* * * Photo by David Siqueira (stock.xchang)* * * Here are some deals going on at local restaurants this week: Name Your Own Price at Pardo’s Chicken Pardo’s Chicken is letting customers name their own price for Tuesday’s lunch–a Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken meal. When: Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm Where: Pardo’s Chicken, 2312 Ponce de [...] » Read more..

* * * Photos by David Samayoa * * * Here are some photos from the chocolate buffet at Cantina Beach (Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne).  French pastry chef Patrick Lassaque and assistant pastry chef Bethany Haltibeitel took three days to prepare the spread. It was $22 per person for the dessert buffet.  I skipped the fancy meal for [...] » Read more..

My picks for the most interesting food events this week…. WEDNESDAY 2/10 Sushi and Sake Tasting at Sushi Ko Varieties of sake will be paired with sushi and Japanese snacks at this event hosted by blogger Sushi Pro (@sushi_pro).  This event if open to hardcore sake fans, as well as those who are intrigued and want [...] » Read more..

Slow Food Miami hosts a sustainable fish dinner at The River Oyster Bar on Sunday. For this Sourced column, I got in touch with Slow Food Miami and the restaurant to find out more about the menu for the event. Slow Fish Dinner Amuse-bouche: Queen Conch “Pinchon” (with scotch bonnet jam) Chef David Bracha sourced the queen conch from [...] » Read more..

We in South Florida have a romantic and wistful appreciation for the “fall” and “winter.”  Or at least we appreciate our imagined version of how those seasons are traditionally experienced up north.  This idealized image of the fall, with its foods and traditions, dances in our minds as soon as the temperature hits 78 degrees [...] » Read more..

Mangos aren’t just for desserts, snacks and cold appetizers.  The past few weeks, I experimented with mangos in savory dishes.  Here are some remarkable main courses you can prepare with the fruit. Laylita’s Mango, Avocado and Arugula Salad During my search for mango recipes, I discovered a new favorite food blog.  Laylita’s Recipes, by an Ecuadorian living [...] » Read more..

I got an email about Restaurant.com giving 80% off its certificates through Thursday.  On Restaurant.com, you can buy gift certificates to restaurants for yourself or others, usually for at least half off. I’ve used the service before, with trepidation at first, but without any problems.  I used the certificates at Maroosh (Falafel pictured above.) and Chispa [...] » Read more..

This past Sunday, I took part in the North Miami leg of the pizza crawl.   We visited Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza , Pizza Fusion, and Rack’s Italian Bistro & Market (pictured above).   I had a slightly different experience than the rest of the group because my party arrived late.  There were already 25 [...] » Read more..

Tonight was the first pizza crawl organized by Frodnesor of Food for Thought blog.  He proposed the crawl after some animated discussion on Chowhound about the best pizza in Miami.  Tonight we focused on downtown.  We tried Joey’s, Pizza Volante, and Andiamo. It was refreshing to see a group of people execute something from idea to [...] » Read more..

Chicken empanada, churros, and croqueta. We’ve been blessed with lovely, temperate days late into our “cool season.”   Cool weather is prime time for churros, starting with the holidays when out-of- town guests crave the doughy fried treats after holiday gatherings.   Really, any cool night is perfect.  Churros are also an ideal, all-absorbent snack [...] » Read more..