The Broke Baker

Tag: restaurant review

Sokai (A Review)

Japanese Peruvian fusion restaurants are a dime a dozen in Miami these days, and with good reason. Peruvian food has a lot of Japanese influences. I had been eyeing Sokai for a while, and even walked in once to take a look at their menu and felt my jaw drop at their prices. Still, I am okay with paying extra money for a meal if I feel like I got my money’s worth afterward.

Like most Japanese Peruvian restaurants, Sokai offers a selection of both sushi and ceviche. Being more of a fan of the latter, I decided to stick with dishes that were more traditionally Peruvian. One thing worth noting is that they give each table a tablet in which they can view the menu and place their order electronically, but also still have a server come by and take orders.

Our appetizer was a Cebiche Carretillero, which basically translates to “ceviche of the forklift driver.” I’m not sure why exactly the nae was chosen, but the ceviche itself is yellow pepper ceviche made with corvina and fried calamari. The calamari was, in my opinion, the star of the dish. The ceviche wasn’t bad, if maybe a bit bland as far as ceviches go. However, the calamari was fried perfectly. It had a nice crisp on the exterior and the interior ring was tender and not rubbery.

My go-to entree at Peruvian restaurants is always Lomo Saltado, so that is what I ordered. My first impression of the dish was that the pale crinkle fries were going to be a disappointment. Instead, the opposite happened. The fries were the best part of the dish. Despite looking undercooked, they were actually nice and crispy. The beef, on the other hand, left a lot to be desired. The meat itself was a little bit dry and tough. The sauce helped with this, although the sauce itself lacked the depth of flavor that I expect from a lomo saltado. As with most white rice in Peruvian restaurants, the rice was more al dente than I prefer, but I think that’s just the way that rice is prepared by Peruvians.

Service was great at Sokai. Dirty plates didn’t stay on the table long, and someone was always passing by to check and see what we needed. If the food were just a little better, than I would be more likely to go back. As it stands, I am not in a hurry to try them again.

September 26, 2016
Zest (A Review)

Zest is the sister restaurant of Ortanique on the Mile, which I enjoy very much. It opened up not too long ago downtown, and I really wanted to check it out and see if it was as good as Ortanique. It’s August in Miami, which means it’s Miami Spice time. That seemed like a perfect opportunity to check out the place without blowing half of my paycheck.

To my surprise and delight, the delicious “green bread” that is served at Ortanique is served at Zest as well. The buttery green spread still eludes me as to the ingredients, but I have been able to glean from the servers that it contains garlic, parsley, and onion. I’m pretty sure there’s something else in there, though.

We ordered a ceviche appetizer for the table, which was made with Corvina. The texture of the fish was kind of firm and chewy, and the marinade was less citrusy than what I expect from ceviche. Instead, a lot of the tart came from passion fruit, which actually was a good counterpoint for the creamy guacamole and fried plantain strips that were included with the dish. I think it played well with the texture of the corvina.

My entree was a cocoa and coffee brisket. It was served on a bed of polenta with brussel sprouts. I couldn’t taste cocoa or coffee in the brisket, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The brisket had a little hint of “something,” but not overwhelmingly of coffee or cocoa, which probably would have been off-putting. As expected for brisket, it was positively fall-apart tender, although my specific portion had more fat than I would have cared to have in my brisket.

My friend’s ribeye was also good. It was cooked to a perfect medium, and the chili butter that they served on top gave it a richness and a kick that really took the meatiness of the steak over the top. However, the real start of the dish for me were the loaded baked potatoes. It was like a potato skin and mashed potatoes had a baby, and that baby was made of bacon, scallions, and happiness.

Despite being too full to finish my entree, I didn’t want to leave without having dessert. The passion fruit panna cotta caught my eye when I saw it on the menu, and I didn’t want to leave without trying it. Even now, it is the part of the meal that I remember the most fondly. The tart hint of passion fruit in the rich and creamy panna cotta worked in perfect harmony. All of the fruits that were served with the dessert were at the peak of ripeness. Each piece of fruit was perfectly sweet and firm, and the mango sauce tied everything together. It has been a long time since I enjoy a restaurant dessert as much as I enjoyed this one. I’m still dreaming about this silky custardy goodness.

Chef Cindy Huston does it again with Zest. Their Sunday brunch should be coming back in the Fall, so I will definitely be checking that out. You should, too.

For more information on Zest, visit the web site at http://zestmiami.com/

August 30, 2016
Bombay Darbar (A Review)

Several years ago, I fully believed that I hated Indian food. My only experiences with curry up until them were from Jamaican food, which I never liked and convinced me that I hated all kinds of curry. When I tried actual, Indian curry, I found it to be nothing like Jamaican curry. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have been so hardheaded about refusing to try Indian food, but that’s water under the bridge now. I have tried 3 different Indian restaurants since then, and finally decided to review one of them.

Bombay Darbar is located in Coconut Grove, and recently underwent an expansion to accommodate more diners than their original tiny restaurant did. It is still a good idea to make a reservation beforehand, though.

Each table gets a plate of papadum (crispy lentil wafers) served with two types of chutney. The tomato chutney is like a slightly sweet pico de gallo, while the mint chutney is mellow and cooling. I still can’t decide which one I like better.

As an appetizer, we ordered the samosas. A samosa is like an Indian empanada, a pastry filled with a savory filling and then fried. These were filled with seasoned potato and peas, and are slightly spicy. The sweet tamarind dipping sauce makes a good contrast with the heat of the samosa filling.

While you can certainly order individual entrees, Indian food is great when enjoyed “family style.” All entrees come with basmati rice, which they will gladly refill if you ask them to. Watch out for cardamom pods in the rice. I accidentally bit into one once. That was not very pleasant. It does give the rice a nice flavor and aroma, though.

My go-to dish is the chicken mushroom. It’s basically chicken in curry gravy with coarsely chopped mushrooms. Being the lightweight that I am, I always get mine mild. The flavor profile of this dish is complex enough without the addition of spice. The mushrooms are somehow always cooked tender, but not mushy.

One of the crowning achievements of Indian cuisine is Tandoori. Tandoori refers to Indian barbecue, which is cooked in a tandoor (a device that looks like a cross between an oven and a barbecue pit). Meats that are cooked in a tandoor are served on a sizzling platter with onions and green peppers, very reminiscent of fajitas. We ordered the tandoori shrimp. The yogurt marinade gives the shrimp a nice tang.

We ordered some naan to go with our meal. Naan is a type of Indian flatbread, which can be served plain or with a variety of toppings. My preference is plain naan, which is light, buttery, and perfect for sopping up gobs of leftover sauce. My friends are partial to the garlic naan, which is too intense for me.

Bombay Darbar is single-handedly responsible for opening my palate to the flavors of India, and is still my favorite Indian restaurant in Miami. Service is always great, and the larger location now has a more comfortable ambiance.

For more information on Bombay Darbar, visit their web site at http://bombaydarbar.com/

March 9, 2016
Capital Grille (A Review)

With Miami Spice over, I thought my fine-dining days were numbered for the rest of the year. Then, I found out about Dine Out Lauderdale, Broward’s version of Miami Spice. About 2 dozen restaurants participated in this promotion, which featured a $35 fixed price menu, usually 3 or 4 courses. Naturally, the thing to do is find some of the more expensive restaurants and take advantage. So, a few of us found ourselves at Capital Grille, an upscale steakhouse which boasts a made-to-order menu. (more…)

November 4, 2013