18 September 21-27, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | Jackson Soul Food has an outpost in Opa- locka; both locations offer traditional favor- ites, including fried catfish, smothered wings, oxtail, meatloaf, and ribs. A proper soul-food restaurant is known for its sides, and Jackson delivers — from candied yams to fried okra, collard greens, and macaroni & cheese. 950 NW Third Ave., Miami; 305-374-7661; jack- sonsoulfood.com Jaffa Israeli Kitchen and Wine Bar Yaniv Cohen, Miami’s spice detective, has brought a touch of Israel’s bustling and vi- brant city of Tel Aviv to Hallandale with Jaffa Israeli Kitchen and Wine Bar. The restaurant, decorated with colorful tapestries and a rus- tic eastern Mediterranean vibe, matches the colorful plates set down at the dinner table. A deconstructed baba ghanouj in the form of a whole roasted eggplant filled with tahini, chickpeas, and pomegranate seeds, is repre- sentative of a meal here — it’s a social dish that’s meant for sharing with friends over a glass of wine. All the dishes work best with friends or family. The restaurant is especially abuzz during the weekend brunch buffet or on nights when a belly dancer undulates through the small dining room. 701 N. Fed- eral Highway Suite 101; Hallandale Beach; 954-391-9430; jaffamiami.com Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlour & Restaurant Opened by Monroe Udell in 1956, Dania Beach landmark Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant still makes each of its 45-plus fla- vors of ice cream by hand. Today the old- fashioned ice cream parlor boasts not only one of the largest — and best — ice cream se- lections in the area, but also one of the na- tion’s largest collections of American memorabilia. Jaxson’s also has a toy and candy store. Be aware that Jaxson’s is per- haps most famous for its “Kitchen Sink” sun- dae, available for parties of four or more: The restaurant’s professional soda jerks will un- leash their imagination for a concoction that offers a bit of everything but, well, you know. If you’re hungry for more than ice cream, Jaxson’s menu offers dozens of dishes from its country kitchen. From wings to clam rolls, they’re all homemade and authentic despite drawing from all regions of the culinary map. Vegans can order an Impossible burger, but meat eaters will need all hands on deck for the “Titanic Triple Burger,” which boasts three half-pound beef patties, each topped with a different kind of cheese. If you can’t handle that hand-held feast, you could always cram your face with Jaxson’s signature “Fa- mous Bigger, Better Half-Pound Burger.” 128 S. Federal Highway, Dania Beach; 954-923- 4445; jaxsonsicecream.com Jimmy’s Eastside Diner Jimmy’s Eastside Diner has the casual, been- there-forever feel of a neighborhood hangout. The green-and-brown color scheme is oddly appealing, and the place looks bright and friendly — diner ambiance minus any dingi- ness. If Jimmy’s looks familiar, it’s probably because the diner was used as one of the film- ing locations in Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning 2016 film Moonlight. Ready your camera be- cause you’ll want to take a photo for the ‘gram. Seating is all booths, and breakfast is served all day, including monster omelets and refreshing honesty from the waitstaff, as in: “Have the hash browns. The home fries have been sitting all morning.” Philly cheesesteak for Saturday lunch, tuna melts — the fare has all the authentic markings of a classic diner. 7201 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-754-3692 Joe’s Stone Crab You know Joe’s. The history. The gloriously sweet stone crabs. And, in season, the notori- ously long wait for a table. But often over- looked is the consistently good food, the truly professional service, the free parking, the sur- prising value (except the crabs, which are an extravagance wherever you find them), and the dining room’s stately ambiance. Visit and you’ll find tuxedoed waiters whirling through the dining rooms with oval trays held high above their heads while the buzz of diners subtly tinges the air like the intangible gath- ering of ions before a thunderstorm. Yet you’d be hard-pressed to find such a large space that’s as cozy as this one. Stone crabs are, of course, the mainstay of Joe’s menu, and somehow they seem to taste a little fresher and sweeter here. The rest of the offerings, though, don’t disappoint. And nearly every- body orders Joe’s key lime pie, renowned as the best in town, for dessert. If you show up on a Saturday evening, be prepared to cool your heels for hours. If you want to sit quickly, visit on a weekday — except Monday, when Joe’s is closed. Or keep it simple and grab your claws at Joe’s Take Away next door. 11 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-673- 0365; www.joesstonecrab.com Josh’s Deli There are New York delicatessens that don’t go as hard as Josh’s Deli. It’s amazing to see thick cuts of house-cured pastrami gleaming with moisture and capped with ribbons of fat. The Angus brisket is cured for ten days, smoked, and then steamed; it evokes a smoky flavor (with a hint of sweetness) that puts it on a peppery par with great barbecue. The corned beef is that same Angus brisket, cured, braised, and sliced thick and juicy — miles apart from the pallid strips of meat that pass for an original cut nowadays. All sandwiches come on thin-sliced, seed-flecked rye spread with dazzling yellow mustard — made, like everything else, on the premises. All meats and fish are cured and/or smoked in-house. Owner Josh Marcus makes the sour pickles too, alongside wild creations such as the “Jewban,” an unholy Jewish-Cuban alliance made with pastrami, Swiss cheese, pickles, and pork. 9517 Harding Ave., Surfside; 305- 397-8494; www.instagram.com/joshsdeli Katana Japanese Restaurant A hidden gem adored by locals, Katana is a compact yet vibrant Normandy Isles spot that boasts a 25-seat circular bar where skilled chefs whip up an array of dishes in a veritable sushi-go-round. The restaurant’s pricing sys- tem, indicated by the color of the plates, adds an element of surprise and exploration to the experience. From classic items like California rolls and gyoza to fancier treats like salmon roe and sea urchin nigiri, Katana’s menu hits all the right notes. Reservations aren’t an op- tion, so swinging by on a weekday or arriving at opening on weekends is your best bet. They have implemented a digital wait list, but if you do find yourself with time to kill, there’s a bar next door where you can kick back with a drink until your turn at the table arrives. Pro tip: Families and larger parties might consider skipping this Miami Beach mini-gem and opt- ing for Katana’s sister operation, Shima, on NW 67th Avenue just north of the Palmetto in Hialeah. 920 71st St., Miami Beach; 305-864- 0037; www.katanamiamibeach.com The Katherine Timon Balloo has shared his life through food for more than a decade at his various Miami restaurants. At the Katherine, he and his wife, Marissa (her middle name is Katherine), share their love story. The menu is a culinary scrapbook of the couple’s travels and experi- ences together. The oh-so-addictive clam chowder fries, for example, are a nod to Bal- loo’s career path, which led him to Belgium. And the short rib orecchiette is in memory of the pair’s favorite trips to Italy. If you’re a sucker for fine fare and a good love story, the Katherine is your kind of place. 723 E. Bro- ward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 754-216-0690; thekatherinerestaurant.com Kon Chau Chinese Restaurant Located in the same West Miami-Dade shop- ping plaza as long-standing Asian grocery Lucky Oriental Mart, Kon Chau has been dis- proving the slander that you can’t get decent dim sum in Miami since 2011. Rolling carts steam forth from the kitchen stocked with all the usual small-plate suspects — lotus leaf- wrapped sweet sticky rice, sauce-slick chicken feet, Shanghai-style soup dumplings, fluffy steamed pork buns, tender pork siu mai, etc. The cognoscenti know to order lesser- known offerings like salted pork porridge with century egg, duck-stuffed dumplings, and tripe noodle soup. 8376 SW 40th St., Mi- ami; 305-553-7799; konchauchinese.com Krüs Kitchen Perched atop Sebastian Vargas’ acclaimed Los Félix Mexican restaurant in Coconut Grove, bright and airy Krüs Kitchen does double duty as a sister restaurant and a wine market. Here Vargas, a veteran of stints at Mi- chelin-starred Osteria Francescana in Italy Photo by Vanessa Diaz Krüs Kitchen
