24 September 18-24, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | September 18-24, 2025 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | shoulder over plates of arroz moros and mad- uros. In a neighborhood crammed with glitzy makeovers, Puerto Sagua’s old-school charm and faultless consistency stamp it as a true Miami Beach institution. Recoveco 6000 SW 74th St. Ste. 1, South Miami recovecorestaurant.com Recoveco is the kind of place that proves big flavors can live in small, hidden corners of the Magic City. This South Miami gem, which chefs Maria Teresa (Tere) Gallina and Nico Martinez unveiled in 2024, turns a tight nine-dish menu into a parade of thoughtful, balanced plates. Each visit feels like a secret you’re lucky to know about, made even better with Shannon Gable’s perfectly paired wine selections. Intimate, eclectic, and quietly game-changing, Recoveco is already one of the city’s most exciting new restaurants. Mere months after New Times tapped it as Best New Restaurant (Miami-Dade) in our 2025 issue (and Gallina as Best Chef!), the New York Times deigned to take note too. Red Rooster Overtown 920 NW Second Ave., Miami 305-640-9880 redroosterovertown.com As the decade turned, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson imported his Harlem Red Rooster to Overtown. Situated on the former site of Clyde Killens’ pool hall, where Black stars from Aretha Franklin to Sam Cooke to Muhammad Ali used to mingle, the restau- rant offers dishes that encom- pass influences from Africa, the Southern U.S., the Caribbean, and beyond, earning a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2022. Red Rooster ups the ante with a weekend brunch, live music, and a beautiful bar; families can check out the Creamery for a cornbread-flavored ice cream cone or order a plate of fried “yardbird” and biscuits with hot honey and jalapeño honey butter. Bonus: The Pool Hall upstairs has been lovingly re-created as a lounge with a retro vibe. Rusty Pelican 3201 Rickenbacker Cswy., Key Biscayne 305-361-3818 therustypelican.com Savory seafood and stunning views of Bis- cayne Bay from every seat in the house (and out): That’s what makes the Rusty Pelican, a Key Biscayne landmark, which opened in the 1970s just off the Rickenbacker Causeway, a perennial favorite. It’s the perfect spot to cel- ebrate all manner of milestones, be they birthdays and engagements or graduation dinners. Enduring signature items include the “Rusty Pelican Board for Two” (fried snapper, lobster and shrimp risotto, and New York strip steak) and a surf and turf of filet mignon and butter-poached lobster. The res- taurant offers a lavish Sunday brunch and boasts a glass-cube wine “cellar” that holds hundreds of vintages. All servers are well- versed in the treasures within. Sanguich 2057 SW Eighth St., Miami 305-539-0969 sanguich.com Imagine, for a moment, the Cuban sandwich of yesteryear. You could smell pork roasting from blocks away. Then came the sweet per- fume of cured ham, followed by a waft of fresh bread and a quick jolt of tangy mustard seeds pickling in vinegar. Sure, it’s the 21st Century, the era of industrial food and ghost kitchens, but Rosa and Daniel Figueredo’s Sanguich is a throwback to cooking the way it once was and should be again. Organic meats and cheeses are tucked into a cloudlike bun that’s pressed and crisped, creating master- pieces like pan con bistec and croqueta pre- parada that have tantalized Floridians for decades. These careful, old-school tech- niques earned Sanguich a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2022. Sérêvène 1920 Collins Ave., Miami Beach 786-636-6440 serevenemiami.com France and Japan unite at Sérêvène, the Hotel Greystone’s signature restaurant. Executive chef Pawan Pinisetti has cultivated a unique setting to enjoy dishes that are sustainably sourced, thoughtfully crafted, and lovingly finished tableside for a dramatic flourish. Pin- isetti himself is often on hand to describe the dish’s inspiration, translating his whimsical ideas and personal experiences into an edible story. While dishes rotate seasonally, a few re- main constant. Take the decon- structed beef tartare prepared tableside, cubes of Creekstone Farms filet mignon mixed in your presence with diced red onion, whole capers, chives, and grated egg yolk. The dish is served with baked Lay’s — a wink meant to convey that this often-upmarket dish shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Lobster uni alfredo arrives like a tiny cylindrical statue: butter-poached lobster with a gener- ous heap of domestic caviar atop a base of al dente bucatini set in a pool of uni-whipped Parmesan foam. As it reduces to a seductively rich sauce, you realize it’s all an elaborate illu- sion of decadence that satisfies nonetheless — a sleight of hand for which you’ll gladly return. Shaddai Fine Lebanese Cuisine 9519 S. Dixie Highway, Miami 786-401-7714 shaddaimiami.com Tucked away in the corner of a Pinecrest strip mall is the urban culinary oasis Shaddai Fine Lebanese Cuisine. You’ll find three floor lamps of varying heights and colors, three wooden camel statues, and a wall adorned with three swords. Nearby are three booths. Are these trios symbolic of the Holy Trinity? Perhaps. The Bethlehem-born owner, Anton Sammour, known as Chef Tony, has been cooking Lebanese food since he was 8 years old. His wife, Elizabeth, who works the front of the house, is from Guatemala. If you make it through the plethora of appetizers, you will be greeted by kebabs, lemon chicken, rack of lamb, and spicy fish. You might also be greeted by a server saying, “Con permiso,” as she reaches to fill your water, reminding you that you’re still in Miami and not at the cross- roads of the Mediterranean Sea and the Mid- dle East. Service may be slow, but for now, there’s only one person in the kitchen, and he says, “I would rather have people wait a bit longer than have a bad meal.” Shingo 112 Alhambra Circle, Coral Gables shingomiami.com Although there are plenty of new omakase restaurants in Miami, one truly stands out from the rest: Shingo in Coral Gables. Helmed by fourth-generation master and award-winning sushi chef Shingo Akikuni, the 14-seat counter in Coral Gables is like a teleportation device to Osaka, Japan. Here the premium fish sourced entirely from Ja- pan is sliced with uniform precision and dressed with barely a swipe of seasoning like nikiri. Here Chef Akikuni and his second-in- command handle the group of 14 without missing a beat as they seem to glide while serving each dish. Plus, the servers ever so gracefully pour sake from Japan and even of- fer to hold your belongings so you can give yourself over entirely to the experience. No surprise Shingo merited a 2024 Michelin star. Silverlake Bistro 1211 71st St., Miami Beach 786-803-8113 instagram.com/silverlakebistromiami Miamians should be doubly grateful to Sandy Sanchez and her husband, chef Benoit Rab- lat, the duo behind Hialeah’s La Fresa Fran- cesa; we have them to thank for Silverlake Bistro, as well. Drawing inspiration from their time together in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake area, the couple serves straightforward American fare with subtle French and Latin twists at this unassuming gem in the Nor- mandy Isles neighborhood of Miami Beach. The interior is done up in retro California shabby chic, from trippy wallpaper to kitschy flea market finds. The menu filled top to bot- tom with winners, including a rich gnocchi mac & cheese seared in duck fat, fried empa- nadas stuffed with chunks of flank steak, and a dish of smoky roasted heirloom carrots on a bed of creamy ricotta and honey. And then there’s the burger: two juicy, grass-fed USDA Prime beef patties topped with melted sharp cheddar on a housemade brioche bun slath- ered in porcini mushroom mayo. The friendly and attentive staff address their many regu- lars by name and extend invitations (regard- less of satiety) to sample dessert offerings, including a dark chocolate pot de crème and a salted-butter and sugar crêpe. Pro tip: Visit on a Thursday and avail yourself of 50 percent off the wine list. Stubborn Seed 101 Washington Ave., Miami Beach 786-322-5211 stubbornseed.com Jeremy Ford — the Florida-born, smooth- scalped winner of the 13th season of Bravo’s reality cooking show Top Chef in 2016 — pres- ents gorgeous dishes the likes of which Mi- ami has rarely seen. Though Ford offers an à la carte menu that’s ever-changing, the best way to experience Stubborn Seed is through its six- or nine-course tasting menu ($125 and $175, respectively). The restaurant’s commit- ment to delivering the “perfect bite” with ev- ery dish earned it a Michelin star in 2022. Sunny’s 7357 NW Miami Ct., Miami sunnysmia.com Born a pandemic pop-up in a parking lot, Sunny’s has since transformed into Miami’s most celebrated new restaurant, reopening in October 2024 in Little River with Florida charm, an open-air courtyard centered by a gorgeous spreading banyan tree adorned with twinkling bistro lights and a stunning midcentury-modern dining room. Unlike tra- ditional steakhouses, Sunny’s blends elegance with warmth, offering wood-fired proteins, handmade pastas, and a playful “Pick Your Path” martini menu from the former Jaguar Sun team. Standouts include Parker House Shingo Photo by Salar Abduazi TOP TOP 100 100 RESTAURANTS
