I was trying to find a gourmet vegetarian restaurant in Miami and that seems to be about as hard to find as the proverbial needle in the haystack. I was looking for best restaurants in Fort Collins, Colorado, for an upcoming road trip and a plethora of veggie options came up as the best places to eat. But in Miami? Not so much. Most, like The Last Carrot in the Grove, are earthy-crunchy hippie throwbacks. Other options, Italian or Middle Eastern, are not the point. Why can't someone in South Florida beautifully prepare and artistically present, vegetarian dishes that are delicious? I'm not even a vegetarian, but still.
This made me think of the "Best restaurant in the world" (3 years running)- Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark. While not vegetarian, per se, it is heavy on vegetarian options and is all about the local goodies, weather foraged or procured. This would be a great idea for South Florida, although of course, it would not be the same dishes. Instead of bread sticks in the shape of twigs, we could do them in the shape of palm fronds. And speaking of palms, with the wealth we have here, we could use every part- from heart to jelly. There are so many delicious exotic fruits we grow here- these could be utilized to full advantage. Sea weed, sea grapes, hibiscus- show us something creative with these items, normally forgotten in our tropical landscape for food sources. At Noma, they have a dish of live shrimp. Why couldn't we do that? And maybe little baby crabs (presented on a bed of seaweed), running around, waiting to be speared with a pointed sugar cane stick. OK, that sounds a little barbaric perhaps (hunger games, anyone?) but at Noma, how the food is cooked (eggs in straw) and presented (live shrimp in a mason jar), is of paramount importance.
We have such a wealth of seafood here, but how many times do you see it creatively presented? This would be there chance, and no more mahi mahi please, unless you have an original way of preparing it. All food used should be organic, locally sourced and sustainable, whenever possible at my imaginary restaurant and the vibe would be tropical chic, kind of like the Raleigh Hotel. James Bond Caribbean, with bamboo, rattan, touches of black, relaxed vibe- very cool, very elegant, never cheesy. And I envision the chef to be part Euell Gibbons, part Ferran Adria, part the old Mango Gang. While I'm not a big fan of foams (I generally like my food to taste like food), touches of them in dishes are cool and keep it interesting. Here I have a photo of oysters from a recent trip to D.C. In my new restaurant, I can see one local oyster, beautifully presented, with some fish roe on top (or local caviar, if there is such a thing) and perhaps a vinegar (lychee or hibiscus?) dollop of foam to finish. I don't know exactly, I'm not a chef but anyone can feel free to use my idea. Just invite me to the opening!
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