16 September 21-27, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | the staff members don’t speak English, but if you’re uncomfortable ordering in Spanish, just point at what you want on the menu. 5828 SW Eighth St., Miami; 305-266-8486; www.instagram.com/elmagodelasfritas El Turco Turkish Food With an outdoor dining room nestled under a hut adorned with swaying straw lanterns, El Turco beckons with a charming Istanbul- meets-Tulum ambiance. The focus isn’t on innovation at this Turkish restaurant nestled off NE Second Avenue in the Upper Buena Vista complex, but rather on familiar, com- forting flavors reminiscent of family meals. If you’re looking to kick-start your day with indulgence, opt for an assortment of mezzes, salads, dips, and breads. In need of some- thing a little more substantial? Graze from the all-day menu, which highlights small ap- petizers, enticing “simit’’ sandwiches on ses- ame-coated Turkish bagels, and classic dishes like beef kebabs and delicate, meat- filled manti dumplings. Not to be missed: dessert. Try the baked cheese borek — crisp layers of house-made phyllo enfolding a gooey interior of Balkan cheese — or pista- chio-filled baklava delivered each week from Turkey. Pro tip: El Turco doesn’t serve alco- hol, but you’re welcome to bring your own beer or wine with no corkage fee. 184 NE 50th Terrace, Miami; 786-686-9797; eltur- coturkishfood.com Elcielo Miami When Colombian chef Juan “Juanma” Man- uel Barrientos first set foot in Miami, he envi- sioned opening a stateside outpost of his fine-dining restaurant Elcielo. Today he has two: one in Brickell and a second inside the SLS South Beach. Like its sister establish- ments in cities like Bogotá and Washington, D.C., the Brickell restaurant is centered on a multisensory tasting menu known as “the Ex- perience”; the SLS location gives diners an à la carte option to create their own gastro- nomic journey. Standout moments remain the same in both dining rooms, from plucking tufts of spice-dusted yuca bread off branches from the edible “Tree of Life” bonsai tree to bathing your hands in melted chocolate be- fore devouring the “chocola-therapy” dessert. 31 SE Fifth St., Miami; 786-694-9525; el- cielorestaurant.com/en/home-english Enriqueta’s Sandwich Shop A simple sandwich shop at the confluence where Wynwood, Midtown Miami, and Edgewater meet, Enriqueta’s remains a holdout in the race to turn Miami into a sea of condominiums and Lululemons. The res- taurant is one of the most democratic in the city, its clientele a steady stream of construc- tion workers, galleristas, tourists, and dwell- ers of the aforementioned condos (David Beckham once paid a visit), all dropping by for their cafecito fixes and Cuban sand- wiches — here with a bonus in the form of croquetas pressed into the bread along with the meat and cheese. 186 NE 29th St., Miami; 305-573-4681; www.instagram.com/enriqu- etas_sandwich_shop Finka Table & Tap Siblings Eileen and Jonathan Andrade de- scend from Miami dining royalty. Their grandparents founded Islas Canarias, the shrine of Cuban comfort food revered for its croquetas. Their parents carried on that tra- dition. It was on the sage advice of Mom and Dad that Eileen and Jonathan opened Finka Table & Tap — employing a funky spelling of finca, the Spanish word for “farm” — out in the far-western reaches of Miami-Dade. Gastropubs are a dime a dozen on the east side of the county, but Finka has a monopoly out west, and a crowd lines up nightly for the Andrades’ Peruvian-Korean-Cuban fare: Cuban fried rice, Korean fried chicken, and the famed croquetas from the old family rec- ipe, available in ham, chicken, or fish. 14690 SW 26th St., Miami; 305-227-8818; www. finkarestaurant.com Fiorito An Argentine-inspired gem awaits in Little Haiti, identifiable by an unmistakable welcome sign: the towering mural of soccer icon (and newly minted South Floridian) Lionel Messi above the entrance. Soccer is a major theme here — the name itself is a homage to Argentine legend Diego Maradona’s city of birth. It’s a re- laxed and inviting space that creates an easygo- ing atmosphere perfect for families and locals looking to unwind. The heart of the menu is the meat: USDA prime beef cooked to perfection on the grill. The vacio (flank steak) and churrasco (skirt steak) are standout options, but don’t ignore the juicy empanadas and hearty pasta dishes. Homemade desserts like flan and crepes offer a sweet ending. Whether you’re a diehard soccer fan or simply in search of great food and community vibes, Fiorito brings Argentina’s lively spirit to Miami’s din- ing scene. 5555 NE Second Ave., Miami; 305- 754-2899; fioritomiami.com Garcia’s Seafood Grille & Fish Market Garcia’s Seafood Grille & Fish Market has been serving up a winning combination of fresh fish dishes and family hospitality for nearly 60 years. In-the-know Miamians flock to this indoor/outdoor restaurant overlook- ing the Miami River — overseen these days by brothers Luis Garcia and Esteban Garcia Jr., whose parents founded the local institution in 1966 — for the freshest catch reeled in daily and available for purchase on the menu or by the pound at the fish market next door. If you choose to stay, you can dine amid dark-wood surroundings or enjoy the laid-back vibe and river view outdoors. Choose blackboard spe- cials or house favorites such as fried grouper fingers or blackened or breaded preparations of your favorite fish. The famous fish dip or crab cakes make tasty starters, and each en- trée comes with your choice of two sides. Be- fore you leave, pick up some fresh seafood at the market to cook at home tomorrow! 398 NW North River Dr., Miami; 305-375-0765; garciasmiami.com Ghee Indian Kitchen In, of all places, Dadeland, chef Niven Patel and his crew have opened Miami’s eyes to the cuisine of western India, a culinary culture that comprises infinitely more than tandoori chicken and lamb rogan josh. At Ghee Indian Kitchen, which earned a Michelin Bib Gour- mand designation in 2022, you’ll find the sim- ple street snack of puffed rice called bhel, juiced up with sweet Florida avocado and meaty hunks of raw tuna. Though the restau- rant offers chicken tikka masala for the unad- venturous, do not miss the sizable vegetable section on the menu, for which many of the ingredients are harvested from Patel’s own farm. 8965 SW 72nd Pl., Miami; 305-968- 1850; www.gheemiami.com Greek Islands Taverna Fort Lauderdale Beach isn’t Corfu by any stretch of the imagination, but this beach-ad- jacent Greek restaurant does a good job of making hungry patrons feel as if they’ve crossed a temporary bridge to all things Med- iterranean. The ownership team of brothers Sam and George Kantzavelos offers the kinds of dishes any tourist, local, or Greek native can appreciate in a casual setting that chan- nels New Jersey diner fare at its finest. As a result, Greek Islands Taverna remains a long- time favorite among the beachgoing crowd thanks to its wide-ranging menu ofreason- ably priced, classic Greek dishes. Go for fa- vorites such as roast leg of lamb, flaming saganaki, chicken shish kebab, and a killer avgolemono (lemon chicken soup). 3300 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-565-5505; greekislandstaverna.com Heritage You might know Rino Cerbone as the front- man for the South Florida band Stellar Re- vival. Gastronomes, however, know him for his take on Italian fare at Heritage, his hidden gem nestled in an unassuming building on the southern outskirts of Flagler Village in Fort Lauderdale. Here Cerbone showcases his family’s recipes with a short and focused menu. Start with fried squash blossoms, a texturally thrilling dish of delicate flowers stuffed with creamy mascarpone and bound by a thin and crispy tempura-like shell — al- though the real treat just might be the sweet and creamy sherry-spiked marinara it’s served atop. Black mushroom arancini are equally exquisite — three dense globes of rice flavored with oyster, portobello, cremini, and shiitake mushrooms bound together by a trio of cheeses. Pizzas are popular with good rea- son, emerging from the oven with thin and sturdy crusts that give way to a springy inte- rior. Pro tip: The decadent house-made pas- tas — like a rich duck ragù atop gemelli tendrils submerged in a whipped, mascar- pone-spiked cacio e pepe sauce that begs for a spoon — are a hedonist’s delight. 903 NE Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-635-2335; www. heritageftl.com/ Hiyakawa Alvaro Perez Miranda, the Venezuelan res- taurateur and art dealer who also owns Wabi Sabi, has created a sparse yet beautiful dining room for Hiyakawa in Wynwood. The scene feels like walking into a museum exhibit — the interior is decorated in Japanese wood ar- chitecture with curved ceiling arches that resemble the unfinished frame of a sailing vessel or the inside of a giant whale. Either way, it’s a remarkable backdrop for a restau- rant that specializes in fish flown in daily from the Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo. The menu offers à la carte items, but order one of the many sushi platters (or the omakase ex- perience) to get the full effect of this palace of sushi. 2700 N. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-333- 2417; hiyakawamiami.com Islas Canarias Cafe, Restaurant, & Bakery Head to this beloved Cuban joint out west the next time you’re hungover or hungry and in need of caffeine. There are few better cures for either than Cuban coffee and hot croqu- etas. Opened in 1977 by Raul and Amelia Gar- cia, Islas Canarias has earned its spot as one of the best cafecitas — those adorable Cuban cof- fee shops/bakeries — in Miami-Dade County. People crave the kitchen’s made-to-order beef or chicken empanadas, medianoche sand- wiches, pan con bistec, and those famous ham croquetas. 3804 SW 137th Ave., Miami; 305- 559-0111; islascanariasrestaurant.com Jackson Soul Food In 1946, Jessie and Demas Jackson opened Mama’s Cafe in Overtown. The restaurant saw Miami’s historic Black community rise, fall, and rise again. Generations later, the fam- ily business had become legendary for its tra- ditional soul food. In addition to Overtown, Photo by Michelle Muslera Fiorito’s vacio steak
