▼ Café Perfect Chew Sour Seed serves stellar open-faced bagel sandwiches in Midtown. BY NICOLE DANNA pher Slawson’s newest venture is producing some truly picturesque open-faced sand- wiches atop handcrafted, Montreal-style sourdough bagels. The naturally fermented and leavened S dough is crunchy and flavorful, rendering it the perfect vessel for toppings like preserved lemon and Calabrian chili flecked with fresh sprigs of dill or a rich and aromatic probiotic- boasting truffle cashew cream cheese. Despite a new bagel obsession, Slawson’s passion for bringing healthy, creative cuisine to South Florida began years ago with Chris- topher’s Kitchen, a restaurant he opened in Palm Beach Gardens in 2011. For years it op- erated as a spot for healthy to-go fare, but sev- eral months before the pandemic, the chef sold his stake in the partnership for a move further south. In early 2020, the Palm Beach County- based chef began to channel his same zeal for healthy fare with a new space off Northeast First Avenue in Midtown Miami, quietly opening a restaurant named Thatch along- side business partner Ron Tysoe. Then, just weeks ago, Slawson pivoted fo- cus, turning the market entrance of his 5,000-square-foot restaurant into a space for his latest passion: bagels. “I really wanted to make something differ- ent, something Miami doesn’t have right now and landed on the bagel,” Slawson tells New Times. “I’ve always loved making dough, and I love bagels. I decided to create a sourdough our Seed is a fitting name for a new breakfast and lunch spot selling upmarket bagel sand- wiches in Midtown Miami. Here, chef/owner Christo- bagel that’s super crunchy with just a hint of chew. It’s nothing like a New York-style ba- gel.” From its market-style space, Sour Seed has kept to Slawson’s roots, offering nutritionally conscious choices from fresh-pressed juices and raw desserts to a house-made vegan soft serve so delicious you’ll forget it’s good for you. The shop also sells Counter Culture cof- fee, smoothies, and açaí bowls alongside a growing selection of packaged snacks, natural wine, craft sodas, and beer. And, of course, “I DECIDED TO CREATE A SOURDOUGH BAGEL THAT’S SUPER CRUNCHY WITH JUST A HINT OF CHEW.” there are the bagels. Over the last few weeks, Slawson, alongside a small team he matricu- lated from Thatch, has been hard at work transforming the restaurant into a bagel haven. As part of that process, Slawson says he’s been pursuing ba- gel-baking mastery, tweaking his Montreal- inspired recipe daily to ensure it’s “just right.” The end result is a thinner, denser bagel made from a dough that ferments for 24 to 36 hours before it’s boiled in molasses-sweetened wa- ter and baked to a crispy, slightly burnt shell. Flavors include onion, poppyseed, sesame, ev- erything, and plain. A simple menu offers less than a dozen op- tions available as full or half-sized sand- wiches served open-faced. The resulting presentation — seed-crusted bagels adorned with delicate and flavorful garnishes — is so refined and delicate it immediately conjures Photo by Nicole Danna cravings of Danish smørrebrød (pronounced smuhr-broht), tiny sandwiches built on thin layers of sourdough rye bread called rugbrød. Not unlike traditional smørrebrød piled with toppings like pickled herring, schmears of cheese, or mounds of plump shrimp, the open-faced bagel sandwiches at Sour Seed feature an array of toppings that highlight a house-made cream cheeses and specialties like smoked river trout, smoked salmon, and a divine egg salad. From Slawson’s short and sweet menu, customers can also build their own sand- wiches using those house-made schmears, each derived from a base blend of organic cream cheese, sour cream, and lemon juice that whips into light, freshly-flavored spreads. Current iterations include an herb blend of chive, dill, and parsley; pimento; sea- sonal fruit; and preserved lemon with Cal- abrian chili. The real novelty is the chef’s vegan probi- otic cashew cream cheese. Available plain or Sour Seed occupies the former Thatch space in Midtown Miami. accented with truffle, it has a rich flavor and smooth, creamy texture that belies its true nature. Tell us it’s regular cream cheese, and we’d believe you. Whatever you do, don’t miss the “Sweet & Salty,” a bagel of your choice layered with the seasonal fruit spread, whipped tahini, honey, fresh berries, and crunchy flakes of Maldon sea salt. “Put too many things on a menu, and it’s too hard to keep the quality consistent,” says Slawson. “That was the motivation for me — give Miami something special, and try to make the perfect bagel sandwich.” Sour Seed. 3255 NE First Ave., Miami; 786- 655-4945; sourseedbagels.com. Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. [email protected] 8/11/22* 12 12 MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 AUGUST 11-17, 2022 NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com miaminewtimes.com
