Best Bites of 2020: Our picks for Miami’s best restaurant dishes of the year
This year made me crave comfort.
In the family I kept close. In the few friends I managed to see. And in the food we brought into our home.
Usually I traipse all over Miami-Dade County as the Miami Herald food editor, searching out the bites you all are buzzing about, crowding into busy restaurants or queuing up at the newest popup. This year, with the pandemic forcing us to keep our circles small and our socializing distant (and always with a mask to protect each other), I spent the year bringing most of the food I wrote about home.
Many of us are doing this — and the smartest restaurants in Miami realized this early on and adapted to our new reality.
We lost some along the way, longtime family favorites and cult classics like Ortanique, JohnMartin’s and Cake Thai .
But Miami kitchens never stopped creating. In truth, we saw them more creative than ever.
That means the best food I ate in Miami in 2020 often came out of a to-go box. No matter. These were some of the best bites I ate this year and hope to see more of in 2021.
Beef brisket
Drinking Pig
Three Kyu chefs turned the dead-end street in front of their home in northeast Miami-Dade into a new pop-up they called The Drinking Pig. What made it special is how they combined their varied Caribbean backgrounds and Miami experiences into the South Florida’s truest celebration of barbecue from flavor to vibe. There is not a single miss on the menu, down to the all-spice-kissed baked beans. But nothing shows off the skill of Raheem Sealey, Mark Wint and Yohanir Sandoval like their brisket: tender, juicy and exquisitely flavored with Caribbean and jerk spices.
845 NE 151st St., Miami. Open Friday through Sunday, noon until sold out. Pre-order and curbside pickup available. Orders are taken via Instagram, @drinkingpigbbq.
Everything bagel, scallion cream cheese schmear
El Bagel
Many of my weekends late in pandemic began with a Saturday morning run to El Bagel for a dozen bagels (half everything, half plain for the kids). They have been making arguably Miami-Dade’s best bagels since they moved out of their weekly food truck behind Boxelder into their own shop in MiMo — 13 days before the pandemic closed down restaurants. Matteson Koche’s bagels are naturally leavened, which gives them a subtle sourdough flavor, delicately chewy on the inside, and perfectly crisp on the outside. The homemade scallion cream cheese schmear takes them to another level.
Note: Zak Stern (of Zak the Baker) offered me the best advice for preserving his bread, and it applies to these bagels, too: Buy a dozen, slice them and freeze them. That way, you just have to pop them in the toaster on low to medium, and it’s like they came right out of the oven.
6910 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. Elbagel.miami
Madurito sandwich
Tinta y Café
Everything I love about Cuban food is tucked inside this one sammie, prepared by my tocayo, Carlos Santamarina, who runs the restaurant with his cousins, Malu and Sachi Statz. It’s usually their fluffy eggs that lure me out of my usual breakfast-at-home routine. But this sandwich is my most recent bait. It brings together the sweet and the savory: roasted pork, caramelized onions, cantimpalo chorizo, Swiss cheese, garlic aioli and diced sweet plantains on a fresh-baked baguette. Don’t forget to pair it with jamon croquetas, easily my favorite in South Florida at the moment.
1315 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables. 305-285-0101. Online: TintayCafe.co (no m).
Spicy tuna crispy rice
B-Side Sushi by Itamae
I’d gone months without eating sushi in favor of food I could pop in a warm oven. But when the hankering hit, I wanted the style of sushi that made the Chang family famous at their Design District Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei spot, Itamae. Their new restaurant hadn’t opened until December, so I turned to their spinoff at the 1-800-Lucky Market, where Fernando Chang and his children — James Beard award nominees Val and Nando Chang — offer a wide array of their best sushi. This dish is a sort of Nigiri, where the steamed rice ball is instead crispy, and topped a spicy tuna tartare. And yes, spicy means spicy. In 2021, I’ll be hitting Itamae and B-Side for more takeout and delivery.
143 NW 23rd St., Wynwood. Takeout available through Uber Eats. Instagram.com/bsidesushi
Fried chicken and biscuits
Rosie’s at The Copper Door Bed & Breakfast
Akino West is a true talent who dreamed of opening a full-scale restaurant with pastas and risottos as well as Southern comfort classics at the Copper Door Bed & Breakfast he and his partner, Jamila West, own in Overtown. When the pandemic swept in, he focused his talents on simple, delicious soul food and Rosie’s pop-up kept the couple afloat in the months their hotel was forced to stay closed to control the spread of the virus. West (a Michael Schwartz alum) is making unbelievable fried chicken and biscuits that are flaky, buttery, toasty and unforgettable with their apricot-lemon jam. It’s a gateway to all the food he’s quietly trying out on the menu (orecchiette with smoked sausage, wild mushroom and Southern polenta).
439 NW Fourth St., Overtown. Open for takeout, delivery through Uber Eats or outside seating, Thursday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Instagram.com/rosiesmia
Single-patty burger, fries
USBS
I hate burgers you have to eat with a knife and fork — food designed for Instagram rather than human mouths. And that’s why I loved the burgers that Mikey Mayta and his wife, Keily Vasquez, create at USBS, which stands for United States Burger Service, a play on the postal service, because this is fast food done right. You’d expect nothing less from a couple that spent a decade working for the great Michelle Bernstein. Their unassuming little burgers are presented simply, but there is a lifetime of talent and technique in their creation. They use a special beef blend ground in house, topped with their own Priority Sauce (a mayo-mustard base with a French onion soup flavor), a fontina-cheddar Government Cheese, and serve them on poppy seed buns they bake themselves. Pair it with “Insurance” — house-made fries that require four days preparation to fry up crispy, yet meaty on the inside. Consider paying the “Southern Tariff” for seasoned fries that come with Green Goddess dipping sauce.
8300 NE Second Ave., Little Haiti in The Citadel food hall. Open Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 10 p.m. Instagram.com/usbsmiami
Sai Krog Mu Sausage
Lil’ Laos
Sakhone Soyarath and her husband, Curtis Rhodes, had catered Laotian food occasionally while she was an ad exec and he was the chef at Café Roval. When the pandemic hit and both were out of a job, they started selling their menu at pop ups before finding a permanent home for Miami’s only Laotian food at The Citadel food hall. Their entire menu is a showcase of the unique flavor combinations you’d expect from cuisine influenced by bordering Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Bright lime and cilantro, pungent fish sauce, tangy soy and lemongrass all come together, nowhere better than in their homemade sausage and dipping sauce. The menu invites pairing it with their spicy cold papaya salad and pork ribs with a tomato dipping sauce. It’s hard to pick a favorite at this restaurant that is worth the drive.
8300 NE Second Ave., Little Haiti in The Citadel food hall. Open Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 10 p.m. Instagram.com/lillaos
Burnt ends
Society BBQ
Richard Hales knows the Miami palate. So when he styled the flavor for the burnt ends at his new barbecue restaurant, he went for the balance that encapsulates Miami’s love for the sweet, salty and fat. Call these caramelized charred cuts the tadig on Persian rice, la raspita on a pot of congri. It’s the toasted ends from the tip of the brisket, cooled overnight, then cubed, braised in Hales’ own barbecue sauce and smoked again. It’s the very essence of the beef. His barbecue was such a hit that he started in the Citadel food hall but converted his popular Sakaya Kitchen in Midtown into a full-on version of Society BBQ. And we’re grateful for it.
3450 Buena Vista Ave., Midtown (next to Party City). Instagram.com/societybbq
The Goat
Sweet Melody ice cream
After selling his ice cream only in pints out of the Mojo Donuts in Westchester, Mike Romeu opened an ice cream ventanita at his very own creamery in west Kendall. And just in time, so he could sell his ice cream to go (though they also have a wide service range on the delivery apps). At his new spot, Romeu has the room and the range to experiment with flavors for his luxurious, premium ice cream. For years, I was devoted to his Hella Nutella (and still am), but when I needed a pint of comfort, I discovered The Goat: The Greatest Of All Time. With lemon-scented goat cheese ice cream and a homemade honey-strawberry jam, it lives up to the name. A new location just opened in Palmetto Bay to bring his terrific ice cream a little further east.
15224 SW 72nd St., west Kendall. Instagram.com/sweetmelodyicecream
17389 S. Dixie Hwy., Palmetto Bay
Crispy polenta sticks
Boia De
There’s a lot to like about this new Miami restaurant (the chefs, Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer, were named 2020 James Beard award Best Chef in the South semifinalists). But a great place to start is always the crispy polenta sticks, which the couple serve here in the place of bread. It’s just the kind of comfort food you crave: crispy outside, creamy inside, and served with a tart eggplant marinade (raw garlic, red wine vinegar) to set off the richness. It’s finished with a ricotta salata that adds the last kiss of seasoning. An extensive wine list (including natural wines) will let you find the perfect complement to order in and curl up on the couch.
5205 NE Second Ave., Little Haiti. Boiaderestaurant.com
Lemon meringue pie
True Loaf Bakery
I was already addicted to True Loaf’s fudgy brownies. I went out of my way for their flaky, buttery croissants. Then I discovered these pies, new to one of South Florida’s best bakeries over the last five years. Tomas Strulovic, who gave up a life in finance to attend the San Francisco Institute of Baking, makes an exceptional lemon meringue: perfectly balanced, not too sweet or tart, silky smooth and with a toasted meringue top you’ll gladly lick off your fingertips. Start shopping for larger yoga pants; it’s the worst thing to happen to Sunset Harbour’s fit crowd.
1894 Bay Rd., Miami Beach. Trueloafbakery.square.site
Oxtail over rice and peas
Clive’s Café
For 38 years, Pearline “Miss Pearl” Murray rained down flavorful Jamaican brown stews at her Wynwood location of Clive’s. And when developers forced her out in 2014, she consolidated at the second location in Little Haiti, which remains a locals’ favorite, and never skipped a beat. Tender oxtail that begs for you to suck it off the bone poured over rice and peas, with a side of sweet plantains, is the play. Make the most of it with an order of salty-sweet, yeasty coco bread (It’s not on the menu; ask for it) to sop up every last drop of that oxtail sauce. It’s the kind of comfort food I begged for in 2020.
5890 NW Second Ave., Little Haiti. Clivescafe.com
Banana pudding frappe
Groovin’ Bean
Keon Lewis and Monique Messer opened their coffee shop a year ago, defying those — even their own neighbors — who told them “Black people don’t drink coffee,” Lewis recalled. They wanted to create a meeting space they felt was missing in Black Miami. And guess what? “Black people drink coladas. Who knew?” he joked. The Groovin’ Bean created a Starbucks alternative at the edge of downtown, where the couple sell the SoBe Cakes (banana pudding, margarita Key lime and Crown Royal-infused red velvet) that made them known. It’s a rock-solid place for Americanos and lattes. But why not treat yourself to the banana pudding frappe, complete with a Nilla wafer, that became their signature?
801 Northwest Third Ave., Overtown. Groovinbean.com
Pan con bistec
Panolo at Union Beer Store
I made a deal with myself. If I arrived at the new outdoor beer garden at Union and it was empty, I’d sit down for a pan con bistec I’d been eyeing on Instagram, a new pop up named Panolo from longtime bartender Adrian Castro, who goes by the Scarface character Manolo at the pro-wrestling themed bar. Luckily (for me, not the struggling craft beer bar) the yard was open, and l found myself on the business end of Castro’s take on a Mary’s Coin Laundry steak sandwich. His version is heightened with garlic-mayo, and the Que Eso includes a slab of Nicaraguan queso frito and crispy papitas (that are actually hash browns). That and a cold pilsner are what I needed.
1547 SW Eighth St., Little Havana. Online: Instagram.com/_panolos_/
Churros and hot chocolate
La Palma
I nurtured an impending sense of doom for Miami’s first cold snap of the season, I feared I would find La Palma Cuban restaurant closed because of the pandemic, ending our city’s tradition of lining up for fresh-fried churros and hot chocolate — another casualty of 2020. I should have known better. The restaurant, which used the summer shutdown to remodel, reopened for the first time to a line of hopeful Miamians snaking around the corner, masked and grateful in 60-degree weather. I brought home five bags and a pint of hot chocolate, and my family and I huddled around the dining room table, licking the sugar from our fingers. Those churros have never tasted better.
6091 SW Eighth St., West Miami. 305-261-1113
This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 9:49 AM.
