Wynwood Kitchen & Bar, Miami

It’s hard to miss Wynwood Kitchen & Bar as you drive around the nondescript streets of Miami’s Wynwood in search of the place.  You’re in the off the beaten path warehouse district, full of galleries and pop-up shops, and all that seems to be missing (at least from a New York perspective) is a river … you know, the “riverfront area” that every urban destination offers up to unsuspecting tourists. In fact, it needs a river to soften it up a little but that’s another story. If you like alternative and seek out the unexpected in your adventures, you’ll be in hog heaven here in what’s come to be known as Miami’s gallery district.

Wynwood Kitchen &Bar is somewhat of a magnet in the neighborhood for food and drink of course, but also for pioneering the concept of restaurant as art gallery (way before hotels caught on and wanted to get in on the act as well).  The entire façade which wraps around 2^nd Avenue boasts one big mural end to end and it’s lit to the nines so you can’t miss it. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Inside the cavernous multi-room space every wall rates a giant power canvas and then there’s the 11 foot high sculpture of a striped man by David Benjamin Sherry holding court in the corner of the main dining room. With his arms stretched out toward the roomful of hungry diners he looks hungry, too.  I think he’s come to the right place.

The ultimate modern dining destination and (with all the art) one of the most visually striking restaurants in the country, Wynwood Kitchen & Bar opened fittingly during Art Basel in November 2010 and has been going strong ever since. It’s the perfect spot for both cultural and culinary adventurers. Chef Miguel Aguilar’s menu is focused on tapas and small plates but in a much broader sense. It’s really more of a sharing menu and categorized by soups, salads, hot, cool, grilled skewers, meat, fish, poultry and veggies with something for everyone’s taste.  With a friendly staff of servers wearing sexy black t-shirts with eye popping insignia and a kitchen that turns the dishes out fast, it’s best to order one thing at a time and savor the fabulous ambience.

We eyed the fantastic cocktail menu of 12 original mixed drinks and decided to embark on our culinary odyssey with the Fizz, a thirst quenching take on the Bellini. It put us in a festive mood, the bubbles going to our heads and making us ever more aware of the amazing display of contemporary art. Always fascinated by a chef’s heritage, we ordered the Caldo Gallego as our starter, a hearty peasant soup with beans, chorizo, collard greens and tomatoes. It warmed our bellies and got us ready for one of the evening’s specials, the Hot Shrimp Tacos. These were an explosion of flavor and almost begged for a beer so we cooled our tongues with a Terrapin Hopsecutioner IPA from Georgia and an Ommegang Abbey Ale from Belgium (both on tap). They were deeply complex and satisfying, perfect foils for a (cool) spicy Hamachi Ceviche followed by the Mahi Mahi skewers, served with a caper-tomato remoulade and so out of this world we wanted to order another.  At that point we had to gauge just how hungry we were and decided to share the Braised Short Ribs served with a puree of boniato, the Latin sweet potato, and boniato chips.  The succulent meat fell off the bone and we were glad we held back.  That gave us room to try two desserts, a Molten Cake with ancho and cinnamon, served with vanilla ice cream and a rice pudding lover’s dream – the Arroz con Leche served with fresh fruit and sorbet.  I had a déjà vu of Thanksgiving eating this dessert (probably just what Chef Miguel wanted).

Wynwood Kitchen & Bar’s menu takes one on a culinary tour of Latin America without even leaving Miami.  How cool is that? The prices are great and Thursday and Friday nights are deejay nights. Heck, just grab a seat at the WKB bar, order a couple craft beers and a few rounds of skewers and just hang for the night. Afterward sit outside facing the famous Wynwood Walls, an art park with 15 haunting murals by international artists and savor south Florida’s sultry weather.  Do you really have to go back to the hotel tonight?