October Eats

All-you-can-eat meatballs, artisanal cheese, pizza and much much more as we wind down October and head into high season.

Valerie Nahmad10/22/2009

Longtime neighborhood favorite Talula redefines hump day this month as it launches a weekly Wednesday night dinner special. Drop $29 and chef Andrea Curto-Randazzo (pictured above) dishes out bottomless bowl of rigatoni dressed with “Sunday Sauce” and toped with ricotta cheese and served alongside house-made meatballs, garden slaad, garlic tolls and espresso panna cotta with chocolate chunk-cherry biscotti. We dare you to leave hungry.
Wine, beer & bar food lovers have a new home in Downtown Miami. Saddle into the Democratic Republic of Beer for over 400 beers (organized by country), a smaller selection of wines & an international culinary trip around the world. Also organized geogrpahically, the food menu covers The Americas (beef & chicken sliders, tacos, peel-and-eat-shrimps), Europe (chorizo, bruschetta, bangers & mashed), Asia (shrip stir fry, chicken tikka masala, potstickers) and Australia (meat pie).
Beach favorite Primo Pizza heads west and opens shop in Midtown this month. Owner Anthony Tart strives to create a true NY pizza experience, going as far as to ship NYC tap water to South Florida for the dough. Menu classics include the pesto pizza, the chicken alfredo pizzza and the canoli & cheesecake dessert.
Midtown also gets a taste of gourmet cheese this week as The Cheese Course Bistro & Market opens. Equal parts bistro & market, the European-style shop profers over 150 types of cheese from 14 countries. Grab a seat on the patio, pick a few cheeses, pour a glass of wine (bottles start at $15), nibble on a bit of charcuterie and wallow away the afternoon.
Forget five-course feasts, sometimes you just want a slice. Joey’s Italian Café throws out the formality with its recently launched Wine & Pizza Pairings. The new menu lists 13 pizzas and a foccacia, each with a wine suggestion selected by sommelier Simone Cattaneo. Think a Thea pizza topped with gorgonzola, walnuts & truffle oil paired with Pecorari, a sauvingnon blanc from Venezia.
Beginning this week, the Gables gets extra celebratory Thursday nights with Get Your Gables on Thursdays. Local restaurants woo diners & drinkers with specials aplenty - think $3.50 mojits as Tarpon Bend, $10 for a glass of sangria & 2 beef empanadas at Novecento, free wine tasting & chocolate samples at Peterbrooke Chocolatier and more. Click here for a full list of specials.
Happy hour gets a bit happier this week courtesy of Caviar Kaspia’s newly launched three-hour fest. From Tuesday through Saturday from 4-7pm enjoy $8 cocktails and an under $10 bar menu featuring the likes of smoked salmon and bilinis, tarama and brioche toasts and potato au salmon.
Bidding adios to Miami Spice, Sra. Martinez launches its new $22 three-course lunch menu this month. Titled “Bueno, Bonito y Barato” (good, pretty & cheap), the lunch is available Monday through Friday from noon to 3pm and features two small plates, one large plate and dessert. The menu changes regularly, but look for favorites like tortilla Espanola, crispy artichokes, rabo escendido, grilled skirt steak, mussels a la ajillo and churros. Call 305-573-5474 for reservations and details.
Stone crabs are back. Joe’s opened its doors this month to greet the masses itching for fresh stone crabs (frozen crabs were available via a limited summer menu). At 7pm opening night, there was an hour wait for a table and takeout was booming. An order of large claws rings in a $39.95, a $3 drop from the end of last season. All the classics are on hand, including the $5.95 Dr. Bob turkey burger.
Red, the Steakhouse celebrates stone crab season by adding the “Ultimate Surf & Turf” to its menu, a pairing of Alaskan King Crab and certified Angus beef ribeye. All king crab is said to be delivered from the boat to the table within 24 hours. Not a turf fan? Check out whole king crab, king crab legs and king crab claws , king crab cocktail and king crab bisque.