Sugarcane (Miami, FL)

On Saturday I reviewed my lunch at Soyka, the first restaurant I went to during my short trip to Miami.  Today, I'll review the second, where I had lunch two Fridays ago.  Again, this restaurant offered (and I took advantage of) the "Miami Spice" option.

Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill is a great concept, encompassing three distinct kitchens into one restaurant.  First and foremost there is the actual raw bar, which I did not get to try as my grandparents, in their rather advanced age, are not the most adventurous of eaters, and I figured simplicity would be the rule of the day.  They also have a sushi bar, making what appears to be a blend of traditional and non-traditional Japanese dishes.  Secondly, there is the fish kitchen, preparing a variety of fresh and mostly local fish.  Lastly, there is the standard kitchen, which produces...well, everything else.  That includes some bar-b-que dishes, such as the pulled pork and smoked brisket that were offered as the entree options for the Miami Spice menu when I was there.  This is a place that I would absolutely love to go back to, and it really seems like a fun place to go either on a date or with a group of friends; it's a fun place, a little funky but without crossing the boundary into weird, with really fantastic service and some damn fine food.

The service bears special note here; like at Soyka, my party included my cousin and my grandparents, which again presents an opportunity for a business to either shine or show that it cares less about customer service than the bottom line (things that, one would think, would be intertwined).  My waiter, DJ, was utterly fantastic.  Upon arrival I was distinctly concerned that my grandparents would not be able to find something to eat at this restaurant, only to find out from my cousin that they'd been there before, and enjoyed it immensely, but only on weekends for brunch.  As such, they're big fans of the eggs at Sugarcane, but didn't really see anything that appealed too much to them on the lunch or Miami Spice menus.  DJ almost immediately offered to ask the chef if it would be possible to whip up some eggs for them, which the chef was amenable to, and both ended up having a plate of (perfectly) scrambled eggs with a side salad and a side of french fries that were just ridiculously well made, and which my grandparents didn't want, so they were left for me and my cousin.  Throughout the meal, DJ was attentive, friendly, and helpful, and was great to have as a waiter.

Unlike the entrees, which were pretty straightforward, classic southern food, the Miami Spice menu offered some very different, and rather original, appetizers.  My cousin had a strawberry gazpacho, which, despite my general disdain for cold soups, I absolutely loved.  It was sweet but not cloying, very bright and a great summer offering (in a place that is perpetually in a state of summer, at least by my calculations), with great strawberry flavor.  I'd have been extremely happy with that as my appetizer ordinarily, but I had ordered a dish that is a true stroke of genius.  A toasted piece of bread, topped with a small amount of greens, a sauce of some variety that I can't recall well enough now to describe, these little fried things that looked like homemade funions, and a perfectly fried overeasy egg on top.  Those little funion things confused me at first, because what I had ordered didn't include them, and I was also confused by the fact that the pork liver pâté that was supposed to be there wasn't...until I realized that what I had mistaken for funions was the pâté!  What a genius concept!  Rolled into little strings, lightly battered, fried, and piled onto this piece of bread, this pâté was among the best and most creative things I have ever eaten, and a technique that astounded me once I figured it out.  I normally hate the idea of creativity just to be creative, but this method, which is really completely unnecessary, since the flavors could be accomplished more simply, is just brilliant; it's fun, it's exciting, it's sexy, and if I ever meet the chef who came up with it, he or she is going to have to beat me off with a stick to get me stop hectoring them about how they came up with it.  The best part of the meal, without a doubt.

This remarkable appetizer was followed by smoked brisket, which both my cousin and I ordered.  It was well made, tender, still reasonably moist, and flavorful; my only complaint is that it was also ridiculously fatty.  And I don't mean around the edges; I mean that half of some pieces of the brisket was fat.  That's not what brisket is supposed to be like; rather, the fat should have had enough time to simply melt away, basting the meat in a delectable wash of beef fat.  The beans on the side were a bigger hit, a not quite right (aka, they weren't Boston style) serving of baked beans that had a ton of meaty flavor and a nice texture, soft but not mushy, with just a hint of sweetness.  Alone or mixed with the slightly spicy side of corn (grilled?) the beans were my favorite on that plate, with the bar-b-que sauce coming in a close second, as it was spicy, sweet, sharp, and acidic all at the same time; in other words, exactly what I go for in a sauce that is not based on vinegar.

For dessert, my cousin again went with the sweetest thing she could find in southern Florida, a "s'more" that looked interesting, but not interesting enough to try, though the toasted marshmallows on top were tempting.  I had the trifle, which is among my favorite desserts of all time, and this was no exception.  Losing out only to a truly original appetizer, this would ordinarily have been the best part of the meal.  Homemade sponge cake, a perfect custard, little bits of crisp fruit (I think it was peach, but again my memory fails me) that provided the perfect contrast to the softness of everything else in the dish, and topped off with homemade whipped cream.  I was in heaven.  This was not my step-mom's trifle (which I'd take over any dessert ever made), a far more refined option, and fantastic for it.

Overall, this was a great restaurant, one I'd highly recommend to anyone finding themselves in Miami and in need of a good dinner; expect innovation and originality, and you will not be disappointed in the least.

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Soyka (Miami, FL)

I had the pleasure last week of visiting some family in Miami for a (very) short time, arriving in Florida at about 9am on Thursday, and leaving at 9pm on Friday.  In that time, however, I had the opportunity to eat at four restaurants, ranging from good to great.  Two of these were with my grandparents and cousin, and two were with my cousin and uncle.  During July and August, many restaurants in Miami are offering a "Miami Spice" menu, which is a three course prix-fixe menu, with a few options for each course.

Soyka, which was our lunch choice on Thursday, features a mix of American and Italian influenced flavors, from the classic cobb salad to fiocchi alle pere, at fairly reasonable prices.  The atmosphere is friendly, a little "stuffy," maybe, but welcoming in general.  It's close enough to downtown that we were surrounded by bankers and lawyers when the restaurant started to fill up, but it never felt like we were underdressed for not being in business clothes.  The food itself was tasty, with my grandparents each getting a "California Omelette," featuring bacon, avocado (which was apparently lacking, since my grandmother asked me at one point "wasn't this supposed to have avocado?"), and monterey jack cheese.  Both enjoyed it, but my grandfather vastly preferred the salad that came with it, which was a simple, but exceptionally fresh looking, garden salad.  My grandmother had sweet potato fries as a side with her omelette, at my cousin's recommendation, but I was disappointed; while they were fairly crisp for sweet potato fries, they lacked salt, and thus flavor.  Well made, but not well seasoned.

That same description would work for the fried calamari that my cousin and I each got as appetizers; very well made, with the right texture and a nicely crisp, but not brittle crust, but lacking in salt and seasonings.  The marinara sauce it came with was fantastic though, and added a nice slightly sweet, slightly acidic flavor that was necessary.  My cousin and I also both ordered the fiocchi alle pere, a tortelloni like stuffed pasta with pear, ricotta, and mascarpone, in a thick, heavy parmesan cream sauce.  The sauce itself, while delicious, was a little too heavy for my taste, and by the end of the entree I was wiping as much sauce off each piece of pasta as I could.  The pasta itself was good, I suspect homemade, and soft but not mushy; I couldn't really taste the pasta itself because of the heaviness of the sauce, so I can't say if it had the right flavors or not.  The filling was incredible, sharp, tangy, sweet, and the little pieces of pear had just the right amount of crunch left to add a bit of "tooth" to the dish.  I would love to have it again, but with a sauce that doesn't overwhelm quite so much.

Despite the heaviness of the entree, and the fact that I was stuffed, I eagerly awaited my dessert, the "sticky date pudding" with a warm toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream.  This was remarkable; not too sweet, with a lovely, puffy, airy texture, tasting slightly of date, but not hugely so.  The toffee sauce was good, but a little oversweet for me (not that that's too hard), and the vanilla ice cream was delicious.  My cousin had the brownie dessert, which also came with ice cream.  She raved about it, as did my grandfather, who tried a bite (or two...he's diabetic and not supposed to eat much in the way of sweets, but we let him try it, and he managed to sneak a second bite before we could stop him; at 94 he's still all about the food!) and had a grin on his face that stretched ear to ear.

The food was good, but the service was really great.   As I said, my grandfather is 94, and my grandmother is 86, and neither are in the best shape.  The wait staff was very accomodating, holding doors for us on the way in and out as my cousin and I helped our grandparents in and out of the restaurant, and even providing a pair of reading glasses for my grandmother since she forgot hers.  In fact, they had a box of several pairs for her to choose from!  That kind of thing is very much appreciated, and was the sort of service that was repeated the next day for lunch as well.

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High Horse (Amherst, MA)

 High Horse has taken over the former location of the Amherst Brewing Company, a locally well known brew-pub that moved to a vastly larger (and vastly inferior) space a short way away, opening the door for this new, superior brew-pub to enter the local bar scene.  Both the beer and the food are better at High Horse than at ABC, and the look is better; my only gripe is the volume level, and that may have been a one time problem.

I've only tried one beer at High Horse so far, having had the Libertine Porter both times I went; it's a dark, hefty beer--though at only 5.2% you won't feel like it's hitting you over the head--with strong coffee and malt notes.  It feels similar to drinking a good stout mixed with decent espresso, but with a nicely melded flavor.  The color is beautiful, just the right depth of blackness, without appearing ugly or one note, and the head is a lovely brown foam.  I was such a fan the first time I went that I got it the second.  It is pictured above and left.

The food at ABC was solid-average, but nothing to write home about, with the exception of a few delectable appetizers like fried pickles or very tasty nachos.  Having only eaten one thing so far at High Horse, the poutine (pictured with the Libertine Porter), I'm very impressed; it is by far the best I have had south of Old Orchard Beach, ME, and from that area north there is a heavy influence from the Quebecois, or French Canadians.  This poutine's only problem was having a bit too much cheese, but the fries were fried nicely, so as not to be too soggy except for the last few that had been swimming in gravy for a while, and the gravy itself was thick and delicious, with a strong meaty flavor that manages to not overwhelm the others in the dish.  Overall, something I'd strongly recommend.  I don't know if getting french fries there is a good idea or not, as the fries alone didn't have a ton of taste, but that could be because they don't season them the same way for the poutine as for a plain order.

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For those people who went to ABC, the upstairs of High Horse will be very familiar (I haven't been downstairs yet), as they only changed a couple things, but I felt like it looked better overall.  They eliminated the "two bar" set up, and instead have one large continuous bar, with a very neat tap station located behind it (see picture at right).  The back room, which is always my favorite place to sit because it's typically way quieter, was awful the first time I went, despite my friend and I being one of just two groups back there; the speakers were BLARING some awful attempt at rap music, to the point where I couldn't hear well across a small table.  The bar was not hugely crowded for a Saturday night at 11pm, certainly not so much so that it was necessary for the music to be that loud.

The second time I went was much nicer, on a Thursday evening from around 10pm to a little after 11pm.  It was pretty quiet, enough so that the bartenders and I had time to carry on a couple decent conversations which were only intermittently disrupted.  The bartenders that night were fantastic, very friendly, knowledgable (one engaged me in about a 10 minute conversation about the relative merits of poutine in different places, and was quite funny), and just overall a lot of fun.  The friend who was meeting me that night didn't show up until about 10:30, so I was there alone for over half an hour alone, and still had a lot of fun just talking to them.


Lastly, the bar offers a few decent whiskies, including a small batch whiskey that was quite tasty.  Black Maple Hill is smooth, with light notes of vanilla, and a true bourbon taste.  It doesn't lack the "fire" a good bourbon has, but it's more like embers than a bonfire.  There were others on the list I'd like to try, but this was recommended by one bartender, and she was absolutely correct.

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Stone IPA

Stone Brewing Company©

Stone Brewing Company's India Pale Ale is a fine example both of what a true IPA should be and why exactly Stone is among the industry leaders.  IPAs are supposed to be heavily hopped, and as the label quite immodestly states, this beer has "[B]ig hop flavor and big hop aroma."  It's strong and bitter, but with a smoothness and easiness of drinking that belies the hefty 6.9% ABV in this beer.  With a pale, golden appearance and a good head, it's an attractive beer when served from a tap, but it certainly doesn't lose much out of the bottle (plus, out of the tap you don't get to enjoy the Stone Gargoyle!)

For me, the typical measure of how good an IPA is comes from the balance of the hops (massive) and citrus; Stone's is an oddity however, in that there isn't any citrus in it.  In fact, there are exactly four ingredients in this beer:  barley; hops; water; and yeast.  The huge amount of hops, and the truly sharp taste of them in this IPA, means that you taste what feels like citrus, though without the fruitiness that can sometimes come through (I'm looking at you, Harpoon) and can ruin it.  No such concerns here.

I've said previously that Stone is among my favorites, but as good as this beer is, it's got nothing on the Ruination, Arrogant Bastard, and Sublimely Self Righteous Ales; it is, however, a great alternative to the headache inducing genius that are the Dogfish Head 90 and 120 Minute IPAs.  As far as an option that holds up well to both the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter, not to mention the moderate (aka nice) temperatures of the spring and fall, this is a wonderful beer.  Highly recommended!

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Madison Brewing Co. Pub and Restaurant (Bennington, VT)

Madison Brewing Co.©

Madison Brewing Co. Pub and Restaurant is my kind of place; simple, tasty food, good beer, and a great atmosphere.  My younger step-sister just graduated from Bennington College, and since I was not able to be there, I took her out to dinner in celebration; this was where she chose for us to go, and I can assure you, if she took nothing else away from her college experience, Madison Brewing Co. was well worth the cost of tuition.

Madison offers six year round beers, ranging from a Scottish style ale to a Belgian witbier, along with two "seasonal" beers.  I had the Old 76 Strong Ale, which lives up well to its name; it is a strongly flavored, heavy beer, though lacking the hops that I would have expected.  The beer was not special, but certainly much better than and of the mass produced options, and held up well against even some of the British ales I've had.  This is certainly a beer I can recommend to anyone who finds themselves in Bennington.

Despite being a brewpub, the food was really where Madison shines.  I had the bangers and mash dinner, and the mashed potatoes were fantastic; creamy, rich, with good texture but not so much as to be chunky.  The gravy was heavy and filling, with large slices of cooked onions in it, and while it had its own richness, it did not overwhelm either the potatoes or the sausages.  The bangers themselves, however, were a little disappointing at first; they are not really bangers, but more of a standard pork sausage, and once I got over the disappointment that they were not what I had had in England, I really enjoyed them.  They were extremely porky, which is pretty much my first requirement for a sausage (I have had good beef, chicken/turkey, and fish sausages, but let's be real:  sausages should be pork), with just enough fat to keep them moist but not so much as to feel heavy or greasy, and went well with both the potatoes and gravy.  The last thing on the plate was a small heap of apple chutney, which was an extremely sweet, but welcome addition, with the apples maintaining their crunch to provide a nice contrast to the primarily soft remainder of the platter.

Along with the bangers and mash, Madison offers a pretty great selection of traditional pub food, such as fish and chips (on Wednesdays it's all you can.  Seriously, this place was founded with me in mind), meatloaf, burgers (including bison and venison burgers), and wings, along with less traditional fare including a daily ravioli special, tortellini alfredo, and chicken scalopini.  The smoked gouda mac and cheese sounds pretty damn good too.

Now, I don't normally eat dessert, partially because I'm trying to convince myself I'm eating semi-healthy, but mostly because I just tend to be disappointed by it.  When offered apple pie with a pecan topping/crust, however, that whole "healthy" thing goes out the window, especially when the waitress (who was one of the best I've had in a while; friendly without being cloying, attentive without being intrusive or annoying) insists that it must be eaten warm and a la mode, and boy was she right.  First off, they use good ice cream; this was not that bleached looking "vanilla" that has no character, but instead more along the lines of Haagen-Dazs' Vanilla Bean (a personal favorite of mine).  Secondly, the pie itself was heavenly; think of the best apple pie you've had, and then try this.  It'll be a close comparison, I can assure you that.  While this may not be the best I've ever, it's damn close, with great texture, sweetness, tartness, and apple flavor that just melds perfectly into an overall fantastic eating experience, and one that reminded me that dessert does not have to disappoint.

Lastly, the aforementioned atmosphere:  the downstairs is small, but not cramped, with a tiny bar (maybe 8 seats, if that) and several tables.  Upstairs is separated into two sections, with an expansive indoor area and a moderately sized outdoor area, that has its own bar (though I don't believe you can sit at it), with about 8 or 9 tables.  We sat outdoors, and it was a really great place to sit, with the perfect (not too hot, but sunny) weather enhancing the already delicious meal.  If you have the option of sitting outside and the weather is nice, take advantage, you will not regret it.

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Me, on a soap box!

I've mentioned my affinity for local ingredients, but I'm also a big fan of the concept of sustainability, and while I don't think we've quite got it figured out, striving for that is a huge, huge deal.  I buy local when I can, and encourage everyone I know to do so; by buying locally grown/harvested/raised products, we can help further the growth of small, community oriented businesses, that operate in a healthy, product driven, not profit driven, atmosphere.  That said, not everything we buy needs to be local; hell, in this area, not everything can be local, simply due to the climate and farming capabilities of the area.  So, instead, we should try to find food options that are similarly produced, albeit not locally.  This can get expensive, and if the choice is between eating well enough or not eating, then just remember, pride cometh before the fall; make the best choices for you and your family, but try to do so with an eye towards sustainable agriculture and farming when possible.
And, off the soap box.  For now.

On that note, there are a few very interesting videos I'd like to recommend, from the TED Conference series.  The first two are from Dan Barber, of Blue Hills restaurant:
How I Fell in Love With a Fish
A Foie Gras Parable

These next two aren't really about sustainability, but are profoundly interesting:
Malcolm Gladwell on Spaghetti Sauce
Peter Reinhart on Bread

The last think I'd like to link to is a three part article about Kobe beef, and the myth (lie, really) that is perpetuated by fine dining restaurants throughout this country.  It also delves into the other lies that American food companies are given license to tell by the government regarding their products, in a clear expression of what can only be described as a "fuck you" to the rest of the world's rules for naming a food or beverage that is from a specific region.  Just remember, the next time you buy champagne in the USA, it may not really be champagne.
Food's Biggest Scam: The Great Kobe Beef Lie

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Yuengling Lager

D.G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest brewery in the United States of America, and are exceptionally proud of that fact, as they should be.  Additionally, they are tied (with Samuel Adams) for the largest USA based brewery, despite being available in a distinctly limited geographic area.  In fact, Yuengling is not available anywhere in New England, except on military bases.  This makes for a rather curious, and mildly entertaining, communication web anytime any of a small group of us travels to New York, New Jersey, Delaware, or Pennsylvania.  There are about ten of us that are huge fans of Yuengling, and thus, when one of us goes away (or the Army Reservist among us has drill at Ft. Devens), we are required to send out a mass text or Facebook message informing the rest of the group, and taking orders.  This has resulted in having purchased a half dozen or more cases a couple times, and the funniest thing is, when I do get funny looks and then explain, I'm told this is not actually unusual!

Anyways, on to the beer!  Yuengling Lager is a mild, smooth, almost sweet beer, with little to no hop flavor and no bitterness.  Is it a great beer?  No, absolutely not.  What it is, however, is a refreshingly simple, light beer with enough flavor to keep me happy, though it lacks the depth of flavor to bring it into the realm of the truly fine beers.  It is somewhere in that odd purgatory between the cheap beers (PBR, Budweiser, Coors, Miller, and other mass produced brews) and the high end beers (Dogfish Head, Stone, and other upper end craft beers), being both cheap and pretty tasty.  Its closest comparison would probably be Stella Artois, though I hesitate to make that comparison due to the fact that Stella is an Anheuser-Busch InBev N.V. production, and also is over that $1/beer line that I think separates cheap versus...well, not cheap.  Comparatively, Yuengling runs about $20/case of 24 beers.

In the end, Yuengling is a craft beer in technical terms only at this point, as it is really more of a mass production beer, but is made with rather more care than Bud or Coors.  There is a pretty intense cult following, and the movement to get Yuengling to come into New England has attracted nearly 14000 Facebook members, myself and several friends included.  Hopefully one day they will be a nationwide option, but until then, I will savor it when I can get it, and regret that I am consuming the last few sips I have right now.

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