28 DECEMBER 22-28, 2022 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | 1819 79th Street Causeway, North Bay Village, FL 33141 • 305.866.1570 Voted Best Outdoor Restaurant in Miami — New Times Best of Miami® 2022 Visit us at the Happiest Place on the Water! SATURDAY, DEC. 24TH & SUNDAY, DEC. 25TH EXPERIENCE FOUR-COURSE BRUNCH Chef’s Curated Christmas Selections Adults $92 | Children $35 Bottomless Mimosas $30 DINNER Featuring Seasonal A la Carte Menu Make Your Reservations! TheRustyPelican.com 3201 Rickenbacker Cswy, Key Biscayne, FL RustyPelicanMiami miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ LITTLE HAITI WALRUS RODEO OFFERS WOOD-FIRED DISHES IN A WHIMSICAL SETTING Boia De has become Miami’s unlikely sleeper hit. The small restaurant, tucked inside a Lit- tle Haiti strip mall, opened in 2019 and offers untraditional Italian food and a curated wine selection. Even during a pandemic, the res- taurant continued to make strides, with life and business partners Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer finding the little restaurant filled to capacity nightly. Their hard work paid off when Michelin bestowed a star on the restaurant. Just last week, the pair announced the im- mediate opening of a second restaurant just steps from Boia De. This time, Giangrandi and Meyer have partnered with Jeff Maxfield on Walrus Rodeo, a small 32-seat restaurant with a curious name and a wood-fired oven. Best known for his past role as a corporate chef for Brad Kilgore Culinary, Maxwell ex- plains how Walrus Rodeo got its name. “We were really searching for something that was unique. We had some names that we were re- ally in love with, but they were taken by some other restaurants around the world. One day, in a random text message, I wrote we should join the ‘walrus rodeo,’ and the name stuck. I wish I could tell you some crazy cool story.” Maxwell said that the whimsical-sound- ing name stuck. “We wanted for it to be if you could imagine what a walrus rodeo is. It’s a picture to remember. I don’t know if we’re pretty crazy calling it this.” In a bit of serendipity, the partners hap- pened upon some wallpaper that had punk rockers dancing with a western theme — as close to a walrus rodeo as you can get. “Things started coming together,” says Max- well. The partners also decided to utilize a wood-burning oven for the restaurant for nearly all dishes, including dessert. When asked to describe the menu, the chef/partner calls the menu “elemental” with some Italian ties. “I basically started with ingredients that I wanted to use,” adding that he sourced pro- duce from local farms and other items from nearby producers. Maxwell says the dishes were born of the ingredients and Miami itself. “I wanted the food to speak of what I’m pas- sionate about in life.” The chef says the Italian influences can be seen in the sauces. “There’s complexity built there, but it is also elemental, and it comes back to the ingredients and how you play out the menu.” You will see quail on the menu, but you won’t see much beef. “To be able to serve a whole animal versus buying pieces of meat is very important to me,” says Maxwell. Dishes at Walrus Rodeo include lasagna with lamb ragu, mustard greens, and strac- chino; a spicy “OG” pizza with boquerones, melted shallots, oregano, and maple brown butter; and a turnip salad served on a bed of fresh ricotta and served with a charred scal- lion vinaigrette. Five dishes on the current menu are either vegan or can be made vegan, something that Maxwell says is important to him. “We wanted to be accepting of the broader range of diners and try to give them an experience they would enjoy.” Though the restaurant has been open barely a week, tables are already booked for the next two weeks on Resy. Maxwell is pleased that the labor of love that is Walrus Rodeo is getting such attention. “A restaurant is a team sport, and we have a great team. To be able to have people come who are taking time out of their day to spend their money here gives us the energy to push on.” Walrus Rodeo. 5143 NE Second Ave., Miami; walrusrodeo.com. Thursday through Monday 6 to 11 p.m. LAINE DOSS ▼ COCONUT GROVE AT VICTORIA’S VINOS Y VERMUTERIA, MATT KUSCHER WANTS YOU TO EXPLORE VERMOUTH In 2011, Matt Kuscher opened his first res- taurant, LoKal, offering burgers made with grass-fed Florida beef and craft beer. At the time, Miami didn’t have a large beer scene, and Kuscher took a gamble that people would be interested in brews made with care from small breweries. The little restaurant took off, becoming a hub for beer lovers who wanted a taste of the latest and greatest fresh beers. Now, Kuscher hopes Miamians with a sense of adventure will explore the world of vermouth with him at Victoria’s Vinos y Ver- muteria (VVV). Kuscher has transformed his Vicky’s House Milkshake Bar into an intimate 25-person space. Kuscher says he discovered vermouth while traveling through Spain in his 20s. When he visited Italy and revisited Spain this past summer, that passion grew. “That’s when I took it to the educational level. I took it as more of something that I wanted to pursue.” Kuscher had previously put his toe into the vermouth water, so to speak, at his now- closed Cafe Kush in Miami’s MiMo District, by offering housemade vermouth. “I played | TASTE TEST | ▼ Café Photo courtesy of Walrus Rodeo The pizza bar at Walrus Rodeo
