Pubbelly
Michy’s, Yardbird, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Hakkasan, The Dutch—I tried them all and more when I was in Miami.
I adored everything about Michelle Bernstein’s Michy’s. I found great service, fun decor, and a phenomenal Baked Alaska that will forever rank highly in the annals of my desserts memory.
I also loved Yardbird, where Jeff McInnis is offering thoughtful twists on southern classics. The space is beautiful, the food high quality and delicious; it came as no surprise that this charming spot was in the national running for Best New Restaurant of 2012 (Grant Achatz’s Next won).
Michael’s was a bit of a letdown after all the hype, but I only went for lunch. I’d like to go back to try it again for dinner.
Hakkasan, an outpost of the high-end London Chinese food chain, was notable for its sexy lacquered harem-meets-forbidden-city atmosphere as well as for a few interesting cocktails—but it failed on food. In fact, the food’s bad enough at screechingly high prices that the New York branch was put on death watch by nearly every major dining critic the moment it opened there.
Of course, it might thrive in Miami Beach’s “Like, who eats?” hotel food scene.
Out of all of the meals I had in Miami, however, the one that stands out was at Pubbelly, an “Asian-inspired gastropub.” That description scared me away at first, but after I’d struggled all week to find a restaurant where I felt truly comfortable—a spot at which I might actually want to hang out often—I hopped in a cab and went for a visit.
Turns out, it was love at first sight: corner spot, great signage, raw space with a high ceiling, a bookshelf with some of my favorite restaurant cookbooks, good energy, and a gregarious tattooed bartender. I probably would have been happy even if the food wasn’t great. But it was—some of the best of the year.
In particular, I was dutifully impressed by the butterscotch miso pork belly. Pork belly is so over-exposed now that it’s become almost shamefully uninteresting, but Pubbelly’s version is a stunner. Just imagine a layer of caramelized butterscotch on the outer surface of expertly cooked belly. There’s notes of brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and a little sour ferment flavor from the miso. Then, on top, there’s crunchy corn powder. It’s a textural and taste bud delight. It was easily some of the more interesting pork belly I’ve had.
The rest of the menu was full of little novelties and delectable flavor combinations. Pubbelly was one of the most memorable meals of the year: great service and creative food in a low key atmosphere.
Stone Crab Claws
Pubbelly Dumplings
andré darlington 