Category: <span>Extraordinary</span>

Yard Bird (Delicious Miami PT IV)

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click to view more photos
Yard Bird needs no introduction. Between it’s outpost in Las Vegas and the fact that it was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s Emmy winning series “Parts Unknown” with a special appearance of QuestLove, foodies flocked here for it’s famous fried chicken and waffle. But I can assure you, this place is way more than just fried chicken.
Not far from Lincoln Street Mall, in a quiet residential area, there is Yard Bird Southern Table and Bar. A white building with huge windows and glass door, the space was once a grocery store, now famous for it’s fried chicken and waffle. miamiyb03
I absolutely love what they did to the space. It’s bright and light. Exposed beams and ducts, white brick columns, dark wood feature wall, and especially the mason jar chandelier. Its rustic, chic, clean and contemporary. Take a closer look at the wall. They hold wisdom… if these wall could talk… wait… they could.
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The pig said “God gave the angels wings, he gave us bacon”
The chicken said “there are 2 kinds of people in the world; those who love fried chicken, and communists”
The bottle on the wall said “Bourbon is sunshine mixed with love and genius”
and my personal favorite “never trust a skinny pastry chef”

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Drinks are colorful and delicious. Served in a mason jar. Both of them were unique, and extremely refreshing especially during the hot Miami summer.
Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade (left)
– Buffalo Trace bourbon, fresh lemon and cardamom 12
just the right amount of sweetness
Watermelon Sling (right)
– Troy & Sons platinum white whiskey, fresh pressed watermelon juice & fresh lemon balanced with rosemary & Aperol 12
FRESH! FRESH! FRESH!

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Deviled Eggs
– fresh dill, smoked trout roe ‘redneck caviar’ 10
Creamy, dreamy!!! the devil is smiling

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Chicken Liver Toast
– grilled country bread, cuke & fresno pepper relish 5
For only $5, this is a steal!!! crunchy toast with thick layer of chicken liver moose generously spread. The pepper relish and scallion on top added a sweet taste and crunch. Love it!!!

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Chicken n’ Watermelon n’ Waffles
– Yardbird’s signature ‘old school fried chicken’, honey hot sauce, chilled spiced watermelon, Cheddar cheese chow chow waffle, bourbon maple syrup 36

Despite the fame, we were still hesitant to get the chicken and waffles. Because, this $36 dish feature half a chicken!!! with just the two of us, we couldn’t possibly finish it along with other things we wanted to have. But how often are we in Miami… we have to!!! and if we didn’t, we would definatelty regret. Chicken is so moist and tender, not only the dark meat was awesome, even the white meat was amazing. Although deep fried, it is not oily like all other fried chicken. Very lightly breaded, and no excessive oil, nor greasy, just flavorful, juicy chicken. Then there were waffles. I’m not a waffle person, but I am totally taken by these little corners of goodness. As Fluffy as it can be. Cut a corner, and the are cheese inside!!!! a light layer of cheddar in the middle of the waffle. Making is extra fluffy and melty. Pair with the bourbon maple syrup….. yum yum yum. Too heavy? That’s what the watermelon are for!!! chilled, spiced with pepper, lemon and herbs, watermelon just become more mouthwatering.
With all these excellent goodies, my suggestion is— rally up the whole gang and share the joy of good food. There are so many more items we wanted to try, but couldn’t. Our neighbor at the next table had the fried green tomato BLT and shrimp and grits, and they look so good!!! next time, may be dinner? There are more items on the supper menu!!!
*** 1600 Lenox Avenue, Miami Beach, FL
www.runchickenrun.com

Farewell, Chef Masato

It’s July already, which means Chef Masato has already left New York for Bangkok. Here is our last meal from Chef Masato at 15 East.
Chef, we miss you already!!

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15 East- Chef Masato Shimizu is leaving

Click to see more photos
Click to see more photos
Now that the Eater and New York Magazine has reported it, I can open my big mouth, and may be cry a little. It is true. Our beloved Chef Masato Shimizu is leaving the acclaimed 15 East. Where to? Well, about 8670 miles away to Bangkok! And there is no non-stop flight?!?! That’s right, it is far. And we are gonna miss him so much.

We heard the news about a month ago when we dine there (see pics). He broke the news when we were having our last dish of the night(soba with uni and ikura). And I was telling him that was my bowl of happiness. Immediately, I felt a little warmth coming up to my eyes. Oh… my heart is broken… My sushi world is gonna change…!

These days 15 East is super packed. All the regulars are flooding to the place to enjoy one last meal by Chef Masato. And of course, us too. When we return this week, chef Masato who just turned 40, was super busy. He was not only preparing the dishes for the normal sushi bar, he is also making items for the main dinning room.
Although the place is buzzing, Chef Masato still pay same attention and may be even more to take care of his sushi loyalties. He still managed to surprise and amaze us even after all these years of visits. He never fail to impress.

15E0501bSanta Barbara uni with pressed tofu skin, topped with a bit of fresh wasabi and a couple drip of soy sauce. Pressed tofu skin’s texture feel like crab meat, uni super sweet!!! Great combination.

15E0502a15E0502d Awabi soaked in kunbu 昆布broth Awabi was open right before served along with the room temperature kunbu clear broth. Crispy and sweet. It has a sense of cleansing like a temple bell rang in the morning.

15E0503bLive ebi with Japanese pike eel and plum sauce/ radish and pearl seaweed Shrimp head was deep fried and served later. Ebi was peeled when they were still alive. Yes, it’s cruel and a little tough to see. But the sacrifice of the shrimp was well worth it. It was sweet!!! Just don’t think of it as torture. Pike eel is in season in spring/ summer. It has a lot of bones very tough to prep but no problem for the fantastic Chef Masato.

15E0504Lightly Torched fire fly squid My favorite and yes, I have many favorites.

15E0505a Marinated Octopus There is no better place for octopus in this world. The dedication and the hard work really pays off. And as I said the first time I had this “BETTER THAN STEAK!!!”

15E0506bSake marinated couch Consistently good!! fresh and brisk.

15E0508 Sakura salmon Come to think of it, this might be the first time Chef Masato serve us salmon. I typically don’t order salmon at sushi place. Don’t get me wrong, salmon can be great. But to me, salmon is boring. But of course Chef Masato managed to find a way to whip it a new one. Marinated with Sakura, this is only available in spring. It has a flowery fragrance to it. I can smell it with my tongue, if that makes sense.

15E0522Torched smoke Spanish mackerel Although available year around, The spanish mackerel is consider a spring fish, as it is the best in tis season and it is more full bodied. The edition of the Mackerel is outstanding. Love the charred taste, and torching it added texture as well. This is totally new combination, great and innovative.

15E0519 Cooked shrimp Cooked and chilled right before serving. unlike other sushi practicing place where it would be pre-cooked and put in fridge. The only other place I would consider order cooked shrimp in NYC is Nakazawa. Unlike Nakazawa where they would dump the shrimp in ice water to preserve the texture and flavor. Here at 15 East, the shrimp is peel right out of the water. I kinda felt bad for Chef, thinking about their burning fingers. Shrimp is still warm when serve, and it was amazing.

15E0523a UNI There were 4 different kinds of uni today. Uni Maine (top left) California (top right) and Hokkaido x 2. The one from California is sweeter. The one from Maine is creamier. and hokkaido has the best of both. and today we had 2 kinds from Hokkaido (different grade and different company). The first Hokkaido was a higher grade which cost more was creamier, and i think the other Hokkaido with darker color is sweeter, but both are top notch, and really not much difference.

15E0525Torched Chu toro with pepper The tuna was aged for six days. Pepper was ground onto toro before serve and then let sat for about 5 mins and torch. Who would hv thought. Just amazing!!!

We had so many different pieces, I can’t put it all here. for more picture please see the album. We didn’t have soba tonight but really we can’t complain, we had something new, an amazing meal, a wonderful time and there were 5 different uni!!!

As we watch Chef Masato works, we really admire the focus he pays and the passion he has. You can see it on his facial expression that he truly love what he does. And when a customer enjoy the sushi, the satisfaction he has; the proudness he feel, you can see in his smile.

“A good meal could heal a tried soul.” It is as if he has magical power, starting from the first piece, Chef Masato already help us forget what a bad day we were having and teleport us to a happier place. The joy and happiness we got from a dinner by Chef Masato honestly cannot be express in words. You really have to sit in front of him to embrace this joy and to appreciate it. But as I mention earlier, since his departing news has broke, it is almost impossible to grab a seat. If you have a reservation, god bless you! If not, well, Bangkok is “only” 20+ hours away. And from what I gathered, Chef Masato is already looking at locations. He also told us, there are more varieties of fish he can get in Thailand than here in the US (thanks to FDA).

Chef Masato, Thank you! New York has been blessed to have you. Until next time!
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Cosme- Best New Restaurant 2015 in NYC

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Cosme has been buzzing since it opened in October. It already claimed Best New restaurant on a almost all the reviews there is. And better yet, it had made the finalist list in that category on James Beard Award. So as we imagine, table is hard to grab. Luckily, on the first week of spring, we finally got in.

The bar out front is packed. Asides from bar stools and table, there were several knee-high table with sofa in the front room. I’m guessing it was meant to be lounge area, but since not everyone get a reservation, there were parties there having their dinner at the lounge. It’s petty awkward. The knee-tall table could pass for appetizers and drinks, but for entree, it won’t be comfortable.
Dinning room is dark but vibrant. There were built-ins throughout the place shelving varieties of wines . There were a couple larger table in the dinning room. Perfect for bigger groups. Sleek wood table with a small plant at each, adding a little bit green to the otherwise colorless room (the walls are actually green, but with the dimmed lighting, I barely noticed it).

El Ninja and Scoville Sour
El Ninja and Scoville Sour

    The drinks menu would take an hour at least to study thru. Cocktails on the 1st pages, other than the wine list, there is a full page on Mezcales, then another full page of tequilas. We heard the Mezcal were amazing, but the cocktails were hard to pass up. We had the El Ninja and Scoville Sour. It was beyond superb. Both had perfect combination. Just a bit sour then come a hint of sweetness. Both scream SUMMER!!! The El Ninja has a piece of dehydrated pineapple in it, after soaking in the cocktail, it makes a delicious snack. I wish I can have it everyday!

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    The menu is divided into 3 sections. The first is obviously appetizers, most of it are curdos, and all seems very appealing. The 2nd section is a little confusing. It has us scratching our heads. Is it salad? 2nd appetizers? Or first course? But since we already knew we were gonna get the Duck Carnitas for entree, that help us make the decision to skip the entire 2nd section.
tortillas with chile, pumpkin seed butter dip
tortillas with chile, pumpkin seed butter dip
    Complimentary starter for the table is tortillas with chile, pumpkin seed butter dip. It packs a little kick but not enough to burn, just enough to wake up my palate.
Avocado, bone marrow salsa, cucumber 18
Uni tostada with Avocado, bone marrow salsa, cucumber 18
    There are a lot of avocado in the appetizers menu. Both of our appetizers have avocado in it too. The Uni totsada comes on a little plate. Fresh, sweet uni on top a layer of avocado, with bone marrow salsa underneath all atop a thin crunchy tortillas with a little bit of jalapeno on it. While I totally forgot that bone marrow in the mix, it’s a delicious little bite. So many different texture and flavors. All ingredients are super fresh, almost don’t need any seasoning and they compliment each other perfectly avocado’s creaminess, tomatoes’ freshness, play very well with uni’s rich and sweetness.

with salsa mexicana, avocado 20
Smoked raw sepia with salsa mexicana, avocado 20

Sepia is a kind of cuttlefish. Served in a oversize bowl, this smoked sepia with salsa was a bit oily for me. I would appreciate a little more acidity and spice in the dish to brighten it a little more. But nevertheless still a wonderful little bite. Avocado in this case was just for decorating.

    Duck carnitas, onions, radishes, salsa verde (to share) 59
    Carnitas means little meats, but this duck carnitas is anything but little!!!
    Brightest star of the night. Since we shared the duck, which means we couldn’t taste as many dishes or varieties as we would want. But this is a choice we do not regret. Simply because this is the BEST duck EVER!!! Daniel Humm, your duck now has competition. The duck was absolutely heavenly. Tender, juicy, and rich. it was like pull pork in duck form but much more tastier. No need for a knife. Meat was easily separated by fork. The skin of the duck is sweet. Served in a cast iron pan, there is a layer of duck fat at the bottom, but it didn’t feel heavy at all, certainly adds aroma. We had worried that it would be too salty for us, but it wasn’t at all. The juice from the duck is its best natural seasoning. The portion was generous. It can definitely serve more than two. The duck came with a stack of fresh tortillas, along with chipotle sauce and a spicy sauce. Tortillas served in a folded napkin. They are warm and fluffy!!! I love the smell of the flour and the warmth it felt. There were a lot of meat, there were some radishes and cilantro that come with the duck, which add crunchiness. But with the amount of meat, I wish there were more veggies to counter balance the meat. Or I’d gladly order a side of cucumber or radish on the side if that were an option. Between the 2 of us, we couldn’t finish the duck, but it made an exquisite sandwich the next day.
    Husk meringue with corn mousse.
    t was not as sweet as we were afraid of. It was savory-sweet and it was perfect. It’s creaminess, and the shell-like outer layer gave it great contrast. Use a spoon to crack it as if it’s an egg. It does have the same texture. There were even a hint of salt on the shell. There were enough instagram pictures of the dish to let us know what to expect. But when I crack the shell, it didn’t flood out like lava as I thought it would, it just restrained in the shell, but it was velvety. The salty-sweet contrast reminded us of the our beloved “milk & honey” at NoMad. So glad we saved room for dessert.

Cosme is well worth the hype. Mexican superstar Chef Enrique Olvera hit everything on point! From cocktails to desserts, Cosme exceed out expectation. It was a delicious night. We only wish we could have space for more. We will definitely be back, and next time, we are bringing help, so we can sample many more dishes and Mezcales.