Opening
From owner Sari Maharani and the team of Asian chefs responsible for downtown's Little Lotus (hidden inside the International Jewelry Building) comes Banana & Leaf, a grab-and-go sushi/sashimi/general Asian lunchbox place. While not as creative as Little Lotus's unique mix of Japanese and Indonesian tapas, the fare offers very fresh ingredients and great value (about $5-8 per meal). Banana & Leaf, 234 NE Third St., Miami, FL, 305-400-6396.
Yardbird Southern Table & Bar has been getting slammed since opening in South Beach. While classic southern cuisine has never, oddly, caught on as a dining trend in the USA's southernmost major city, chef/co-owner Jeff McInnis' mix of Old South tradition and contemporary sensibilities (incorporating local ingredients, all-homemade components, refined rustic preparations, and a sense of humor into mostly-shareable items like "southern edamame" --- regular English pod peas with an intriguing spicy/sweet/smoky/tangy chipotle butter), not to mention long hours (from lunchtime to midnight-2:00 a.m. daily) seem to be doing the trick. McInnis, best known nationally for his stint on "Top Chef", previously helmed Wynwood's trendy Asian diner Gigi and DeLido beach Club at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, 1600 Lenox Ave., Miami Beach, FL, 305-538-5220.
News Bytes
New Location for Werner Staub's Peppermill
Werner Staub's Peppermill has moved from its distinctively kitschy longtime location --- a South Florida faux-ski lodge in Aventura's Waterways Shoppes --- to a less campy but more scenic indoor/outdoor bayfront space in Sunny Isles Beach. The menu of seafood and retro-continental fare remains the same. Werner Staub's Peppermill, 350 Bayview Dr., Sunny Isles Beach, FL, 305-466-2016.
Chef
Shuffle
At Miami Beach's BLT Steak, Sam Gorenstein, who recently jumped ship to team up with executive chef Michael Schwartz at The Raleigh hotel restaurant's newest incarnation, has been replaced by globally-traveling San Francisco native Mario Tolentino. A season four "Chopped" winner, Tolentino cooked under chefs ranging from Norman Van Aken to Michael Mina before his last previous post as executive chef at Juliet Supper Club in New York City, where he served international ethnic street food. BLT Steak, The Betsy Hotel, 1440 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach, FL 33139, 305-673-0044.
Closings
After roughly two decades, South Beach's original El Rancho Grande, just off Lincoln Rd., has folded due to the usual reason in that once-seedy, now hot neighborhood: landlord/lease-increase problems. The two remaining Miami-Dade County El Rancho locations, in North Beach and in Kendall, remain. El Rancho Grande, 1626 Pennsylvania Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33139, 305-673-0480.
Japanese/sushi spot NAOE will close its Sunny Isles Beach location on December 18, 2011. Chef Kevin Cory will then re-open a few months later at 661 Brickell Key Dr., Miami, FL 33131. NAOE, 175 Sunny Isles Blvd., Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160, 305-947-6263.
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View our calendar of Wine Dinners & Tastings in Miami
Splurging at top-rated restaurants is fun for special events, but where can you go for a good quality meal that won't break the bank? Gather the change out of your piggy bank and sofa cushions and take it to one of our selections for the best cheap eats in your area. Also, check out our picks for the Top 40 Cheap Eats in the U.S.
