Food & Drink

When it comes to changing its menu each summer and winter, American Social remains a shining example of democracy in action. Executive chef Christopher Palmer calls on his chefs at the restaurant’s two South Florida locations—Fort Lauderdale (721 E. Las Olas Blvd.) and Brickell (690 SW First Court)—for a culinary brainstorming session. Ideas are pitched.

A tequila sour becomes a favorite at Beaker & Gray In the ever-changing local restaurant scene, Ben Potts is determined to stay ahead of the curve. The bar manager at Beaker & Gray (2637 N. Miami Ave.) uses skills picked up from a past career in investment banking to maximize his productivity behind the bar

Locally sourced ingredients are the foundation of Ghee Indian Kitchen’s ever changing menu In the Miami neighborhood of Kendall, the new Indian restaurant, Ghee Indian Kitchen, brings a taste of home for its owner and executive chef, Niven Patel. Created by the Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink alumnus and his wife, Shivani, the restaurant modernizes

Seminole Coconut Creek’s newest restaurant gives diners the best of two cultures Eric Douglas has something in common with Seminole Casino Coconut Creek’s newest restaurant, The Bol. The restaurant is a mixture of two cultures, serving both Vietnamese and Chinese fare. While the operating manager speaks about how he came to work for the Seminole

Though their backgrounds are in fine dining, the three owners of a Pompano Beach waterfront restaurant were determined to call their latest venture a tavern. Historically, a tavern is a public house or inn, a place for travelers to stop by for a drink and maybe some shut-eye. For Andy Patton, general manager of The

By 6:25 p.m., the restaurant was nearly full—the crowd must not be on Cuban time, Laura Padrino Corredoira muses. “Even in the rain,” she continues, breaking into a smile. “You’ve got to love Americans.” From a tufted taupe booth, she fixates on the door, eagerly pointing out the friends and city commissioners and property managers

Despite launching more than 200 restaurants, and becoming one of his country’s undisputed kings of franchising, Stavros Florias didn’t see a future in South Africa. The CEO of Fournews Developments had spent two decades developing popular brands, including News Café, the coffee bar/cocktail venue/restaurant that populates the country and neighboring regions. (It’s unrelated to the

Classic restaurant shows its wild side with a new candy-garnished cocktail Looks can be deceiving at Villa Azur (309 23rd St., Miami Beach). Inside, the French-Mediterranean restaurant exudes the luxury of a château, with its Victorian design and neutral palette, ornate chandeliers and tufted scroll-arm sofas. But outside on the patio, when the sun goes

Coral Gables’ newest Italian restaurant, zucca, brings spice to Hotel St. Michel Hidden on a central but quiet side street in Coral Gables, you can find Hotel St. Michel, a small, European-style boutique inn dating to the 1920s. Blanketed in ivy-colored décor, much has stayed the same inside the vintage hotel, from its antique brass

When Rhythm & Vine attached a hashtag to its laid-back philosophy, it wasn’t just borrowing a marketing page from the South Florida playbook of Jimmy Buffett. The Fort Lauderdale-based indoor/outdoor venue wanted to establish an identity separate from the urban bars and restaurants on Las Olas—an ego-free neighborhood hang where young professionals could loosen their

When you’ve put your culinary reputation on the line as often as Douglas Rodriguez has during his nearly three decades as a restaurateur, your career is bound to have its share of highs and lows from a business standpoint. But as anyone can attest who’s sampled the fare at one of his critically acclaimed establishments,

Roberto Guerios has created a menu that encourages diners to leave their comfort zones. But, as he can attest, some culinary habits die hard. When he opened Pirate Republic Seafood & Grill with his wife and chef, Claudia, in 2010—after a year as a bar—they put fish and chips on the menu among the global