17 JULY 27 - AUGUST 2, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | with roasted maduro purée or mahi-mahi with a passion fruit beurre. Vegetarians can chow down on gnudi with preserved, fire- roasted tomato jam, salsa macha, and crispy garlic oil. Don’t forget the vanilla bean flan de queso, chocolate turtle fondant with candied popcorn ice cream, and raspberry-yuzu sher- bet with lime merengue and key lime curd for dessert. Miami Spice is offered for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Rum Room 2100 Washington Ave. (on the campus of the Miami Beach Convention Center), Miami Beach; 786-276-4623 rumroommiamibeach.com This recently opened restaurant, a key focus of the Miami Beach Convention Center’s re- vamp, offers a Spice menu full of Florida takes on classic dishes available daily for lunch and dinner. Serrano ham croquetas, ropa vieja empanadas, and sofrito pomodoro plant-based meatballs feature for lunchtime apps, while late diners will find a fishy, delish- y selection including fish dip nachos, batata y pulpo (sweet potato and octopus) with romesco and black garlic aioli, or wild fish crudo ($12 upcharge). The seafood theme continues with lunch entrées including a Ja- maican curry fried chicken sandwich and grilled branzino with broccolini velouté, while dinner mains are more on the meaty side with a 12-ounce black Angus rib eye, chi- michurri skirt steak, or mofongo chicken. Dessert options include a pineapple upside- down cake, coffee bean lava cake, or guava cheesecake at dinner, while lunchtime fea- tures seasonal gelato or yucca churros. Miami Spice is offered daily for lunch and dinner. Zeru 1395 Brickell Ave., Miami; 305-809-1395 zerumiami.com Recently opened in Brickell, some very good buzz around this Mexico City-based Basque spot more than likely has the rest of the city’s Spanish restaurants tugging at their collars. Looking at their Spice menu, it’s easy to see why. The lunch menu starts with San Sebastián txangurro (baked stuffed crab) with crystal bread toast and Andalusian gazpacho in a jar with watermelon and cucumber, while entrées include a Josper-roasted organic vegetable medley with seafood soccarat and a sirloin, mushroom, and asparagus mellow rice platter. Dinner is just as impressive: a sous- vide red mojo “Canario” octopus or Tudelan artichokes with Idiazabal cheese and Serrano ham for apps, and sirloin beef or a whole branzino fillet for the main. Desserts are the same on both menus: Catalan cream foam and sherry-infused honeyed figs or Manchego cheese fondant with vanilla ice cream. Miami Spice is offered for lunch Sunday through Friday and dinner Sunday through Wednesday. DOUGLAS MARKOWITZ ▼ MIAMI BEACH PAIR CARBONE’S NEW RECIPE WITH A CANDLE BY DRAKE By now, any Miami pasta lover knows it can be a challenge to secure a reservation at Carbone. Since taking up residence on South Beach in 2021, this Major Food Group outpost has become as buzzy as the New York original, attracting celebs aplenty for favorites like its iconic spicy rigatoni. But if you’re having trouble getting a table at Carbone, there’s another option: You could try your hand at whipping up a new recipe created by chef and restaurateur Mario Car- bone himself. But wait — there’s more: Carbone suggests you pair the dish with a candle. And not just any candle. A candle by Drake. Drake’s candle company, Better World Fragrance House (BWFH) recently asked Carbone to develop an exclusive recipe for its Better World recipe series. The line, “devel- oped with an exclusive technology, made to linger in the air longer and leave a lasting im- pression,” is meant to bring you to the inter- section “where delicious culinary flavors meet luxurious scents.” Of the Carby Musk Carbone candle itself, BWFH promises, “The layering of sweet, vel- vet powdery musks along with musks of soft floral, amber and marine connotations make it incredibly unique” — and, presumably, an ideal foil for ravioli. Meanwhile, the ravioli sorrentina recipe posted on the BWFH website ostensibly takes about 45 minutes to prep and another five minutes to cook. It involves making fresh pasta dough and a raw tomato sauce, filling the dough with a ricotta mixture, then cook- ing the ravioli and plating your culinary mas- terpiece. Oh, and firing up your Drake’s Carby Musk for the full effect. The candle retails for $80 on the BWFH website. At the time of this writing, seven cus- tomers had logged reviews, averaging 4 out of 5 stars. Comments range from “dissatisfied” to an explanation for “why I am obsessed.” And what does Mario Carbone think of the pairing? “For me, it’s the delicate sweet aroma that comes from the skin of the tomato blended with incredibly floral fresh basil that pairs perfectly with the candle,” the BWFH site quotes the chef enthusing. JESSE SCOTT Major Food Group photo Ravioli sorrentina, a recipe concocted by Mario Carbone in Miami.
