14 April 11-17, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ LITTLE HAVANA THAT’S NUMBER ONE IN MIAMI, RIGHT?! Cafe La Trova has been ranked fifth on Food & Wine’s 15 Top Bars in the U.S. list. Food & Wine has ranked Cafe La Trova as number five on its list of 15 Top Bars in the U.S. thanks to its authentic atmosphere, deli- cious Cuban cocktails, and high-quality cui- sine by James Beard Award-winning chef Michelle Bernstein. The article reads, in part, “[Cafe La Trova] boasts a retro atmosphere that makes you feel almost as if you flew into Havana in the 1950s. Julio Cabrera and his talented team of taste- makers will whip you up one of the finest mo- jitos or daiquiris you’ve ever tried. Afterwards, you can navigate through iconic dishes crafted by James Beard Award-win- ning chef Michelle Bernstein.” Owned by Julio Cabrera, who is also a talented bartender and mixologist, he tapped longtime friend and local legend chef Bernstein to offer her modern take on traditional Cuban cuisine. Between Cabrera’s daiquiris and chef Bernstein’s fare, there’s something uniquely Miami about Cafe La Trova. At Cafe La Trova, visitors are transported to the island of Cabrera’s birth. The restau- rant is part of his promise to his family to open a restaurant like the one they lost dur- ing the Cuban Revolution. Cabrera remem- bers spending time with cousins, grandparents, aunts, and uncles at his fa- ther’s establishment as a child. It was open 24 hours a day, functioning as a coffee shop, restaurant, and bar that would transform into a late-night spot for live music, beer, wine, and cocktails. Cabrera’s cantineros (bartenders) take pride in the art of drink making. The cantine- ros are clad in dinner jackets and offer expert service as they perform before patrons with shakers and strainers. If you’ve never been, it’s worth a trip to experience the perfor- mance that comes with classic Cuban cock- tails like the “Floridita’s Hemingway Daiquiri,” the “Cantineros’ Special,” and the “Trio Matamoros” (single-barrel rum served neat with a cafecito and cigar). Here, they “throw” daiquiris, tossing the precious liquid from shaker to shaker to cre- ate an arch in the air before spontaneously bursting into a choreographed dance number. Bernstein’s comfort food is all-around tempting. She works to meet the foodie fan- tasies of her guests, whether they’re in search of elaborate dishes or a traditional tres leches dessert. Menu items range from Cuban sandwich empanadas with brown butter and melting cheese and mushroom ri- sotto croquetas filled with pecorino and truf- fle aioli to Cuban classics like a skirt steak ropa vieja and picadillo. But as with all things Magic City, this es- tablishment isn’t fueled solely by good food and drink: At any given time of the day, expect guayabera-clad musicians or jazz trumpet players to fill the air with their vibrant tunes from a stage whose backdrop is the weath- ered façade of an Old Havana edifice. Cafe La Trova. 971 SW Eighth St., Miami; 786- 615-4379; cafelatrova.com. NICOLE LOPEZ-ALVAR ▼ MIDTOWN THAT’S NUMBER ONE IN MIAMI TOO, RIGHT?! Maty’s in Miami is one of the best restaurants in the United States, according to Food & Wine. The Midtown restaurant, which has won numerous accolades since opening in 2023, is ranked number 15 on Food & Wine’s 2024 list of 20 “Global Tastemakers Best Restaurants in the U.S.” “Finding Latin food in Miami isn’t particu- larly difficult. But what chef Valerie Chang is doing with Peruvian cuisine in Midtown is truly one-of-a-kind largely because the food here is inspired by her grandmother’s cook- ing. (The restaurant is named after her!),” Food & Wine effuses. The magazine praises specific dishes, in- cluding “grilled grouper tail crowning a shal- low plate of beurre blanc, a bowl of lomo saltado with tender oxtail, and tuna taradito like never before.” In 2023, Chang was selected among Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs of 2023.” Days later, Bon Appétit named her then-six- month-old tribute to her grandmother one of the best new restaurants in the nation, earn- ing it the added honor of being the only Flor- ida restaurant to make the list. Months later, it made the New York Times’ newly minted “Restaurant List.” Chang told New Times in 2023, “I’m ex- tremely proud of my team, as we’ve worked tremendously hard to shape the restaurant into what it is today.” Chang explained that her original vision was to create a neighborhood restaurant where patrons could find traditional Peru- vian cooking with generous portions and a primary focus on meat-based dishes. Food & Wine’s 2024 Global Tastemakers were selected by a panel of judges who ranked each category’s winners from a list of restau- rants, bars, bakeries, markets, cities, hotels, airports, airlines, and cruises nominated by food and travel journalists worldwide. Maty’s. 3255 NE First Ave., Miami; matys- miami.com. NICOLE LOPEZ-ALVAR Photo by Isa Zapata Chef Valerie Chang opened Maty’s in 2023 to wide acclaim.
