12 August 8-14, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Spice Is Nice The wildest Miami Spice deals you can’t afford to miss. BY MICHELLE MUSLERA AND NICOLE LOPEZ-ALVAR I t’s officially Miami Spice season at more than 250 delicious restaurants across Miami! From now through Monday, September 30, those in Miami-Dade County can try more than 250 of Miami’s best restaurants without the high-end prices thanks to Miami Spice Restaurant Months by the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. For the next two months, guests can enjoy three-course meals for just $30 or $35 for lunch and brunch, and $45 or $60 for dinner. It’s an amazing steal and the best way to try all the restaurants on your hit list — including the expensive ones. Below, New Times has rounded up some of the best Miami Spice deals happening at fine dining spots like Bouchon Bistro in Coral Ga- bles, Delilah Miami in Brickell, Casa Vigil in Upper Buena Vista, Papi Steak in Miami Beach, and more. Plus, go online and check out our official Miami Spice guide with every single partici- pating restaurant this year. Bouchon Bistro 2101 Galiano St., Coral Gables 305-990-1360 thomaskeller.com If you’ve been yearning for a trip to Paris, look no further than Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in Coral Gables. This charming bistro channels the essence of the City of Light with its Parisian-inspired ambiance and classic dishes. Dinner is a great time to gather with friends and indulge in the Miami Spice menu ($60). Start with escargot nestled in a buttery parsley sauce encased in puff pastry. For the main course, choose between succulent steak frites or roasted chicken paired with sweet corn and mushrooms. For dessert, the lemon tart and assorted ice creams are tempting, but the profiteroles — filled with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with rich chocolate sauce — are the way to go. Casa Vigil 5020 NE Second Ave., Miami 786-803-8460 casavigilmiami.com You can experience the flavors of Mendoza, Argentina, right in Upper Buena Vista at Casa Vigil, the Michelin-starred import by world- renowned winemaker Alejandro Vigil. For Miami Spice, the $60 dinner menu show- cases several of the restaurant’s standout dishes, including grilled scallops with glazed pork belly or the melt-in-your-mouth, center- cut short rib with creamy mashed potatoes. Dessert is a dilemma between the velvety Basque cheesecake and the pear in malbec re- duction, cooked with five different types of wine until it reaches a marmalade-like con- sistency. With more than 700 bottles on site, pair your meal with a few exceptional wines from Vigil’s winery, El Enemigo. Cote Miami 3900 NE Second Ave., Miami 305-434-4668 cotemiami.com Known in the Design District for its Michelin- starred cuts of beef and premium pricing, this Korean steakhouse becomes more accessible during Miami Spice season, offering a chance to indulge at a fraction of the cost. The Spice menu, available exclusively for lunch ($35), includes the “Op- timus Prime” sandwich, featur- ing an eight- ounce slice of prime rib with horseradish cream on a Sulli- van Street ba- guette, or the limited-edition fried chicken sandwich. For an extra $25 per person, elevate your experience with the “Butcher’s Lunch,” which includes USDA prime hanger steak, a 45-day dry-aged rib eye, and galbi (Korean- style ribs) grilled tableside, accompanied by scallion salad and ssamjang. Delilah Miami 301 Brickell Key Dr., Miami hwoodgroup.com Los Angeles-based H.wood Group’s famed Del- ilah restaurant and supper club opened its doors in Brickell this year, and if you haven’t gone yet, now is your chance. The modern-day supper club is a waterfront restaurant and lounge that has an outdoor terrace overlooking Biscayne Bay. The restaurant’s Miami Spice of- fering will run Tuesday through Friday for din- ner ($60) in its old Hollywood dining areas. The menu includes starters such as a Wagyu carpaccio, hiramasa ceviche, its famous chicken tenders, and “Cubano Fritters” made with ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, mustard, aioli, and pickled cucumbers. The entrées in- clude roasted scallops, “The Burger,” an eight- ounce Westholm Australian Wagyu manhattan steak, a macaroni gratinée, and a carrot soufflé. Elastika 191 NE 40th St., Miami 305-209-3100 elastikamiami.com Nestled in the recently renovated Moore Building in the Miami Design District, Elas- tika is a modern-American restaurant named after the striking Zaha Hadid sculpture sus- pended above its dining room, offering a din- ing experience as stylish as its surroundings. For Miami Spice, lunch ($35) and dinner ($60) menus feature tomato gazpacho with pickled tomatillo and avocado, housemade gnocchi with sardines, and roasted Ora King salmon with forbidden black rice. Desserts include a tropical sundae with mango-pas- sion fruit ice cream and a seasonal selection of cookies and ice cream. Estiatorio Milos 730 First St., Miami Beach 305-604-6800 milos.ca This South of Fifth seafood restaurant is known for its Grecian cuisine, emphasizing simple yet premium ingredients, and Miami Spice is the ideal opportunity to try it without the usual hefty price tag. For dinner ($60), en- joy fish flown in straight from the Mediterra- nean, starting with grilled octopus or a sashimi platter with four types of seafood. For the main course, the grilled dorade royale or lobster pasta are standouts. Finish your meal with a light and satisfying dessert of Greek yogurt with thyme honey and walnuts, or indulge in the chef’s selection of seasonal Greek cakes. Fiola 1500 San Ignacio Ave., Coral Gables 305-912-2639 fiolamiami.com Head down to the southern edge of Coral Gables for a taste of luxury at Fiola, Chef Fabio Trabocchi’s Italian restaurant from D.C. While their brunch and lunch Spice menus ($35) offer appealing light fare like pear gazpacho and cobia ceviche and hearty options like pan- roasted branzino and lumachine cacio e pepe, the real star shines at dinner. For just $60, dive into appetizers like ora king salmon crudo and a basil caesar salad topped with ricotta salata. But don’t miss the main event: the braised Wagyu beef cheeks, a Miami Spice exclusive that rivals any short rib — slow-cooked until fall-apart tender and served over creamy polenta. For dessert, indulge in chocolate pudding or raspberry panna cotta. And for a little extra ($12), make sure to add the signature bread service, featuring Sullivan Street Bakery’s bread — golden and crisp on the outside, soft on the inside — paired with whipped sheep’s milk ricotta and honey. Joe’s Stone Crab 11 Washington Ave., Miami Beach 305-673-0365 joesstonecrab.com Founded more than a century ago, Joe’s Stone Crab has long been a South Beach icon, draw- ing both Miami locals and visitors from around the globe for its seafood, world-fa- mous stone crabs, and classic American dishes like key lime pie and perfectly ▼ Café Elastika photo Elastika is participating in Miami Spice 2024. >> p14 IT’S AN AMAZING STEAL AND THE BEST WAY TO TRY ALL THE RESTAURANTS ON YOUR HIT LIST — INCLUDING THE EXPENSIVE ONES.
