My husband and I made a quick getaway to South Beach from NY, escaping the winter cold and grayness. We had two days of cloudy warmth and two days of sunny warmth, which was a welcome respite. We also ate pretty well, despite not venturing far from the hotel.
Zaytinya - a Jose Andres restaurant that has locations in DC and NY that is in the Ritz Carlton hotel. The hotel itself is visually stunning inside, especially the lobby bar, and the restaurant interior is nice, if bland, but the outdoor area of the restaurant is jungly and verdant and atmospheric. The cocktails were fine, but the food was delicious, like the fresh pita bread, hummus, halloumi with sour cherry molasses (such good flavors!), smoked beet salad (never thought of smoking a beet!), and crispy eggplant (airy and served with dipping sauces). Scallops were not as remarkable in terms of flavor as some of the other dishes, but the galatopita dessert wowed. (“Semolina custard espuma, crispy phyllo, almonds, honeycrisp apple sorbet” - a lovely combo of textures and flavors).
La Sandwicherie - remains one of my top two sandwich places I’ve been to ever - a South Beach lunch must. Excellent ingredients, from the sliced meats to the cheeses to the produce (the lettuce, cucumber, avocado, and tomatoes - all stellar and not skimped on). Their vinaigrette is perfection and I love the croissant bread option (their baguette is no slouch either). They have great fresh squeezed juice too.
Sweet liberty - if you love cocktails and are in South Beach you must NOT miss Sweet Liberty. I wish we could have tried every single one. Well balanced and creative, with literally dozens of options to satisfy anyone’s cocktail craving. The Ginger McGinger and PB&J old fashioned were just two of our favorites that we sampled over two nights. Yes, we went twice because their happy hour is from 4-8 every night and heavily features oysters, which we love, but also discounted cocktails and other delicious food items. Raw oysters, oyster Po boys, and baked oysters were all delicious, and we also liked the caviar caramelized onion dip with house made chips and the beet cured deviled eggs.
I will finish my report up tomorrow!