Mature mangoes
AVIV, South Miami listings, Paya, best Italian restaurants, Madrid, Jean Imbert au Hôtel Plaza Athénée, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Full circle
The Skinny: Philadelphia chef Michael Solomonov brings his generational talents back to South Beach with Aviv, an upscale Israeli restaurant which opened two weeks ago at the 1 Hotel. Miami’s last taste of Solomonov’s cuisine were his short-lived, much-loved fast-casual concepts Federal Donuts and Dizengoff in Wynwood, both shuttered in 2018. Whether he has staying power this time will depend on whether he’s cracked the code of the hotel’s revolving-door restaurant space.
The Vibe: Inside the enormous dining room off the hotel’s lobby — a room that’s played host to a rotating set of concepts by high profile chefs over the last decade, from Tom Colicchio to Miami’s own Jose Mendin — Aviv is styled in warm natural stone and wood finishes with soft glowing lighting and an open kitchen, great views of which can be found from almost any vantage point in the restaurant.
The Food: Fresh and flavorful, Aviv’s menu consists of shareable small and large format plates. Solomonov’s hummus is the obvious (and correct) place to start. Prepared with whipped herb tehina, paprika, and extra virgin olive oil, it’s creamy and served with pita-like Yeminite saluf bread baked on order. Other standout mezzes include spiced beef Moroccan cigars drizzled with spicy local honey and goat cheese stuffed dates. The entrees are fire-grilled veggies and proteins (“al ha’esh”), including lamb merguez, dorade, and beef.
Not unlike Solomonov’s perpetually hot Laser Wolf restaurants in Philadelphia and Brooklyn, Aviv offers a generous “Tayim” set menu, which includes hummus and a gorgeous salatim platter to share, along with one mezze, al ha’esh, and dessert per diner ($75 per).
The Drinks: The cocktail menu is punchy and fun with drinks like a Manhattan made with fig-infused 10-year bourbon and Turkish tobacco bitters, and a Savory Garden Martini made using something called garden-umami water, along with koji and Castelvetrano olive brine. For those who prefer something less boozy, the menu’s spritz section features the lovely 24th & Collins, made with strawberry-infused Aperol and fresh cucumber. The wine list, meanwhile, is long, diverse, and global.
The Verdict: An upscale, fresh Israeli concept in harmony with a beautiful space by one of the country’s most celebrated chefs — we hope it sticks. –Amber Love Bond
→ AVIV (South Beach) • 2341 Collins Ave • Sun-Wed 5-10p, Thu-Sat 5-11p • Reserve.
MIAMI RESTAURANT LINKS: Asian smokehouse Shisho opening tomorrow in Wynwood • Do upscale bars have a hospitality problem? • How craft brewers found themselves on the wrong end of gentrification.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUNDLISTING
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REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale properties in South Miami that came to market in the last 20 days.
→ 5890 SW 83rd St (South Miami) • 4BR/3.1BA, 2815 SF house • Ask: $2.995M • lagoon-style saltwater pool, mature mango tree • Days on market: 6 • Annual taxes: $9921 • Agent: Scott Shuffield, BHHS EWM.
→ 6600 SW 62nd St (South Miami) • 5BR/6BA, 4192 SF house • Ask: $3.78M • new construction with 2-story wall of windows • Days on market: 17 • Annual taxes: $8,664 • Agent: Cynthia Lamaa, RE/MAX 360.
→ 6151 SW 81st St (South Miami, above) • 6BR/6.1BA, 5107 SF house • Ask: $5.75M • corner lot, wine cellar, outdoor sauna • Days on market: 4 • Annual taxes: $52,747 • Agent: Juliana Savoia, Coldwell Banker.
MIAMI WORK AND PLAY LINKS: New Casa Cipriani planned for South Beach with hotel, members club, private residences • In Brickell, first phase of 64-story Mercedes Benz Places goes vertical • The ‘path to low-level fortune and fame’ as a LinkedIn influencer.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Sun Kissed
Violent Femmes • Pompano Beach Amphitheater (Pompano Beach) • Fri @ 8p • section B, $52 per
The Livelong Experience • Longevity Science Made Accessible • Palm House, Palm Beach • Fri @ 5p thru Sat @ 5p • livestream ticket, $99 per
Miami Open • Men’s Singles & Women’s Doubles Finals • Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens) • Sun @ 1p • 72 Club, $2119 per
WORK • Thursday Routine
A moveable feast
MOHAMED ALKASSAR • founder/CEO • FEAL Hospitality
Neighborhood you live in: South Beach
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m at my desk at home drinking Earl Grey tea with six scrambled eggs and avocado topped with chino, a condiment of spicy dried mango shreds gifted to me by the family of my business partner, chef Niven Patel, on our trip to India.
We currently own five restaurants across South Florida and I start my morning focused on recently opened projects, as well as the critical path for upcoming openings. Today, I’m closing out construction for Ghee Wynwood, which opened in December, then reviewing the lease for Ghee Atlanta, our first step towards national expansion.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I’ll meet with Niven at our South Beach restaurant Paya for morning cafecito. He’s filleting fish in the early morning, so once I shut my laptop, I head over there. We’ll walk over to Rosetta Bakery on Lincoln Road for two cappuccinos; it’s definitely my favorite coffee on South Beach. I can’t help but order something sweet, so I go for their apple strudel. After that, I’ll head to Ghee Wynwood for a manager meeting. I try to visit at least two of our restaurants a day whenever possible.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I’m going to swing by Macchialina — get the polenta. I also like Swizzle Rum Bar & Drinkery for a late-night drink; it’s a hidden gem of a bar, dark, cozy, with a great playlist and good drinks.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Sunday mornings, I go to Under the Mango Tree for the best matcha latte with homemade almond milk. I usually take my bike and ride to South Pointe Park. Cruising the boardwalk is the best way to start your day — the view is breathtaking. Smith & Wollensky has an outdoor bar that’s totally worth grabbing a glass of wine for sunset. Soho Beach House on a Monday is fantastic — you avoid the crowds and get to enjoy the beautiful water. At least once in your life, make time for an airboat tour in the Everglades and see some alligators.
What was your last great vacation?
Madrid. The city has unmatched energy; it’s invigorating on so many levels and the culture is deeply rooted in dining out. Visit Bodega de la Ardosa for the best tortilla in town. It’s a bar that’s open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night. Casa Dani is your casual spot for the best baby lamb chops, a cut that I just can’t seem to find in the United States; their salmorejo, morcilla (blood sausage), and pulpo gallego are also top-notch. Walk over to Parque de El Retiro for a leisurely walk; it’s beautiful and located by my favorite neighborhood, barrio Salamanca. In between lunch and dinner, Mercado San Miguel is a great spot to snack on some Jamon Iberico de Bellota and a few croquetas while enjoying a glass of wine.
All this food is just priming you for the main event, dinner at El Pescador, my favorite restaurant in Madrid. It’s old-school Madrid, no music, no entertainment, simple food executed to perfection. Order the carabineros (scarlet prawns), razor clam escabeche, and their signature uni shells stuffed with European spider crabs.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
My GIANT bike FastRoad AR2 is perfect for city errands and fitness.
GETAWAYS • Paris
Cruising altitude
This post appeared in last week’s debut edition of FOUND Paris. Looking for a little more of the City of Light in your life? Subscribe to FOUND Paris, with new issues dropping each Friday. (Also debuting across the pond last week: FOUND LDN, with new issues each Wednesday.)
Globe-trotting chef Jean Imbert has finally hit his stride at the swanky Hôtel Plaza Athénée, where on Fridays and Saturdays, you can find his 190 € three-course lunch.
Imbert’s arrival three years ago signaled a major changing of the gastronomic guard in Paris — after all, he replaced Alain Ducasse. But it’s taken some time for him to settle in, especially because he has restaurants everywhere from Saint Barths to Dubai. Out of the gate, he did a brilliant job rebooting the Plaza Athénée’s rather elderly brasserie, Le Relais Plaza, with a menu of comfort food dishes like baked stuffed tomatoes.
It was slower going at Jean Imbert au Hôtel Plaza Athénée, the hotel’s main gastronomic restaurant, with its opulent Vive le Roi! decor, best embodied by a mile-long red marble table dotted with crystal and gilt candelabras. If an initial meal here was excellent, the following one came off more like business-class catering.
Now, though, Imbert’s reached cruising altitude. It’s especially true of the lunch menu, which includes a first, main, and dessert (a miniature buffet of spectacularly beautiful and inventive French pastries). There’s also a complimentary suite of hors d’oeuvres, plus champagne, mineral water, and coffee. The menu evolves regularly, but a recent lunch of scallop mousse with sea urchin, followed by sea bass in a sauce of vin jaune with girolles mushrooms was technically flawless, beautifully plated, and deeply satisfying.
They also pour a seriously good list of wines by the glass, including a flinty Condrieu and a luscious Pommard. Under the direction of galant and hawk-eyed Denis Courtiade, probably the best maitre d’hotel in Paris, service is unfailingly warm and alert, all part and parcel of one of the best buys in town. –Alexander Lobrano
→ Jean Imbert au Hôtel Plaza Athénée (8th arr) • 25 Av Montaigne • Lunch Fri & Sat 12h30-14h15, dinner Tues-Sat 19h15–22h15.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Bonaire’s Harbour Village Beach Club debuts new Harbour Residences • The Caribbean’s coolest new beach bar is on a private island in Curaçao • Assaying the myriad problems at Resorts World on Las Vegas Strip • Hot nuts are still ruining first class.
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RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Restaurants, Italian
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of the best in Miami and surrounds. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundmiami.com.
Fiola (Coral Gables), fine-dining white tablecloth powerhouse w/ serious wine list, massive veal chop Milanese