Umami Asian Cuisine – Doral – From the Open to and throughout 2011

4.25 out of 5

Decent location not too far north or west, just north of the 836 on 87th Avenue in Doral; ample parking and seating available; casual but nice, large Japanese steakhouse decor and ambiance; big clean bathrooms are a huge plus; service is welcoming, attentive, informed, and usually above average; full liquor bar with sports on flatscreens as well as sushi bar with dining counter are both available in different areas of this large space; lunch gets busy during the week but the lunch specials are very affordable and generous; dinner prices are very reasonable and depend on your taste as there is a rather large menu ranging from small plates and appetizers, soups and salads, regular and more unique sushi/sashimi/rolls, hibachi menu and tables with your personal chef and show are available, and a variety of bigger non-sushi/hibachi “Asian Special” plates are available; take out is available; imperfections are as expected and not significant; consistency is surprising considering the size of this restaurant venture; smoke and mirrors are minimal if any. Please “read the rest of this entry” below to see the complete, and quite lengthy, detailed review for much further information and insight.

Flemings Steakhouse – Coral Gables – Fall 2010, Spring 2011, & Fall 2011

3.75 out of 5

First Dinner:

We had reservations, not that it mattered as it was a Wednesday night and quite empty, and were seated right away at a comfortable table in the middle of the classy dining room, up to par with your standard upscale steakhouse, though more dimly lit. We put in some drink orders which arrived soon as well as the bread, superb due to the accompanying spreads, including what tasted like a creamy goat cheese with the other having an herbier and/or roasted red peppery flavor.  I just wish I hadn’t filled up on it. We also ordered two appetizers, both of which were great. One was the extrEEEmely messy but delicious Crab Louis Wraps featuring real fresh crab bacon and a sauce with poorly, at least for wrapping purposes, trimmed or otherwise executed lettuce leaves. It was delicious though so conceptually it was definitely a winner. Next was the heaping (seriously have at least 4 people, maybe even 6 to 8 if just for nibbling, to share this or you will have to face resisting the leftovers, albeit  cold and soggy, the next day like I ended up NOT resisting, and happily so) portion of Fried Calamari with hot peppers.

The following moment was really the only major, though fortunately short lived, flaw in the dining experience. I had seen online,

72nd Bar and Grill – South Miami – October 2010 (CLOSED)

(generous) 2 out of 5

Well what can you say about a place where the best two features were the charcuterie plate, featuring succulent meats and bright cheeses that we can fortunately purchase at meat, cheese, or even wine shop – not to mention a variety of basic supermarkets – and the bartender, who we soon learned was on his last weekend shift at this “bar and grill.” Well… a lot. Instead of going off on this place I will keep it relatively simple. So with the above two pros noted, I should also mention that my Trini Burger, made of ground lamb perfectly cooked to medium rare as per my order and topped with cole slaw and habanero mayo, was excellent and worth eating again – though I’m not a big fan of these giant meatball shaped patties on tiny buns that any normal human mouth does not fit around. At risk of sounding like I think this is the worst place ever, which it might not be on another night, I have to list the various cons:

Capital Grille – Brickell – August and September 2010

4.25 out of 5

Lunch

So we arrive, a party of two, for lunch on a Wednesday. I came here, in part, on my search for a giant gourmet burger the likes of which these well known steakhouses tend to provide. After a brief 10 minute wait, during which I observed the elegant old-world American décor with portraits and polished wooden finishes, we were brought past the enticing walk-in wine cellar and seated. We were then quickly greeted by our server, who would turn out to be magnificent through and through for the entire experience. I found this particularly pleasing considering that this is an upscale restaurant and I was in ripped jeans, sneakers, as well as a subpar, back-up, sleeveless, though button up and collar shirt. I have many times experienced condescending and conceited treatment in fancy restaurants when not dressed up in a suit and tie, which I do not do unless forced to for weddings. It is Miami after all and I can guarantee you, though with no citation or historical facts to prove it, that whoever invented the suit and tie look did not live in tropical weather such as the muggy Miami summer.

So as we sit and peruse the lunch menu we both immediately knew we were each getting the burger but, as we were there for a special occasion despite trying to save a bit by going for lunch we did splurge on appetizers, getting the fresh oysters on the half shell followed by Wagyu Beef Carpaccio and the “Wedge” salad. The oysters were above average in general but right up to part with that level of restaurant. The carpaccio of, as per usual, questionable “wagyu” beef was good with an arugula salad and thin slithers of a parmesan type cheese was okay, pretty standard. The

Burger and Beer Joint – Brickell – Fall 2010 twice through many times up to October 2011

4 out of 5

The first night we went it was between midnight and 1:00 am. The restaurant was relatively full but we had no wait, being seated promptly to be served by an enthusiastic gentleman who later vanished for vast portions of the dinner. We have been on this burger crave/craze/binge for some time now (see the burger section for more on that) and finally made it to this, one of various trendy “gourmet” type burger places. Right away I should mention the parking… AWESOME! That is important since Brickell can be a crowded part of town with the nightlife and the armies of women. There is a parking garage a 30 second walk from B and B Joint on the same block and on both Saturday night at pretty prime hours of nightlife we found parking in the garage with ease, four bucks each time which is only about a dollar more than we would pay at the street metered parking anyway to eat dinner.

On our first experience we started with the crispy dill pickles and my partner had a martini. Speaking only for the pickles they were great, in a sort of tempura type batter with a very delicious ranch dip in an almost seemingly endless portion served in a small bucket. I then had the Buck Nekid, which was a 10 oz. bunless beef burger with the standard garnishes plus a tarragon remoulade which was quite nice. The burger was very good, although I ate it with knife and fork rather than the suggested “lettuce wrap” as the type of

Sushi Samba Dromo – Lincoln Road – August 2010

3 out of 5

I had perused the menu at Sushi Samba many times before being taken their by some loved ones who, like many others, gave high reviews and praises of their experience. I will admit that when I go somewhere with such hype, I sometimes get disappointed expecting the restaurant to live up to the rep. So we arrive on a Saturday night at a prime time but had reservations so we were seated promptly and the seating is exactly where I’ll begin. Man, was this an uncomfortable chair. I was too far from the table to really lean on it but then could not stretch my legs because these very bulky blocky legs of the table were in the way. It was low to the ground and I had my feet basically crossed in a pretzel sewn between the tiny available space under the table. The food however, for the most part, went above and beyond this and the unappealingly trendy (i.e., noisy with somewhat oddly dressed servers, flashy/colorful/or neon lighting, overpriced and as a result an at least minimally snooty) atmosphere that I cannot entirely judge as it has become a stable of restaurants on Lincoln Road and CLEARLY appears to be what sells in Miami. Now on to the consumables…

My people had some cocktails that they appeared to thoroughly enjoy (although I later learned they had ordered extra in part to buy time as there was a surprise party being set up for me at our next stop). We basically took the increasingly common approach to eating out of ordering a variety of small plates and none of the main entrees. We tried the flash fried river crabs which were absolutely worth every extra penny that was spent on this VERY small (five near-bite size pieces) but unique appetizer. Basically, picture a crab as you know it, then imagine it the size between a quarter and a silver dollar but still with all its parts and tiny little claws and legs still in tact, allegedly flash fried, salty, and entirely edible including the shell and all of its parts like a soft shell crab except still hard. Not for the squeamish but I love weird foods. Due to the delicate nature of trying to eat this without being pinched by its parts I found it best to eat in two bites, also making it less than over two dollars per bite.