30 September 21-27, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | OCTOBER 17 TH SEATING BEGINS AT 6:30 PM Enjoy an evening of great food and friends from the Antinori Family. $202 Per Person. 1200 Anastasia Avenue | Coral Gables, FL 33134 305-445-1926 | www.biltmorehotel.com An all-day cafe and wine bar, set in a revived Tudor cottage, with a laid-back and convivial flair. Inspired by the life-giving presence of the sea. An all-day cafe and wine bar, set in a revived Tudor cottage, with a laid-back and convivial flair. at Life House, South of Fifth 321 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139 [email protected] @prettyswellmiami quetas — the breaded and deep-fried cylinders made from béchamel-bathed fish, chicken, or ham — and lunch items like Cu- ban sandwiches slathered with mustard and layered with ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, and pickles. A variety of seafood, chicken, pork, and beef entrées are available with tra- ditional Cuban sides such as rice and black beans or fried sweet plantains. 3555 SW Eighth St., Miami; 305-444-0240; www.ver- saillesrestaurant.com Vinya Table An extension of sommelier and co-owner Al- legra Angelo’s Key Biscayne wine market, Vinya Table is one-half restaurant, one-half market from which you can grab any of Ange- lo’s thoughtfully curated bottle selections off the shelf to enjoy with your meal (in addition to a list of more than 40 wines available by the glass). When it comes to food, there’s the obligatory build-your-own charcuterie board, as well as sections dedicated to pasta, meat, and seafood. But don’t skip over the small plates. Try the morcilla spring rolls, loamy Spanish blood sausage encased in a crisp Ma- deira wine-stained shell and served with a sweet onion marmalade, or the lamb baklava, prepared just like the Greek dessert but with a savory-sweet pairing of orange-glazed meat and crushed pistachios. 266 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables; 305-203-4229; vinyawine.com Wabi Sabi Miami This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it neighborhood favorite near the Biscayne Boulevard end of the 79th Street Causeway dispenses wonder- fully simple and straightforward sushi and ingredient-based sushi bowls, such as the “Wabi Sabi” (filled with tuna, salmon, crab, tobiko, cucumber, avocado, seaweed, and shiitake mushrooms). The maki, deter- minedly classic and unfancy, are constructed with great care. Look for daily specials, cooked-fish creations, and, for dessert, a handful of mochi ice cream flavors, including matcha green tea and salted caramel. 851 NE 79th St., Miami; 305-890-7228; wabisabimi- ami.com Zaika Indian Cuisine In 2015, three Indian expats (and former roommates) opened a neighborhood restau- rant in an unassuming shopping plaza just west of the Broad Causeway Bridge in North Miami. Drawing from their shared back- ground working for the prestigious Taj Mahal Hotel Group in their home country, owners Majob Patel, Avanish Shrivastava, and Shivashankar Malabanti developed a menu that skews toward the robust and buttery fla- vors of northern India, while also dipping into the subtler offerings of the south, famed for its use of coconut and curry leaves. They named their restaurant Zaika — a Hindu word that roughly translates to “sense of taste.” Any meal here must include the naan, prepared in-house using a traditional coal- heated clay oven, each chewy disc the perfect vessel for whatever fragrant, saucy dishes you choose. On that count, our top picks include tender Malabari chicken enveloped in a coco- nut sauce and adorned with curry leaves, red chili, and mustard grains, and the lamb rogan josh, a hearty dish slow-simmered in a gin- ger-infused tomato base. Pro tip: Vegetarians and meat eaters alike will appreciate the yel- low lentil dal, served in a bowl crowned with a rich paste of garlic, butter, and spices. 2176 NE 123rd St., North Miami; 786-409-5187; www.zaikamiami.com Zitz Sum Zitz Sum chef/owner Pablo Zitzmann’s mash-up of Asian, Mexican, Latin American, and Italian influences earned him a Mi- chelin Bib Gourmand designation in 2022. Previously famed in Miami for his now- closed restaurant No Name Chinese, the chef brings together all these flavors in dishes like lobster and shrimp har gow (dumplings) and pork-belly potstickers with a green-apple amazu sauce. The menu is succinct but Zitzmann is known to change things up, so if your favorite dumpling isn’t listed, take it as a cue to explore something new, secure in the knowledge that every- thing is unique — and delicious. 396 Alham- bra Circle Ste. 155; Coral Gables; 786-409-6920; zitzsum.com Vinya Table photo Vinya Table.
