8 September 21-27, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | Apocalypse BBQ A business that began on a Weber Smokey Mountain has grown into one of the area’s best barbecue restaurants. In 2022, Jeff Bud- nechky channeled his pandemic side hustle into a standalone location. Outside the res- taurant, a small array of smokers billow aro- mas of pork and beef that betray Budnechky’s Brazilian-Argentinian roots and his wife’s Cuban heritage. Arrive early and you might snag an order of the brisket bacon: seasoned and smoked pork belly sliced thick and tossed on the flattop before serving. If you manage to resist ordering the St. Louis-cut ribs at first, you might change your mind after see- ing platters emerge from the kitchen, slow- cooked and practically begging to be lacquered with Budnechky’s colada-infused “oro negro” sauce. Cafecito-rubbed, Texas- style brisket or pulled pork shoulder pair nicely with the chef’s Carolina-inspired mus- tard sauce (not to mention classic sides like a pepper-flecked mac & cheese, sweet coleslaw, and honey-doused cornbread). Further up- ping the ante: a ten-seat bar offering tropical and classic cocktails. Try a shaken pina co- lada made with fresh juices or the berry-in- fused, housemade sangria. 9980 SW 104th St., Miami; www.apocalypsebbq.com Arbetter’s Hot Dogs It’s not necessarily the hot dogs themselves that are better at Arbetter’s. Rather, these all- beef or pork-and-beef franks are ideal blank canvases for the three garnish combinations that solidified Arbetter’s reputation when this family-run institution opened more than a half-century ago. The basic onion/relish dog is nicely tangy, and the sauerkraut/mus- tard dog, loaded with beautifully buttery, cooked-all-day-tender kraut, is even better. Along with the rich and flavorful but not overly hot all-meat chili topping from an old Arbetter family recipe, a garnish of diced raw onion adds that reassuring subliminal mes- sage that you’re consuming a healthful green- ish vegetable that certainly counteracts the menu’s cholesterol count — so, hey, have an- other. For a taste of the 305, try a “Miami” dog with mustard, onion, cheese, tomato, and po- tato sticks. Or throw caution to the wind and order the “Zelda”: a hot dog with “every- thing” on it. 8747 SW 40th St., Miami; 305- 207-0555; arbetterhotdogs.com Ariete Chef Michael Beltran’s Ariete adds an air of refinement to Coconut Grove not seen since the days when industrialist James Deering caroused its shores. Ariete serves dishes like foie gras with smoked plantains, but there’s something more than fancy amid the ele- gance offered by Beltran, who trained under chefs Norman Van Aken and Michael Schwartz. The Little Havana native twists bits of Cuba and France into every dish, just the way his grandparents taught him. In 2022, Beltran’s culinary craftsmanship earned Ariete a Michelin star. 3540 Main Highway, Coconut Grove; 786-615-3747; ari- etecoconutgrove.com Awash Ethiopian Restaurant At Awash, owners Eka and Fouad Wassel want to take you to an authentic Ethiopian-style home kitchen called a gojo bait. Try the doro wot, a rich chicken dish with a depth of flavor similar to the moles of Mexico. The Awash River, from which this restaurant and many other Ethiopian eateries across the nation take their names, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The valley surrounding it was where re- searchers in 1974 found 52 fossilized bone fragments of the famed early hominid Lucy. Carbon dating put the partial skeleton’s age at more than 3 million years, a fact almost every Ethiopian knows. But it’s also one that brings home the history of this part of the world and the fact that much of human culture was born here. You might be tempted to visit only at night, but be sure to pop in during the daylight hours for a traditional Ethiopian coffee cere- mony, the same one that’s repeated up to three times a day in the Horn of Africa. Green coffee beans are pan-roasted, hand-ground, and then slowly brewed over hot coals. The point is to slow you to a stop in order to connect with the coffee and those with whom you’re sharing it. 19934 NW Second Ave., Miami Gardens; 305- 770-5100; www.awashethiopian.com Azabu Long before every other Miami restaurant was a New York transplant, Tribeca-based Azabu opened an outpost at the Stanton Ho- tel in Miami Beach. The sleek restaurant, with origins in the Azabu District of Tokyo, comprises three areas: a lounge offering more than 40 different whiskeys, the main dining room, and a hidden room called “the Den.” The main room offers sushi and izakaya items from Azabu’s robata grill, while the Den serves an incomparable omakase experience for fewer than a dozen diners per seating. The Den’s pristine seafood, flown in from Ja- pan, earned it a Michelin star. 161 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach; 786-276-0520; azabuglobal. com/miami-beach B-Side If you crave impeccable sushi in all its permu- tations and without the pomp and price of most local dens, B-Side is for you. The sushi offshoot of Miami’s beloved modern Japa- nese-Peruvian restaurant, Itamae, the coun- ter-style setting presents a short and sweet menu of snack-sized dishes, maki, and bowls- style meals that wow with simple yet flavorful presentations. The short list of rolls rotates frequently, and you’ll often find them paired with housemade sauces that range from a leche de tigre cream sauce to yuzu-shoyu to a spicy ponzu. And there’s more going on here than sushi — try snacks like an octopus tira- dito, barely marinated slivers of tender mol- lusk doused in leche de tigre and artfully plated with botija olive sauce, fried capers, and red onion. 143 NW 23rd St., Miami; 786- 780-2750; www.bsidemiami.com Bachour Bachour, the namesake restaurant and bakery from Antonio Bachour, is an oasis of the Insta- gram-worthy pastries that made the Puerto Rican pastry chef a national sensation. The clean, industrial setting is the perfect back- drop for the brightly hued pastries, cakes, and other confections. Open for breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner, Bachour’s all-day menu of salads, sandwiches, and hearty entrées earned the restaurant a Michelin Bib Gourmand des- ignation in 2022. A meal can range from an egg sandwich or eggs Benedict to heartier fare, including a steak sandwich, lomo risotto, and fettuccine in a housemade pomodoro sauce. Be sure to end with a slice of key lime tart — and grab a box of bonbons or macarons to take home. Since opening in Coral Gables in 2019, Bachour has added a location in Doral. 2020 Salzedo St., Coral Gables; 305-203- 0552; www.antoniobachour.com Blue Collar Danny Serfer’s Blue Collar takes its cues from the classic American diner. The tiny restau- rant in the MiMo District offers daily specials and elevated comfort foods. Start with a gutsy New Orleans-style dish of shrimp and grits with bacon and Worcestershire-based barbe- cue sauce, or Hanukkah latkes (served year- round). Don’t miss the veg chalkboard, filled with delightful options from which you can build your own customized plate. Order a thermos of Panther coffee and a cheese- burger or the “parm of the day” and make yourself as comfy as you’d be in your mom’s kitchen. Pro tip: Serfer’s also the chef behind another of our faves, Mignonette, an oyster bar and all-around seafood gem, just north of downtown. 6730 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305- 756-0366; www.bluecollarmiami.com Boia De This hip Little Haiti spot run by chefs Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer offers an ever- changing lineup of pastas designed to comfort and enchant. Look for pappardelle “Alla Lepre” — unctuous shreds of braised rabbit tangled with wide ribbons of pasta. It’s not all about noodles here, however. Boia De offers plenty of non-pasta delights, including meat and fish dishes and crisp potato skins filled with milky stracciatella cheese, caviar, and a hard-cooked egg. The editors of Florida’s first Michelin Guide took note, awarding the res- taurant a star. 5205 NE Second Ave., Miami; 786-209-6310;, boiaderestaurant.com Bombay Darbar What began as a mom-and-pop 30-seater has grown into an Indian-food mainstay with two locations (Coconut Grove and Fort Lauder- dale). Diners crunch on crisp papadum wa- fers while watching Bollywood movies on a large screen and perusing the menu. That list is lengthy, but at its heart are the tikkas, tan- dooris, and vindaloos that fans of Indian food crave. Bright vegetable samosas are a good start, as are some of the tandoor-baked breads — try the soft, fluffy, onion-flecked kulcha naan. Most dishes can be made mild, me- dium, high medium, hot, or super-hot. On that last count, Bombay Darbar thoughtfully offers cold Kingfisher beers to cool you down from even the spiciest of culinary adventures. 2901 Florida Ave., Miami; 305-444-7272; bombaydarbar.com Buccan Clay Conley forever changed the Palm Beach dining scene in 2011 when he opened Buccan, his take on a modern American bistro. The Todd English protégé, who has notched six James Beard nominations, renders topnotch ingredients into approachable, balanced, and robustly flavored dishes. The menu changes seasonally; perennial favorites include the flawless USDA prime burger and sweet corn and ricotta agnolotti, the latter bathed in a rich, mildly piquant espelette butter sauce dotted with nibs of bacon. Pro tip: Stop by for happy hour, when you can pair margaritas or dirty martinis with the chef’s short rib empa- nadas, a simple ceviche, or the hot dog panini — a grilled and sliced Hebrew National dog paired with housemade panini slathered in garlic aioli, a trio of mustards, grilled onions, sauerkraut, and melty Gruyère. The chef’s ventanita-like sandwich shop around the cor- ner draws a daytime crowd. 350 S. County Rd., Palm Beach; 561-833-3450; www.buc- canpalmbeach.com Byblos Byblos, the Eastern Mediterranean restau- rant at the Royal Palm South Beach, focuses Photo by Amoretto Ashley Ariete
