Tag: Coconut Grove

 
Miami Spice is a very special time of year for Miami as a whole. For one, it helps our valuable culinary scene to remain strong during the slower season, when many are traveling to other beaches and enjoying their summer breaks. Miami Spice also offers a unique opportunity for Miamians to taste test restaurants that maybe they otherwise would have missed.

With special three-course prix-fixe menus at a reduced cost, Miami residents and tourists alike are able to sample the cuisine of world-famous chefs and trendy eateries. These are restaurants that we might skip over if we didn’t already know a bit of what to expect, as they are not traditionally inexpensive options. Adding Miami Spice months is the opportunity to try the cuisine at a reduced rate so that we know where we will want to splurge when we go out during high season. It’s a win-win for the entire community!

For 2023, there are a record 208 local restaurants participating in Miami Spice, which runs from August 1 – September 30 each year. With this number of options to try, we obviously cannot give a summary of each restaurant. Instead, we will break down the list into our favorites and arranged them by neighborhood and atmosphere. For this week, we will start with our own stomping grounds, Coconut Grove.

By clicking on the name of any of these restaurants, you will be directed to their Miami Spice page, which details their prix-fixe menu with options, prices, days available as well as their website and a link to their OpenTable account in order to make reservations.

Amal Miami – 3480 Main Highway

If you are a fan of Lebanese food or have been curious to expand your palate, Beirut-native Charles Khabouth’s Amal Miami is a great place to start. For Miami Spice, they are offering a three-course lunch on Monday through Friday for $30.

The appetizers are a choice of several authentic Lebanese dips with flatbread, my favorite would be the hummus or tabbouleh, but when eating Miami Spice menus, I always encourage each person at the table to choose a different appetizer and dessert so that you wind up with an extensive tasting menu.

The main entrees offer a choice of beef and lamb in the form of Pistachio Kababs or Kefta, homemade Amal Falafels or Salmon with chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet pepper and eggplant.

To wrap up, you will choose between assorted homemade Baklava or Mistkeh cotton candy and pistachio ice cream.

Bayshore Club – 3391 Pan American Drive

One of the newer locations in Coconut Grove, The Bayshore Club is located in the newly-redesigned Regatta Park along the Biscayne Bay. For Miami Spice, they are offering both a lunch menu at $35/person and dinner option for $60 as you enjoy the sea breeze on the patio or in the open-air bar area.

For lunch, you can choose between fresh ceviche and a niçoise salad for your starter, with blackened mahi or a grilled jerk chicken sandwich for your main dish. Both are dressed with tropical fruits and fixings. After your meal, you can cure your sweet tooth with a slice of cheesecake or bowl of seasonal sorbet before heading back to the office.

The dinner option is available Sunday through Thursday and starts with hearty steamed mussels or salmon tartare tostadas. The main dish is Jalieta, a crispy calamari, fish and seafood mix with yucca fries and avocado tartare, or a more healthy grilled fresh protein skewer (fish, beef, shrimp, chicken, onion, zucchini, and bell peppers) with yucca mash. The dinner finishes with your choice of cheesecake or churros.

Bill Hansen Catering – 2167 South Bayshore Drive

Something outside of the box this year is Bill Hansen Catering’s Miami Spice Menu. The menu itself is as decadent as you would expect at any time of the year from the renowned event-planning service. What is different is that Miami Spice is offered for parties this year.

If you have an event of 50+ attendees, you will have the option of a lunch or dinner menu to offer your guests. The appetizers involve several different salad offerings from arugula and watercress, caprese with buratta cheese and charred tomatoes, crab cakes or more traditional caesar salad or iceberg wedges.

The entrees will allow the host to choose two options between fish, steak, chicken or lobster. There are several varieties on each menu with different preparations. Finishing up, you are offered a chocolate torte or strawberry cheesecake.

Botanico Gin & Cookhouse – 3015 Grand Avenue Cocowalk

In Cocowalk, Botanico blew our mind with their offering for Miami Spice. They pulled out all the stops with a comprehensive menu for both lunch and dinner every day of the week. This is a menu you will be able to visit several times in order to get a taste of everything.

The appetizers offer seven options for lunch and eight for dinner. As an added flex option, if you are dining with a companion, you may switch one of the appetizers for two glasses of any of the house wines.

The main entrees also offer seven options for both lunch and dinner. You can choose anything from a large salad, a gourmet burger, sauteed salmon, tuna steak, sirloin steak, filet or ribeye. The list is extensive.

Before calling it a meal, you will choose between two options of key lime pie, seasonal sorbet or vanilla gelato.

Glass & Vine – 2820 McFarlane Road

In Peacock Park, Glass & Vine is one of our favorite places to have a family-friendly date night. There is a kiddie play area within walking distance for our daughter, and plenty of romantic ambiance with a casual garden and inspired menu with Latin and European influences.

For Miami Spice, they are offering a $30 lunch option Monday through Friday as well as a $45 dinner option on Sunday through Thursday evenings.

The menu is filled with summer-friendly choices such as watermelon feta salad, branzino crudo with cucumber, radish and citrus, and charred cauliflower with green tahini and lemon. Main dishes are also well-rounded with steaks, seared scallops, citrus brined chicken, seared mahi or spicy rigatoni. The meal completes with a southern staple, banana pudding or your choice of guava bread pudding or key lime pie.

Isabelle’s Grill Room & Garden – 3300 Southwest 27th Avenue

If you find yourself at the Ritz Carlton Coconut Grove, you will want to partake on Isabelle’s Grill Room & Garden’s Miami Spice offering. Available Monday through Thursday for lunch ($35) or dinner ($60), you will dine in the comfortable elegance of the indoor grill room or the outdoor garden terrace if you prefer the fresh air.

Your starters will include Ricotta Bruciata, Pomodoro Verdi Fritti, or Beef Tartare, all which incorporate summer tomatoes with cheeses and protien in light portions. The main dish choices are also thoughtfully chosen and well-rounded. There is a Pasta Pomodoro, a Surf & Turf or Heritage Roasted Chicken accompanied by seasonal sides. Wrapping up, you can choose between a Chocolate Budino Tart or Tropical Napoleon with sorbet and mousse.

Jaguar Restaurant – 3067 Grand Avenue

No matter the day of the week, Jaguar Restaurant is going to have a Miami Spice lunch or diner for you. The lunches are priced at $35 and dinners are $60 per person, but if you have yet to try Jaguar, this is a great time to get in on one of Coconut Grove’s staple eateries.

The Peruvian-inspired menu offers shrimp in aji amarillo sauce, ceviche, fish croquetas or three-cheese quesadillas for appetizer options. For dinner you can try a Fresh Whole Snapper, roasted with salsa and orange mojo, or Caribbean Chicken Patagonia. The lunch main courses are beefy Lomo Saltado or seared Salmon Norma. Finish up your meal with a creamy Flan de Queso.

Like Mike Italian Restaurant – 3433 Main Highway

During the work week, Like Mike Italian Taste on Main Highway is offering an authentic contemporary lunch or dinner menu for Miami Spice.

The $30 lunch includes a soup or salad, four main course options that incorporate chicken, fish or vegetarian pastas with fresh sides. To wrap up, you can choose between homemade Tiramisu or Cannoli.

During dinner, which runs $60 per person, guess are offered additional choices for salads that include a beet and pear salad, beef carpaccio or Salmone Marinato.  The entrees include two seafood options, a roasted chicken or slow cooked beef and pork ragu. For dessert, they have made Chocolate Caprese, which is a gluten free chocolate cake, or Semifreddo Amalfi, a lemon cream and chocolate crumble that is divine.

The Key Club – 3015 Grand Avenue

If you are a fan of Groot Hospitality’s offerings, The Key Club in Cocowalk is going to be your first stop in Coconut Grove during Miami Spice. Since it opened in 2022, The Key Club has been an ever-growing destination for nights out with good food and good company. Let’s face it, Dave Grutman is good at what he does.

Since the restaurant caters toward the social crowd, they are offering a $35 brunch on the weekends and a $45 dinner any night of the week.

The brunch offering includes snapper ceviche, a bourbon sticky bun, baby beet salad or smoked salmon rosti for the starters, and your choice of Cinnamon Toast Crunch French Toast, a spicy croissant sandwich, a Club Burger or Black Truffle Omelet followed by creme brulee or key lime pie to wash away your sins of the night before.

If you would prefer to start the night off at The Key Club, they are preparing a similar offering of starters, adding a tuna roll or steak tartare, with your choice of branzino and lemon with capers, organic half chicken with salsa verde, bbw baby back ribs or skirt steak frites with chimichurri followed by a warm salted caramel brownie or key lime pie to finish up.

Minty Z – 3206 Grand Avenue

If these other menus are sounding too “meaty” for your taste, you’re going to want to check out Minty Z. This is where you’re going to find all of the Asian-fusion plant-based options you could possibly want.

Minty Z is the only restaurant in Coconut Grove to offer so many different Miami Spice menus. They have a $35 lunch special during the week, or a $35 brunch menu during the weekend. If you visit for dinner, there is a menu that is $45 per person. or an expanded option that is $60 per person. Each menu features its own list of choices that vary quite a bit and could really warrant their own post just for this one restaurant.

One ingredient that sticks out to me is the prosperity “beef”, which is prepared in an array of forms from classic bao buns to shumai, chow fun and more. Visit the website here to see all of the menu options.

Sushi Garage – 3015 Grand Avenue Cocowalk

If you are new to the area, the idea of a “Sushi Garage” might sound quirky at first, but this restaurant group is a part of Juvia Group, a lineup of elegant Japanese cuisine in casual yet elevated settings. The juxtaposition is quite fun.

As the restaurant is open for dinner seatings only during most of the week, they are not offering lunch menus. The dinner selections for Miami Spice begin with a complimentary specialty cocktail as you peruse the menu to decide your combinations.

For appetizers, you can choose between black edamame, avocado crispy rice, Wagyu beef gyoza or shrimp tempura tacos. These are definitely shareable, so I suggest that each person in your party to choose one to share. The main courses are all served with miso soup and fried rice. You can choose between Maple Miso Seabass, Tenderloin Teriyaki or the Sushi Combo (Chef’s Choice). Before turning in, you can appease your sweet tooth with a choice of ice cream flavors, Lychee Rice Pudding or Chocolate Lava Cake.

Miami Spice is one of the most anticipated Miami promotions of the year each year. It is something the locals look forward to and the restaurants depend upon in order to keep their staff happy and busy and the Miami economy turning during low season. We hope that you will make it out to try at least one of these options this year, we will certainly be there ad look forward to expanding our Groveite culinary horizons.