Let's Eat Magazine | Miami Spice 2017

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Our inspired seasonal menus feature fresh ingredients at their peak, prepared with rustic cooking techniques to highlight their natural flavors. Like our Cedar Plank Salmon, roasted in our brick oven with cast iron skillet vegetables. Pair it with one of 52, Master Sommelier-selected wines by the glass. There’s always something new to discover at Seasons 52.

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Today’s Menu MIAMI SPICE SPECIAL EDITION 2017 Morsels from the Editor-in-Chief Revving Up the Pizza Scene, Cindi Avila, Green Goddess Public Relations Clink With Your Zing, by Jacqueline Coleman, Sommelier Food 4 Thought with Yiannis Sotiropoulos, Copper 29 Bar | Crema Gourmet Espresso Bar | Plomo Tequila & Taco Bar Take a bite out of Miami Spice August 1 st - September 30 th!

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MORSELS

FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Much like an elite athlete ramps ups up their training ahead of a world-class competition, I begin my workouts for this time of year in the earliest parts of summer with some strenuous culinary calisthenics. That’s right, I envision Miami Spice as more of a marathon than a sprint – two glorious months of exploring the best of the best in gastronomy around our community. Ah, feel the burn!

THE TASTES OF MIAMI SPICE

When it first began 16 years ago, Miami Spice was designed to help the local restaurant community rebound from the horrors of 9/11. Already acknowledged as a diffiicult time of the year in the foodie calendar anyway, August and September needed a boost and thus, Miami Spice was born thanks to the creativity of Steven Haas and the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In our first year of “Let’s Eat”, we did a cover story on Steve and his vision for our restaurant community through this dynamic program. And well, even today, the need to support our local eateries each summer never ends. And so, I train. I train hard…just to be ready to enjoy a bevy of new locales and old standards this summer. And we hope you will too, as Coral Gables is the epicenter for Miami Spice, offering $23 lunches and $39 dinners curated for the most discerning and adventurous palates.

Speaking of audacious palates, I urge you to head over to Plomo Tequila & Taco Bar located on Miracle Mile, the newest brainchild of the Atomic Restaurant Group, the visionaries behind Copper 29 and Crema Gourmet Espresso Bar. We go toe-to-toe with them via our Food 4 Thought feature this issue, an exercise I can only describe as thermonuclear!

Our feature this month is on Chris Mellgren, owner of Pizza Rev, a recent addition to the mix of great eateries in Coral Gables. A long-time franchisee for Dunkin Donuts, Chris has branched out into the DIY world of glamour pies and brings his first Pizza Rev to the City Beautiful – a craft your own, personal-sized, artisanal pizza experience. Yum! We are pleased that Jacqueline Coleman returns this issue with another great article on pairing fine wines with fiery fare, just in time for a sizzling hot summer. While 2017 has been a year of exploration and travel for her (including celebrating Canada’s 150th on July 1st with a cavalcade of Canucks), she brings her talents back home for us to delight in.

As always, we encourage you to visit our very own Let’s Eat website, beautifully curated by Cindi Avila of Green Goddess Public Relations. Cindi is always on top of her game celebrating the newest eateries, latest trends and must eats, making sure our site never gets stale.

Finally, we are eternally grateful to all of our advertisers and partners, many of whom who have been with us since we first launched this culinary journey nearly three years ago. As we look into 2018, keep an eye out for a few more events, such as a Dining Series and even a celebration on all things ice cream – we all scream for ice cream! We also appreciate the extra effort all of you have put into supporting our local restaurants that have struggled during the Miracle Mile Streetscape project. With Giralda Plaza nearly complete, stay tuned for word on its offiicial grand opening and inauguration now just weeks away.

So, don’t let the summer doldrums scorch your taste buds. Take them out on the town with friends and family for a trip around the 33134 during Miami Spice – I promise you, it will be worth every minute of your time and every single bite!

Of course, it’s never too early to be thinking about Burgerliscious, coming to Ponce Circle Park on Thursday, November 2nd for its 7th edition of meaty goodness.

Savor the date and Let’s Burger!

MARK A. TROWBRIDGE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PRESIDENT & CEO, CORAL GABLES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

JESSICA WILCOX, OWNER J. WILCOX CONSULTING & PUBLISHER, LETʼS EAT MAGAZINE | sales@letseatmiami.com | (305) 962.9313

Mojito Madness Just $3.50 Thursdays

Thursdays at Tarpon Bend is when locals get their groove on before the weekend with our famous Mojito Madness - just $3.50 all day for a tasty Bacardi tropical flavored drink along with a great lunch or dinner.

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I l o o k f o r w a r d t o s e e i n g y o u s o o n ! - WAYNE ELDRED, OWNER

65 MIRACLE MILE | CORAL GABLES | 305-444-3210 | TARPONBENDCORALGABLES.COM

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REVVING UP THE

Pizza Scene

BY | C I N DI AVI LA

Where can you go in Coral Gables that is fun for the whole family and allows each and every guest the option to customize their own pizza? PizzaRev! It’s a fun new concept on Miracle Mile. The owner of the Florida-based restaurant group Surfside Pizza, Chris Mellgren, brought this concept to our neck of the woods. We got a chance to talk to him about PizzaRev and about the other franchise he owns (one you’ve definitely heard of and no doubt visited): H OW DI D YOU DECI DE TO BRING PIZZA REV TO CORAL G AB LES? I’ve been in the franchising space for about 14 years now, largely in a different concept, but I was looking to do something different. I love pizza, everyone does and I wanted to do something a little more healthy. I looked around at a bunch of different concepts and ended up finding PizzaRev. What drew me to them was really the fact that they have gluten-free and vegan options. It’s a very healthy, locally sourced, higher end product set. Their restaurant finishes are really nice. It seemed to fit naturally into a place like Coral Gables. The idea of craft your own pizza, being able to bring your family, everyone gets what they want, you can have a glass of wine, was really compelling, too.

H OW I S PI ZZAREV DIFFERENT FROM OTHER R ESTAURAN TS IN SOUT H F LOR IDA? There certainly isn’t another healthy, craft your own pizza concept in South Florida. There are a couple other competitors that do it, but I think that ours is a better product. I know we are locally sourced, generally speaking, and I don’t think our competitors are. Certainly in Miami there is nothing like this where you have the ability to choose your own toppings, get as much or as little as you want and be able to do it quickly. So you are in and out in about 8 or 9 minutes and you have your own hand-crafted pizza, made to your taste.

WH AT A R E YOUR FUTU RE PLA NS FOR PIZZAR EV ?

We signed an agreement to build 45 locations in South Florida. Our next one is going to be on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. We are working on locations in Doral, Pembroke Pines, sort of all over the place. So the goal is to build 4 to 5 of these a year over the next 6 to 7 years and then sort of see where we go from there.

YOU A LSO OWN SEVERA L DU NK IN DONU TS F RANCH ISES. W H AT ’S NE XT FOR T H OSE? We have 70 of those locations across South Florida, both on the East and West coast of Florida and just continue to develop and grow. We still believe Miami has a big opportunity for growth, a lot of neighborhoods are coming into their own, like Cutler Bay. It was just named the 7th fastest growing suburb in America. So there are a lot of pockets in Miami that are underserved and it’s a unique opportunity for us to step in and serve those communities.

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BUILDING BEAUTIFUL TAKES SOPHISTICATION â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a mixologist, I'm motivated by a sense of taste and sophistication. These things drive my every decision, and settling for less has never been an option.â&#x20AC;?

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F E A TU R I NG Y I AN N IS S OT IROP OUL OS [COP P ER 29 BA R | C R E M A GO U R M E T E S PRES S O BAR | PL OMO TEQUIL A & TACO B AR]

“This is all I have ever known… my motivation is a natural calling for me. I love the hospitality industry. I always look forward to creating an atmosphere to make people happy.

My biggest motivation is people and how I can bring something new to their lives and neighborhood.”

You already have three concepts (coffee bar, cocktailery, taco bar) open in the Gables, is there a FOURTH in the offering you are willing to share with us?

And of We are just getting course, tell us a little bit about the vision for the started as we still have the future for the three entire 'periodic table of elements' currently open. to go. We are already working on our next concept which we hope to open before the end of the year. In addition to this, we want to expand some of our concepts into franchises which is a long process. This is something that we already started for Crema and we will continue to pursue.

It is FOUR in the afternoon, what do I order at Crema – Coffee each of your three (an Iced Freddo Cappucci- locations on the Mile? no) and the Prosciutto Sandwich Copper 29 – Moscow Mule and the Short Rib Flat Bread

Curating unique spaces - we wish to create the perfect atmosphere and design

Plomo – El Taco Volador with Tuna and the Paloma Spritzer

Hospitality - we put our customers first and that’s in all aspects, with our ingredients, creativity and amicable customer service Innovation - we are always looking for ways to evolve and create new trends Meticulousness- we are perfectionists What are and are always striving to achieve a new level of perfection your FOUR key and success ingredients for the Atomic Group’s success?

What FOUR tacos at Plomo are a must try – E l and pair them with the perfect drink on Guero, El Taco (or off) the Volador with Tuna, menu.

Plomo and El Muro.

All of these go perfectly with our classic Margarita.

Everyone loves a little spice in life, am I right? It’s that time of year here in Miami where we get to “spice” up our lunch or dinner options by trying a new place at a great deal, and man is that a fun way to keep things hot.

While you’re working on heating up your dinner plans, let’s talk a little bit about picking the right wine when you decide to try something with a little more punch on the palate, in other words, wines that will pair well with your next Miami spice-y meal.

CO MP L I MENT YO UR SPICE W ITH SOM E SW EE T E R SPAR KL E When in doubt, reach for the bubbly. Champagne and other sparkling wines can be a great pairing for a mildly spicy meal. Not only do bubbles turn up the heat on any dinner party on their own, but the crisp acidity of most sparkling wines is what you need the most in your wine. Look for a Brut or an off-dry Champagne to add a little sweetness to combat your spice; a sparkling rosé would also be a refreshing addition to any meal packing heat. Just be careful that your spice is not too overpowering for your sparkle, which is the most important pairing rule of all.

Hope you enjoy a great clink with your zing, and that you find the right “spice” for your next Miami mealtime! Cheers!

.........

Jacqueline Coleman is a certified Sommelier and 4th generation Miamian, born and raised in Coral Gables. You can find her musings about the “wine lifestyle” on her blog, History & Wine (historyandwine.com), or follow her on Twitter @HistoryandWine.

WIT H YOU R

P I CK SO M ETHI NG CRISP & NOT OA KY Acidity is your friend when choosing a wine to pair with spicy foods. Crisp white wines are usually the best. Riesling often gets the most attention when considering white wines for fiery foods, but I would also encourage you to consider a Gewürztraminer or an Austrian Grüner Veltliner. Don’t be afraid to reach for a dry rosé if you prefer the pinks. Unfortunately for oaked Chardonnay fans, I’d leave this one off the menu if you choose to host your spice-inclined friends for a meal. Oak can dull the flavor of your zing, which is really what you want to accentuate the most.

Clink

AVO I D H IGH ALCO HOL & HEAVY TA NNINS This is where you heed your intuitive warning not to pair a prize-winning California Cabernet with your jalapeño-based Mexican dinner plate. If you want to stick with red wines, you can make it work. Look for wines that are lighter in color and lower in tannins and alcohol. The alcohol can take the spotlight away from your spice, and the lower acidity and higher tannins associated with bold reds can make the dish taste bitter. Think along the lines of a fruitier red wine like a French Grenache or Gamay wine, such as a Côtes du Rhône or Beaujolais. You can even look for an American Zinfandel if you want to pair a little peppery red wine with your meal.

Zing

As you might already know, not all wines play nicely with your favorite “Thai hot” dish.

You certainly wouldn’t sit down with a bold red Bordeaux and a plate full of spicy noodles. Food and wine pairings can be pretty tricky, but there are some basic rules to follow when you want to enjoy a glass of vino as an accompaniment to a mouth-tingling meal.

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