April 1, 2022
Each Friday, we compile South Florida food-related news and events that we couldn’t fit on the site earlier in the week, as well as other local news that piques our interest. Want to be included in our next roundup? Shoot us an email at bark@miamifoodpug.com.
VeritageMiami Hosts Craft Beer Tasting
Seltzerland Returns April 9
Now Open: Old Greg’s Pizza
Fogo de Chão to Open April 22
VeritageMiami Host Craft Beer Tasting
Part of our VeritageMiami event series and benefitting United Way Miami’s work in education, financial stability and health – Craft Beer Tasting is a fun, interactive experience at Wynwood Walls featuring brews from local, regional and national craft breweries complemented by mouthwatering bites from some of South Florida’s most sought-after restaurants.
Participating breweries include Unbranded Brewing Co., Cerveceria La Tropical, The Tank Brewing Company, Tripping Animals Brewing, etc. Participating restaurants include Unbranded Smokehouse, We Shuckin’ Southern Eatery, Mr. Baguette, Bolivar Restaurant Bar Lounge, Old Lisbon, among others. General Admission tickets will include access to all the breweries and restaurants; VIP access includes General Admission plus entry to the VIP Lounge with exclusive bar cocktails and bites.
Click here for tickets and more information.
Seltzerland Returns April 9
Cannonball Productions will bring back its nationally-touring hard seltzer festival like no other, Seltzerland, to Miami’s Costa Del Sol Golf Club (100 Costa Del Sol Blvd.) on Saturday, April 9th for a fun day on the green. Attendees are invited to leisurely walk around the golf course while sampling from over 100 flavors of hard seltzers with no golfing required. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting here.
Guests are able to get quality time with each seltzer brand as they travel around the course while experiencing a one-of-a-kind, immersive experience. The best hard seltzer brands in the land — from iconic national brands to beloved local companies — will be on-site offering a variety of beverage samplings. Attendees will also indulge in mouthwatering munchies and tons of Seltzer swag while busting out the ‘gram for epic photoshoots.
After a groundbreaking event launch in 2020, Seltzerland began a nationwide 25 city tour in March 2021 at golf courses in Scottsdale, Tampa, Atlanta, Nashville, Austin, NYC, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, and more. Each event features a day packed with brands big and small including White Claw, Mike’s Hard Lemonade Seltzer, Vizzy, Playamar (Jose Cuervo Seltzer), and Topochico.
There are two ways to experience Seltzerland with Designated Driver and VIP tickets offered. Designated Driver tickets begin at $20 and VIP tickets start at $52.43. VIP ticket holders will kick off the event with premier timeslots, a full-sized can of hard seltzer, a specialty cocktail, and a complimentary treat.
Now Open: Old Greg’s Pizza
Old Greg’s Pizza, founded as a pizza pop-up at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, isn’t just a pop-up novelty anymore — it’s a bonafide business with a semi-permanent home in the edge of Miami’s Design District. After a successful “soft opening” test run, Old Greg’s is pleased to finally open its doors to the public. To start, the pizzeria will open five days a week, from Thursday to Monday, offering indoor and outdoor seating.
While their square pies garnered a reputation for being “Miami’s most sought-after pandemic comfort food,” the round 18’’ pie is a more recent offering that locals have been obsessing over. At the heart of the menu, Old Greg’s Pizza will continue to offer five pizzas – available for both square and 18’’ – including the original Cheese, the O.G. Roni, Veggie Supreme, ‘Shroomz, and the Vegan Supreme.
The O.G. Roni, the far-and-away favorite of friends and family who have tried Old Greg’s Pizza, is topped with mozzarella, pepperoni cups, and hot honey. The Veggie Supreme is topped with mozzarella, maitake and oyster mushrooms, oil-cured olives, red onions, green bell peppers, and pickled banana peppers. The ‘Shroomz pie plays to everyone’s favorite fungi, with mushroom crema, mozzarella, maitake and oyster mushrooms, and wild ramps salsa verde.
The menu is chock-full of daily specials as well as seasonal menu items that go beyond the classic pizza offerings, which will evolve with the seasons continuing to showcase local farmers and the freshest produce available.
Menu highlights include the return of fan-favorites such as Polenta-Crusted Chicken Wings, Cr8zy Gr3g’s garlic breadsticks served with house-made marinara, and garlic-butter hollandaise dipping sauce, seasonal salads, and Greg’s leches savory dessert — olive oil cake, stracciatella, Sicilian pistachio, fennel pollen.
Guests seeking a soul-hugging option can indulge in the newest addition to the menu, fork-tender juicy Meatballs — made with a combination of veal shoulder, pork cheek, brisket, topped with fresh ricotta, and served with a freshly-baked loaf of bread.
With a larger space and the opportunity to expand production, comes an impressive new lineup of hoagie sandwiches. Specializing in Italian American combinations — such as cold cuts, fried chicken cutlets, eggplant, meatballs, porchetta — harmoniously synchronized with high-quality ingredients and unexpected twists.
Fogo de Chão to Open April 22
Fogo de Chão, the internationally-renowned restaurant from Brazil that allows guests to make culinary discoveries at every turn is set to open its new flagship location on Friday, April 22, 2022, at 2801 Ponce de Leon Boulevard. The restaurant will be in The Plaza Coral Gables, a newly developed high-end shopping, dining, hospitality and entertainment destination just steps from the famed Miracle Mile in The Gables.
Designed in partnership with Dallas-based architecture and design firm Harrison, Fogo’s two-story Coral Gables location will feature an expansive 280 seat dining room, anchored by an open air churrasco bar where guests can dine and watch gaucho chefs display the culinary art of churrasco as they butcher, prepare and grill different cuts of protein over an open flame. The new flagship location will also showcase a large outdoor patio for al fresco dining, soaring wine cases displaying South America’s finest varietals and dry-aged meat lockers for in-house aging.
Additional experiential elements unique to this location include the Next Level Lounge, an exclusive lounge located on the mezzanine level of the new restaurant. Guests can enjoy an elevated setting while discovering premium whiskey, bourbons, and South American wines carefully selected to enhance the guest experience.
The Coral Gables location will also feature The Butchery, a grab and go market that celebrates the art of churrasco that Fogo’s gaucho chefs display every day. Guests can enjoy imported charcuterie in The Butchery as they consult with expert butchers on the best cut of meat, freshly carved and packaged to grill at home.
The Coral Gables team will be led by General Manager, Neimar Hensel, a native of Brazil who started his career with Fogo in 2019 at the Orlando location as an Assistant Manager, working his way up to his most recent position, General Manager of the Miami Beach restaurant.
“The Gables community has been very welcoming to our growing team and we look forward to sharing our warm Brazilian hospitality with another location in South Florida. At Fogo, we continuously strive to provide a dining experience of discovery and joy for our guests,” said Hensel. “The premier dining and shopping scene at The Plaza Coral Gables is the perfect setting for us to show our Fogo fans and new guests what’s next for Fogo as we showcase our new design and experiences.”
With the opening of the Coral Gables location, Fogo expects to bring an estimated 120 new jobs to the market. Applicants for both front and back of house can call (786) 297-8788 for more information.