These two Miami spots made the New York Times Restaurant List. One is in Kendall
Let’s hear it for the Miami culinary scene! Two local spots got serious shout-outs on Tuesday, when they catapulted to the New York Times’ esteemed Restaurant List 2023, “50 places we’re most excited about right now.”
The paper writes that it sent a bunch of hungry editors, reporters and critics all around the nation to chow down at hundreds of eateries that are not just surviving but thriving in the post pandemic era. This voracious team even went to Rattlesnake Point, Florida, to try out the seafood at “rustic refined” Salt Shack on the Bay, the NYT’s only other Sunshine State pick.
“Despite the upheavals in recent years, this is an expansive moment for independent restaurants,” the Times said in the intro. “We can’t help but feel that cities and towns in the United States are better to eat in today than they have ever been.”
Drumroll, please...
MATY’S
The first pick in the 305? Maty’s, which just placed in Bon Appétit’s 24 Best New Restaurants earlier this month. Named after owner Valerie Chang’s grandmother, this Midtown fave serves up “inspired tributes” to the family’s native Peru. Think oysters a la chalaca, tuna tiradito over yellow-eye beans and roasted dorade in aji amarillo buerre blanc. The Times piece also noted the cheery interior, “awash with sunlight in the day and pulsing music at night.”
Address: 3255 NE First Ave., Miami
Info: matysmiami.com or 786-338-3525
And the next on the list....
SMOKE AND DOUGH
Anyone who knows authentic barbecue won’t be too surprised by this new accolade for Smoke and Dough in West Kendall. Last year, former food editor Carlos Frías couldn’t get enough of the deliciously salty sweet grub at this homey mom and pop shop run by Harry Coleman, of Empanada Harry’s fame and his wife Michelle.
To get their recipes spot on, the couple studied with top Texas and Kansas City pitmasters and bought a pair of high-end commercial wood smokers.
Among the vast selection of meats on the menu, The Times particularly liked the ribs glossed with guava ancho sauce, brisket rubbed with cafecito and housemade pastrami tequeños.
For dessert? Flan, that is (yes) also smoked and that Frías hailed as “stunning.”
“We are beyond humbled and ecstatic,” wrote the Colemans on Instagram after the story came out, saying that the journey to create “true Miami style barbecue” was ultimately both challenging but rewarding.
“This is only the beginning and we hope to continue serving barbecue and empanadas in this amazing community for many years to come.”
Address: 4013 SW 152nd Ave., West Kendall
Info: Smokeanddough.com or 786-362-5698
