Over on Miami.com, food critic Evan Benn fawns over the offerings at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's J&G Grill, awarding "exceptional" food and service four stars. Benn writes that "wildly talented" chef de cuisine Bradley Kilgore "has catapulted this restaurant in the St. Regis Bal Harbour from excellent to exceptional." The critic praises the "ethereal earthiness" of the hamachi tartare with Iberico ham and "slices of blush-pink, cardamom-cured duck breast" that made him want to lick the plate clean. And he finds the service equally exceptional.
J&G's service is impeccable, professional and responsive. The way servers can sense that you need a sharing plate or that you want a little more wine before you have to ask - but without hovering - is textbook fine-dining.
Though it appears that Benn was "spotted" by the chef during more than one visit, the critic still believes he "didn't received better food or service than other J&G diners." As for dessert, it comes from "pastry chef maestro" Antonio Bachour and it doesn't disappoint either. [Miami.com]
Food critic Zachary Fagenson of Short Order gets acquainted with recently opened Cantina La Veinte's cuisine, which he calls "20 kinds of delicioso." On the restaurant's "luxurious" decor, he writes:
Cantina La Veinte is unusual for Miami-Dade, where Mexican dining is mostly limited to mom-and-pop places in Little Havana and Homestead. Yet if any Latin cuisine deserves high-end treatment, it is Mexico's. There are many deeply regional, decidedly complex dishes whose origins date back thousands of years.
The critic raves about Cantina La Veinte's fresh tortillas and appetizers, as well main plates, even though those, along with cocktails, can "reach astronomical prices." He adds that "bargain delights are rare at Cantina La Veinte," but they can be found. "The dish you'll return for, a smoky-spicy stuffed ancho chili ($12), is also one of the menu's lowest-priced offerings," notes Fagenson. [SO]
In honor of Oktoberfest, Clean Plate Charlie's food critic, Sara Ventiera, visits Old Heidelberg."The dimly lit eatery is like walking straight into a German beer hall," she writes," adding that the cultural nuances spread even beyond the decoration with the staff's "charming German accents." "The fare is just as traditional," she notes, with options like Wiener schnitzel; pork shank "Schweinshaxe 'Old Munich,'" a Bavarian specialty; and, of course, sausages. [CPC]
·Four stars for exceptional food, service at J&G Grill in Bal Harbour [Miami.com]
· Cantina La Veinte: 20 Kinds of Delicioso [SO]
· Old Heidelberg Serves an Authentic Bavarian Feast for Oktoberfest [CPC]