October's cooler vibes call for an escape into your own al fresco paradise. Many of Miami's restaurants are surrounded by serene tropical oases, hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We love these restaurants, not only for their delicious food, but also for their extravagant gardens. Many not only feed the body, but also the soul, offering food with a greater purpose, supporting healthy living and promoting a sustainable future.
Flora Plant Kitchen, (305-456-5018), 5580 NE 4th Ct., in Miami's Morningside neighborhood, focuses on plant-based meals. The restaurant is committed to conscious dining, and have made thoughtful choices about their ingredients, practices, and impact. The bright, plant-filled interior and lush garden is a laid-back Eden away from the noise of the city, focused on nourishing body and soul and our goal to eat healthier.
(/Andrea Grieco Photography)
A mouth-watering selection of plant-based dishes at Flora Plant Kitchen
(Courtesy Flora Plant Kitchen)
Flora Plant Kichen / Exterior Patio Garden
The restaurant's founder and creative director, Marnie Gelhard, is a brand designer originally from Sydney, Australia. Gelhard grew up in Singapore, a city that's very engaged with nature and sustainable living. She is passionate about creating amazing restaurants that smoothly blend indoor and outdoor dining areas. When designing Flora Plant Kitchen, Gelhard went to Bali and worked with local artisans, creating pieces from recycled materials, including teak.
The Latin-inspired menu brings flavors of Latin cuisine to life with a unique vegetarian twist. Standout dishes include huevos pericos, a traditional Colombian breakfast reimagined, featuring scrambled free-range eggs with green onion, tomato, and a touch of cream, served with a handmade Colombian cheese arepa. Perfect for lunch, the Wild Rice Bowl is a hearty bowl of wild rice infused with cilantro and lime, with charcoal-grilled escarole, red chimichurri asparagus, baby potatoes, caramelized onions, and avocado,
(Courtesy Miami Ironside)
Ironside Café serves healthy food in a flourishing garden.
The restaurant recently added dinner service. The menu standouts are the watermelon salad with cantaloupe, crispy quinoa, feta, and watermelon date dressing; creamy Burrata al Tartufo, with heirloom tomatoes, grilled amaretto peaches, pickled shallots, pesto, pistachios, and tomato granita; black risotto with nero rice, charcoal artichokes, broccolini, spinach and leeks; and the grilled vegetable skewer with wild mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant tomato, and red pepper.
Miami Ironside, (305-438-9002), 7580 NE 4th Ct., in Miami's upper east side, is a lively, mixed-use urban center developed by visionary Ofer Mizrahi. Here you can leave the world behind and be transported to a private nature enclave of flourishing jungle trees, tangled vegetation, climbing vines, and many varieties of exotic plants. Ironside does seasonal planting to attract butterflies and for the herbs and fruits they incorporate in their menu at Ironside Cafe. The courtyard's centerpiece is a colorful sculpture painted on a surviving piece of the Berlin Wall by French street artist Thierry Noir.
(Courtesy Miami Ironside)
The sculpture in the courtyard of Miami Ironside, by street artist Thierry Noir.
One of the complex's two restaurants, Ironside Café is a popular neighborhood outdoor dining spot committed to healthy food and sustainability. In their commitment to eco-consciousness, the cafe provides only compostable utensils and sustainable takeout packaging. The Mediterranean menu features organic food, such as avocado toast; acai bowls; and a selection of healthy sandwiches includes turkey, lettuce, and tomatoes; scrambled eggs, mozzarella, and tomatoes; and mushroom, ricotta, and mixed greens. Try the green tropical detox with spinach, pineapple, mango, and banana; or the super green juice with spinach, lime, green apple, ginger, and coconut water.
(Irene Moore)
Catalina Pizzetta at Call Me Gaby
Just across the courtyard is the complex's other restaurant, Ironside Pizza, which serves up some of Miami's best Neapolitan pizza. The menu follows Neapolitan culinary traditions, offering fresh-baked artisan bread and tagliere salumi and formaggi with fig mustarda and Castelvetrano olives. Main courses feature eggplant parmigiani and pollo arrosto (roast chicken); pastas include pomodoro pasta and lasagna Bolognese. There are gluten-free and vegan options as well.
Call Me Gaby, (305-531-4800), 22 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, is located in South Beach's South of Fifth area. Owner Cathy Arrighi explains the restaurant's unusual name: “In my heart, Gabby is the name I love, the name I wish my parents had given me.” So, she dropped a "b" and named it Call Me Gaby. This neighborhood gem features a gorgeous garden laden with profusely blooming bougainvillea, perfect for idyllic al fresco dining. Arrighi is from the South of France, and it shows. You can easily imagine you're in Provence, lounging under expansive umbrellas on plush couches laden with comfy pillows, sipping a Giardino. This refreshing aperitivo is made with dragon fruit purée, lemon juice, and rosewater, topped off with sparkling wine. Menu specialties are pinsas, which are Romano style pizzas, with dough that is crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. The signature Gaby pizza is topped with luxurious foie gras, fig jam, gorgonzola cheese, raisin confit, and edible flowers. Indulge in the sumptuous Belgium endive salad, with caramelized pecans, red Fuji apple, and Roquefort cheese. Pastas are also winners here: parmigiano reggiano with caramelized pear; and bucatini cacio e pepe with pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper. For dessert, don't miss the tempting Catalina pizzetta, with whipped cream cheese, mixed fresh berries and almonds. Their second location, Gaby by Call Me Gaby (305-542-1373) recently opened in the outdoor courtyard in Aventura Mall.
(Irene Moore)
Call Me Gaby / Garden
The patio at Essentia
Ecology conscious diners will be enthralled by Essensia, (305-908-5458), 3025 Collins Ave., at the Palms Hotel & Spa on Miami Beach's oceanfront. The interior decor features extravagant botanical patterns and a live moss wall. The expansive outdoor porch overlooks an oasis flourishing with exotic tropical plants. Chef de cuisine Diana Tandin, influenced by her Mauritania, Africa, heritage, prepares seasonal menus with Asian and Mediterranean influences. She uses sustainable ingredients wherever possible, working with local ingredient partners, to source the restaurant's ingredients seasonally, The Essensia bar features cocktails handcrafted with organic or artisanal spirits and fresh fruits and herbs; even the wine list offers organic, wholly sustainable wines.
Start with the red snapper crudo with a mango lychee relish and ponzu vinaigrette, or the seasonal vegetable curry in coconut lemongrass broth with kaffir lime, and fresh seasonal vegetables. The standout is braised short ribs, with Okinawa sweet potato espuma, farmer's carrots, peas, pearl onions, and Madiera demi-glaze.
(Irene Moore)
Delicious tiger prawns at the Mayfair in Coconut Grove
It's worth the drive to the Mayfair Grill at the Mayfair House Hotel & Garden, (305-441-0000), 3000 Florida Ave., Coconut Grove, to experience the hotel's awe-inspiring three-story atrium, draped with trailing plants. The restaurant's outdoor dining area is situated in a cozy enclave of lavish flora. Giorgio Rapicavoli, also the chef and owner of Coral Gables' popular Luca Osteria and Eating House restaurants, recently took over the helm here as the new exec chef. If his name sounds familiar, he was the first Miami chef to win Food Network's “Chopped.”
His menu features dishes that focus on local ingredients, made through open-flame grilling. Begin with the wood-grilled flatbread served with garlicky French butter – we could have made it our meal. Follow with yellowfin tuna crudo with Mandarin mignonette. For mains, try the tiger prawns with preserved lemon and Calabrian chili. Carnivores will love the fork-tender, 10 oz. filet mignon; seafood and pasta lovers will devour the superb Lobster Ravioli.
EVENTS
Every year, we look forward to the South Beach Seafood Festival, one of the leading seafood festivals in the country. This four-day culinary extravaganza returns for its 12th year, Oct. 23-Oct. 26, marking the official start of Miami’s stone crab season, and showcasing the best seafood dishes from South Florida's top chefs and restaurants. The main event, the Seafood Slam, takes place Saturday, Oct. 26, and is a grand tasting on the sands of South Beach with all-inclusive tickets allowing attendees unlimited food and beverages throughout the day. Tickets are available at sobefoodfest.com.
Irene Moore is a Miami Based writer and certified sommelier whose vivid descriptions take readers through culinary cultures around the world.
(Irene Moore)
Irene Moore