August 2, 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.
Jamaican Independence Day at Mangrove
Stubborn Seed Earns AAA Four Diamond Recognition
Tequila Dinner at Lona
Faena Wine Journey at El Secreto
Jamaican Independence Day at Mangrove
Mangrove, the vibrant new bar, restaurant, and lounge in Downtown Miami, invites you to an unforgettable night of music, drinks, and Caribbean vibes in honor of Jamaican Independence Day. Join us on Tuesday, August 6, from 8 PM to 12 AM, and enjoy reggae sounds y Dubwise, DJ Jason Panton, and DJ Mucho.
Mangrove, brought to you by the visionaries behind Jrk!, offers a unique fusion of traditional Jamaican cuisine and infectious Caribbean rhythms. To celebrate the special day, guests can enjoy special drink offers, including $5 Red Stripe Beer and $10 Rum Punch.
Stubborn Seed Earns AAA Four Diamond Recognition
The American Automobile Association (AAA) has announced its newest recipients of the AAA Four Diamond Designation. Throughout the year, AAA Inspectors visit hotels and restaurants across North America, the Caribbean, and Costa Rica unannounced to objectively verify the 4 Cs of AAA Diamonds: Cleanliness, Comfort, Cuisine, and Consistency. Six hotels and two restaurants were selected for the highly coveted status.
Stubborn Seed was one of two restaurants awarded the designation and the only Miami restaurant on the list. New York’s Bourbon Steak also received the Four Diamond recognition. AAA’s Diamond lists are updated monthly as the inspectors travel to restaurants throughout the year.
Since opening in 2017 in Miami Beach’s trendy South of Fifth neighborhood, Stubborn Seed is
critically-acclaimed for its inventive tasting menu created by Top Chef champion Jeremy Ford. Here, Ford focuses on seasonal dishes and fine dining techniques learned from his time working in kitchens with chefs like Jean Georges-Vogerichten.
The eight-course tasting menu highlights ingredients from local farmers and purveyors, including Chef’s eponymous Ford’s Farm, which he opened just about a year ago and has been cultivating and growing produce to feature on the menu at Stubborn Seed.
Photo Credit: Grove Bay Hospitality Group
Tequila Dinner at Lona
Fort Lauderdale’s Lona Cocina & Tequileria by celebrated Chef Pablo Salas is known for its innovative Mexican cuisine as well as its extensive selection of tequila. Each month, the oceanfront hotspot hosts a special immersive dinner, matching a featured tequila producer or producers with a culinary theme, giving tequila and culinary enthusiasts something special to look forward to.
The monthly dinner series – which takes place in Lona’s intimate Chef’s Table private dining room – transcends the ordinary with culinary excellence and inspired spirit pairings taking center stage. The unforgettable dining experience features a vibrant multi-course tasting menu – curated for one-night-only by Lona’s Executive Chef Juan Carlos Peña.
This month’s Chef’s Pairing Dinner on Monday, August 5 offers guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in an evening inspired by Mexican street food, with elevated versions of some of Mexico’s most popular bites. This culinary journey curated by Chef Peña, features expertly paired selections from the Curado Tequila portfolio.
Upon arrival, guests will be greeted with a specialty welcome cocktail and amuse bouche bites including Elote a la Brasa – baby corn slathered with cotija and mayo and dusted with chili powder and Huevos a la Diabla (deviled eggs) supplemented with arbol chili, peanuts, sesame, mayo and eggs. The tasting menu for the evening will feature Veggie Consomme with flavors of smoke, tomatoes, corn and epazote, offered with Tequila Blanco; Scallop Taco served in a corn tortilla with vanilla and avocado, and served with Tequila Reposado; and a Short Rib with black beans, cilantro, ancho and pasilla chili and pickled onions paired with Tequila Anejo. The evening will conclude on a sweet note with Mango textures including a flan-like concoction of mango, cream, caramel, sweet chili and passion fruit along with a dessert cocktail.
For the adventurous diner, each specialty dish features the option to add an additional Mexican street food element to its preparation with ingredients such as cricket salt, silk worms, corn gummy and chocolate ants.
Lona’s A New Take on Mexican Street Food: Chef’s Pairing Dinner begins at 6:30PM on Monday, August 5 and is priced at $125 per person. Make a reservation here.
Faena Wine Journey at El Secreto
Faena Miami Beach is thrilled to unveil the exclusive Faena Wine Journey, an unmatched wine-tasting experience set in the prestigious private gem of our iconic property, El Secreto. Every Tuesday, guests are invited to peek behind the curtain of our ‘Secret Garden.’
Enveloped in slick back marble and gold-trimmed artwork, they will embark on a journey through the sommelier’s specially handpicked selections. Led by Faena’s expert lead sommelier, each session offers an all-immersive experience of the finest wines as you are guided through the stories and secrets behind every bottle, unveiling the histories and cultures of each. Priced at $175++ per person; For more information, please email elsecreto@faena.com or call +1 786-655-5600.