June 21, 2024
Each Friday, we try to 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.
Macchialina Hosts ‘Brusco Bash
Now Open: ViceVersa
Opening Next Week: Blue Collar 2.0
Cafe La Trova Anniversary Celebration
Macchialina Hosts ‘Brusco Bash
Experience the culinary heritage of Italy’s Emilia Romagna region at Macchialina’s first annual ’Brusco Bash, a special celebration in honor of World Lambrusco Day on Friday, June 21. This one-night-only event will transport guests to the heart of Emilia Romagna, Italy where locals take immense pride in the beloved sparkling wine, Lambrusco, in its many delightful varietals.
Travelers to Emilia Romagna are often struck by the passionate way the locals embrace their food and wine. Lambrusco, the region’s iconic sparkling red wine, is a fixture at meal time with several varietals perfectly complementing the local cuisine. At ‘Brusco Bash, Macchialina will be recreating this authentic dining experience, offering a selection of the region’s most adored dishes paired with Lambrusco.
Guests can expect limited time specials including gnocco fritto paninos – crispy fried dough squares filled with a variety of savory ingredients – and indulge in classic Bolognese, a rich and hearty meat sauce that is a hallmark of the region’s cuisine. To complete the experience, attendees will have the opportunity to sample all kinds of Lambrusco by the glass for $6.21, each chosen to highlight the unique characteristics of this effervescent wine.
Reservations can be made via Resy. Photo Credit: Maxson Media
Now Open: ViceVersa
Acclaimed bartender Valentino Longo is pleased to announce the opening of ViceVersa, an Italian aperitivo bar with a distinctly Miami point of view. ViceVersa offers a modern approach to classic Italian cocktails paired with small plates and pizzas meant to be enjoyed while taking in Downtown Miami’s lively environment.
The bar’s name is a playful way to say that there is no right time for aperitivo and how it may be enjoyed in the early hours or vice versa, later in the evening too. In every cocktail, Italian spirits, vermouths, bitters, and amari act as the main actors, while Miami’s seasonal ingredients and general way of life plays the vital supporting role. Longo has teamed up with the founders of Jaguar Sun for operational and culinary support for his first bar.
Longo’s approach to crafting cocktails focuses on how complexity can be achieved through simple techniques and ingredients. With this lens, he’s developed a menu with a touch of fun and a few unexpected elements, featuring 14 drinks in three categories: The Negroni Family, Martinis, and Signature Cocktails.
The Negroni Family of drinks start with the same base of a house-made ViceVesrsa MI-TO, a dolce amaro blend, that refers to the Milano-Torino (MI-TO), the origins behind the Americano. The team builds upon their MI-TO blend to offer a forced-carbonatedAmericano, a Sbagliato with Franciacorta, a classic Negroni with Bombay Sapphire, and a Negroni Punch with gin and seasonal fruits, meant to serve four.
Select martinis include a variation of a classic dry martini dubbed the Avanguardia with Bombay Premier Cru, dry sherry, marsala, makrut, and Cocchi dry vermouth; and the Affogato Martini, a play on the espresso martini with espresso, Grey Goose vodka, coffee liquor, toasted coconut, and a scoop of pistachio gelato.
Favorites among the signature cocktails include the Italian-VICE, a love letter to the lemon granitas of the Amalfi coast, with Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, lemon sorbet, Wodka, diamante cedro, and Pellegrino grapefruit; Brucio in Bocca, a twist on a spicy margarita that elevates Cocchi Vermout Torino over silver agave tequila and incorporates a Barolo marmalade alongside pineapple, Hagave, and a red wine-salt rim; and, akin to the Venetian spritz, Veloce is a force-carbonated creation with orange wine, mezcal, Aperol and grapefruit oil.
Complementing the ViceVersa cocktail experience are culinary offerings that allow for any type of evening, from a few light bites to a substantial meal with a group of friends. Like the cocktails, Jaguar Sun’s Chefs Carey Hynes and Justin Flit have created dishes centered on simplicity, quality, and execution.
Guests may choose from an extensive raw bar with dishes such as Treasure Coast oysters with citrus mignonette, Royal Red Shrimp with cherry bomb relish, Tuna Tartare with pistachio and green olive; Mussel Escabeche with charred leek aioli and potato chip. Appetizers include Wood-Fired Flatbread with chicken fat, chives and cultured butter; House-made culatello and coppa; Green Salad with avocado, oregano, and champagne vinaigrette; and Caesar Salad with cantabrian anchovy and aged parmesan.
A main highlight of the menu is a selection of neo-Neapolitan pizzas featuring daily stretched mozzarella and a dough made from local flours that undergo a 24-to-48-hour cold fermentation. Options include a Clam with white sauce, middleneck clams, lemon and scallion; Bad First Date with tomato sauce, taleggio, and pepperoncini; and Sopressata with tomato sauce, thai chili, and hot honey. An assortment of housemade gelati, spun daily, and sorbet are available to complete any ViceVersa visit, with opening flavors of Fior di latte & Hazelnut gelati and Mango sorbet.
ViceVersa is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to Midnight and is located at 398 NE 5th St, Miami, FL 33132, adjoining to The Elser Hotel. Photo Credit: R.C. Visuals
Opening Next Week: Blue Collar 2.0
The wait is over! The much-anticipated new Blue Collar by chef/owner Danny Serfer has finally arrived. On Thursday, June 27, 2024, “the new Blue” will officially open its doors across the street from the OG Blue Collar; a gorgeous new spacious 4,000-square-foot location complete with indoor and outdoor seating, an expanded menu, and for the first-time, a full bar program (buckle-up). The rebirth of Blue Collar will have all the soul that fans have come to love but in a polished, casual new space giving big time Mad Men vibes.
With the help of Samantha Mckenna of Chelsea Design and Joey Halpern of Joseph Halpern Woodworking, Serfer designed the new space himself with much of its mid-century décor sourced from thrift shops near and far. The “new Blue” space emits rustic and modern charm, but now with a playful sense of glamour that gives the proceedings a sophisticated yet soulful sheen. The vintage metal, wall-mounted lunchboxes made the trip across the street, now repurposed into miniature herb gardens for Blue Collar’s full bar. Indoors and outdoors, the space seats 140 including four side-sitting-only two tops Serfer playfully calls “Bluetooth booths.”
Rest assured a ton of signature favorites made the move but Blue Collar’s menu is rich with new additions. Attractive new Apps include an Egg Roll Trio – cheeseburger, Cuban sandwich and pepperoni pizza (paired with appropriate sauces); and Mushroom & Goat Cheese Croquettes with fig jam; Swedish Meatballs with toast and gravy; and Matzo Ball Soup, available daily.
New Entrees will include Shawarma – lamb shoulder, Israeli couscous, saffron, pita, chick pea stew and tahini; Swordfish with twice baked potato and purple mustard, as well as Serfer’s version of a Miami Completa – a composed meal anchored by a protein, served with two sides. Options run the gamut from Griot (crispy pork shoulder) with pikliz and gravy and Chicken Cordon Bleu with double mustard cream to Crispy Skin Snapper. Any Blue Collar fan will wax euphoric about the restaurant’s daily specials.
At new Blue, Dailies are in three categories – Braise, Chop and Pasta. New desserts include Sticky Toffee Pudding and house-made, baked-to-order Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Central to that evolution is Blue Collar’s new full bar offerings. Like the menu, Serfer promises value and variety when it comes to tipples but notes that the bar program will be one based on the classics. Lunch, Happy Hour and dinner will be served initially, with breakfast and Brunch rolling out shortly thereafter. Free lot parking and street parking available.
Café La Trova Anniversary Celebration
Café La Trova, one of the World’s 50 Best Bars, will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Cantineros on Monday, June 24, starting at 7 p.m. Prepare for an extraordinary evening featuring a guest bartending shift by the renowned Colin Chia and Shelley Tai from Nutmeg & Clove in Singapore. Enjoy special Bacardi cocktails and additional surprise guest bartenders throughout the night. Plus, bear witness to the creation of the largest daiquiri Miami has ever seen, crafted by the cantineros and local industry friends.
Photo Credit: 52 Chefs