Whisk Gourmet Food & Catering comforted Lee Klein of the Miami New Times enough to call the restaurant "a rarer breed of eatery than it ought to be". Executive chef and co-owner Brendan Connor is to blame for all the comfort, with a background rooted in the South and experience in the kitchen of the "Southern Belle" of Charleston, Hominy Grill. Connor's menu echoes "the comfort level via familiar and popular American favorites such as pulled pork on corn bread, low country shrimp 'n' grits, and the good old BLT." The charm of Whisk was summed up by Klein, "Whisk isn't perfect, but it's a friendly, affordable, crowd-pleasing neighborhood restaurant. Miami simply doesn't have enough of them."
While Georgia's Union opened a week ago, Sara Liss of Miami.com has an early taste of the new "ode to Southern cooking." The team behind Morgan's on the Beach remodeled their space for a "down-home, neighborhood-friendly vibe" with concrete walls, exposed rafters and a live moss wall. The good ole' country cuisine is featured with fried frog legs starters, "blue collared" salad, and a fried chicken entree topped with a honey drizzle.
The combination of Brandon Belluscio, Brian Albe and chef Anthony Pizzo produce another success as John Tanasychuk of the Sun Sentinel awarded Park Tavern three and a half stars. The "Delray Beach darling" takes "another riff on American fare" with a menu of classics like deviled eggs and warm pretzels for starters, crispy skinned local red snapper with ramps and barbecue ribs with grilled corn bread for entrees. Tanasychuk believe the future is bright for the trio, who "are still in their 30s. I can't wait to see what they cook up next."
Bal Harbour's Open Kitchen, which for the most part only serves lunch, recently expanded to a "No Reservations" Thursday night dinner because owner Sandra Stefani "missed doing dinners, it's my way of sharing my home". Jen Mangham of the Miami New Times got a first bite of the dinner menu, highlighting the "hearty Tuscan-style grilled beef steak topped with arugula and pecorino cheese" and a "wheat-thin pasta topped with a chunky shrimp and tomato sauce."
Looking for a steak in Ft. Lauderdale? John Tanasychuk of the Sun Sentinel recommends avoiding the recently remodeled Sardelli's Italian Steakhouse where he was disgusted by a rotten 16-ounce bone-in filet for $50 that reeked of "stinky feet" and "blue cheese."
Georgia Pig, the well renowned Ft. Lauderdale barbecue joint, garnered three stars from the Sun Sentinel's Danny Sanchez for their 58 years of serving "a delicious, noteworthy concoction" of a pork sandwich.
THE BLOGS: Both The Chowfather and Food For Thought gave a run down of Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo's stop at Harry's Pizzeria for Animal Pizzeria. Fatgirl Hedonist shows her affection for Latin House Grill.