Born in Miami, hummus hub Motek was so popular when it opened in the Flatiron District last year that it instantly gobbled up fresh locations on 57th Street and across the river in Williamsburg.
But it’s expanding back home in Miami, too, where it’s just opened it sixth restaurant.
Located in Midtown, the new Motek joins Coral Gables, Brickell and South Beach cousins with an expansive patio and the same yummy Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fare that made it so popular.
Look out for dishes like cabbage salad drizzled with mint-honey vinaigrette; Greek za’atar salad; fire-grilled kabobs; and whole grilled branzino.
If you’re still hungry, Miami’s ready to fill your plate with fresh flavors from new restaurants. January was a busy month, with openings like Yasu Omakase in Wynwood. It’s the first omakase restaurant from Yasu Tanaka, the chef behind Michelin-recognized Sushi Yasu Tanaka.
Sit down at the sushi counter made from 600-year-old hinoki wood and feast on the 10-course, $250 tasting. It weaves local flavors into creative bites like a mini sandwich of monkfish liver with guava bourbon marmalade, and a “Florida hand roll” of stone crab and cucumber with cherry pepper dressing.
Eyal Shani, the chef behind sought-after HaSalon and Malka, known for their festive vibe, opened his first Southern Italian restaurant, Bella, last month at the Liberty Park Hotel in South Beach.
It’s built around a beautiful courtyard that holds 100 people and features a fountain, terra-cotta floors and lots of foliage. The dining room has a green onyx bar, handblown glass lamps and a large antipasto table.
Look for handmade pastas and adventurous takes on classics like filet mignon scallopini or white polenta pasta. Shani’s Middle Eastern flavors shine in plates like tabouli farro on sheep’s yogurt and grouper shawarma.
Cordon Bleu-trained Chef James Taylor, whose resume includes stints elin-starred Alinea in Chicago, launched his new 45-seat steakhouse, the Joyce, last month, and Cindy Crawford, Derek Jeter and Future are among those who havat Miche already checked it out.
The Prohibition-era speakeasy feel is warmed by leather furnishings, walnut and velvet curtains, along with an art collection to rival Miami museums.
Pieces by Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Namio Harukawa and Richard Prince set the backdrop for a seed oil-free version of a classic meat palace menu, but insiders also order for off-menu items such as French dip sandwiches; bone-in Australian wagyu ribeye steaks; tagliolini with caviar; and king crab Cantonese.
On Sundays, the menu transforms to “The Palace at The Joyce,” a retro-Chinese theme featuring old favorites like kung pao chicken, beef and broccoli, and vegetable lo mein.
What started out as a Sunny Isles grab-and-go café a block from the beach blossomed into the Rose Cafe and Restaurant in October, when owner Alexandra Milton expanded it into a chic spot serving clean food, with no refined oils or processed sugar.
Gloria and Emilio Estefan showed up on the first night to bask in the rosy glow of the pink and pastel Art Deco-inspired room, where food is served all day. Among the standout dishes are chopped kale and avocado salad with cashews and Parmigiano Reggiano; steamed octopus on hummus; tagliatelle Bolognese; Dover sole for two; grilled langoustines; and braised lamb shank with polenta.
Logan McNeil, former chef de cuisine at Jeremy Ford’s Stubborn Seed, has taken the stove at Michelin-starred Tambourine Room, the 12-seat dining room within the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, overseen by Tristan Brandt.
It offers a nightly $195 seven-course, French and Asian-accented tasting, with amori hirame cooked in five-spice powder, coconut, husk cherry and citrus; foie gras with brioche and hazelnut; and lamb with delicata squash, chestnut mushrooms and toasted pistachio.
Finally, after 15 years of making culinary waves in Palm Beach, Buccan is finally coming ashore on Coral Gables’ Miracle Mile.
Seven-time James Beard award nominee, and Michelin-recognized Chef Clay Conley will be whipping up modern American dishes — hot dog paninis, sweet corn agnolotti, short rib empanadas and wood grilled chicken — at the new location scheduled to open in April.
Soon to follow at the same address are his eclectic, Asian-inspired room, Imoto, and a Buccan sandwich shop with meaty offerings like beef carpaccio and the steak bomb.
