Executive Chef leaves Market 17

Through a friend of a friend, I found out that over the weekend, Chef Ramos has left Market 17 in Ft. Lauderdale due to a family emergency. He has stepped down to care for his family member and from what I saw tonight they may need to get someone in there pronto. They are currently looking for a new Executive Chef.

Lady of the Knife

5 Things I learned from working at Phuc Yea

After helping out in the Phuc Yea kitchen for a night I decided to make a list of things one would learn while helping out in a dank Vietnamese Pop Up Restaurant.

Jellyfish

1. Sharpie bleeds through Parchment Paper. We learned this after Melissa (our awesome waitress) drew Phuc Yea on Parchment Paper to make a sign for the front door and accidentally left a carbon copy on some pretty obscure places. Lets just say she learned a lesson and Phuc Yea officially has left a mark in downtown Miami.

2. Daniel is a silly goose & a really cool guy. Dan, one of the partners was teaching me how to cook some of the items but all awhile he was making jokes and telling me all about his stint at Momofuku and all the other cool places in New York. He also tried to leave me in a haunted stairwell. Ill forgive him this time. Also his street name comes from the popular dish Veal Bobotie from Nemesis Urban Bistro (my other spot)  from his love of the name and the dish.

3. Cesar knows his SHIT! I'm sure I annoyed the crap out of him because I asked so many questions... whats this? whats that? how do you do that? How do you cook Jellyfish? but he was kind enough to tell me exactly how everything was made and even let me help him with the more intricate dishes.

4. Aniece is Bad Ass! If you've met her... you know and if you haven't you should. This woman is known throughout the foodie world as a FOH extraordinaire, She is calm and cool under pressure and can handle pretty much anything. Our after hours talk was real and was almost like talking with an old friend about the biz. That's my kinda peoples right there.

5. Phuc Yea is blowing up! While there I had a camera right on my mandoline and knife techniques and all around the kitchen... because of all nights... when I was there, Deco Drive came in with Belkys Nerey to do a shoot on the newest restaurant in town. Watch out for it going on da tube soon.

Thank you again to Lulu, Ceeroks and Bo-Bo T for having me in your home and thanks for everyone who came out to say hi to me. Go check out the place if you haven't!

Miami Chef Series: Juliana Gonzales- Barceloneta



Chef Juliana



 Young, Beautiful, Talented, Successful are some of the adjectives that describe what Miami puts on a pedestal. For my very first Chef Interview Series I chose someone who personifies all of these qualities. Meet Juliana, some might have seen her around the hugely popular Pubbelly on South Beach, her husband Sergio is one of the partners of the restaurant. With all of the success of Pubbelly, the group of friends have decided to expand with two new restaurants. A Sushi joint that is set to open in October and Chef Juliana's baby, Barceloneta a Spanish inspired restaurant catered to Catalonyan fare with a tapas twist. The Puerto Rican native sat down with me in her beautiful new restaurant to tell me all about her new restaurant and her impressive resume.

When I first walked in to Pubbelly to meet Juliana she immediatly radiated a beautiful pearly white smile, welcomed me with open arms and dragged me over to Barceloneta. As we walked in I felt as if I had won the culinary jackpot. How many times do you get to see a restaurant and the chef before it opens? I felt so lucky as she was showing me the cute little pots and pans they will be using for service and all of the behind the scenes looks that not too many people get to see. We then sit down to discuss what is really going on in her hectic life.



Entrance right around the corner from Pubbelly

May I just say as we sit down to talk it is almost as if we have known each other for years. These interviews take no more than 15 minutes but we spent about an hour just going back and forth about Spain, Spanish lifestyle and culture and just all the fun things in life. My first question is what brought her to Pubbelly, she told me that she had done her Johnson and Wales internship overseas in Spain working for a Michelin Star Restaurant La Broche, when they brought the restaurant to Miami they wanted to take her with them, which she did. There she met her friend Jose who would come in to eat, the friendship eventuallybrought him in to become the head chef of Pubbelly. The strong ties to Hispanic upbringing and Spanish training bonded them which was never forgotten. When asked what her favorite stlye of cooking for her it should have been to obvious, she responded with Spanish. She then explained that one of her mentors Chef Jordi formerly of Mosaico played a crucial part for her love of Catalonian cuisine. The Barcelonian native gave her the tools she needed to explore her love of this amazing culture whom she credits to this day for her success. When I came in to eat at Pubbelly a couple days ago, Chef Jordi was there and you could tell that he was very important to her, something I understand very much, my mentor means the world to me and there isnt a time that I dont want to appreciate and show gratitude for all that he has taught me. When I asked what the menu was going to look like she gave it to me short and simple. Fresh, clean flavors; nothing over complicated, food the way its supposed to be. Of course you wouldnt think the Pubbelly crew would ever make it that simple, Juliana will bring in a French flair to the dishes. There will be terrines, pates and influences of French all througout her menu, fitting due to France being so close to Spain to begin with. The blackboard will feature the "Mercat" menu with a daily selection of raw bar ingredients as well as beautiful seafood and meats cooked a la plancha. There will also be a bistro style menu of some of the more steadfast menu items that will sure to please all with a full bar boasting Spanish infuences. When asked her experience about being a girl in the industry she smiled and laughed. She loves being a girl in the kitchen, just like myself she enjoys being on the line with all guys and having a good time with them. "Most people never thought I was a Chef, they immediatly dismissed me as a FOH manager or something else but I am a Chef! I can cook and I can hang with the boys" She told me she never had a problem with the boys teasing her or anything if you can just stick it out and show them that you can hang and be tough then they respect you and that is what she got. When asked her favorite food memory she told me that walking into the kitchen in Spain for the first time she knew it was going to be something special. The dedication and talent in that kitchen left her wanting more. The passion of the cooks and all of the products gave her the drive and motivation to be in that world and to make it the best experience possible. Chef Juliana then went on to tell me Barceloneta will be opening as soon as the permits come in, from what she thinks its looking like mid to late September 2011 for Dinner and will eventually offer Brunch. After talking to this woman I know she has what it takes to make this restaurant amazing. I dont get to meet too many people who have as much drive, determination and passion as she does and if that is any indication of this restaurants success than it will prove to be a powerhouse in Miami for years to come.



Bar area at Barceloneta



Phuc Yea! ....More than just an awesome name

 First DB Moderne Bistro, then Geoffrey Zakarian comes back to open Tudor House,and Jose Andres is bringing his big guns with the Bazaar. Miami is really getting its footing in the culinary scene. You have heard of Chef Ludo taking an already established restaurant space and turning into a one-night, one week or 3 month stint doing whatever food is at his whim. this concept is called a "pop-up" restaurant. So popular in Europe and on the West Coast and New York of the US Miami is lucky enough to get the taste of the good stuff. Aniece Meinhold and Cesar Zapata formerly of the Blue Piano in the Design District were considered the power team behind the locally accepted hangout. Now they have moved on to their new concept with Daniel Treiman, here is some more information about the already buzzing Phuc Yea!

What: Phuc Yea! pronounced [fook-yey']
Miami's First Vietnamese "Pop-Up" Restaurant

Where: 19 SE 2nd Avenue housed in the current Crown Bistro

Operation Hours:

Opening Sept. 8th 2011 til November 2011

5:30-10:30pm
Tuesday-Saturday

Price Range: $5-$28

Influences: Aniece Meinhold (Partner) is of Vietnamese decent, with her mothers original recipes from which the menu flourishes and the trios globetrotting backgrounds gives the style of which the concept derives. Menu will contain influences from Vietnamese cuisine as well as modern techniques

Menu: Menu will work as followed: a weekly changing menu consisting of 3 parts. “1 – một,” “2 – hai” and “3 – ba”, representing the size of the plates in that section.

The “1 – một” section includes a selection of fresh and fried “rolls” wrapped in moistened rice paper with various fillings, such as “Cha Gio” (imperial rolls, pork, crab, shrimp, glass noodles, $6) and “Bo Bia” (pork sausage, dried shrimp, jicama, herbs, $6) as well as other street food inspirations and various versions of the ubiquitous “Banh Mi” sandwich.
“2 – hai” will focus on appetizers meant for sharing such as “Ca Com Chien Don” (“fish ‘n chips,” crispy smelts, jalapenos, lemon aioli, $12), “Heo Xao Chua Ngot” (sweet ‘n sour chicharrones, crispy pork belly, pineapples, pickled onions, red bell peppers, $9), “Suon Heo Rim” (Vietnamese caramelized riblets, $8.5), “Goi Du Du” (green papaya salad, roasted pork, cherry tomatoes, roasted peanuts, shrimp chips, $10) and “So Hap Xa” (spicy steamed mussels, lemon grass, beer, herb butter, chiles, crusty bread, $10.5) Daily specials will also make their rounds including items such as “Indochine Pork Rillettes,” “Salt ‘n Pepper Squid,” and “Crispy Fish Salad.”
“3 – ba” section offers larger dishes inspired by the lettuce wrap. Expertly roasted proteins like “5 Spice Pork Belly,” “Crispy Duck Confit,” and “BBQ Brisket” star all wrapped up in vibrantly fresh herbs, homemade pickles and crisp greens.

I cant wait to try out this new concept, the mix of quality ingredients & high end technique should spark a lot of interest in the area. See you Sept. 8th!
tạm biệt
~Lady of the Knife~