Southern comfort food has made its way to our backyard thanks to chef Richard Hales, who recently debuted Bird & Bone. Located inside The Confidante Miami Beach, the restaurant delivers hearty country cuisine, including slow-roasted lamb ribs smothered in white barbecue sauce, as well as “Bone of the Day” and “Bird of the Day” rotating plates. Hales’ latest endeavor (his prior concepts include Sakaya Kitchen and Blackbrick Chinese) will feature an in-house farmers market and to-go section, open daily, filled with homemade biscuits, jellies, sandwiches and salads. Check out Hales’ fried chicken in a takeout 12-piece bucket, as well as a Nashville hot chicken salad sandwich on grilled Zak the Baker country bread. (4041 Collins Ave., Miami, birdandbone.com)
Rappy’s Delight
New York-style deli with Miami flair has found the perfect home in Boca Raton. Restaurateur Burt Rapoport—known for Henry’s in Boca, and Deck 84, and Burt and Max’s in Delray Beach—has added to his empire with Rappy’s Deli at the new Park Place, his fifth South Florida concept. Rapoport describes the spot as a “soulful Jewish deli-inspired restaurant,” serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner with classic deli favorites paired with contemporary interpretations. Expect house-smoked pastrami and corned beef, classic chicken in a pot, stuffed cabbage and a variety of hot dogs with house-made mustard—as well as malts, shakes and baked desserts. There’s a 30-foot deli takeout area, too. (5560 Military Trail, Boca Raton, 561.314.6840)
B Square Launches Brunch
Ring in the new year at Las Olas’ newest gastropub, B Square Burgers & Booze, with the launch of its weekend brunch, stocked with new American-style eats and plenty of bubbly. Available Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the restaurant features an eclectic grouping of breakfast and lunch plates, including a lobster eggs Benedict drizzled in lobster hollandaise sauce; a three-meat skillet (pictured) stuffed with bacon, sausage and pancetta; and banana nut bread, baked in-house every weekend. Pair a dish with $15 bottomless mimosas and sangrias, or try one of the hand-crafted brunch cocktails, including the Bacon Bloody, garnished with a thick-slab of bacon and infused with a tangy bacon bloody mary mix. (1021 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954.999.5216)
Starr Bright
Famed New York City restaurant Upland is making its way to South Florida with the opening of a second outpost in Miami Beach’s South of Fifth neighborhood. The restaurant fuses chef Justin Smillie’s California-inspired cuisine in restaurateur Stephen Starr’s charming setting. The menu blends Italian and American influences, with a large focus on seasonal offerings, including a wide-range of fresh vegetable dishes paired with the restaurant’s signature pizza, pasta, salad and meat offerings. Upland has received critical acclaim since its 2014 opening, including a New York Times review that described Smillie as a “pasta savant” and “vegetable sage.” Upland is Starr’s fifth active project in South Florida following the successes of Steak 954, Makoto, The Continental and Le Zoo. (49 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305.602.9998)
Market Opens Strong
Fort Lauderdale’s oceanfront restaurant Burlock Coast celebrated its first anniversary with the launch of a farmers market, open the second Saturday of every month. The market features fresh, artisanal products from vendors including Three Sisters Farm, Harpke Family Farm, Hammock Hollow Herb Co., Keez Beez honey, BC Bootlager beer and more. Burlock Coast has its own booth, too, selling savory and sweet items. The market is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (1 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., 954.302.6460)
