Food podcast: Pubbelly’s José Mendín, Miami Spice and blackmail with bad reviews
No two concepts by chef José Mendín are alike.
He’s opened a gastrobup, a sushi chain, a Sunset Harbour Italian restaurant and a Puerto Rican spot that tied back to his roots on the island. His gift is mixing and matching flavors from outside a traditional cuisine to make something uniquely his.
On the July 14 episode of La Ventanita, the Miami Herald food podcast, we’ll ask him about his latest, Patio Isola, an expansion of his Casa Isola into the space that once housed La Placita — the small-plates Puerto Rican concept he opened behind a four-story Puerto Rican flag mural. Oh, that mural — it polarized neighbors in the MiMo historic district, where locals took selfies with it all day, but some neighbors complained until Mendín switched the whole concept.
Also on the podcast we’ll discuss:
- Online scammers extorting money from restaurants by posting fake one-star Google reviews
- Miami Spice, the annual summer dining promotion, begins with higher prices but more options
- Our new poll: Who makes Miami’s best burger?
Tune in Thursdays at 11 a.m. to watch La Ventanita live on YouTube and the Miami Herald website. Find every episode of La Ventanita podcast at the show page and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Megaphone, Stitcher and MiamiHerald.com.
This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
