughout the global
(though primarily Asian or Latin American-inspired) menu, in
dishes like yuzu/white soya-dressed salad of shrimp tempura (with watercress, Vidalia onion, avocado, pomegranate), a
tender pork shank glazed with spicy Szechuan citrus sauce
(accompanied by a chorizo-flecked plantain mash), or
lunchtime’s rare tuna burger with lively wasabi aioli and
wakame salad. For dessert few chocoholics can resist a buttery-crusted tart filled with sinfully rich warm chocolate custard. $$$$$
Azul
500 Brickell Key Dr., 305-913-8254
Floor-to-ceiling picture windows showcase Biscayne Bay. But
diners are more likely to focus on the sparkling raw bar and
open kitchen, where chef Clay Conley crafts imaginative
global creations – many of them combinations, to satisfy
The Codorníu and Ste. Michelle wines
are available at the North Miami Total
Wine for $9.99 and $10.99 respectively
(14750 Biscayne Blvd., 305-354-3270).
The North Miami Crown Wine & Spirits
offers the François Montand for $10.99
and Mionetto for $9.95 (12555 Biscayne
Blvd., 305-892-9463), while the Cristalino
can be found at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits
in Aventura for $7.99 (16355 Biscayne
Blvd., 305-944-6525).
The Bar at Level 25 (Conrad Hotel)
1395 Brickell Ave., 305-503-6500
On the Conrad’s restaurant/lobby-level 25th floor, the
expansive, picture-windowed space around the corner from
the check-in desks used to be just a lobby extension. Now
it’s The Bar, which is not just a watering hole with panoramic views. At lunch it’s an elegant sandwich bar; at night it’s a
raw bar (with pristine coldwater oysters) and (best) a tapas
bar serving pintxos. That’s just the Basque word for tapas,
but as interpreted by Atrio’s chef Michael Gilligan, there’s
nothing mere about the generously portioned small plates.
They range from traditional items like cod fish equixada (a
zingy bacalao salad) and saffron-sautéed Spanish artichokes
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to inventive inspirations like foie gras and goat cheesestuffed empanadas, or Asian-inspired soft-shell crab in airy
tempura batter. $$$
Blu Pizzeria e Cucina
900 S. Miami Ave. (Mary Brickell Village)
305-381-8335
www.blurestaurantsgroup.com
More than a mere pizzeria, this spot sports a super-sleek
Upper Eastside (of Manhattan) interior. If that’s too formal,
opt for a casual patio table while you study the menu over
an order of warm, just-made gnocchetti (zeppole-like bread
sticks, with prosciutto and savory fontina fondue dip), or
creamy-centered suppli alla romana (porcini-studded tomato
and mozzarella rice croquettes). And don’t worry. The place
looks upscale, but prices of even the fanciest seafood or
veal entrées don’t exceed $20. The fare fashioned by chef
Ricardo Tognozzi (formerly from La Bussola and Oggi) is
wide-ranging, but as the name suggests, you can’t go wrong
with one of the thin-crusted brick-oven pizzas, whether a traditional margherita or inventive asparagi e granchi (with
lump crab, lobster cream, mozzarella, and fresh asparagus).
$$-$$$
Café Sambal
500 Brickell Key Dr., 305-913-8358
www.mandarinoriental.com/miami
Though the Mandarin Oriental Hotel describes this space as
its “casual hotel restaurant,” many consider it a more spectacular dining setting than the upscale Azul, upstairs, owing
to the option of dining outdoors on a covered terrace directly on the waterfront. The food is Asian-inspired, with a few
Latin and Mediterranean accents (sushi, plus creative
fusion dishes like tangerine-anise spiced short ribs with
scallion pancake, or a tempura-battered snapper sandwich
with lemon aioli). For the health-conscious, the menu
includes low-cal choices. For hedonists there’s a big selection of artisan sakes. $$$-$$$$$
Caribbean Delight
236 NE 1st Ave., 305-381-9254
52
Originally from Jamaica, proprietor Miss Pat has been serving her traditional homemade island specialties to downtown office workers and college students since the early
1990s. Most popular item here might be the weekday lunch
special of jerk chicken with festival (sweet-fried cornmeal
bread patties), but even vegetarians are well served with
dishes like a tofu, carrot, and chayote curry. All entrées
come with rice and peas, fried plantains, and salad, so no
one leaves hungry – doubly true thanks to the home-baked
Jamaican desserts. $
erable Florida fish shack is the real thing. No worries about
the seafood’s freshness; on their way to the rustic outside
dining deck overlooking the Miami River, diners can view the
retail fish market to see what looks freshest. Best preparations, as always when fish is this fresh, are the simplest.
When stone crabs are in season, Garcia’s claws are as good
as Joe’s but considerably cheaper. The local fish sandwich
is most popular – grouper, yellowtail snapper, or mahi mahi,
fried, grilled, or blackened. The place is also famous for its
zesty smoked-fish dip and its sides of hushpuppies. $-$$
1000 S. Miami Ave., 305-403-3103
www.doloreslolita.com
638 S. Miami Ave., 305-379-1525
www.indochinebistro.com
Dolores, But You Can Call Me Lolita
It’s hard to figure why a Mediterranean/Latin restaurant
(with Asian touches) would be named after a line in a
1950s novel about a New England pedophile. But everything else about this casually stylish spot is easy to understand — and easy on the wallet. All entrées cost either $18
or $23, a price that includes an appetizer — no low-rent
crapola, either, but treats like Serrano ham croquetas, a
spinach/leek tart with Portobello mushroom sauce, or
shrimp-topped eggplant timbales. And all desserts, from
tiramisu to mango carpaccio with lemon crème, are a bargain $2.50. The best seats in this hip hangout, housed in
the old Firehouse 4, are on the rooftop patio. $$$
Fresco California Bistro
1744 SW 3rd Ave., 305-858-0608
This festively decorated indoor/outdoor bistro packs a lot of
party spirit into a small space, a large variety of food onto its
menu, and a very large amount of informal retro Californiastyle fusion food onto its plates. To the familiar Latin
American/Italian equation, the owners add a touch of CalMex (like Tex-Mex but more health conscious). Menu offerings range from designer pizzas and pastas to custardy
tamales, but the bistro’s especially known for imaginative
meal-size salads, like one featuring mandarin oranges, avocado, apple, blue cheese, raisins, candied pecans, and
chicken on a mesclun bed. $$
Garcia’s Seafood Grille and Fish Market
398 NW N. River Dr., 305-375-0765
Run by a fishing family for a couple of generations, this ven-
Indochine
Indochine has succeeded by morphing from mere restaurant into hip hangout. Copious special events (art openings,
happy hours with DJs, classic movie or karaoke nights, wine
or sake tastings) draw everyone from downtown business
types to the counterculture crowd. Not that there’s anything
“mere” about the range of food served from three Asian
nations. Light eaters can snack on Vietnamese summer
rolls or Japanese sushi rolls, including an imaginative masago-coated model with mango, spicy tuna, and cilantro. For
bigger appetites, there are Thai curries and Vietnamese
specialties like pho, richly flavored beef soup with meatballs, steak slices, rice noodles, and add-in Asian herbs and
sprouts. $$-$$$
Iron Sushi
120 SE 3rd Ave., 305-373-2000
(See Miami Shores listing)
La Loggia Ristorante and Lounge
68 W. Flagler St., 305-373-4800, www.laloggia.org
This luxuriantly neo-classical yet warm-feeling Italian restaurant was unquestionably a pioneer in revitalizing downtown;
when it first opened, eating options in the courthouse area
were basically a variety of hot dog wagons. With alternatives
like amaretto-tinged pumpkin agnolloti in sage butter sauce,
cilantro-spiced white bean/vegetable salad dressed with
truffle oil, and soufflé di granchi (crabmeat soufflé atop
arugula dressed with honey-mustard vinaigrette), proprietors
Jennifer Porciello and Horatio Oliveira continue to draw a
lunch crowd that returns for dinner, or perhaps just stays on
through the afternoon, fueled by the Lawyer’s Liquid Lunch,
a vodka martini spiked with sweetened espresso. $$$
Latitude Zero
36 SW 1st St.
305-372-5205
Potted plants are the only sign outside this narrow storefront that the room inside is worlds more charming than
standard downtown Latin eateries. This urban oasis is an
artsy little white-tablecloth place (with alternating red tablecloths warming up the feel), but with no-tablecloth prices.
While much of the menu is Miami’s generic Latin mix, there
ia a separate Ecuadorian section that’s a playlist of that
country’s culinary greatest hits. Standouts: encebollado, a
centuries-old fishermen’s soup given national individuality
by yuca and zingy hits of lime; lighter caldo de bola, veggiepacked broth with plantain dumplings; and cazuelas, thick
layered casseroles of mashed plantains and tomatoenriched seafood. No clue? Try a bandera, a mixed plate of
Ecuador’s most distinctive dishes, including shrimp ceviche.
$$
Novecento
1414 Brickell Ave., 305-403-0900
www.bistronovecento.com
For those who think “Argentine cuisine” is a synonym for
“beef and more beef,” this popular eatery’s wide range of
more cosmopolitan contemporary Argentine fare will be a
revelation. Classic parrilla-grilled steaks are here for traditionalists, but the menu is dominated by creative Nuevo
Latino items like a new-style ceviche de chernia (lightly limemarinated grouper with jalapeños, basil, and the refreshing
sweet counterpoint of watermelon), or crab ravioli with
creamy saffron sauce. Especially notable are entrée salads
like the signature Ensalada Novecento: skirt steak slices
(cooked to order) atop mixed greens coated in rich mustard
vinaigrette with a side of housemade fries. $$-$$$
Oceanaire Seafood Room
900 S. Miami Ave., 305-372-8862
www.theoceanaire.com
With a dozen branches nationwide, Oceanaire may seem
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DINING GUIDE
Restaurant Listings
more All-American seafood empire than Florida fish shack.
But while many dishes (including popular sides like baconenriched hash browns and fried green tomatoes) are identical at all Oceanaires, menus vary significantly according to
regional tastes and fish. Here in Miami, chef Sean Bernal
(formerly at Merrick Park’s Pescado) supplements signature
starters like lump crab cakes with his own lightly marinated,
Peruvian-style grouper ceviche. The daily-changing, 15-20
specimen seafood selection includes local fish seldom seen
on local menus: pompano, parrot fish, amberjack. But even
flown-in fish (and the raw bar’s cold-water oysters) are ultrafresh. $$$$
Pasha’s
1414 Brickell Ave., 305-416-5116
The original branch on Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road was
instantly popular, and the same healthy Middle Eastern fast
food – made with no trans fats or other nutritional nasties –
is served at the three newer outlets. The prices are low
enough that one might suspect Pasha’s was conceived as a
tax write-off rather than a Harvard Business School project,
which it was by founders Antonio Ellek and Nicolas Cortes.
Dishes range from common classics like falafel and gyros to
more unusual items like muhammara (tangy walnut
spread), silky labneh yogurt cheese, and chicken adana
kebabs with grilled veggies and aioli sauce. Everything from
pitas to lemonade is made fresh, from scratch, daily. $-$$
Peoples Bar-B-Que
360 NW 8th St., 305-373-8080
www.peoplesbarbque.com
Oak-smoked, falling-off-the-bone tender barbecued ribs
(enhanced with a secret sauce whose recipe goes back several generations) are the main draw at this Overtown institution.
But the chicken is also a winner, plus there’s a full menu of
soul food entrées, including what many aficionados consider
our town’s tastiest souse. Sides include collards, yams, and
soft mac and cheese. And it would be unthinkable to call it
quits without homemade sweet potato pie or banana pudding, plus a bracing flop – half iced tea, half lemonade. $-$$
June 2008
Perricone’s
The River Oyster Bar
Prime Blue Grille
This casually cool Miami River-area jewel is a full-service
seafood spot, as evidenced by tempting menu selections
like soft-shell crabs with grilled vegetables, corn relish, and
remoulade. There are even a few dishes to please meatand-potatoes diners, like short ribs with macaroni and
cheese. But oyster fans will still find it difficult to resist stuffing themselves silly on the unusually large selection of
bivalves (often ten varieties per night), especially since oysters are served both raw and cooked – fire-roasted with
sofrito butter, chorizo, and manchego. To accompany these
delights, there’s a thoughtful wine list and numerous artisan
beers on tap. $$$
15 SE 10th St., 305-374-9449, www.perricones.com
Housed in a Revolutionary-era barn (moved from
Vermont), this market/café was one of the Brickell area’s
first gentrified amenities. At lunch chicken salad (with pignolias, raisins, apples, and basil) is a favorite; dinner’s
strong suit is the pasta list, ranging from Grandma
Jennie’s old-fashioned lasagna to chichi fiocchi purses
filled with fresh pear and gorgonzola. And Sunday’s
$15.95 brunch buffet ($9.95 for kids) – featuring an
omelet station, waffles, smoked salmon and bagels, salads, and more – remains one of our town’s most civilized
all-you-can-eat deals. $$
315 S. Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 305-358-5901
www.primebluegrille.com
This truly 21st-century steakhouse targets today’s healthminded gourmets by serving only certified-organic Brandt
beef – antibiotic- and hormone-free, as well as dry-aged,
butchered in-house, and smoke-seared by Prime Blue’s
intense wood-burning grills and ovens. For noncarnivores,
the menu gives equal time to fish, all caught wild, and
offers dozens of cooked vegetable and salad options,
including build-your-own. There’s also a raw bar and a
small steak/seafood retail counter. The décor is as modern as the menu. Instead of the stuffy men’s club look,
you have a soaring, light-hued, open-plan, indoor/outdoor
space, with panoramic Miami River view. $$$$
Provence Gril
1001 S. Miami Ave., 305-373-1940
The cozy, terracotta-tiled dining room (and even more
charming outdoor dining terrace) indeed evoke the south
of France. But the menu of French bistro classics covers
all regions, a Greatest Hits of French comfort food: country-style pâté maison with onion jam, roasted peppers and
cornichons; steak/frites (grilled rib-eye with peppercorn
cream sauce, fries, and salad); four preparations of mussels; a tarte tatin (French apple tart with roasted walnuts,
served à la mode). Deal alert: An early-bird prix-fixe menu
(5:30-7:30 p.m.) offers soup or salad, entrée, dessert, and
a carafe of wine for $44 per couple. $$$-$$$$
650 S. Miami Ave., 305-530-1915
www.therivermiami.com
Rosa Mexicano
900 S. Miami Ave., 786-425-1001
www.rosamexicano.com
A branch of the original Rosa Mexicano that introduced New
Yorkers to real Mexican food (not Tex-Mex) in 1984, this
expansive indoor/outdoor space offers a dining experience
that’s haute in everything but price. Few entrées top $20.
The décor is both date-worthy and family-friendly – festive
but not kitschy. And nonsophisticates needn’t fear; though
nachos aren’t available, there is nothing scary about zarape
de pato (roast duck between freshly made, soft corn tortillas, topped with yellow-and-habanero-pepper cream
sauce), or Rosa’s signature guacamole en molcajete, made
tableside. A few pomegranate margaritas ensure no worries.
$$$
Soya & Pomodoro
120 NE 1st St., 305-381-9511
Life is complicated. Food should be simple. That’s owner
Armando Alfano’s philosophy, which is stated above the
entry to his atmospheric downtown eatery. And since it’s
also the formula for the truest traditional Italian food (Alfano
hails from Pompeii), it’s fitting that the menu is dominated
by authentically straightforward yet sophisticated Italian
entrées such as spinach- and ricotta-stuffed crêpes with
béchamel and tomato sauces. There are salads and sandwiches, too, including one soy burger to justify the other half
of the place’s name. The most enjoyable place to dine is the
secret, open-air courtyard, completely hidden from the
street. Alfano serves dinner on Thursdays only to accompany his “Thursday Night Live” events featuring local musicians and artists. $-$$
Taste of Bombay
111 NE 3rd Ave., 305-358-0144
No surprise that a place called Taste of Bombay would be
an Indian restaurant. And depending mostly on the predominant nationalities of downtown construction workers at any
given time, Taste of Bombay has also served sushi,
Philippine, and Chinese food. Best bet, though, is the allyou-can-eat Indian buffet lunch spread, featuring six changing entrées (a mix of meat, poultry, fish, and vegetable curries) plus veggie pakoras, rice, salad, chutneys, hot naan
bread, and a dessert. The place looks plain outside, but it’s
pleasantly exotic enough inside for a bargain business
lunch. $$
Tobacco Road
626 S. Miami Ave., 305-374-1198
www.tobacco-road.com
Prohibition-era speakeasy (reputedly a fave of Al Capone),
gay bar, strip club. Previously all these, this gritty spot has
been best known since 1982 as a venue for live music, primarily blues. But it also offers food from lunchtime to late
night (on weekends till 4:00 a.m.). The kitchen is especially
known for its chili, budget-priced steaks, and burgers,
including the mega-mega burger, a trucker-style monster
topped with said chili plus cheddar, mushrooms, bacon, and
a fried egg. There’s also surprisingly elegant fare, though,
like a Norwegian salmon club with lemon aioli. A meatsmoker in back turns out tasty ribs, perfect accompaniment
to the blues. $$
Midtown / Design District
Adelita’s Café
2699 Biscayne Blvd., 305-576-1262
From the street (which is actually NE 26th, not Biscayne)
this Honduran restaurant seems unpromising, but inside it’s
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Restaurant Listings
bigger, better, and busier than it looks. Unlike many Latin
American eateries, which serve a multinational mélange,
this one sticks close to the source and proves a crowdpleaser. On weekends especially, the two casual dining
rooms are packed with families enjoying authentic fare like
baleadas (thick corn tacos), tajadas (Honduras’s take on
tostones), rich meal-in-a-bowl soups packed with seafood or
meat and veggies, and more. To spend ten bucks on a meal
here, one would have to be a sumo wrestler. $
Bin No. 18
1800 Biscayne Blvd., 786-235-7575
At this wine bar/café, located on the ground floor of one
of midtown’s new mixed-use condo buildings, the décor is
a stylish mix of contemporary cool (high loft ceilings) and
Old World warmth (tables made from old wine barrels).
Cuisine is similarly geared to the area’s new smart,
upscale residents: creative sandwiches and salads at
lunch, tapas and larger internationally themed Spanish,
Italian, or French charcuterie platters at night. Though the
place is small and family-run friendly, Venezuelan-born
chef Alfredo Patino’s former executive chef gigs at Bizcaya
(at the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove) and other high-profile
venues are evident in sophisticated snacks like the figciutto, a salad of arugula, gorgonzola dolce, caramelized
onions, pine nuts, fresh figs, and prosciutto. Free parking
in a fenced lot behind the building. $$
Brosia
163 NE 39th St., 305-531-8700
www.brosiamiami.com
The reputation that Arthur Artile amassed after years as
executive chef at Norman’s and Chispa has made the
Design District’s Brosia an instant hit. The menu is
Mediterranean-inspired, with a few items — like gazpacho
Caprese — fusing cuisines, but most retaining regional individuality: Moroccan mussels in curry broth; shrimp and
clams (with garlic, chorizo, and sherry) that scream “Spain!”
The stylish space is a draw, too. Inside, all mahogany,
leather, and luxuriant intimacy; outside, seating on an extensive patio shaded by a canopy of old oaks. And the conven-
54
ient all-day hours (even breakfast) give it the feel of a real
neighborhood restaurant. $$$
Buena Vista Bistro
4582 NE 2nd Ave., 305-456-5909
If a neighborhood eatery like this one -- which serves
supremely satisfying Italian, American, and French bistro
food -- were within walking distance of every Miami resident,
we’d be a helluva hip food town. Located in the intimate
space that formerly housed Restaurant A, it’s the love child
of Quebequoise chef Claude Postel and his wife Callie, who
runs the front of the house with exuberantly friendly charm.
Like true Parisian bistros, it’s open continuously, every day
(until midnight!), with prices so low (starters $5-8, entrées
$8-15) that one really can drop in anytime for authentic rillettes (a scrumptious spiced meat spread, like a rustic pâté)
with a crusty baguette, steak with from-scratch frites,
salmon atop ratatouille, or many changing blackboard specials. Portions are plentiful. So is free parking. And it’s well
worth a drive. $$
Charcuterie
3612 NE 2nd Ave., 305-576-7877
This Design District old-timer has hung on for close to 20
years as the District has gone through its mood swings. But
it’s no worse for the wear. The upstairs/downstairs space
looks good as new, and is still almost impossibly cute. The
menu, chalked daily on a blackboard, still features well
more than a dozen typical French bistro specials like chicken Dijonaise or almond-crusted trout in creamy, lemony
beurre blanc. And the salads, soups, and sandwiches are
still, invariably, evocative. Rough-cut pâté de campagne,
topped with cornichons on a crusty buttered baguette is an
instant trip to Paris. Though weekend nighttime hours were
instituted several years ago, dinner is an on-again, off-again
thing, so call first. $$-$$$
The Daily Creative Food Co.
2001 Biscayne Blvd., 305-573-4535
While the food formula of this contemporary café is familiar
– sandwiches, salads, soups, breakfast food, and pastries,
plus coffee and fruit drinks – a creative concept differentiates the place. Signature sandwiches are named after
national and local newspapers (like the Biscayne Times:
tuna salad with hummus, cucumber, roasted peppers,
arugula, and sprouts on multigrain bread), giving diners
something to chat about. For those who’d rather Have It
Their Own Way, both sandwiches and salads can be do-ityourself projects, with an unusually wide choice of main
ingredients, garnishes, breads, and condiments for the creatively minded. $
Delicias Peruanas
2590 Biscayne Blvd.
305-573-4633
Seafood Is the specialty at this pleasant Peruvian spot, as
it was at the original Delicias, run by members of the same
family, eight blocks north on the Boulevard. There are differences here, notably karaoke on weekends – and a
kitchen that doesn’t shut down till the wannabe American
Idols shut up, around 2:00 a.m. But the food is as tasty as
ever, especially the reliably fresh traditional ceviches, and
for those who like their fish tangy but cooked, a mammoth
jalea platter (lightly breaded, fried seafood under a blanket
of marinated onions – the fish and chips of your dreams).
As for nonseafood stuff, no one who doesn’t already know
that Peru practically invented fusion cuisine (in the 1800s)
will doubt, after sampling two traditional noodle dishes: tallerin saltado (Chinese-Peruvian beef or chicken lo mein) or
tallerin verde (Ital-Latin noodles with pesto and steak). $$
Domo Japones
4000 NE 2nd Ave., 305-573-5474
www.domojapones.com
Thin-sliced, white-fish usuzukuri sashimi garnished with
sea salt and blood orange sauce; a scallop sushi roll flavored with truffle oil and cured plum; miso-glazed black
cod. If the fare at Domo Japones, housed in the romantically renovated old Buena Vista post office, sounds
unusually inventive and trendy, there’s a logical explanation: Chefs Nao Higuchi and Timon Balloo are Nobu and
SushiSamba veterans, and owner Amir Ben-Zion partnered in Bond Street. Harder to explain are maki combinations like shrimp and prosciutto with pineapple ginger
sauce, or prices more South Beach than Biscayne
Corridor. But sushi till midnight Thursday through
Saturday (11:00 p.m. Monday-Wednesday) is a major
neighborhood upgrade. $$$$
18th Street Café
210 NE 18th St., 305-381-8006
www.18thstreetcafe.com
Most of the seating in this cool little breakfast/lunch room is in
a sort of giant bay window, backed with banquettes, that makes
the space feel expansively light-filled, and quite nicely gentrifies
its whole evolving Midtown block. This pioneering place
deserves to survive, even if just considering the roast beef sandwich with creamy horseradish – an inspired classic combination
that makes one wonder why more places in this town don’t
serve it. (We’ll debate later.) Other culinary highlights of the classic “Six S” repertoire (soups, sandwiches, salads, sweets,
smoothies, specials) might include a turkey/pear/cheddar melt
sandwich, and really sinful marshmallow-topped brownies. $
Elements
3930 NE 2nd Ave., 305-573-0444
To the relief of lunchers who loved chef Lorena Garcia’s former Design District restaurant, Food Café (which lost its
lease around the time of Hurricane Wilma), this new venture
is only about a block away and, despite the new name,
serves many old favorites. These include the signature,
slightly rechristened Food Elements Salad: baby greens with
Granny Smith apples, seasonal berries, gorgonzola, and
addictive candied walnuts, dressed with a raspberry vinaigrette. But there are new dishes too, such as a panko-crusted fish burger with spicy remoulade sauce. $$
Five Guys Famous Burger and Fries
3401 N. Miami Ave. (Shops at Midtown),
305-571-8345
www.fiveguys.com
Like the West Coast’s legendary In-N-Out Burger chain, this
East Coast challenger serves no green-leaf faux health food.
You get what the name says, period, with three adds: kosher
dogs, veggie burgers, and free peanuts while you wait.
Which you will, just a bit, since burgers are made fresh upon
order, not steam-tabled. Available in double or one-patty
sizes, they’re well-done but spurtingly juicy, and after loading with your choice of 15 free garnishes, even a “little”
burger makes a major meal. Fries (regular or Cajun-spiced)
are also superior, hand-cut in-house from sourced potatoes;
a changing sign reports the spuds’ point of origin. $
June 2008
DINING GUIDE
Grass
Restaurant Listings
28 NE 40th St., 305-573-3355
After a couple of years in hiatus, this Design District
restolounge has reopened in the same outdoor courtyard
space. What’s new: “MediterAsian” chef Michael Jacobs
and a menu that travels beyond pan-Asian and
Mediterranean influences into the Americas. Entrées range
from lowbrow comfort food (cunningly reinvented mini pot
pies) to high-status extravagance (stone-seared, authentic
Kobe steak). For healthy grazers, raw-bar selections include
ceviches and a large seafood platter (lobster, shrimp, and
lump crab with housemade dipping sauces). There’s also a
snack menu (pristine coldwater oysters, a crab salad timbale, parmesan-truffle shoestring fries, mini-Kobe burgers)
served till the wee hours, providing a welcome alternative to
the Boulevard’s fast food chains. $$-$$$$$
Kafa Café
3535 NE 2nd Ave., 305-438-0114
www.kafamidtown.com
Opened in late 2007 by a brother/sister team (both originally from Ethiopia, via San Francisco), this breakfast/lunch
spot is located in the casually stylish indoor/outdoor multiroomed Midtown space formerly housing Uva and Stop
Miami. Nothing on the menu tops $8, and portions feed an
army (or several starving artists). Signature item is the formidable Kafa Potato Platter -- a mountain of wondrously textured home fries mixed with bacon, ham, peppers, onion,
and cheese; eggs (any style), fresh fruit, and bread accompany. Lunch’s burgers, salads, and overstuffed sandwiches
(like the roast beef supreme, a melt with sautéed mushrooms, onion, sour cream, and cheddar on sourdough)
come with homemade soup or other sides, plus fruit. Not
full yet? The pair plans expanded night hours with an
authentic Ethiopian menu, pending wine/beer license
approval. $
Latin Café 2000
2501 Biscayne Blvd., 305-576-3838
www.latincafe2000.com
The menu is similar to that at many of our town’s Latin
cafés, largely classic Cuban entrées and sandwiches, with a
smattering of touches from elsewhere in Latin America,
such as a Peruvian jalea mixta (marinated mixed seafood),
or paella Valenciana from Spain, which many Miami eateries consider a Latin country. What justifies the new millennium moniker is the more modern, yuppified/yucafied
ambiance, encouraged by an expansive, rustic wooden
deck. Delivery is now available. $$
Lemoni Café
4600 NE 2nd Ave.
305-571-5080
The menu here reads like your standard sandwiches/salads/starters primer. What it doesn’t convey is the sparkling
freshness of the ingredients and the care that goes into
constructing these mostly healthy snacks. Entrée-size salads range from an elegant spinach salad (with goat cheese,
pears, walnuts, and raisins) to chunky homemade chicken
salad on a bed of mixed greens – a hefty helping of protein
without typical deli-style mayo overload. Sandwiches (cold
baguette subs, hot pressed paninis, or wraps, all accompanied by side salads) include a respectable Cuban, but the
deceptively rich-tasting light salad cream that dresses a veggie wrap might tempt even hardcore cholesterol fans to
stick with the sprouts. $-$$
Lost & Found Saloon
185 NW 36th St., 305-576-1008
www.thelostandfoundsaloon-miami.com
There’s an artsy/alternative feel to this casual and friendly
Wynwood eatery, which, since opening as a weekday-only
breakfast and lunch joint in 2005, has grown with its neighborhood. It’s now open for dinner six nights a week, serving
Southwestern-style fare at rock-bottom prices. Dishes like
piñon and pepita-crusted salmon, chipotle-drizzled endive
stuffed with lump crab, or customizable tacos average $5$8. Also available: big breakfasts and salads, hearty soups,
housemade pastries like lemon-crusted wild berry pie, and a
hip beer and wine list. $
Mario the Baker
250 NE 25th St., 305-891-7641
www.mariothebakerpizza.com
At this North Miami institution (opened in 1969) food is
Italian-American, not Italian-Italian: spaghetti and meatballs,
lasagna, eggplant parmigiana, and hot or cold subs. No
imported buffala, arugula, or other chichi stuff on the New
York-style medium-thin-crusted pizzas; the top topping here
is the savory housemade sausage. And no one leaves without garlic rolls, awash in warm parsley oil and smashed garlic ($4 a dozen, $3 per half-dozen, which won’t even last the
ride home). A new branch is now open in Miami’s Midtown
neighborhood. $
Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink
130 NE 40th St., 305-573-5550
Long-awaited and an instant smash hit, this truly neighborhood-oriented restaurant from Michael Schwartz, founding
chef of Nemo’s in South Beach, offers down-to-earth fun
food in a comfortable, casually stylish indoor/outdoor setting. Fresh, organic ingredients are emphasized, but dishes
range from cutting-edge (crispy beef cheeks with whipped
celeriac, celery salad, and chocolate reduction) to simple
comfort food: deviled eggs, homemade potato chips with
pan-fried onion dip, or a whole wood-roasted chicken.
There’s also a broad range of prices and portion sizes ($4$8 for snacks and small plates to $24-$39 for extra-large
plates) to encourage frequent visits from light-bite as well as
pig-out diners. Michael’s Genuine also features an eclectic
and affordable wine list, and a full bar, with cut-rate weekday happy hour cocktails. $$-$$$
Mike’s at Venetia
555 NE 15th St., 9th floor, 305-374-5731
www.mikesvenetia.com
There’s no sign out front, but this family-owned Irish pub,
on the pool deck of a waterfront condo building across
from the Miami Herald, for more than 15 years has been
a popular lunch and dinner hang-out for local journalists
– and others who appreciate honest cheap eats and
drinks (not to mention a billiard table and 17 TV screens).
Regulars know daily specials are the way to go.
Depending on the day, fish, churrasco, or roast turkey
with all the trimmings are all prepared fresh. Big burgers
and steak dinners are always good, and happy hour appetizers (like meaty Buffalo wings) are always half-price.
Additionally, a limited late-night menu provides pizza,
wings, ribs, and salad till 3:00 a.m. $-$$
Pizzafiore
2905 NE 2nd Ave., 305-573-0900
Those seeking dainty designer pizzas can fuhgeddaboudit
here. At this New York-style pizzeria (which has roughly the
same menu as North Beach’s original Pizzafiore, but independent ownership), it’s all about heftiness. A special
slice/soda deal features two pizza triangles bigger than
most Miami mini-skirts. Whole pies come medium (large),
large (huge), and extra-large (think truck tire). And with fully
loaded pizzas like the Supreme Meat Lover priced only a
few bucks more than a basic tomato/ cheese, it pays to
think big about toppings too. Other Italian-American fare is
also available, notably pastas and subs. $-$$
Orange Café + Art
2 NE 40th St., 305-571-4070
The paintings hanging in this tiny, glass-enclosed café are
for sale. And for those who don’t have thousands of dollars
to shell out for the local art on the walls, less than ten
bucks will get you art on a plate, including a Picasso: chorizo, prosciutto, manchego cheese, baby spinach, and basil
on a crusty baguette. Other artfully named and crafted edibles include salads, daily soups, several pastas (like the
Matisse, fiocchi pouches filled with pears and cheese), and
house-baked pastries. $
Out of the Blue Café
2426 NE 2nd Ave., 305-573-3800
www.outofthebluecafe.net
Forget impersonal chain coffeehouses. This artist-friendly,
independent neighborhood café serves a full selection of
coffee drinks made with the award-winning beans of
Intelligentsia, a roasting company that works directly with
artisan growers to encourage sustainable agriculture – and
one helluva good cup of java. Also served: breakfast and
lunch sandwiches, imaginative salads, soups, homemade
pastries and creamy fresh-fruit smoothies. With tables,
sofas, and lounge chairs inside an old Midtown house, plus
free wireless Internet access, the space is also just a pleasant place to hang out. Owner Carmen Miranda (real name)
says beer and wine will soon be available. $
20 OFF
MIAMI’S FRESH ALTERNATIVE
TO FAST FOOD IS TURNING 1!!
%
To celebrate, we’re offering you
Your next purchase, with coupon. Offer expires June 30th. Restrictions apply.
Come try our made from
scratch soups and handcrafted sandwiches. We hand
carve our meats, cheeses
and vegetables daily using
only the freshest ingredients.
Come in and give us a try. Our
specials change daily.
NEW EXPANDED MENU CATERING
& DELIVERY ALL COMING SOON!
,,
305.381.8006 | www.18thstreetcafe.com
HOURS: Mon-Fri 7am-6pm / Sat-Sun 9am-4pm
June 2008
210 NE 18th Street, Miami, FL 33132
55
DINING GUIDE
Pasha’s
Restaurant Listings
3801 N. Miami Ave., 305-573-0201
(See Brickell/Downtown listing)
Primo’s
1717 N. Bayshore Dr.
305-371-9055
Relatively few people except hotel guests and condo residents are familiar with the Grand’s restaurants (except for
Tony Chan’s). The imposing, cavernous lobby just doesn’t
have that “do drop in” locals’ hangout vibe. But this lively
Italian spot is actually a great addition to the neighborhood.
The pizzas alone – brick-oven specimens with toppings
ranging from classic pepperoni to trendy prosciutto/arugula
– would be draw enough. But pastas are also planned to
please: diners’ choice of starch, with mix-and-match sauces
and extras. And the price is right, with few entrées (whether
traditional veal piccata or seared ahi tuna) topping $20. The
capper: It’s open past midnight every day but Sunday. $$
The Secret Sandwich Co.
3918 N. Miami Ave., 305-571-9990
The spy theme applies to menu items (the Mata Hari,
Double Agent, French Connection, Bay of Pig), but it could
also refer to the hard-to-spot storefront housing this takeout (and delivery) lunch spot, which, for it’s small size,
offers a big selection of hot and cold sandwiches, varying
from char-grilled burgers to more exotic specialty items
like grilled or blackened mahi mahi with mixed greens,
tomato, and creamy garlic dressing. There are also daily
soups, and salads with “secret vinaigrette.” But the bestkept secret is the rich, smooth, homemade flan, hidden in
the chilled display case. $
Sheba
4029 N. Miami Ave., 305-573-1819
www.shebamiami.com
Combining contemporary Design District chic with traditional African craft (from its adjacent art gallery), Sheba’s
spacious setting is a soothing place to discover the exotic
offerings of Miami’s only Ethiopian eatery. Once diners
adjust to eating with their hands (using inerja, the sourdough crepes accompanying entrées, as a utensil), the
food is quite accessible. Both wats (meat and poultry
stews) and tibs (sautéed dishes incorporating the familiar
multicultural “holy trinity” of onions, tomatoes, and peppers) tend, like Cuban cuisine, to be spiced with complexity, not fire. A Best of the Best platter for two enables diners to sample most of the menu. $$$
S & S Diner
1757 NE 2nd Ave., 305-373-4291
Some things never change, or so it seems at this diner,
which is so classic it verges on cliché. Open since 1938, it’s
still popular enough that people line up on Saturday morning, waiting for a seat at the horseshoe-shaped counter
(there are no tables) and enormous breakfasts: corned beef
hash or crab cakes and eggs with grits; fluffy pancakes;
homemade biscuits with gravy and Georgia sausage –
everything from oatmeal to eggs Benedict, all in mountainous portions. The lunch menu is a roll call of the usual suspects, but most regulars ignore the menu and go for the
daily blackboard specials. $-$$
Tony Chan’s Water Club
1717 N. Bayshore Dr., 305-374-8888
Boteco
916 NE 79th St., 305-757-7735
The décor at this upscale place, located in the Grand, a
huge bayside condo/resort hotel, looks far too glitzy to serve
anything but politely Americanized Chinese food. The presentation is indeed elegant, but the American dumbing-down
is minimal. Many dishes are far more authentic and skillfully
prepared than those found elsewhere in Miami, like delicate
but flavorful yu pan quail (minced with mushrooms in lettuce cups). Moist sea bass fillet has a beautifully balanced
topping of scallion, ginger, cilantro, and subtly sweet/salty
sauce. And Peking duck is served as three traditional courses: crêpe-wrapped crispy skin, meat sautéed with crisp veggies, savory soup to finish. $$$-$$$$
This strip of 79th Street, formerly known for its live bait and
auto repair shops, is rapidly becoming a cool alt-culture
enclave thanks to inviting hangouts like this rustic
indoor/outdoor Brazilian restaurant and bar. Especially
bustling on nights featuring live music, it’s even more fun on
Sundays, when the fenced backyard hosts an informal fair
and the menu includes Brazil’s national dish, feijoada, a
savory stew of beans plus fresh and cured meats. But the
everyday menu, ranging from unique, tapas-like pasteis
(shrimp and hearts of palm-stuffed turnovers) to hefty
Brazilian entrées, is also appealing – and budget-priced. $$
3622 NE 2nd Ave., 305-576-7775
For anyone who can’t get over thinking of French food as
intimidating or pretentious, this cute café with a warm
welcome, and family-friendly French home cooking, is the
antidote. No fancy food (or fancy prices) here, just classic
comfort food like onion soup, boeuf bourguignon (think
Ultimate Pot Roast), moist, tender chicken Dijonaise,
Nicoise salad, quiche, and homemade crème brûlée. And
the kids can get hot dogs or grilled cheese. Top price for
grown-up entrées is about $12. $-$$
W Wine Bistro
Both bistro and retail wine shop, this Design District spot
is run by Florent Blanchet, an energetic young Frenchman
who was previously a wine distributor. His former gig led
to connections that mean if wine lovers don’t find the bottle they want in W’s selection of roughly 200-labels (which
emphasizes boutique and organic growers), Blanchet can
probably get it within 24 hours. Food is sophisticated light
bites like a shrimp club sandwich with pancetta and sundried tomato aioli; smoked duck salad with goat cheese
croutons and a poached egg; and chocolate fondant. At
night there are tapas. $-$$
Zuperpollo Biztro Reztocafe
3050 Biscayne Blvd., 305-573-8485
www.zuperpollo.com
Occasionally there’s a sign out front of the office building
housing this bistro, indicating that a branch of the popular
Uruguayan eatery Zuperpollo (on Coral Way, since 1986) is
within. Otherwise, since the restaurant opened in 2006,
locals have basically had to intuit its presence – way in
back, past a guard desk and an elevator bank, behind an
unmarked door. Once there, diners discover an extensive
pan-Latin menu of breakfast food, salads, substantial meat
and fish entrées, homemade pastas and soups, desserts,
and sandwiches, including Uruguay’s famed chivito, sometimes called “a heart attack on a bun”: beef, bacon, ham,
eggs, mozzarella, plus sautéed mushrooms and red peppers. And naturally, from the rotisserie, there’s the zignature
zuper chicken. $-$$
Andiamo
Upper Eastside
5600 Biscayne Blvd., 305-762-5751
www.andiamopizza.com
Sharing a building with a long-established Morningside
car wash, Andiamo is also part of Mark Soyka’s 55th
Street Station – which means ditching the car (in the
complex’s free lot across the road on NE 4th Court) is
no problem even if you’re not getting your vehicle
cleaned while consuming the brick-oven pies (from a
flaming open oven) that are this popular pizzeria’s specialty. Choices range from the simple namesake
Andiamo (actually a Margherita) to the Godfather, a
major meat monster. Extra toppings like arugula and
goat cheese enable diners to create their own designer
pies. Also available are salads and panini plus reasonably priced wines and beers (including a few unusually
sophisticated selections like Belgium’s Hoegaarden). $$
Le Café
7295 Biscayne Blvd., 305-754-6551
Canela
5132 Biscayne Blvd., 305-756-3930
When this atmospheric little neighborhood oasis opened,
the formula was Cuban cooking at lunch, Catalan tapas at
night. The menu is now more uniform: contemporary
Spanish and pan-Latin tapas, sandwiches, salads, sides,
and entrées at all hours, just a far more elaborate selection
at night. The tapas list is especially impressive, with all the
usual Hispanic meat and cheese favorites but also an
unusually large selection of seafood and vegetarian items
such as espinaca à la catalaña (spinach sautéed with pine
nuts and raisins). Must-not-miss items include ultra-creamy
croquetas (ham, cheese, chicken, spinach, or bacalao),
grilled asparagus with aioli, and habit-forming Brazilian
cheese bread. $-$$$
Captain Crab’s Take-Away
1100 NE 79th St., 305-754-2722
The drive-through window says “fast food,” and so do this
long-lived seafood shack’s low prices. And indeed there
are three Captain Crab’s Take-Aways (the others are in
Carol City and Fort Lauderdale), all related to the sit-down
Crab House restaurants. But there the resemblance to
McFauxFood ends. For about the price of a bucket of the
Colonel’s chicken you can get a bucket of the Captain’s
savory garlic crabs. The King’s burger meal or the
Captain’s similarly priced fried (or garlic boiled or New
Orleans-spiced) shrimp meal? No contest. Also popular:
crab cakes and conch (fried or in fritters and chowder).
For fish haters, spicy or garlic chicken wings are an
option; for kids, cut-price “first mate” meals. $-$$
Casa Toscana
7001 Biscayne Blvd., 305-758-3353
www.casatoscanamiami.com
Tuscan-born chef/owner Sandra Stefani cooked at
Norman’s (and briefly ran the Indian Creek Hotel’s restaurant) before opening this Upper Eastside jewel, a wine market/eatery whose 30 original seats have been supplemented by a wine room/garden for tasting events and private
dining. Stefani travels regularly to Italy to find exciting, limited-production wines and inspiration for truly Tuscan-tasting
daily special dishes with honest, authentic flavors, such as
grilled wild boar sausages with lentil croquettes. Favorites
that show up often on the menu include pear and ricotta
raviolini with sage butter sauce, grilled eggplant slices rolled
around herbed goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, and a
light ricotta tart with lemon and rosemary. $$$
Che Sopranos
7251 Biscayne Blvd., 305-754-8282
This branch of a Miami Beach Italian/Argentine pizzeria,
housed in a charming bungalow and featuring a breezy
patio, covers multicultural bases. If the Old World
Rucola pizza (a classic Margherita topped with arugula,
prosciutto, and shredded parmesan) doesn’t do the
trick, the New World Especial (a Latin pie with hearts of
palm and boiled eggs) just might. Also available are pastas, salads, sandwiches, dinner entrées (eggplant parmigiana with spaghetti, lomito steak with Argentinean
potato salad), and desserts (tiramisu or flan). $
Chef Creole
200 NW 54th St., 305-754-2223
Sparkling fresh Creole-style food is the star at
chef/owner Wilkinson Sejour’s two tiny but wildly popular establishments. While some meatier Haitian classics
like griot (fried pork chunks) and oxtail stew are also
available – and a $3.99 roast chicken special is a hard
deal to resist – the glistening fish display that greets
diners as they walk in makes it clear that seafood is the
specialty here: crevette en sauce (steamed shrimp with
Creole butter sauce), lambi fri (a mountain of perfectly
tenderized fried conch), poisson gros sel (local snapper
in a spicy butter sauce), garlic or Creole crabs. Note for
ambiance-seekers: The Miami branch has outdoor tikihut dining; North Miami’s outlet, a former Carvel, has
the same food but lacks the tropical charm. $-$$
Dogma Grill
7030 Biscayne Blvd., 305-759-3433
www.dogmagrill.com
What could induce downtown businessmen to drive to the
Upper Eastside to eat at a few outdoor-only tables just
feet from the busy Boulevard? From the day it opened,
people have been lining up, even in summer’s sweltering
heat, for this stand’s sauce-garnished, all-beef, soy veggie, turkey, and chicken hot dogs. The 22 varieties range
from simple (the Classic, with ketchup, relish, and
chopped onion) to the elaborate (the Athens, topped with
a Greek salad, including extra-virgin olive oil dressing) to
near-unbelievable combinations like the VIP, which
includes parmesan cheese and crushed pineapple. $
East Side Pizza
731 NE 79th St., 305-758-5351
Minestrone, sure. But a pizzeria menu with carrot ginger
soup? Similarly many Italian-American pizzerias offer
entrées like spaghetti and meatballs, but East Side also
has pumpkin ravioli in brown butter/sage sauce, wild mushroom ravioli, and other surprisingly upscale choices. The
East Side Salad includes goat cheese, walnuts, and cranberries; quaffs include imported Peroni beer. As for the
pizza, they are classic pies, available whole or by the slice,
made with fresh plum tomato sauce and Grande mozzarella (considered the top American pizza cheese). Best seating for eating is at the sheltered outdoor picnic tables. $
HOT DOGS, BUNS AND MORE!
Try our $5.95
BO
CLASSIC COM
Miami
7030 Biscayne Blvd.
305-759-3433
Winner:
“Best Bang for the Buck”
Fort Lauderdale
900 S. Federal Hwy.
954-525-1319
– Zagat 2007 & 2008
56
June 2008
DINING GUIDE
Restaurant Listings
Garden of Eatin’
136 NW 62nd St., 305-754-8050
Low profile would be an understatement for this place.
Housed in a yellow building that’s tucked in back of a parking
lot behind a small grocery store, it’s nearly invisible from the
street. Inside, though, it has the comfortable feel of a beach
bar, and generous servings of inexpensive Afro-Caribbean
vegan food. Rastafari owner Immanuel Tafari cooks up meat
and dairy-free specials, like Jamaican pumpkin/chayote stew
in coconut milk, that depend on what looks good at that
morning’s produce market. Large or small plates, with salad
and fried sweet plantains (plus free soup for eat-in lunchers),
are served for five or seven bucks. Also available are snacks
like vegetarian blue corn tacos, desserts like sweet potato
pie, and a breakfast menu featuring organic blueberry waffles
with soy sausage patties. $
Gourmet Station
7601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 305-762-7229
Home-meal replacement, geared to workaholics with no time
to cook, has been trendy for years. But the Gourmet Station
has outlasted most of the competition. Main reason: deceptive healthiness. These are meals that are good for you, yet
taste good enough to be bad for you. Favorite items include
precision-grilled salmon with lemon-dill yogurt sauce, and
lean turkey meatloaf with homemade BBQ sauce – sin-free
comfort food. For lighter eaters, there are wraps and salads
with a large, interesting choice of dressings. Food is available
à la carte or grouped in multimeal plans customized for individual diner’s nutritional needs. $$
Hiro’s Sushi Express
5140 Biscayne Blvd., 305-759-0914
(See North Miami Beach listing)
Hoagie Hut Café
8650 Biscayne Blvd., 305-757-0910
Located in Antiques Mall, this cute hut (whose wrought-iron
and wicker furniture actually give it more the ambiance of an
old-time soda shop) is only open during weekday 9-to-5 business hours, and Saturday 10-4. But no worries. The leftovers
from one of the place’s mammoth salads, whether simple
garden or mega-meat Grand Combo, will feed you for the
weekend. And the signature foot-long overstuffed “hoagie
submarines,” or even the relatively wee eight-inchers, might
indeed feed most of a ship’s crew. Also available: big bargain
breakfasts. Hoagie prices start at $2.99 for a twelve-inch
bologna; nothing on the menu breaks eight bucks. $
Jimmy’s East Side Diner
7201 Biscayne Blvd., 305-754-3692
Open for more than 30 years, Jimmy’s respects the most
important American diner tradition: Breakfast at any hour.
Admittedly the place closes at 4:00 p.m., but still. There are
blueberry hot cakes and pecan waffles for sweet-tooth eaters;
eggs any style, including omelets and open-face frittatas for
those preferring savories; and a full range of sides: biscuits
and sausage gravy, grits, hash, hash browns, even hot oatmeal. Also available are traditional diner entrées (meat loaf,
roast turkey, liver and onions), plus burgers, salad platters,
and homemade chicken soup. $-$$
June 2008
Karma
7010 Biscayne Blvd., 305-759-1392
A real car wash with meticulous detailing takes time. But
killing an hour is a pleasure at this stylish car wash/tapas
bar, where the elegant light fare occasionally even outshines the hand-washed automobiles. Vegetarians do especially well, with crusty baguette sandwich combos like brie,
walnuts, and honey, or another featuring grilled artichokes
and buttery St. Andre cheese. Lower carb items range from
an imported olive assortment to an antipasto platter with
Spanish Cantimpalo chorizo, manchego cheese, and garbanzos. There are breakfast and dessert pastries too.
Beverages include organic coffee and soy chai lattes, as
well as wines and an extensive beer list featuring Belgian
brewskis. On Thursday nights the car wash transforms into a
chic lounge until 2:00 a.m. $-$$
Kingdom
6708 Biscayne Blvd., 305-757-0074
This newly renovated, indoor/outdoor sports bar serves lowpriced but high-quality steaks, plus more typical bar food
that’s actually far from the usual premade, processed stuff.
Philly cheese steak sandwiches, big enough for two, are
made from hand-sliced rib eye; sides include fries and beerbattered onion rings, but also lightly lemony sautéed
spinach. And the burgers rule, particularly the Doomsday, a
cheese/ bacon/mushroom-topped two-pound monster that
turns dinner into a competitive sport. But even the smallest
Queenburger (a half-pounder that’s no sissy) is a perfectly
seasoned contender. No hard liquor, but the beer list makes
up for it. $$
Luna Café
4770 Biscayne Blvd., 305-573-5862
www.lunacafemidtown.com
The ground floor of the Wachovia Bank building may not
seem a particularly evocative locale for an Italian eatery, but
once inside, the charming décor and the staff’s ebullient
welcome indeed are reminiscent of a café in Italy. The
kitchen’s outstanding feature is a brick oven, which turns
out designer pizzas (greater in variety, lesser in cost on the
lunch menu, in effect till 4:30 p.m.) and crisp-skinned roast
chickens. Otherwise the menu holds few surprises – except
the prices, surprisingly low for such a stylish place. No dish
exceeds $22. $$-$$$
The Lunch Room
7957 NE 2nd Ave., 305-722-0759
Hidden in Little Haiti, this Thai/Japanese spot, which
opened in 2005, remains one of the Upper Eastside’s bestkept secrets. But chef Michelle Bernstein (of Michy’s) and
other knowledgeable diners wander over from the Boulevard
for simple but perfect pad Thai, chili grouper (lightly battered
fillets in a mouthwatering tangy/sweet/hot sauce), silky
Asian eggplant slices in Thai basil sauce, and other remarkably low-priced specialties of Matilda Apirukpinyo, who operated a critically acclaimed South Beach Thai eatery in the
1990s. Though the casually cute indoor/outdoor place is
only open for weekday lunches, “cantina” dinners can be
ordered and picked up after hours. $
Michy’s
6927 Biscayne Blvd., 305-759-2001
Don’t even ask why Michele Bernstein, with a résumé that
includes top-chef gigs at upscale eateries like Azul, not to
mention regular Food Network appearances, opened a
homey restaurant in an emerging (but far from fully gentrified) neighborhood. Just be glad she did, as you dine on
white almond gazpacho or impossibly creamy ham and blue
cheese croquetas. Though most full entrées also come in
half-size portions (at almost halved prices), the tab can add
up fast. Table-to-table conversations about the food are
common, something that only happens at exciting, if not
flawless, restaurants. And at this one, the star herself is
usually in the kitchen. Parking in the rear off 69th Street.
$$$-$$$$
Moonchine
7100 Biscayne Blvd., 305-759-3999
Like its Brickell-area older sibling Indochine, this friendly
indoor/outdoor Asian bistro serves stylish fare from three
nations: Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Menus are also similar, split between traditional dishes like pad Thai and
East/West fusion creations like the Vampire sushi roll
(shrimp tempura, tomato, cilantro, roasted garlic). But the
café also carves out its own identity with original creations,
including yellow curry-spiced Moonchine fried rice or
Popeye’s Salad (spicy tuna, avocado, spinach, masago roe,
sesame seeds, and a scrumptious sweet/hot kimchee
dressing). Nearly everything is low in sodium, fat, and calories – except desserts (notably the chocolate bomb).
There’s also an impressive sake list, too. Coming soon: a
large rear patio for dining and entertainment. $$-$$$
One Ninety
26 NE 54th St., 305-758-7085
www.oneninetyrestaurant.com
When the original One Ninety, a hip Nuevo Hippie hangout
in residential Buena Vista, closed because of rent increases
in 2004, loyal patrons from all walks of life mourned the
loss. In its new Little Haiti location, the space is much smaller but the loose vibe is the same, as are the eclectic live
bands and some old food favorites: bacalao cake with
onion, cuke, and tomato salad with lemony aioli sauce; ricotta-walnut agnolotti with butter and sage; and chef Alan
Hughes’s unique black-pepper-spiked white chocolate
mousse (now presented as one of a five-item chocolate
medley). $$-$$$
Pineapple Blossom Tea Room
8214 Biscayne Blvd., 305-754-8328
www.pineappleblossom.com
The interior of this pineapple-yellow building is a soothing
oasis offering traditional full English tea service – or a more
zingy tropical fruit-flavored Caribbean variation. Whether
your chosen brew is steaming Earl Grey or pineapple-mint
iced tea, the scones (with thick cream and jam), tea cakes,
cookies, and desserts, are hometown treats. Owner Frances
Brown is a pastry chef. There’s more substantial fare, too.
Innovative wraps like Caribbean shrimp salad with tropical
fruit salsa; salads such as warm goat cheese with fresh
greens, tomatoes, dried cranberries, and candied cashews.
Also offered are tempting take-out baskets like the Tea for
Two (with tea, jam, scones, and cookies), great for gifts or
for at-home teas. $-$$
Royal Bavarian Schnitzel Haus
1085 NE 79th St., 305-754-8002
With Christmas lights perpetually twinkling and party noises
emanating from a new outdoor biergarten, this German
restaurant is owner Alex Richter’s one-man gentrification
project, transforming a formerly uninviting stretch of 79th
Street one pils at a time. The fare includes housemade
sausages (mild veal bratwurst, hearty mixed beef/pork
bauernwurst, spicy garlicwurst) with homemade mustard
and catsup; savory yet near-greaseless potato pancakes;
and, naturally, schnitzels, a choice of delicate pounded
pork, chicken, or veal patties served with a half-dozen different sauces. $$-$$$
Soyka
5556 NE 4th Court, 305-759-3117
www.soykarestaurant.com
This expansive, contemporary hangout was often credited
with almost single-handedly sparking the revitalization of
the Biscayne Corridor’s Upper Eastside. Now that the hype
has calmed down, Soyka remains a solid neighborhood
restaurant that, like restaurateur Mark Soyka’s previous
ventures (notably Ocean Drive’s pioneering News Café and
the Van Dyke on Lincoln Road) is a perfect fit for its area.
Comfortably priced yuppie comfort food like meatloaf with
mashed potatoes, crab cakes with spicy-sweet slaw, a wild
mushroom/smoked mozzarella pizza, or a Cobb salad may
not be revolutionary fare, but Soyka continues to thrive
while more ambitious, nationally publicized restaurants like
OLA have come and gone. $$-$$$
Wine 69
6909 Biscayne Blvd., 305-759-0122
From the name, one might think this is just a wine shop. It’s
actually about wine, food, and art, and how they work
together. Wines, about 200 labels, are available retail (at
35-50 percent of their marked prices, which are for in-house
drinkers), with 40 sold by the glass. But the place’s specialty is comparative flights of various wine types from different
regions. Food, designed for pairing, includes a new $25
three-course dinner. But the menu is mostly light bites with
intriguingly inventive touches: a seared Cajun tuna salad
with wasabi sauce; crab cakes with Asian sriracha chili
sauce; a three-cheese soufflé. Especially impressive are
some nicely priced cheese/charcuterie platters, served with
fig tapenade, cornichons, fresh fruits, bread, and multiple
sauces. And the art part encompasses revolving exhibits,
plus an art lecture series featuring wines picked by owner
Ben Neji to compliment the art. $$
NORTH BAY VILLAGE
Barchetta on the Bay
1601 79th St. Causeway, 305-861-2228
Location, location, location. The truth of the old real estate
cliché could not be better illustrated than at this reasonably
priced Italian restaurant. While pastas like lobster ravioli in
tomato/cream vodka sauce are under $20, and no meat or
seafood entrée exceeds $30, the spectacular setting on
Biscayne Bay is priceless. Floor to ceiling picture windows
serve as the expansive indoor dining space’s rear wall, but
the primo seats are outdoors, in sheltered banquettes and
patio tables where the water view, and carefree tropical
party feel, is unimpeded. $$-$$$$
Bocados Ricos
1880 79th St. Causeway
305-864-4889
Tucked into a mall best known for housing the Happy Stork
Lounge, this little luncheonette joint services big appetites.
Along with the usual grilled churrascos, there’s an especially
belly-busting bandeja paisa (Colombia’s sampler platter of
grilled steak, sausage, chicharron, fried egg, avocado, plantains, rice, and beans). But do not miss marginally daintier
dishes like sopa de costilla, if this rich shortrib bowl is
among the daily changing homemade soups. Arepas
57
DINING GUIDE
Restaurant Listings
include our favorite corn cake: the hefty Aura, stuffed with
chorizo, chicharron, carne desmechada (shredded flank
steak), plantains, rice, beans, and cheese. Garnished with
even more over-the-top abandon are Colombian-style hot
dogs like the Perro Rico, topped with chicharron, chorizo,
cheese, a quail egg, and pineapple to cancel out the cholesterol. Ha! But who cares? Strap on the med emergency
bracelet and bring it on. $-$$
“Cheap eats and a million-dollar view” is the sound bite
manager Philip Conklin uses to describe this outdoor beach
bar, hidden in back of a bayfront motel. The joint dates from
South Beach’s late 1980s revival, but the kick-off-yourshoes vibe – not to mention the pool tables and jukebox –
couldn’t be farther from SoBe glitz. The food ranges from
classic bar favorites (char-grilled wings, conch fritters, raw or
steamed shellfish) to full dinners featuring steak, homemade pasta, or fresh, not frozen, fish. And since about half
of the establishment is sheltered, the bites and bay view
rock even when the weather sucks. $-$$
1412 79th St. Causeway, 305-861-0143
1524 NE 79th St. Causeway, 305-864-7638
Japanese Market and Sushi Deli
Inside a small market that is, nevertheless, widely considered Miami’s premier source of Japanese foodstuffs, the
“Sushi Deli” restaurant component is nothing more than a
lunch counter to the left of the entrance. But chef Michio
Kushi, who worked for years at the Sushin, Miami’s first fullservice Japanese restaurant, serves up some sushi found
nowhere else in town. Example: traditional Osaka-style sushi
– layers of rice, seasoned seaweed, more rice, and marinated fresh mackerel, pressed into a square box, then cut into
lovely one-bite sandwich squares. While raw fish is always
impeccable here, some unusual vegetarian sushi creations
also tempt, as do daily entrées, like curried beef stew, that
typify Japanese home cooking. $
Oggi Caffe
1666 79th St. Causeway, 305-866-1238
www.oggicaffe.com
This cozy, romantic spot started back in 1989 as a pasta
factory (supplying numerous high-profile restaurants) as well
as a neighborhood eatery. And the wide range of budgetfriendly, homemade pastas, made daily, remains the main
draw for its large and loyal clientele. Choices range from
homey, meaty lasagna to luxuriant crab ravioli with creamy
lobster sauce, with occasional forays into creative exotica
such as seaweed spaghettini (with sea scallops, shitakes,
and fresh tomatoes). For those tempted by too much, ultraaccommodating servers have been known to allow half
orders of two pastas. $$-$$$
Shuckers Bar & Grill
1819 79th St. Causeway, 305-866-1570
Sushi Siam
(See Miami listing)
Ariston
NORTH BEACH
940 71st St., 305-864-9848
It took a Greek place (Ouzo’s, which moved to bigger SoBe
quarters in 2007) to break the curse of this former restaurant jinx location. And Ariston continues the lucky streak
with classical Greek cuisine based on recipes of co-owner
Thanasis Barlos’s mom Noni Barlou, and executed by CIAtrained chef Alexia Apostolidis. Skip the menu’s puzzling
Italianesque and generic Euro-American selections and concentrate on authentic treats like the lightest, most savory
whipped tarama (caviar spread) west of Athens; ultra-rich
tzatziki (Greek yogurt with cukes, garlic, and olive oil); bracing avgolemono (egg-thickened chicken/lemon soup); chargrilled sardines with greens and citrus dressing; or an
inspired eggplant/ground beef moussaka, bound here with
an almost sinfully custardy béchamel. $$$
Café Prima Pasta
414 71st St., 305-867-0106
www.primapasta.com
Opened in 1993 with 28 seats, this family-run North Beach
landmark has now taken over the block, with an outdoor terrace and multi-roomed indoor space whose walls are full of
photos of their clientele (including national and local
celebs). Particularly popular are homemade pastas, sauced
with Argentine-Italian indulgence rather than Italian simplicity: crabmeat ravioletti in lobster cream sauce, black squid
ink linguini heaped with seafood. Veal dishes, such as piccata with white wine-lemon-caper sauce, are also a specialty.
Though romantic enough for dates, the place is quite kidfriendly — and on the terrace, they’ll even feed Fido. $$$
tion to detail, down to the stylish plaid ribbons that hold
together the café’s baguette sandwiches.
$-$$
946 Normandy Dr., 305-861-6222
www.tamarindthai.us
Los Antojos
Tamarind Thai
When an eatery’s executive chef is best-selling Thai cookbook author Vatcharin Bhumichitr, you’d expect major
media hype, fancy South Beach prices, and a fancy SoBe
address. Instead Bhumichitr joined forces with Day
Longsomboon (an old Thai school pal who’d moved to
Miami) at this unpretentious, authentic (no sushi) neighborhood place. Some standout dishes here (like shrimp and
corn cakes with plum sauce, deep-fried sweet and sour fish,
and roast duck with tamarind sauce) are featured in the
chef’s latest tome, Vatch’s Thai Kitchen, but with Tamarind’s
very affordable prices (especially at lunch), you might as
well let the man’s impeccably trained kitchen staff do the
work for you. $$-$$$
Iron Sushi
MIAMI SHORES
9432 NE 2nd Ave., 305-754-0311
www.ironsushi.com
With three Biscayne Corridor outlets (plus several branches
elsewhere in town), this mostly take-out mini chain is fast
becoming the Sushi Joint That Ate Miami. And why do
Miamians eat here? Not ambiance. There isn’t any. But
when friends from the Pacific Northwest, where foodies
know their fish, tout the seafood’s freshness, we listen. And
though the bargain prices, and many menu items, are similar to those at other fast-food sushi places, there are some
surprisingly imaginative makis, like the Maharaja, featuring
fried shrimp and drizzles of curry mayo. And where else will
you find a stacked sushi (five assorted makis) birthday
cake? $-$$
Village Café
9540 NE 2nd Ave., 305-757-6453
www.villagecaferestaurant.com
There’s an official Village Hall a few blocks up the road, but
a popular vote would probably proclaim Village Café the
community center of Miami Shores. Few residents can
resist starting the workday with unique breakfast treats like
a pressed panini of ham, Brie, and caramelized apples.
Later locals gather over a balsamic-dressed cranberry blue
chicken salad (a grilled breast on romaine with gorgonzola,
walnuts, and dried cranberries), pan-fried blue crab cakes
with beurre blanc and crisp cayenne-fried onions, wontontopped salmon Oriental, or homemade pasta. As for
dessert, the pastry case speaks for village residents: Let
them eat (fresh-baked) cake! $-$$
Côte Gourmet
9999 NE 2nd Ave., #112, 305-754-9012
If every Miami neighborhood had a neighborhood restaurant
like this low-priced little French jewel, it’d be one fantastic
food town. The menu is mostly simple stuff: breakfast croissants, crêpe, soups, sandwiches, salads, sweets, and a few
more substantial specials like a Tunisian-style brik (buttery
phyllo pastry stuffed with tuna, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes) with a mesclun side salad. But everything is homemade, including all breads, and prepared with impeccable
ingredients, classic French technique, and meticulous atten-
K AR A OK E IDO L
11099 Biscayne Blvd., 305-892-1411
If it’s Sunday, it must be sancocho de gallina, Colombia’s
national dish. If it’s Saturday, it must be ajiaco. Both are
thick chicken soups, full meals in a bowl. But veggies and
garnishes vary, and this modest Colombian eatery is a
handy spot to comparison-test such typical stews.
Adventuresome eaters may want to try another Saturday
special, mondongo (tripe soup, similar to Mexico’s
menudo). For Colombian-cuisine novices, a Bandeja Paisa
(sampler including rice, beans, carne asada, chicharron,
eggs, sautéed sweet plantains, and an arepa corn cake) is
available every day, as are antojitos – “little whims,” smaller snacks like chorizo con arepa (a corn cake with
Colombian sausage). And for noncarnivores there are several hefty seafood platters, made to order. $$
Bagels & Co.
11064 Biscayne Blvd., 305-892-2435
While this place is often referred to as Guns & Bagels, one
can’t actually buy a gun here. The nickname refers to its
location next to a firearms shop. But there’s a lot of other
stuff aside from bagels here, including a full range of
sandwiches and wraps. Breakfast time is busy time, with
banana-walnut pancakes especially popular. But what’s
most important is that this is one of the area’s few
sources of the real, New York-style water bagel: crunchy
outside, challengingly chewy inside. Those puffy halfdonuts most places pass off as bagels aren’t even contenders. $
Bamboche
13408 Biscayne Blvd., 305-947-6339
Buried in a strip mall perpendicular to the Boulevard,
Bamboche is worth the hunt on one of those head-splitting
Saturdays, for a Haitian specialty not found in many area
restaurants: bouillon tet cabrit, a soup packed with greens
(like spinach, cabbage, cress, string beans) and root veggies that is reputed to be a miraculous hangover remedy.
Along with bouillon, weekend specials include more unusual dishes like fritay, fried street snacks. Haitian standards
(griot, tassot) are available daily, as are fresh-squeezed
juices, lattes, and almost two dozen desserts. $
Canton Café
12749 Biscayne Blvd., 305-892-2882
Easily overlooked, this strip-mall spot serves mostly
Cantonese-based dishes, ranging from all the old ChineseAmerican classics (chop suey, moo goo gai pan, pu pu
platters) through newer Americanized fusion favorites like
honey garlic chicken, teriyaki beef, and crab Rangoon. But
there are also about two dozen spicier, Szechuan-style
standards like kung po shrimp, ma po tofu, and General
Tso’s chicken. And there are a few imaginative new items,
like the intriguingly christened “Shrimp Lost in the Forest,”
Singapore curried rice noodles, crispy shrimp with honeyglazed walnuts, and Mongolian beef (with raw chilis and
fresh Oriental basil). Delivery is available for both lunch
and dinner. $$
OPEN LUNCH
& DINNER
Every Wednesday Starting @ 9pm till...Gifts & Prizes to Selected Talents
S U N D AY B R U N C H
Asian Buffet 11am to 3 pm $16.95
LUNCH EXPRESS $ 8. 95 ThaiWokCurryFried Rice & Noodles (Mon. Fri)
58
NORTH MIAMI
Fast, Good
& Healthy!
WE DELIVER
PARKING AVAILABLE
www.moonchine.com • 7100 BISCAYNE BLVD • TEL 305.759.3999 • FAX 305.759.9139
June 2008
DINING GUIDE
Restaurant Listings
Captain Jim’s Seafood
12950 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-892-2812
This market/restaurant was garnering critical acclaim even
when eat-in dining was confined to a few Formica tables in
front of the fish counter, owing to the freshness of its
seafood (much of it from Capt. Jim Hanson’s own fishing
boats, which supply many of Miami’s most upscale eateries). Now there’s a casual but pleasantly nautical side dining room with booths, and more recently added, a sushi bar
stocked largely with flown-in Japanese fish just as pristine
as the local catch. Whether it’s garlicky scampi (made with
sweet Key West shrimp), housemade smoked fish dip,
grilled yellowtail (or some more exotic local snapper, like hog
or mutton), perfectly tenderized cracked conch, or conch fritters (with just enough batter to bind the big chunks of
Bahamian shellfish), everything is deftly prepared and bargain-priced. $$
Chéen-huyae
15400 Biscayne Blvd., 305-956-2808
Diners can get some of the usual Tex-Mex dishes at this
cute spot, if they must. But the specialty is Mayan-rooted
Yucatan cuisine. So why blow bucks on burritos when one
can sample Caribbean Mexico’s most typical dish: cochinita
pibil? It’s currently LA’s trendiest taco filling (and morningafter hangover remedy). But that city couldn’t have a more
authentically succulent version of the pickle-onion-topped
marinated pork dish than Chéen’s – earthily aromatic from
achiote, tangy from bitter oranges, meltingly tender from
slow cooking in a banana leaf wrap. To accompany, try a
lime/soy/chili-spiced michelada, also authentically Mexican,
and possibly the best thing that ever happened to dark
beer. $$-$$$
Chef Creole
13105 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-893-4246
(See Miami listing)
Chipotle Mexican Grill
14776 Biscayne Blvd., 305-947-2779
www.chipotle.com
Proving that national fast-food chains don’t have to be bad
for either diners or the environment, Chipotle serves what
the company calls “food with integrity.” The fare is simple,
basically tacos and big burritos: soft flour or crisp corn tortillas stuffed with chipotle-marinated steak or chicken
chunks, bolder shredded beef barbacoa, or herb-scented
pork carnitas, all with choice of fresh garnishes. But these
bites contain no evil ingredients (transfats, artificial
color/flavor, antibiotics, growth hormones). Additionally, all
pork, plus a large and growing percentage of the grill’s beef
and poultry, is raised via humane and ecologically sustainable methods. And the food, while not the authentic Mex
street stuff dreams are made of, is darned tasty, too. $
DiBono’s
15979 Biscayne Blvd., 305-948-3330
www.louiesbrickoven.com
A pocket flashlight isn’t a bad idea if you want to read the
menu in this mood-lit room. But who needs to read it?
There’s a coal-fired brick oven, so order pizza, which comes
out of the ultra-hot enclosure with a perfect crust – beautifully blistered, crisp outside, chewy inside. Appealing top-
pings include the Calabrese (Italian sausage, caramelized
onions, kalamata olives, mozzarella, tomato sauce) and a
more modern mix of mozzarella, tomato sauce, onion, thinsliced prosciutto, and arugula drizzled with olive oil. For
those craving more crunch than the latter pie’s arugula
salad, there are flavorful veggies from a hardwood-fired grill.
Wings from the brick oven (spiced with roasted garlic and
Italian herbs, topped with grilled onions) are a smokin’
starter. $$-$$$
D.J.’s Diner
12210 Biscayne Blvd., 305-893-5250
Located in a Best Western motel, this place, run by a
Chinese-American family, serves mostly basic American
diner fare – burgers, sandwiches, about a dozen dinner
entrées, fresh-baked apple pie, and, oddly, a whole section
of Caesar salad variations. But it’s also a secret source for
Chinese food, mostly chow mien/chop suey-type dishes, but
also a few dishes such as eggplant with garlic sauce and
ma po tofu that are a step up in authenticity. $-$$
Hanna’s Gourmet Diner
13951 Biscayne Blvd., 305-947-2255
When Sia and Nicole Hemmati bought the Gourmet Diner
from retiring original owner Jean-Pierre Lejeune in the late
1990s, they added “Hanna’s” to the name, but changed little else about this retro-looking French/American diner, a
north Miami-Dade institution since 1983. Customers can
get a cheeseburger or garlicky escargots, meatloaf in tomato sauce or boeuf bourguignon in red wine sauce, iceberg
lettuce and tomatoes, or a mushroom and squid salad with
garlic dressing. For oysters Rockefeller/tuna-melt couples
from Venus and Mars, it remains the ideal dinner date destination. $$-$$$
Le Griot de Madame John
975 NE 125th St., 305-892-9333
When Madame moved her base of operations from her
Little Haiti home to a real restaurant (though a very informal
one, and still mostly take-out), she began offering numerous
traditional Haitian dishes, including jerked beef or goat tassot and an impressive poisson gros sel (a whole fish rubbed
with salt before poaching with various veggies and spices).
But the dish that still packs the place is the griot: marinated
pork chunks simmered and then fried till they’re moistly tender inside, crisp and intensely flavored outside. $
Here Comes the Sun
the vegetarian Popeye spicy spinach roll, and the deep-fried
Crispy, a riceless salmon and veggie roll. Among cooked
items, there’s a large list of teriyakis, and a few dishes prepared with a different twist – panko-breaded pork or chicken katsu cutlets, for instance, that eschew the standard
sweet sauce for curry. $$
as exotic as the standard menu gets, but the mahi mahi for
fish tacos comes fresh, never frozen, from a local supplier,
and salsas are housemade daily. Niceties include low-carb
tortillas for dieters and many Mexican beers for partiers. $
16275 Biscayne Blvd., 305-948-9080
In addition to white-tablecoth ambiance that’s several steps
up in elegance from the majority of neighborhood eateries,
this place features live Latin entertainment and dancing,
making it a good choice when diners want a night out, not
just a meal. It’s also a good choice for diners who don’t
speak Spanish, but don’t worry about authenticity. Classic
Cuban home-style dishes like mojo-marinated lechon asado,
topped with onions, and juicy ropa vieja are translated on
the menu, not the plate, and fancier creations like pork filet
in tangy tamarind sauce seem universal crowd-pleasers.
$$$
Jerusalem Market and Deli
Specialties like shawarma, spinach pies, kebabs, hummus,
and kibbeh (a savory mix of ground lamb and bulgur,
arguably the world’s most interesting meatball) are native to
many Middle East countries, but when a Lebanese
chef/owner, like this eatery’s Sam Elzoor, is at the helm, you
can expect extraordinary refinement. There are elaborate
daily specials here, like lemon chicken or stuffed cabbage
with a variety of sides, but even a common falafel sandwich
is special when the pita is also stuffed with housemade cabbage and onion salads, plus unusually rich and tart tahina.
For home cooks, there’s also a limited selection of imported
spices and staples. $-$$
Kingston Bar & Grill
12108 Biscayne Blvd., 305-899-0074
Making a quick run for photocopy toner can lead to a pleasant surprise if your destination is the Office Depot next door
to this humble eatery. The storefront looks more like a
derelict Laundromat than a source for authentic Jamaican
fare (plus a few Haitian specialties). But the changing $3.99
lunch specials, and even cheaper Tuesday and Thursday
chicken special (curry, brown jerk, fried, or stew chicken for
an unbelievable $2.50), can’t be beat on the Boulevard.
Breakfast, served 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., includes specialties like ackee and salt fish, callaloo, and fried or boiled
dumplings. On Fridays look for goat-head soup. $
Lime Fresh Mexican Grill
14831 Biscayne Blvd., 305-949-8800
Like its South Beach predecessor, this Lime was an instant
hit, as much for being a hip hangout as for its carefully crafted Tex-Mex food. Though Lime is now franchising, the
chain’s concept is “fast casual” rather than fast food –
meaning nice enough for a night out. It also means ingredients aren’t canned-type crapola. Seafood tacos are about
Ichi
13488 Biscayne Blvd., 305-944-9334
Half sushi/sashimi, half cooked Japanese dishes, the menu
is relatively small but covers most of the traditional favorites
and a few surprises. Popular makis include the Dream
(shrimp tempura, avocado, Japanese mayo, and masago),
12727 Biscayne Blvd., 305-899-9069
www.littlehavanarestaurant.com
Maleewan Thai & Sushi
2224 NE 123rd St., 305-895-0393
Redecorated (tasteful bamboo-matted walls, silk flowers)
since the days — many days — this space was occupied by
the kosher sushi spot Tani Guchi’s Place, Maleewan is now
a cozy, neighborly nook at which to enjoy all the standard
Japanese and Thai selections. Cooked sushi is the strong
suit here, particularly the signature mammoth-size
Maleewan roll, given zing by pickled Japanese squash and
savor by a crispy yellowtail tempura topping. If you’re craving
more creative fare, check out the handwritten specials
board on your way in. $$
Mama Jennie’s
11720 NE 2nd Ave., 305-757-3627
For more than 35 years this beloved red-sauce joint has
been drawing students and other starvation-budget diners
with prodigious portions of lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs (the latter savory yet light-textured), veal marsala
topped with a mountain of mushrooms, and other ItalianAmerican belly-busters. All pasta or meat entrées come with
NEW IN NORTH BEACH!
SPECIALS
TUESDAY:
WEDNESDAY:
THURSDAY:
SUNDAY:
DAILY:
2188 NE 123rd St., 305-893-5711
At this friendly natural foods establishment, one of Miami’s
first, there’s a full stock of vitamins and nutritional supplements. But the place’s hearty soups, large variety of entrées
(including fresh fish and chicken as well as vegetarian
selections), lighter bites like miso burgers with secret “sun
sauce” (which would probably make old sneakers taste
good), and daily specials are a tastier way to get healthy. An
under-ten-buck early-bird dinner is popular with the former
long-hair, now blue-hair, crowd. Frozen yogurt, fresh juices,
and smoothies complete the menu. $-$$
Little Havana
LADIES DRINK FREE 7- 8 pm @ the bar
KIDS EAT FREE w/purchase of adult entrées
LIVE MUSIC
Wood-burning home-made PIZZA and PEINIRLI
6pm - 8pm PRIX FIXE MENU $22.95
LUNCH
“A restaurant that pleases its patrons. Ariston has started
out doing just that.”
-- M i am i N e w T i me s
“Ariston continues the lucky streak with classical Greek
cuisine based on recipes of owner Thanasis Barlos’s mom.”
- - B i s c a y n e T i me s
940 71st Street
●
M O N DAY - F R I DAY Noon to 3:00 pm
S AT U R DAY - S U N DAY 12:30 to 5:00 pm
DINNER
M O N DAY - TH U R S DAY 6:00 to 11:00 pm
F R I DAY - S AT U R DAY 6:00 to 11:30 pm
S U N DAY 5:30 to 10:30 pm
Miami Beach
●
OPEN
LUNCH &
DINNER
305-864-9848
F R I D AY H A P P Y H O U R S 6PM 8PM. Resident DJ starting from 6PM til....(Complimentary Hors d’oeuvres served @ the bar.)
H AV E Y O U R N E X T PA RT Y W I T H U S BIRTHDAY PARTY – Complimentary Bottle of Wine DJ available upon request
Kitchen open till midnight daily
w w w . i n d o c h i n e b i s t r o . c o m • 6 3 8 S . M I A M I AV E • T E L 3 0 5 . 3 7 9 . 1 5 2 5 • F A X 3 0 5 . 3 7 9 . 1 6 2 0
June 2008
59
DINING GUIDE
Restaurant Listings
oil-drenched garlic rolls and either soup (hearty minestrone)
or a salad (mixed greens, tomatoes, cukes, brined olives,
and pickled peppers) that’s a dinner in itself. Rustic roadhouse ambiance, notably the red leatherette booths, add to
Mama’s charm. $-$$
The Melting Pot
15700 Biscayne Blvd., 305-947-2228
www.meltingpot.com
For 1950s and 1960s college students, fondue pots were
standard dorm accessories. These days, however, branches
of this chain (originating in Maitland, Florida, in 1975) are
generally the only places to go for this blast-from-the-past
eating experience. Fondues are available à la carte or as full
dip-it-yourself meals. Start with a wine-enriched four-cheese
fondue; proceed to an entrée with choice of meat or
seafood, plus choice of cooking potion – herbed wine, bouillon, or oil; finish with fruits and cakes dipped in your favorite
melted chocolate. Fondue etiquette dictates that diners who
drop a skewer in the pot must kiss all other table companions, so go with those you love. $$$
North One 10
11052 Biscayne Blvd., 305-893-4211
www.northone10.com
For most chefs a Miami-to-Manhattan move is generally
considered one of those offers you can’t refuse. But after
helming several NYC restaurants for China Grill
Management, the homegrown married team of chef Dewey
and sommelier Dale LoSasso returned to do their own thing
in their own neighborhood. The menu is “creative comfort
food”: a shrimp waffle with basil butter; “steak and eggs” (a
grilled NY strip with truffled goat cheese frittata, herb
demiglace, and hash browns); a stone crab hot dog the chef
invented for a Super Bowl party. The award-winning wine list
inspires playfully themed pairing events like an Italian
food/wine “Godfather” dinner. But it’s not South Beach, so
prices are reasonable, and parking is free. $$$-$$$$
Nuvo Kafe
13152 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-892-1441
Though the neighborhood is decidedly ungentrified, the interior of this café is an oasis of cultivated Caribbean cool and
subtly sophisticated global fare. Haitian-born, Montrealschooled chef Ivan Dorval formerly cooked at the Oasis Café
in Miami Beach, as well as the Delano, and the varied background is reflected in cuisine that’s chiefly creative
Caribbean but with influences from the Middle East, Asia,
Greece, and Italy. Homemade, health-oriented dishes
include velvety ginger pumpkin bisque, unusually refined
conch fritters (light batter, monster chunks of conch), West
Indies crab cakes with citrus aioli, and a signature lavish,
but only slightly sinful, Citadel Raw Fruit Pie. $$-$$$
Oishi Thai
14841 Biscayne Blvd., 305-947-4338
www.oishithai.com
At this stylish, dramatically minimalist Thai/sushi spot, the
regular Thai and Japanese dishes are as good as anywhere
in town. But the way to go is the menu of specials, many of
which clearly reflect the young chef’s fanatic devotion to
fresh fish, as well as the time he spent in the kitchen of
Knob: broiled miso-marinated black cod; rock shrimp tem-
pura with creamy sauce; even Nobu Matsuhisa’s “new style
sashimi” (slightly surface-seared by drizzles of hot olive and
sesame oil). Formerly all Japanese-influenced, the specials
menu now includes some Thai-inspired creations, too, such
as veal massaman curry, Chilean sea bass curry, and sizzling filet mignon with basil sauce. $$$-$$$$
La Paloma
10999 Biscayne Blvd., 305-891-0505
Step into La Paloma and you’ll be stepping back in time,
circa 1957. Adorned with antiques (some even real) and
chandeliers, the over-the-top plush décor was the American
fine-dining ideal – half a century ago (though actually the
place only dates from the 1970s). Cuisine is similarly retroluxe: old-fashioned upscale steaks, chops, and lobster, plus
fancier Continental fare. If you have a yen for
chateaubriand, duck a l’orange, oysters Rockefeller, French
onion soup, trout almondine, wiener schnitzel, and peach
Melba, it’s the only place in town that can deliver them all. A
huge wine list fuels the fantasy. $$$$
Paquito’s
16265 Biscayne Blvd., 305-947-5027
From the outside, this strip-mall Mexican eatery couldn’t be
easier to overlook. Inside, however, its festivity is impossible
to resist. Every inch of wall space seems to be covered with
South of the Border knickknacks. And if the kitschy décor
alone doesn’t cheer you, the quickly arriving basket of fresh
(not packaged) taco chips, or the mariachi band, or the
knockout margaritas will. Food ranges from Tex-Mex burritos
and a party-size fajita platter to authentic Mexican moles
and harder-to-find traditional preparations like albóndigas –
spicy, ultra-savory meatballs. $$-$$$
Pasha’s
14871 Biscayne Blvd., 786-923-2323
www.pashas.com
(See Miami: Brickell / Downtown listing)
Paul Bakery Café
14861 Biscayne Blvd., 305-940-4443
www.paulusa.com
From one rural shop in 1889, the French bakery known simply as Paul has grown to a worldwide chain, which fortunately chose to open its first U.S. outlet in our town. One bite of
the crusty peasant loaf, the olive-studded fougasse, or
another of the signature artisan breads transports you right
back to France. As authentic as the boulangerie breads are,
the patisserie items like flan normande (a buttery-crusted,
almond-topped apple-and-custard tart) are just as evocative.
For eat-in diners, quite continental soups, salads, and sandwiches are equally and dependably French. $$
Plein Sud
12409 Biscayne Blvd., 305-891-2355
The Boulevard may not be the Champs-Elysées, but diners
could be fooled once inside this evocative French bistro. The
ambiance is Old World, and the menu is solid and well executed. Starters range from country comfort (Lyonnaise
sausage with warm, vinegary potato salad; a charcuterie
platter with homemade pâté) to urban sophistication (Maine
lobster tail with celery remoulade). Entrées include longstewed, creamy blanquette de veau, or a precision-cooked
steak-frites (rib eye with crisp shoestring fries). For dessert
there is the ubiquitous tarte tatin, caramelized apples atop
puff-pastry crust. $$-$$$
Sara’s
Twenty-One Toppings
While this mainly vegetarian kosher place is best known for
its pizza (New York-style medium crust or thick-crusted
Sicilian, topped with veggies and/or “meat buster” imitation
meats), it’s also offers a full range of breakfast/lunch/dinner
vegetarian cuisine of all nations, with many dairy and
seafood items too. Admittedly the cutesie names of many
items – baygels, bergerrbite, Cezarrrr salad, hammm, meat-aball, schmopperrr – may cause queasiness. But the schmopperrr itself is one helluva high-octane veggie burger. $-$$
A shoo-in to top many future “Best Burger” polls, this little
joint serves sirloin, chicken, turkey, and white bean patties,
topped with your choice of one cheese from a list of seven,
one sauce from a list of twelve, and three toppings from a
list of 21. And since the chef/co-owner is a culinary school
grad who has trained in several cutting-edge kitchens
(including David Bouley Evolution), the garnishes ain’t just
ketchup. There’s Asian vinaigrette, gorgonzola, grilled portobellos, much more. If choosing is too confusing, try the chefdesigned combos.
2214 NE 123rd St., 305-891-3312
www.saraskosherpizza.com
Scorch Grillhouse and Wine Bar
13750 Biscayne Blvd., 305-949-5588
www.scorchgrillhouse.com
Though some food folks were initially exasperated when yet
another Latin-influenced grill replaced one of our area’s few
Vietnamese restaurants, it’s hard to bear a grudge at a
friendly, casual neighborhood place that offers monster tenounce char-grilled burgers, with potatoes or salad, for
$8.50; steaks, plus a side and a sauce or veg topper, for
nine bucks at lunch, $15 to $18.75 (the menu’s top price)
at night; and three-dollar glasses of decent house wine.
Many other grilled meat and seafood items are also offered,
plus pastas, salads, gooey desserts, and specials (events as
well as food). $-$$
Steve’s Pizza
12101 Biscayne Blvd., 305-891-0202
At the end of a debauched night of excess, some paper-thin
designer pizza with wisps of smoked salmon (or similar fluff)
doesn’t do the trick. Open till 3:00 or 4:00 a.m., Steve’s
has, since 1974, been serving the kind of comforting, retro
pizzas people crave at that hour. As in Brooklyn, tomato
sauce is sweet, with strong oregano flavor. Mozzarella is
applied with abandon. Toppings are stuff that give strength:
pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, onions, and peppers. $
Sun City Café
15400 Biscayne Blvd., 305-940-6955
Super-stuffed crêpes, made to order from scratch, are the
main specialty here – some sweet (the Banana Split: fresh
strawberries, sliced bananas, candied walnuts, ice cream,
and Nutella or dulce de leche), some savory (the Sun City
Steak: beef, mushrooms, onions, red peppers, Swiss
cheese, and A1 sauce). But there’s also a smaller selection
of custom-crafted wraps, salads, sandwiches, and sides,
plus smoothies, coffee drinks, even beer or wine. Free Wi-Fi
encourages long, lingering lunches. $
Sushi House
15911 Biscayne Blvd., 305-947-6002
In terms of décor drama, this sushi spot seems to have
taken its cue from Philippe Starck: Delano-like sheer floor-toceiling drapes, for starters. The sushi list, too, is over the
top, featuring monster makis: the Cubbie Comfort (spicy
tuna, soft-shell crab, shrimp and eel tempura, plus avocado,
jalapeños, and cilantro, topped with not one but three
sauces: wasabi, teriyaki, and spicy mayo); the Volcano,
topped with a mountain of tempura flakes; the spicy/sweet
sauce-drenched Hawaiian King Crab, containing unprecedented ingredients like tomatoes, green peppers, and
pineapple. To drink there are boutique wines, artisan sakes,
and cocktails as exotic as the cuisine. $$$-$$$$
14480 Biscayne Blvd., #105, North Miami
305-947-3433
Two Chefs Too
2288 NE 123rd St., 305-895-5155
www.twochefsrestaurant.com
At this much-anticipated spin-off of Jan Jorgensen’s South
Miami Two Chefs, there are some differences in the menu.
But the concept of New American comfort food -- familiar
favorites modernized with the chef’s elegant, unexpected
creative touches -- is the same. So are many much-loved
dishes like juicy bacon-wrapped meatloaf, flavored with a
fusion Chinese black bean barbecue sauce, and perfect
dessert soufflés (with crème chantilly plus caramel or
chocolate sauce). New and notable: knockout artisan
cheese platters (with choice of inventive garnishes: brioche
frites, celery escabeche, Dijon mustard sauce, marinated
olives, much more) that, with wine (from a relatively highpriced but high-quality list) make an idyllic light meal in
themselves. $$$$
Tokyo Bowl
12295 Biscayne Blvd., 305-892-9400
This fast-food drive-thru (unexpectedly serene inside) is
named for its feature item, big budget-priced bowls of rice
or noodles topped with cooked Japanese-style items like
teriyaki fish (fresh fish sautéed with vegetables), curried
chicken and veggies, spicy shrimp, or gyoza dumplings in
tangy sauce. There’s also an all-you-can-eat deal – sushi
(individual nigiri or maki rolls) plus tempura, teriyaki, and
other cooked items for $14; three bucks more for sashimi
instead of sushi. $-$$
Venezia Pizza and Café
13452 Biscayne Blvd., 305-940-1808
No frozen pizza crusts or watery mozzarella here. No imported designer ingredients either. The pies are New York-style,
but the dough is made fresh daily, and the cheese is
Grande (from Wisconsin, considered America’s finest pizza
topper). Also on the menu are Italian-American pastas, a
large selection of hot an cold subs, simple salads, and a few
new protein adds – grilled chicken breast, fried fish, or a
steak. $-$$
Wong’s Chinese Restaurant
12420 Biscayne Blvd., 305-891-4313
This old-timer’s menu reads like a textbook on how to
please everyone, with food ranging from traditional Chinese
to Chinese-American to just plain American. Appetizers
include honey garlic chicken wings or Buffalo wings. A crabclaw starter comes with choice of pork fried rice or French
fries. Seafood lovers can get shrimp chop suey, or salty pepper shrimp (authentically shell-on). And snowbirds will be
ORIGINAL BAVARIAN
BIER GARTEN
OPEN DAILY FROM 5:00PM TO 11:00PM
FRIDAY & SATURDAY TO MIDNIGHT
305-754-8002 www.schnitzelhausmiami.net
1085 N.E. 79th Street/Causeway, Miami, FL 33138
TEL:
60
June 2008
DINING GUIDE
Restaurant Listings
pleased to find a number of dishes that are mainstays of
Manhattan Szechuan menus but not common in Miami:
cold sesame noodles, Hunan chicken, twice-cooked pork,
Lake Tung Ting shrimp, and peppery kung po squid. $$
Woody’s Famous Steak Sandwich
13105 Biscayne Blvd., 305-891-1451
The griddle has been fired up since 1954 at this indie fastfood joint, and new owners have done little to change the
time-tested formula except to stretch operating hours into
the night and expand its classic griddled-or-fried-things
menu to include a few health-conscious touches like
Caesar salad, plus a note proclaiming their oils are free of
trans fats. Otherwise the famous steak sandwich is still a
traditional Philly – thin-sliced beef, cheese, and onions on a
buttered Italian roll (with tasty housemade sour
cream/horseradish sauce served on the side so as not to
offend purists). Extras like mushrooms are possible, not
imposed. Drippin’ good burgers, too. And unlike MacChain
addicts, patrons here can order a cold beer with the good
grease. $-$$
Zipang
14316 Biscayne Blvd., 305-919-8844
It’s appropriate that the name of this small strip-mall sushi
spot refers to Japan’s first and only sparkling sake – something most Americans have never heard of, making the reference pretty much an insider’s joke. Since opening several
years ago, the restaurant itself has been one of our town’s
best-kept secrets. But the perfectionist chef/owner’s concentration on quality and freshness of ingredients has
made Zipang the pick of sushi cognoscenti like Loews’s
executive chef Marc Ehrler, who has named the unpretentious place his favorite Miami eatery, while admitting the
obvious: “Nobody knows it.” $$-$$$
NORTH MIAMI BEACH
Bamboo Garden
1232 NE 163rd St., 305-945-1722
Big enough for a banquet (up to 300 guests), this veteran is
many diners’ favorite on the 163rd/167th Street
“Chinatown” strip because of its superior décor. But the
menu also offers well-prepared, authentic dishes like peppery black bean clams, sautéed mustard greens, and
steamed whole fish with ginger and scallions, plus ChineseAmerican egg foo young. Default spicing is mild even in
Szechuan dishes marked with red-chili icons, but don’t
worry; realizing some like it hot, the chefs will customize
spiciness to heroic heat levels upon request. $$
China Restaurant
178 NE 167th St., 305-947-6549
When you have a yen for the Americanized Chinese fusion
dishes you grew up with, all the purist regional Chinese cuisine in the world won’t scratch the itch. So the menu here,
containing every authentically inauthentic ChineseAmerican classic you could name, is just the ticket when
nostalgia strikes – from simple egg rolls to pressed almond
duck (majorly breaded boneless chunks, with comfortingly
thick gravy). $-$$
June 2008
Christine’s Roti Shop
16721 NE 6th Ave., 305-770-0434
Wraps are for wimps. At this small shop run by Christine
Gouvela, originally from British Guyana, the wrapper is a far
more substantial and tasty roti, a Caribbean mega-crepe
made from chickpea flour. Most popular filling for the flatbread is probably jerk chicken, bone-in pieces in a spiced
stew of potatoes, cabbage, carrots, onions, and more chickpeas. But there are about a dozen other curries to choose
from, including beef, goat, conch, shrimp, trout, and duck.
Take-out packages of plain roti are also available; they
transform myriad leftovers into tasty, portable lunches. $
Hiro Japanese Restaurant
3007 NE 163rd St., 305-948-3687
One of Miami’s first sushi restaurants, Hiro retains an
amusing retro-glam feel, an extensive menu of both sushi
and cooked Japanese food, and late hours that make it a
perennially popular snack stop after a hard night at the
area’s movie multiplexes (or strip clubs). The sushi menu
has few surprises, but quality is reliable. Most exceptional
are the nicely priced yakitori, skewers of succulently soyglazed and grilled meat, fish, and vegetables; the unusually
large variety available of the last makes this place a good
choice for vegetarians. $$
Hiro’s Sushi Express
17048 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-949-0776
Tiny, true, but there’s more than just sushi at this mostly
take-out spin-off of the pioneering Hiro. Makis are the mainstay (standard stuff like California rolls, more complex creations like multi-veg futomaki, and a few unexpected treats
like a spicy Crunch & Caliente maki), available à la carte or
in value-priced individual and party combo platters. But
there are also bento boxes featuring tempura, yakitori
skewers, teriyaki, stir-fried veggies, and udon noodles.
Another branch is now open in Miami’s Upper Eastside. $
Hiro’s Yakko-San
17040 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-947-0064
After sushi chefs close up their own restaurants for the
night, many come here for a bite of something different.
The specialty is Japanese home cooking, served in grazing
portions so diners can enjoy a wide variety of the unusual
dishes offered. Standard sushi isn’t missed when glistening-fresh strips of raw tuna can be had in maguro nuta –
mixed with scallions and dressed with habit-forming honeymiso mustard sauce. Dishes depend on the market, but
other favorites include goma ae (wilted spinach, chilled and
dressed in sesame sauce), garlic stem and beef (mild
young shoots flash-fried with tender steak bits), or perhaps
just-caught grouper with hot/sweet/tangy chili sauce. Open
till around 3:00 a.m. $$
Heelsha
1550 NE 164th St., 305-919-8393, www.heelsha.com
If unusual Bangladeshi dishes like fiery pumpkin patey
(cooked with onion, green pepper, and pickled mango) or
Heelsha curry (succulently spiced hilsa, Bangladesh’s
sweet-fleshed national fish) seem familiar, it’s because
chef/owner Bithi Begum and her husband Tipu Raman
once served such fare at the critically acclaimed Renaisa.
Their new menu’s mix-and-match option also allows diners
to pair their choice of meat, poultry, fish, or vegetable with
more than a dozen regional sauces, from familiar Indian
styles to exotica like satkara, flavored with a Bangladeshi
citrus reminiscent of sour orange. Early-bird dinners (5:00
to 6:30 p.m.) are a bargain, as some dishes are almost
half-price. Lunch is served weekends only except by reservation, so call ahead. $$-$$$
Iron Sushi
16350 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-945-2244
(See Miami Shores listing)
JC Food
1242 NE 163rd St., 305-956-5677
Jumbo’s regular menu offers a large percentage of hard-tofind traditional Chinese home-cooking specialties (many
using fresh and preserved Asian vegetables): pork with bitter melon, beef with sour cabbage, chicken with mustard
green, cellophane noodle with mixed-vegetable casserole.
Still, most diners come for dim sum, a huge selection
served at all hours. These small plates include chewy rice
noodle rolls filled with shrimp or beef, leek dumplings,
crisp-fried stuffed taro balls, savory pork-studded turnip
cake, pork/peanut congee, custard croissants, and for the
brave, steamed chicken feet. $$
Kyung Ju
400 NE 167th St., 305-947-3838
Star of the show at this long-lived Korean restaurant (one of
only a handful in Miami-Dade County) is bulgogi. The name
translates as “fire meat,” but isn’t a reference to Koreans’
love of hot chilis. Rather it refers to Korean-style barbecue,
which is really not barbecued but quickly grilled after long
marination in a mix of soy sauce, sesame, sugar, garlic, and
more. Lovers of fiery food can customize with dipping
sauces, or the eatery’s many little banchan (included side
dishes, some mild, others mouth-searing). Pa jun, a crispy
egg/scallion-based pancake, is a crowd-pleasing starter.
And if the unfamiliarity seems too scary altogether, there’s
a selection of Chinese food. $$-$$$
Kebab Indian Restaurant
514 NE 167th St., 305-940-6309
Since the 1980s this restaurant, located in an unatmospheric mini strip mall but surprisingly romantic inside (especially if you grab one of the exotically draped booths) has
been a popular destination for reasonably priced north
Indian fare. Kormas are properly soothing and vindaloos
are satisfactorily searing, but the kitchen will adjust seasonings upon request. They aim to please. Food arrives unusually fast for an Indian eatery, too. $$
King Buffet
316 NE 167th St., 305-940-8668
In this restaurant’s parking lot, midday on Sundays, the colorful display of vivid pinks, greens, and blues worn by myriad families arriving for dinner in matching going-to-church
outfits is equaled only by the eye-poppingly dyed shrimp
chips and desserts displayed inside on the buffet table.
Though there’s an à la carte menu, the draw here is the
100-item (according to advertisements) all-you-can-eat
spread of dishes that are mostly Chinese, with some
American input. It’s steam-table stuff, but the price is right
and then some: $5.95 for lunch, $8.95 for dinner. $-$$
King Palace
330 NE 167th St., 305-949-2339
The specialties here are authentic Chinatown-style barbecue (whole ducks, roast pork strips, and more, displayed in
a glass case by the door), and fresh seafood dishes, the
best made with the live fish swimming in two tanks by the
dining room entrance. There’s also a better-than-average
selection of seasonal Chinese veggies. The menu is extensive, but the best ordering strategy, since the place is usually packed with Asians, is to see what looks good on nearby
tables, and point. Servers will also steer you to the good
stuff, once you convince them you’re not a chop suey kinda
person. $$
Laurenzo’s Market Café
16385 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-945-6381
www.laurenzosmarket.com
It’s just a small area blocked off by grocery shelves, buried
between the wines and the fridge counters – no potted
palms, and next-to-no service in this cafeteria-style snack
space. But when negotiating this international gourmet
market’s packed shelves and crowds has depleted your
energies, it’s a handy place to refuel with eggplant parmesan and similar Italian-American classics, steam-tabled but
housemade from old family recipes. Just a few spoonfuls of
Wednesday’s hearty pasta fagiole, one of the daily soup
specials, could keep a person shopping for hours. $-$$
Lemon Fizz
16310 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-949-6599
www.lemon-fizz.com
Like wraps? Then you’ll love this Middle Eastern café’s version made with saj, a circular Syrian flatbread similar to
pita but much thinner, moister, and all-around better. Upon
order, diners can watch the chef custom-cook their saj (on
a scorching-hot, flying-saucer metal dome of the same
name), then roll the beautifully surface-blistered bread
around one of 27 stuffings, including za’atar and EVOO,
brined olives and labneh (creamy yogurt cheese), falafel,
steak, even dessert fillings like strawberries and Nutella.
Also available: soups, salads, and substantial globally
topped rice bowls, plus fresh fruit juices and smoothies. $
Little Saigon
16752 N. Miami Ave., 305-653-3377
This is Miami’s oldest traditional Vietnamese restaurant,
but it’s still packed most weekend nights. So even the
place’s biggest negative – its hole-in-the-wall atmosphere, not encouraging of lingering visits – becomes a
plus since it ensures fast turnover. Chef/owner Lily Tao is
typically in the kitchen, crafting green papaya salad, flavorful beef noodle pho (served with greens, herbs, and
condiments that make it not just a soup but a whole ceremony), and many other Vietnamese classics. The menu
is humongous. $-$$
Mary Ann Bakery
1284 NE 163rd St., 305-945-0333
Don’t be unduly alarmed by the American birthday cakes
in the window. At this small Chinese bakery the real finds
are the Chinatown-style baked buns and other savory
pastries, filled with roast pork, bean sauce, and curried
ground beef. Prices are under a buck, making them an
exotic alternative to fast-food dollar meals. There’s one
table for eat-in snackers. $
Matador Argentinean Steakhouse
3207 NE 163rd St., 305-944-6001
With Latin parilla places spreading here as fast as kudzu,
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DINING GUIDE
Restaurant Listings
it’s hard to get excited about yet another all-you-can-eat
meat spread. But Matador offers far more for the money
than most. One dinner price ($24.95, $27.95 weekends)
includes a salad bar of more than 30 items, unlimited
grilled proteins (many cuts of beef, sausages, chicken,
pork, assorted veggies, and even fish upon request),
crunchy steak fries, a dessert (typically charged extra
elsewhere), and even more fun, a bottle of quite quaffable wine per person. $$$
Panya Thai
520 NE 167th St., 305-945-8566
Unlike authentic Chinese cuisine, there’s no shortage of
genuine Thai food in and around Miami. But Panya’s
chef/owner, a Bangkok native, offers numerous regional
and/or rare dishes not found elsewhere. Plus he doesn’t
automatically curtail the heat or sweetness levels to
please Americans. Among the most intriguing: moo
khem phad wan (chewy deep-fried seasoned pork strips
with fiery tamarind dip, accompanied by crisp green
papaya salad, a study in sour/sweet/savory balance);
broad rice noodles stir-fried with eye-opening chili/garlic
sauce and fresh Thai basil; and chili-topped Diamond
Duck in tangy tamarind sauce. $$-$$$
PK Oriental Mart
255 NE 167th St., 305-654-9646
While there are three other sizable Asian markets on this
strip between I-95 and Biscayne Boulevard, PK has the
only prepared-food counter, serving authentic Chinatown
barbecue, with appropriate dipping sauces included.
Weekends bring the biggest selection, including barbecued ribs and pa pei duck (roasted, then deep-fried till
extra crisp and nearly free of subcutaneous fat).
Available every day are juicy, soy-marinated roast chickens, roast pork strips, crispy pork, and whole roast
ducks – hanging, as tradition dictates, beaks and all.
But no worries; a counterperson will chop your purchase
into bite-size, beakless pieces. $
Sang’s Chinese Restaurant
1925 NE 163rd St., 305-947-7076
Open late (12:30 a.m. most nights) since 1990, Sang’s
has an owner who previously cooked in NYC’s Chinatown,
and three menus. The pink menu is Americanized
Chinese food, from chop suey to honey garlic chicken.
The white menu permits the chef to show off his authentic Chinese fare: salt and pepper prawns, rich beef/turnip
casserole, tender salt-baked chicken, even esoterica like
abalone with sea cucumber. The extensive third menu
offers dim sum, served until 4:00 p.m. A limited live tank
allows seasonal seafood dishes like lobster with ginger
and scallion. More recently installed: a Chinese barbecue
case, displaying savory items like crispy pork with crackling attached. $$$
Siam Square
54 NE 167th St., 305-944-9697
Open until 1:00 a.m. every day except Sunday (when is
closes at midnight), this relatively new addition to North
Miami Beach’s “Chinatown” strip has become a popular
late-night gathering spot for chefs from other Asian
restaurants. And why not? The food is fresh, nicely presented, and reasonably priced. The kitchen staff is willing
to customize dishes upon request, and the serving staff
is reliably fast. Perhaps most important, karaoke equipment is in place when the mood strikes. $-$$
Tuna’s Garden Grille
17850 W. Dixie Hwy., 305-945-2567
When Tuna’s moved in 2006 from the marina space it
had occupied for almost two decades, it lost its waterfront location, its old-fashioned fish-house ambiance, and
its outdoor deck. But it has gained a garden setting, and
retained its menu of fresh (and sometimes locally
caught) seafood – some fancified, some simple (the
wiser choice). Also continuing are Tuna’s signature seasonal specials, like a Maine lobster dinner for a bargain
$15. Open daily till 2:00 a.m., the place can sometimes
feel like a singles bar during the two post-midnight happy
hours, but since the kitchen is open till closing, it draws a
serious late-night dining crowd, too. $$
AVENTURA /MIAMI GARDENS
Bella Luna
19575 Biscayne Blvd. Aventura Mall, 305-792-9330
www.bellalunaaventura.com
If the menu here looks familiar, it should. It’s identical to that
at the Upper Eastside’s Luna Café and, with minor variations, at all the rest of Tom Billante’s eateries (Rosalia,
Villaggio, Carpaccio), right down to the typeface. But no argument from here. In a mall – a setting more accustomed to
food court, steam-tabled stuff – dishes like carpaccio al
salmone (crudo, with portobellos, capers, parmesan slices,
and lemon/tomato dressing) and linguine carbonara (in
creamy sauce with pancetta and shallots) are a breath of
fresh, albeit familiar, air. $$-$$$
Bourbon Steak
19999 W. Country Club Dr. (Fairmont Hotel,
Turnberry Resort), 786-279-0658
www.michaelmina.net
At Bourbon Steak, a venture in the exploding restaurant
empire of chef Michael Mina, a multiple James Beard
award winner, steakhouse fare is just where the fare
starts. There are also Mina’s ingenious signature dishes,
like an elegant deconstructed lobster/baby vegetable pot
pie, a raw bar, and enough delectable vegetable/seafood
starters and sides (duck fat fries!) for noncarnivores to
assemble a happy meal. But don’t neglect the steak — flavorful dry-aged Angus, 100-percent Wagyu American
“Kobe,” swoonworthy grade A5 Japanese Kobe, and butterpoached prime rib, all cooked to perfection under the
supervision of on-site executive chef Andrew Rothschild,
formerly of the Forge, meaning he knows his beef. (Mina
himself is absentee.) $$$$$
Chef Allen’s
19088 NE 29th Ave., 305-935-2900
www.chefallens.com
After 20 years of success in the same location, many chefs
would coast on their backlog of tried-and-true dishes. And
it’s doubtful that kindly Allen Susser would freak out his
many regulars by eliminating from the menu the Bahamian
lobster and crab cakes (with tropical fruit chutney and
vanilla beurre blanc). But lobster-lovers will find that the
20th anniversary menus also offer new excitements like
tandoori-spiced rock lobster, along with what might be the
ultimate mac’n’cheese: lobster crab macaroni in a Fris
vodka sauce with mushrooms, scallions, and parmesan.
The famous dessert soufflé’s flavor changes daily, but it
always did. $$$$$
Fish Joint
2570 NE Miami Gardens Dr., 305-936-8333
Unless one’s mind is already made up before getting here
– and stuck on steak, pasta, or some other land-based
dish – loyal repeat customers know to ignore the small
printed menu and wait for the tableside presentation of
about ten catches-of-the-day, arrayed on a tray. Servers
identify each fish, explain how it’s to be prepared, and take
your order. Whether it’s a simple sautéed fillet or a slightly
more complex preparation like shrimp/crab-crusted
grouper, the kitchen’s veterans know precisely how to cook
fish. All entrées come with suitable starch and green-type
vegetable, plus various other complementary freebies, so
starters, salads, and sides aren’t necessary. $$$
62
Il Migliore
2576 NE Miami Gardens Dr., 305-792-2902
Reminiscent of an intimate Tuscan villa, chef Neal Cooper’s
attractive trattoria gets the food right, as well as the
ambiance. As in Italy, dishes rely on impeccable ingredients
and straightforward recipes that don’t overcomplicate, cover
up, or otherwise muck about with that perfection. Fresh fettuccine with white truffle oil and mixed wild mushrooms
needs nothing else. Neither does the signature Pollo Al
Mattone, marinated in herbs and cooked under a brick,
require pretentious fancification. And even low-carb dieters
happily go to hell in a hand basket when faced with a mound
of potatoes alla Toscana, fried herb-sprinkled French fries.
Located west of Biscayne Boulevard in the Davis Plaza shopping mall, across from Ojus Elementary School. $$-$$$
Mahogany Grille
2190 NW 183rd St., 305-626-8100
Formerly Ruby and Jean’s Soul Food Cuisine, a popular but
strictly neighborhood cafeteria, Mahogany Grille has drawn
critical raves — and an international as well as local clientele
— since retired major league outfielder Andre Dawson and his
brother Vincent Brown acquired the place in early 2007. The
diner décor is gone, replaced by white tablecloths and, naturally, mahogany. The food is a sort of trendy yet traditional
soul fusion, heaping platters from several African diaspora
regions: Carolina Low Country (buttery cheese grits with
shrimp, sausage, and cream gravy), the Caribbean (conchpacked fritters or salad), and the Old South (lightly buttermilkbattered fried chicken). The chicken is perhaps Miami’s best,
made even better with the Grille’s waffles. $$-$$$
Pilar
20475 Biscayne Blvd., 305-937-2777
www.pilarrestaurant.com
Chef/owner Scott Fredel previously worked for Norman Van
Aken and Mark Militello. He has been executive chef at Rumi,
and cooked at NYC’s James Beard House. Armed with those
impressive credentials, Fredel and his partners launched Pilar
(named for Hemingway’s boat) aiming to prove that top
restaurants can be affordable. Consider it now proven.
Floribbean-style seafood is the specialty, dishes like fried
Bahamian cracked conch with fresh hearts of palm slaw and
Caribbean curry sauce, rock shrimp spring rolls with sweet
soy glaze, and yellowtail snapper with tomato-herb vinaigrette
and a potato/leek croqueta. Don’t let the strip-mall location
fool you. The restaurant itself is elegant. $$-$$$
The Soup Man
20475 Biscayne Blvd. #G-8, 305-466-9033
The real soup man behind this franchise is Al Yeganeh, an
antisocial Manhattan restaurant proprietor made notorious,
on a Seinfeld episode, as “the soup Nazi.” On the menu: ten
different premium soups each day (from a rotating list of
about 50). The selection is carefully balanced among
meat/poultry-based and vegetarian; clear and creamy (like
the eatery’s signature shellfish-packed lobster bisque); chilled
and hot; familiar (chicken noodle) and exotic (mulligatawny).
All soups come with gourmet bread, fruit, and imported
chocolate. Also available are salads, sandwiches, and wraps,
à la carte or in soup-plus combos. $-$$
Sushi Siam
19575 Biscayne Blvd. 305-932-8955
(See Miami Listing)
June 2008
June 2008
63
64
June 2008

June 2008 - Biscayne Times

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