LOCAL BITES

SIP&SAVOR

SUNDAY FUNDAY The Best of Miami Brunch

THREE INCREDIBLE SPOTS TO ENJOY OUR FAVORITE MEAL OF THE WEEK

BY PAUL RUBIO

ORNO, CORAL GABLES

The talents of chef Niven Patel, a four-time James Beard nominee and Food & Wine’s Best New Chef of 2020, are apparently endless. With the launch of brunch at his farm-to-table restaurant, Orno, Patel delivers the ultimate sweet-meetssavory Sunday Funday experience. On the savory side, indulge in Maine lobster toast, a healthy slice of grilled sourdough under a mound of lobster salad, crowned with avocado, farm egg, everything spice, and chili oil. Or give into your wildest carby-carnivore breakfast fantasies with the house-smoked bacon pizza, served fresh from the wood-fire oven, bubbling with fontina cheese, roasted tomatoes, and scallions. On the sweet end, gorge on the dense banana bread accompanied by salted honey butter, unravel a mocha cinnamon roll dripping in espresso glaze, and make your way through the layers of the ricotta pancakes, including the strawberries, Nutella, and hazelnut praline housed within. Make it a boozy brunch with bottomless Moët Brut and Rosé Champagne, or go à la carte with brunch cocktails like the Strawberry Rhubarb Spritz (strawberry-infused Aperol, rhubarb bitters, and Cava) and the Pink DeLorean (Atian Gin, Manzanilla Sherry, watermelon, lime, and mint). (ornomiami.com)

Placing the final touches on the Maine lobster toast (above) and ricotta pancakes (below) at Orno. Krab crab nori buns, steak and eggs, and fruit-forward cocktails at Osaka.

OSAKA COCINA NIKKEI, DOWNTOWN

Buckle up for an international gastronomic journey as Japanese and Peruvian cultures unite over Nikkei cuisine at Brickell mainstay Osaka. Though best known for its insanely delicious dinner items, Osaka’s Sunday brunch plates—and bottomless cocktails—are equally excellent. Standouts include the king crab nori buns (think: an elevated lobster roll with king crab, grilled Japanese milk bread, yuzu acevichada sauce, and shiso) and the steak and eggs platter (your choice of grilled Prime cut served alongside crispy bao buns with onsen eggs and lomo saltado demi-glace). Toast to the start of the week by mixing and matching unlimited pours of Srandano Punch (with blueberry-infused pisco), Hakko Shita Sangria (a pineapple-centric red sangria), Moët & Chandon Brut Imperial Champagne, sake, and more. (osakanikkei.com)

R HOUSE, WYNWOOD

Miami’s superlative gender-bending brunch celebrates queer culture to the max, showcasing the artistry of drag over Get your sparkle on at R House’s unforgettable after- drag brunch. noons of Latin-tinged food, drinks, and fun. Join LGBTQI+ identifying individuals, allies, and admirers in a space where all the colors of the rainbow shine, complete with eclectic drag performances, endless drinks, table-side dancing, and a bit of debauchery. The excitement happens every Saturday and Sunday, at 11:30/11:45 a.m. and 2:30/2:45 p.m. Reservations are required. (rhousewynwood.com)

DRINK UP Tantalizing TOMATINI

GARDEN-FRESH INGENUITY IN A GLASS

LPM Restaurant & Bar Miami

remains a Downtown evergreen thanks to a thoughtful menu of French Mediterranean and Niçoise cuisine, served in a colorful, artdriven setting. It’s equally popular for its farm-to-table cocktails, none more exceptional than the Tomatini, an unexpected but inspiring martini of Ketel One Vodka, Campari tomatoes, and white balsamic vinegar. Here, LPM shares the recipe for the succulent red beauty, perfectly hued for Valentine’s Day but enjoyable any day of the year (lpmrestaurants. com) —P.R.

Equipment

Shaker Muddler Strainer Pepper grinder

Ingredients

1 cup ripe Campari tomatoes 1.7 fl . oz. Ketel One Vodka 2 tsp. white balsamic vinegar Pinch of sugar Two pinches of salt and pepper Ice 1 cherry tomato for garnish

Thoroughly muddle the Campari tomatoes in the shaker. Add the vodka, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and one pinch of salt and pepper. Add ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a martini glass. Slice the cherry tomato, coating it with the other pinch of salt and pepper. Add sliced tomato as garnish and grind fresh pepper on top to taste.

Asian Delights, Exotic Japanese & Tasty Thai Open Daily for Lunch and Dinner beginning at 12pm 2775 NE 187th Street #1 - Aventura, Florida - 305.932.8080 11768 N Kendall Drive - Kendall, Florida - 305.275.9003

SIP&SAVOR

Fun, floral interiors and award-winning shrimp ceviche at Aida in Coconut Grove.

SEAWORTHY Coastal Cravings

SEAFOOD-FORWARD AIDA IS PURE MEXICAN MAGIC

Mexican seafood concept Aida may have opened quietly at the close of 2021, but word of its flavor-rich, ocean-to-table creations spread quickly, branding the Coconut Grove restaurant a true foodie hot spot. Nowadays, Aida packs the house nightly with regulars who can’t get enough of its succulent ceviches, aguachiles, shrimp tacos, whole roasted snapper, and more. One obligatory starter is the tiradito de atun, a plate of thinly sliced, meltin-your-mouth, grade-A bigeye tuna in a morita chile pepper marinade. Another is the ceviche verde de camaron—voted best ceviche in Miami at the 2022 South Beach Seafood Festival—which features large pink shrimp dressed in a powerful blend of cilantro kimchi, red onion, and cucumber. When it comes to mains, don’t miss the huachinango a la talla, a whole red snapper deboned, butterflied, and prepared in a Mexican dry pepper rub, served alongside corn tortillas. Finally, save room for one—or more—offerings from the dessert menu, the highlight of which are the apple crumb churros, with fresh apple compote and crumble, topped with dulce de leche ice cream. (aidarestaurant.com) —P.R.

CRAVINGS MEAT Your Match

Ready to get your meat sweats on in the best (and most delicious) way possible? Helmed by New York pit boss Sruli “Izzy” Eidelman, Izzy’s Brooklyn Smokehouse opened its first Florida outpost in Aventura last year, filling a huge hole in the Miami market for seriously tasty ‘cue. Izzy’s offers something rare in barbecue circles: Across the selection of high-quality, slow-cooked meats (which Eidelman describes as “Texas-style with a Brooklyn-Jewish twist”), there is no pork, making the menu a fully kosher carnivore’s delight. Don’t miss these three standouts sure to have you lost in the sauce. (izzyssmokehouse.com) —Kristen Desmond LeFevre

Clockwise from left: Pulled beef empanadas; Izzy’s famous smoked beef brisket; dino ribs served on the bone.

Basking in Brisket

Smoked on the premises in an allwood smoker and finished on a live-fire wood-oven pit, Izzy’s famous beef brisket is so perfectly spiced you’ll want to go light on the house-made tomato-based barbecue sauce so as not to hide its rich, smoky goodness.

Enter the Empanada

Texas meets Brooklyn meets Miami in these savory mini meat pies. Izzy’s barbecued, hand-pulled beef is piled inside a flaky pastry and baked until golden, delivered to your table with a kicky horseradish-infused mayo for dipping.

Perfectly Prehistoric

The Fred Flintstone–worthy dino ribs (a one-and-a-half pound smoked short rib of beef) will transport you back to the caveman days. Get messy and eat it off the bone or ask a server to make it fork-friendly.