Nom News: May 27, 2022

May 27, 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.


Shake Shack Debuts Plant-Based Products
Jaguar Sun Reopens June 1
Summer Brunch at DC PIE Co.
Coming Soon to Downtown Doral: Baires Grill
Now Open: Amal Coconut Grove

 

Shake Shack Debuts Plant-Based Products

NotCo, the fast-growing food-tech pioneer that’s disrupting plant- based innovation with its proprietary AI technology, and Shake Shack, which serves elevated versions of American classics using only the best ingredients, announced the debut of two delicious plant- based offerings. Both the Non-Dairy Chocolate Custard and Non-Dairy Chocolate Shake will be tested in 10 select Shake Shack locations in New York and South Florida throughout the summer.

Shake Shack will be the first US food service partner to feature NotCo powered products on its menu. With a mission to reinvent the food industry by creating plant-based replacements for animal products that are so delicious you can’t taste the difference, there was no greater test than Shake Shack’s infamous hand-spun daily frozen custard and milkshakes.

Using a combination of technology with AI chefs and R&D teams, NotCo was able to replicate the same rich flavor, creaminess and functionality as the existing items, replacing both dairy and egg components, in under four months. The Non-Dairy Chocolate Frozen Custard is a proprietary formula, and the Non-Dairy Chocolate Shake is a mixture of the custard and NotMilk.

“Shake Shack is a brand that I’ve always loved, and grew up enjoying,” said Matias Muchnick, CEO and Co-Founder of NotCo. “Their food is unfussy, consistently delicious, and high quality. In a way, Shake Shack has created the perfect blueprint for what we want to emulate with our plant-based foods, and we’re so excited to be kicking off this journey into Food Service with their team.”

“We have been looking at the plant-based space for a while and are so excited to be partnering with an innovative food-tech leader such as NotCo,” said Jeff Amoscato, SVP of Supply Chain and Menu Innovation. “Non-dairy custard and shakes have been something our guests have wanted and we are looking forward to seeing where this test takes us.”

Non-Dairy Chocolate Custard and Chocolate Shake powered by NotCo will be available as an exclusive test at the following Shacks: Winter Park, Garden Mall, Miami Beach, The Falls Coral Gables, Astor Place, Midtown East, Harlem, Upper East Side and Battery Park City.

 

Jaguar Sun Reopens June 1

Pastas are officially coming back to Jaguar Sun on Wednesday, June 1st! After operating Sunny’s Steakhouse and hosting Gilda, the Spanish tapas pop-up concept by Juan Garrido, Chef Carey Hynes is ready to bring everyone’s favorite pastas back to Downtown Miami.

The food menu will bring back signature items, like the best selling Parker House Rolls, Bucatini with two and three-year parmesans, pecorino romano and black pepper, and Spicy Rigatoni made with pork and Benton’s bacon sugo. Hynes will also be adding new dishes to the menu, including seasonal crudos and pastas.

Jaguar Sun will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 pm to 1 am, with food available until 11 pm on weekdays and midnight on weekends. Happy Hour will also be available daily from 5 pm to 7 pm and will feature $1 oysters and a selection of $10 classic cocktails.

 

Summer Brunch at DC PIE Co.

To kick off the summer season, DC PIE co. will be launching its bottomless brunch, Slices & Spritzes on Saturday, June 4. Priced at $45 per person (excluding tax and gratuity), the brunch offering includes bottomless mix & match spritzes as well as unlimited 2-topping personal pies for 2 hours, while a DJ spins the best summer anthems. Spritz selections include Aperol Spritz with Aperol, prosecco and club soda; Elderflower Spritz with St Germain, prosecco and club soda; Simple Spritz with Simple Vodka, passion fruit and club soda; and Plum Spritz with gin, plum liqueur, prosecco and club soda. A la carte additions and options are also available. Slices & Spritzes brunch at DC PIE co. will be offered every Saturday from 11:30AM until 4PM for the duration of the summer.

 

Coming Soon to Downtown Doral: Baires Grill

Baires Grill, a South Florida-based Argentine Steakhouse, has today announced it will be bringing its seventh location to Downtown Doral, a 250-acre mixed-use development built by Codina Partners. This will be the acclaimed restaurant’s first location in Doral, with others in Sunny Isles, Coral Gables, Miami Beach, Brickell, Weston and most recently, Fort Lauderdale.

Baires Grill signed a leased for a 5,377 square foot space, bringing the expanding community’s retail vacancy rate to 7%, an all-time low for Downtown Doral. This comes off the recent announcements of several new Downtown Doral retail tenants, including Julian Medina’s new Mexican restaurant concept; South Florida cigar lounge, Smoke & Oak; Texas eatery Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café; full-service boutique flower shop, Doral Orchids Florals; and tutoring and test prep center, Omega Learning® Center.

“Baires Grill is a beloved South Florida staple that will offer our residents and visitors an upscale yet lively experience and atmosphere with delicious Argentine flavors, extensive wine pairing options and top-notch service,” said Ana-Marie Codina Barlick, CEO of Codina Partners. “The addition of Baires Grill further solidifies Downtown Doral’s position as a desirable place to work, live and play.”

Baires Grill, established in 1999, has been bringing the finest Argentine cuisine to South Florida for more than 20 years. It is consistently recognized as a top local Argentine Steakhouse, voted as a top ten Argentine restaurant in Miami by the New York Times in 2019 and most recently by Eater Miami in 2021. The Downtown Doral location will feature lunch, dinner, and happy hour menus as well as a full bar with a large adjoining lounge area, main dining room, expansive outdoor patio for alfresco dining, and a private dining room for small events.

Each Baires Grill restaurant is known for its unique and sophisticated dining spaces, and the Doral Location is set to “be the most trend setting in terms of design in comparison to our other restaurants,” adds Koenig. The restaurant is expected to open in 2023.

 

Now Open: Amal Coconut Grove

INK Entertainment Group, a leading North American lifestyle and entertainment company, is bringing the Lebanese spirit of joie de vivre to Miami with Amal Coconut Grove, opening on May 24.

Paying homage to INK CEO and Founder, and master restauranteur, Charles Khabouth’s Lebanese roots, the opening of Amal on Main Highway in Coconut Grove, sets a high-water mark for Miami restaurants, offering fine cuisine with an emphasis on the art of sharing, enjoying, and simply living, in a sophisticated metropolitan setting.

Amal’s stunning interiors were designed by the award-winning design firm Studio Munge. The 180-seat restaurant, inspired by Lebanon’s sandy shores and contemporary Mediterranean architecture, has a soft palette of dusty rose, muted terracotta, and pastel blues against white plaster and ranked natural oak wood – elevating the space from daytime celebrations to evening feasts.

Boasting an authentic Lebanese menu designed by Chef Wissam Baki, who has enjoyed more than 15 years of experience in the most renowned hospitality venues, including the InterContinental in Beirut, Amal’s offerings will feature modern interpretations of popular, generous, and easily shared dishes to be enjoyed the way one might across a traditional Lebanese dinner table.

Dips, like hummus and babaganoush, start the Amal experience with a bold embodiment of Lebanese spices and flavors that layer throughout the meal as diners continue on a journey that includes salads, hot mezze, skewers, and new takes on traditional entrees, such as lamb chops and fresh fish options. Signature dishes include Monk Salad, Truffle Rakakat, Pistachio Kabab, and Black Cod Harra.

With an extensive wine selection overseen by Master Sommelier Fernando Zamudio, Amal will bring a top-tier selection of national and international classics, as well as boutique selections from the ample gamma of Lebanese wines.

Amal, which means “hope”, speaks to the hopeful spirit associated with the Lebanese culture – embracing the love of family, zest for life, and certainly, appreciation for fresh and authentic cuisine, that is the true essence and center of the Lebanese home and culture.

The icing on the cake? A 5,000 square-foot rooftop bar concept boasting jaw-dropping panoramic views of Miami and Biscayne Bay, completed with an elevated cocktail program and entertainment. Set to debut later in the summer, Level 6 by Amal rooftop bar will be a welcoming and highly-designed space for guests to take advantage of, with a unique menu featuring seafood and small bites to be enjoyed outdoors.

Amal will mark the fourth in a series of new openings for INK Entertainment Group in Miami, following the success of Byblos, Meet Dalia, and Meet Mia on Miami Beach.