Boy, do I ever sound like a curmudgeon. Thanks, New Times, for letting me vent, and thanks, "community," for letting me be your spokesperson.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Red Light - Miami Upper East Side
[sorry, this restaurant has closed; but check out Chef Kris Wessel's new restaurant, Florida Cookery]
I first got a taste of Chef Kris Wessel's cooking nearly ten years ago, when he was the chef at a brief-lived restaurant on the western end of Española Way in South Beach called Liaison. Liaison lasted only a short time, doomed by a somewhat remote location made even worse by construction, but I still remember the New Orleans-influenced cooking, including some excellent N.O.-style BBQ shrimp and hearty grillades and grits. After Liaison folded, Wessel resurfaced as the chef at Elia, a Mediterranean restaurant in the cursed spot in the Bal Harbour Shops across from Carpaccio where a string of restaurants has come and gone (the latest to occupy the space, which has actually held it down now for a while, is La Goulue). Elia came and went too, and Kris Wessel seemed to disappear off the map.
Then about two years ago, strange signs of life began to emerge from a small restaurant space attached to what used to be the Gold Dust Motel on Biscayne Boulevard. The Gold Dust was, like much of Biscayne Boulevard at one time, a dodgy room-by-the-hour place frequented primarily by hookers and their clients, with a Chinese restaurant attached to it that Andrew Zimmern wouldn't eat at. The restaurant hung over the Little River, a small river feeding out to Biscayne Bay that at the time was dingy and polluted. It turned out that Wessel had taken an interest, and spent nearly a year cleaning up the River and the restaurant space. The River is now clean and is populated by birds, fish and the occasional manatee. And the motel, rechristened the Motel Blu (with rooms only for the whole night, thank you), now houses a restaurant built largely with Kris Wessel's own hands, Red Light.
Compared to what was here originally, the transformation is remarkable. The interior looks much like a 50's diner, with a counter bar with about a dozen stools around it, and about a half dozen booths along the windows. Downstairs is additional outdoor seating stretching right along the Little River, which you can gaze across and enjoy the view of the strip club next door (the neighborhood hasn't been completely cleaned up, and the restaurant's name is homage to what was, until recently, still the primary business activity on Biscayne Boulevard - yet in the span of just a couple years, Biscayne Boulevard is starting to become something of a Restaurant Row, though seedy elements undoubtedly still remain).
When Red Light opened in late March 2008, it turned out be one of the softest "soft openings" I've ever seen. For months, they were open only Thursday-Saturday, the menu had maybe a half-dozen or so items total (which would change up some from day to day), and the outdoor area by the River was still closed. The kitchen was often slow, the serving staff were well-meaning but inexperienced, but the food - and the prices - generally made up for it all. The BBQ shrimp I'd first had at Liaison were back, and were as good as ever, sometimes served head-on, and in a pungent sauce of shrimp-shell stock, worcestershire, butter, rosemary and lemon. The burger (with organic ground beef) was delicious, the fish was always fresh and local, and best of all, most items were available in 1/2 orders (generally under $10) and nothing on the menu was over $20.
Now a year old, Red Light seems to be really finding its rhythm. It's open 6 days a week (including late night) as well as lunch, the outdoor seating along the River is open and quite popular, and the menu, while still pretty short, usually features about 15 choices (most available as 1/2 or full portions) - and they're still almost all priced under $20. You can see Red Light's current menu here (though keep in mind that several items still change from day to day).
The BBQ shrimp are still as good as ever (though I've seen them head-on much less frequently). A more recent addition to the menu is a bowl of nice little Mediterranean mussels steamed with bay leaf and meyer lemon and served with very lightly crusted fried green tomatoes. We also recently had a nice app of pan-fried conch steak topped with a spicy green-chile relish. Kris's "hand rubbed, river smoked" ribs can be had in a 1/2 order (5 ribs) or full (10). When Red Light first opened these had a tendency to be tough, but either a change in method or using a better cut of meat seems to have remedied that problem. These are not gloppy with sweet sauce, but rather are mostly redolent with spice and smoke. A slaw of thinly julienned apple makes for an interesting, light pairing. Soups are often good, including a seafood gumbo studded with shrimp and blue crab, and a clam and corn chowder we had recently with an unexpectedly bright dose of lemon to enliven it. The skillet with fried eggs, morbier cheese, bacon, tomatoes and croutons is also very good, though I haven't seen it on the menu for a while.
The burger is still around and is possibly my second-favorite burger in Miami, behind only the burger at Kingdom. There are almost always a couple fresh, local fish to choose from (I've seen a number of interesting items, including strawberry grouper, hog snapper, tilefish), done with a variety of different sauces and vegetable pairings. But one of my favorite items is the quail, also available in 1/2 (one bird) or full (two birds) portions. The specific components of this dish tend to change with the seasons, but Chef Kris usually pairs the roasted bird (tender and meaty with just a tiny pleasant hint of gaminess) with some seasonal fruit, usually also a mushroom and bread salad or pudding, and a toss of fresh bitter greens. The first time I had this I described it as the "Holy shit that's good!" dish of the night - for those who've seen the movie Flirting With Disaster, think "Lonnie's special quail."* Since then I've had variations on the dish paired with a variety of different fruits - cherries, pears, plums, persimmon, local-grown mulberries (!) and the 1/2 order with one bird has got to be one of the greatest $10 dishes I've ever had. There are several side dishes available to supplement your meal, usually including whatever vegetables and greens are in season, and Little Miss F is always a big fan of the "sticky gooey mac & cheese."
Without making a big deal of it, it seems Wessel is quietly looking out for everyone's well-being. In addition to the strong focus on fresh, organic and local ingredients, Red Light's prep methods are generally pretty healthful as well. I don't even think there's a deep fryer in the kitchen.
The strong suit among the desserts is usually the ice cream or sorbet, all homemade and often some very interesting flavors (we had a dragonfruit sorbet once that was exceptional). Other options are usually pretty simple, like fresh fruit cobblers, rich chocolate cake, a nice chocolate pudding studded with rice krispies,a pecan tart.
When Red Light first opened, calling its wine list "carefully selected" would have been generous. There were maybe 3-4 options each for red and white, at most, though they weren't bad and were reasonably priced. Some more effort seems to have gone into that area of late, and there are now roughly 20 wines available, including some eminently drinkable items like Betts & Scholl Reisling and "Bitch" Grenache. If you're still underwhelmed, corkage is a very fair $10. The beer selection offers some nice items like Wolaver's Brown Ale and Rogue Dead Guy Ale (or, if you're a hipster who drinks crappy beer because you think it looks cool, you can get a can of Schlitz).
The kitchen can still sometimes be slow, and the service can still sometimes be flaky (I have learned my lesson not to bring big groups here), but the good food, the dedication to local ingredients, and the fair prices, all in a funky, relaxing setting, keep me coming back.
Red Light
7700 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.757.7773
*"I'm sorry that I put windowpane in Mel's quail, and I'm sorry that you ate it."
I first got a taste of Chef Kris Wessel's cooking nearly ten years ago, when he was the chef at a brief-lived restaurant on the western end of Española Way in South Beach called Liaison. Liaison lasted only a short time, doomed by a somewhat remote location made even worse by construction, but I still remember the New Orleans-influenced cooking, including some excellent N.O.-style BBQ shrimp and hearty grillades and grits. After Liaison folded, Wessel resurfaced as the chef at Elia, a Mediterranean restaurant in the cursed spot in the Bal Harbour Shops across from Carpaccio where a string of restaurants has come and gone (the latest to occupy the space, which has actually held it down now for a while, is La Goulue). Elia came and went too, and Kris Wessel seemed to disappear off the map.
Then about two years ago, strange signs of life began to emerge from a small restaurant space attached to what used to be the Gold Dust Motel on Biscayne Boulevard. The Gold Dust was, like much of Biscayne Boulevard at one time, a dodgy room-by-the-hour place frequented primarily by hookers and their clients, with a Chinese restaurant attached to it that Andrew Zimmern wouldn't eat at. The restaurant hung over the Little River, a small river feeding out to Biscayne Bay that at the time was dingy and polluted. It turned out that Wessel had taken an interest, and spent nearly a year cleaning up the River and the restaurant space. The River is now clean and is populated by birds, fish and the occasional manatee. And the motel, rechristened the Motel Blu (with rooms only for the whole night, thank you), now houses a restaurant built largely with Kris Wessel's own hands, Red Light.
Compared to what was here originally, the transformation is remarkable. The interior looks much like a 50's diner, with a counter bar with about a dozen stools around it, and about a half dozen booths along the windows. Downstairs is additional outdoor seating stretching right along the Little River, which you can gaze across and enjoy the view of the strip club next door (the neighborhood hasn't been completely cleaned up, and the restaurant's name is homage to what was, until recently, still the primary business activity on Biscayne Boulevard - yet in the span of just a couple years, Biscayne Boulevard is starting to become something of a Restaurant Row, though seedy elements undoubtedly still remain).
When Red Light opened in late March 2008, it turned out be one of the softest "soft openings" I've ever seen. For months, they were open only Thursday-Saturday, the menu had maybe a half-dozen or so items total (which would change up some from day to day), and the outdoor area by the River was still closed. The kitchen was often slow, the serving staff were well-meaning but inexperienced, but the food - and the prices - generally made up for it all. The BBQ shrimp I'd first had at Liaison were back, and were as good as ever, sometimes served head-on, and in a pungent sauce of shrimp-shell stock, worcestershire, butter, rosemary and lemon. The burger (with organic ground beef) was delicious, the fish was always fresh and local, and best of all, most items were available in 1/2 orders (generally under $10) and nothing on the menu was over $20.
Now a year old, Red Light seems to be really finding its rhythm. It's open 6 days a week (including late night) as well as lunch, the outdoor seating along the River is open and quite popular, and the menu, while still pretty short, usually features about 15 choices (most available as 1/2 or full portions) - and they're still almost all priced under $20. You can see Red Light's current menu here (though keep in mind that several items still change from day to day).
The BBQ shrimp are still as good as ever (though I've seen them head-on much less frequently). A more recent addition to the menu is a bowl of nice little Mediterranean mussels steamed with bay leaf and meyer lemon and served with very lightly crusted fried green tomatoes. We also recently had a nice app of pan-fried conch steak topped with a spicy green-chile relish. Kris's "hand rubbed, river smoked" ribs can be had in a 1/2 order (5 ribs) or full (10). When Red Light first opened these had a tendency to be tough, but either a change in method or using a better cut of meat seems to have remedied that problem. These are not gloppy with sweet sauce, but rather are mostly redolent with spice and smoke. A slaw of thinly julienned apple makes for an interesting, light pairing. Soups are often good, including a seafood gumbo studded with shrimp and blue crab, and a clam and corn chowder we had recently with an unexpectedly bright dose of lemon to enliven it. The skillet with fried eggs, morbier cheese, bacon, tomatoes and croutons is also very good, though I haven't seen it on the menu for a while.
The burger is still around and is possibly my second-favorite burger in Miami, behind only the burger at Kingdom. There are almost always a couple fresh, local fish to choose from (I've seen a number of interesting items, including strawberry grouper, hog snapper, tilefish), done with a variety of different sauces and vegetable pairings. But one of my favorite items is the quail, also available in 1/2 (one bird) or full (two birds) portions. The specific components of this dish tend to change with the seasons, but Chef Kris usually pairs the roasted bird (tender and meaty with just a tiny pleasant hint of gaminess) with some seasonal fruit, usually also a mushroom and bread salad or pudding, and a toss of fresh bitter greens. The first time I had this I described it as the "Holy shit that's good!" dish of the night - for those who've seen the movie Flirting With Disaster, think "Lonnie's special quail."* Since then I've had variations on the dish paired with a variety of different fruits - cherries, pears, plums, persimmon, local-grown mulberries (!) and the 1/2 order with one bird has got to be one of the greatest $10 dishes I've ever had. There are several side dishes available to supplement your meal, usually including whatever vegetables and greens are in season, and Little Miss F is always a big fan of the "sticky gooey mac & cheese."
Without making a big deal of it, it seems Wessel is quietly looking out for everyone's well-being. In addition to the strong focus on fresh, organic and local ingredients, Red Light's prep methods are generally pretty healthful as well. I don't even think there's a deep fryer in the kitchen.
The strong suit among the desserts is usually the ice cream or sorbet, all homemade and often some very interesting flavors (we had a dragonfruit sorbet once that was exceptional). Other options are usually pretty simple, like fresh fruit cobblers, rich chocolate cake, a nice chocolate pudding studded with rice krispies,a pecan tart.
When Red Light first opened, calling its wine list "carefully selected" would have been generous. There were maybe 3-4 options each for red and white, at most, though they weren't bad and were reasonably priced. Some more effort seems to have gone into that area of late, and there are now roughly 20 wines available, including some eminently drinkable items like Betts & Scholl Reisling and "Bitch" Grenache. If you're still underwhelmed, corkage is a very fair $10. The beer selection offers some nice items like Wolaver's Brown Ale and Rogue Dead Guy Ale (or, if you're a hipster who drinks crappy beer because you think it looks cool, you can get a can of Schlitz).
The kitchen can still sometimes be slow, and the service can still sometimes be flaky (I have learned my lesson not to bring big groups here), but the good food, the dedication to local ingredients, and the fair prices, all in a funky, relaxing setting, keep me coming back.
Red Light
7700 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.757.7773
*"I'm sorry that I put windowpane in Mel's quail, and I'm sorry that you ate it."
Monday, April 6, 2009
Where Are South Florida's Best New Chefs?
New Times raises the question why there are no South Florida representatives among Food & Wine's Best New Chefs of 2009, and resorts to instead listing South Florida "Best Old Chefs". I ask, if you're coming up with a list of top South Florida chefs, new or old, shouldn't you maybe look more than 3 miles south of the Dade-Broward border? Is Allen Susser really the only active chef in Miami-Dade county that could conceivably make that list?* Mr. Schwartz? Ms. Bernstein? Bueller?
Actually, I asked a similar question several weeks ago when the James Beard Award semifinalists were announced and there were no South Florida nominees for "Rising Star Chef of the Year". Some potential suspects are kicked around in this Chowhound thread, but few of the names are really jumping out at me (and some aren't so new either).
When StarChefs did its South Florida edition of 2008 Rising Stars, it named Zach Bell of Cafe Boulud, Michael Bloise (then of Wish, now gone), Alberto Cabrera (formerly of Karu & Y and now M.I.A.), Clay Conley of Azul, Christopher Eagle of Cielo, Jeff McInnis of DiLido Beach Club (and Top Chef fame), David Mullen of Angle (no longer there - about a year ago I saw that he had become executive chef at Bourbon Steak, yet BS's website does not mention it), Kurtis Jantz of Neomi's / Paradigm (of which I'm a big fan, and for which chef de cuisine Chad Galiano also deserves much credit), and pastry chefs Joel Lahon of Nobu and Malka Espinel of Johnny V's.
That list is a decent start. Who else? Berenice de Araujo at Sra. Martinez? Arthur Artiles (a Van Aken disciple) at Brosia? Marc Vidal at Por Fin? Nate Martin at Andu? I've enjoyed eating at each of these places (I've never had a full dinner at Andu but I had some great hors d'oeuvres at a cocktail reception; I've eaten at Por Fin several times and would say it's good not great, though they did a fantastic spread of tapas for a recent wine tasting event). But the only one I'd really say was exceptional would be Sra. M, and then the question becomes how much credit is due to Michelle Bernstein and how much to de Araujo.
Who am I missing?
*Norman Van Aken doesn't really count in my book, since his only restaurant currently open is in Orlando, even though rumor is that he's working on a new place in Coral Gables.
Actually, I asked a similar question several weeks ago when the James Beard Award semifinalists were announced and there were no South Florida nominees for "Rising Star Chef of the Year". Some potential suspects are kicked around in this Chowhound thread, but few of the names are really jumping out at me (and some aren't so new either).
When StarChefs did its South Florida edition of 2008 Rising Stars, it named Zach Bell of Cafe Boulud, Michael Bloise (then of Wish, now gone), Alberto Cabrera (formerly of Karu & Y and now M.I.A.), Clay Conley of Azul, Christopher Eagle of Cielo, Jeff McInnis of DiLido Beach Club (and Top Chef fame), David Mullen of Angle (no longer there - about a year ago I saw that he had become executive chef at Bourbon Steak, yet BS's website does not mention it), Kurtis Jantz of Neomi's / Paradigm (of which I'm a big fan, and for which chef de cuisine Chad Galiano also deserves much credit), and pastry chefs Joel Lahon of Nobu and Malka Espinel of Johnny V's.
That list is a decent start. Who else? Berenice de Araujo at Sra. Martinez? Arthur Artiles (a Van Aken disciple) at Brosia? Marc Vidal at Por Fin? Nate Martin at Andu? I've enjoyed eating at each of these places (I've never had a full dinner at Andu but I had some great hors d'oeuvres at a cocktail reception; I've eaten at Por Fin several times and would say it's good not great, though they did a fantastic spread of tapas for a recent wine tasting event). But the only one I'd really say was exceptional would be Sra. M, and then the question becomes how much credit is due to Michelle Bernstein and how much to de Araujo.
Who am I missing?
*Norman Van Aken doesn't really count in my book, since his only restaurant currently open is in Orlando, even though rumor is that he's working on a new place in Coral Gables.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
I'm not Twittering yet, but...
... I'll admit I'm curious. Apparently you can pick up some interesting tidbits, such as that Alinea's chef de cuisine is a fan of Michael's Genuine Food & Drink (whereas Rocco Dispirito is a Casa Tua guy):
Gachatz: Buying my hard working- vacationing chef de cuisine and his lovely girlfriend dinner in Miami tomorrow night. Where do I send them? 2:55 PM Mar 30th from twitterrific
roccodispirito: @Gachatz Casa Tua food, service and decor is stunning! A must in Miami. Great gift for a hard working chef de cuisine. Azul rocks too. 3:10 PM Mar 30th from web in reply to Gachatz
Gachatz: @roccodispirito trust your opinion, assume you have been? 3:26 PM Mar 30th from twitterrific in reply to roccodispirito
roccodispirito: @Gachatz Been many times to Casa Tua. The Chef Sergio Sigala is phenomenal. Nothing like it in NYC or Chicago. Get the ravioli de plin! 3:32 PM Mar 30th from web in reply to Gachatz
roccodispirito @Gachatz did he like casa tua? about 24 hours ago from web in reply to Gachatz
Gachatz: @roccodispirito loved the outside patio, liked the food at m.genuine better. about 23 hours ago from twitterrific in reply to roccodispirito
roccodispirito: @Gachatz wow cant wait to try m.genuine then. is that a new place in miami? about 23 hours ago from web in reply to Gachatz
Gachatz: Buying my hard working- vacationing chef de cuisine and his lovely girlfriend dinner in Miami tomorrow night. Where do I send them? 2:55 PM Mar 30th from twitterrific
roccodispirito: @Gachatz Casa Tua food, service and decor is stunning! A must in Miami. Great gift for a hard working chef de cuisine. Azul rocks too. 3:10 PM Mar 30th from web in reply to Gachatz
Gachatz: @roccodispirito trust your opinion, assume you have been? 3:26 PM Mar 30th from twitterrific in reply to roccodispirito
roccodispirito: @Gachatz Been many times to Casa Tua. The Chef Sergio Sigala is phenomenal. Nothing like it in NYC or Chicago. Get the ravioli de plin! 3:32 PM Mar 30th from web in reply to Gachatz
roccodispirito @Gachatz did he like casa tua? about 24 hours ago from web in reply to Gachatz
Gachatz: @roccodispirito loved the outside patio, liked the food at m.genuine better. about 23 hours ago from twitterrific in reply to roccodispirito
roccodispirito: @Gachatz wow cant wait to try m.genuine then. is that a new place in miami? about 23 hours ago from web in reply to Gachatz
Talula - South Beach
South Beach, either despite or perhaps because of the huge tourist trade, has never exactly been a mecca of fine dining. There have been some very good restaurants in South Beach at various times - if you want to go way back, there was the Strand (one of Michelle Bernstein's first restaurants), Wet Paint Cafe on Lincoln Road (where Douglas Rodriguez started), and later Rodriguez's Yuca (amazingly still around though it's been ages since Rodriguez was chef), Norman Van Aken's "A Mano" in the Betsy Ross Hotel, Jonathan Eismann's Pacific Time on Lincoln Road (though I vastly prefer the newer incarnation in the Design District).* But for the most part, the options tend to be either overpriced and overblown, or tacky and tawdry. Some are even all of the above!
Amidst it all, Talula has been quietly cranking out some amazingly good, inspired food for more than five years now. Talula is the product of husband-wife chef team Andrea Curto and Frank Randazzo, both of whom first had successful restaurant careers on their own. Curto's reputation was established at Wish, where she was the executive chef when it was named in Esquire magazine among the "Best New Restaurants" of 1999; the following year Food & Wine named her among the Best New Chefs in America. Frank Randazzo, meanwhile, was making a name for himself at the Gaucho Room, a Latin American steakhouse in the Loews Hotel, when he and Andrea joined forces to open Talula.
The menu shows signs of both of their influences, with Andrea's handiwork in evidence on a number of adventurous combinations like the seared foie gras over blue corn pancakes with a red chile syrup, while a whole section of the menu is devoted to "Frank's Char Grilled Steaks," including some interesting cuts like the "Spinalis Rib Steak" and a 32 ounce "Tomahawk Chop." But regardless of who is responsible for each dish (and, I should note, lately Andrea and Frank seem to be making some room for Chef Kyle, the main guy in the kitchen these days, to add to the menu), one of the things I consistently enjoy about Talula is the boldness of flavors. They are almost always quite assertive and there are often several at play in one dish; the most impressive part is how successfully they usually balance out.
A good example of this is the appetizer of pan seared diver scallops, served over roasted cauliflower griddle cakes (at various times these have also been made with winter squash), curried cashews, a bacon & corn emulsion, and a spiced root beer gastrique. It's the kind of dish that could easily risk a "Too many notes, Mozart" critique, and yet it works perfectly. Ubiquitous tuna tartare is enlivened here with the subtle heat of serrano chile, the cool crunch of finely diced cucumber, and the saline pop of trout roe, with rice crackers for scooping. A more recent addition to the menu is a "steak and eggs" appetizer, a substantial app of sliced skirt steak, served over a bed of diced potatoes speckled with house-cured ham and wilted greens, along with two sauces, one the consistency of a reduced jus with bbq sauce flavors, the other a thicker sweet (cranberry? apple?) ketchup, topped with a fried quail egg, and sprinkled with crystals of lava salt that give an intriguing smokiness.
Soups are also consistently outstanding. An example: recently Mrs. F ordered an eggplant soup even though she doesn't really like eggplant - she loved the soup, velvety smooth and brightly flavored. The menu always features a risotto of the day, available either as an app or an entree size portion. There are only a couple pastas (also available in half or full portions) and they are also excellent - a home-made cavatelli, served with a traditional pairing of broccoli rabe and (home-made) Italian sausage, and a parsnip-filled ravioli topped with lush, rich braised shortrib and a sprinkling of goat cheese.
A new tapas menu, offered during happy hour on weekdays (5-7pm), adds several very reasonably priced options - steamed clams with chiles, roasted cauliflower with house-smoked bacon, torchon of foie gras with cocoa nibs and vanilla salt, a potato-ham hash topped with a quail egg - all for $5-10. If the menu is on the table and you ask nicely, you may be able to get some of these items even if it's not happy hour.
In-house charcuterie has become a recent recurring theme on the menu, and at various times there may be any number of different things at work in the kitchen. Several of the items are mentioned above (house-cured ham and bacon, torchon of foie gras) and I've had the good fortune to try a number of others - duck prosciutto (with a salad pairing arugula and pickled watermelon rind), saucisson sec (with pickled plums and cubes of brie encased in crystallized honey), duck confit - and they have all been outstanding. Sometimes they offer a charcuterie sampler on the menu, and if it's available, it is not to be missed.
The entrees likewise follow through with similarly assertive layers of flavor. I've had a rack of lamb done a couple different ways there - once over a fregola salad with arugula, ricotta salata and pickled cipollini onions, more recently with nira moyashi (stir-fried chive and bean sprout) and an ume (pickled plum) jus (though the ume did not come through as clearly as I would have expected). Both times the lamb was perfectly cooked and the portion (two thick double-chops) so substantial that I ended up taking one chop home (for which there was much rejoicing by the dogs, who got the bones). The pork chop is likewise expertly cooked, a thick, bone-in, Fred Flintstone style chop, served over some wilted greens, paired with a ragout of scarlet runner beans (these beautiful, gigantic and delicious deep red beans) spiked with - yes, house-made bacon - and a caramelized apple/mustard sauce. We did a group lunch there about a year ago, and Frod Jr. and Little Miss F were both fans of a salmon dish done in an Asian style with udon noodles and a miso broth. I still occasionally pine for a lavender-rubbed venison loin that's been off the menu for a couple years now.
Funny, despite having been many times, I have no real recollection of the desserts - probably because we run out of steam before getting there. The wine list used to be a real sore point for me, a decent selection but some really outrageous markups. It seems lately they've made an effort to address the issue by paring down the list some, offering a better selection in the sub-$50 range and ratcheting back the markups. At this point it probably qualifies as reasonable by South Beach standards (which isn't saying much, but is still a sign of progress).
The place has a more relaxed, less trendy vibe than most other South Beach restaurants. It's classy and comfortable, and the patio area in back provides some nice outdoor seating (not only for dinner but their Sunday brunch as well), but it's a far cry from the posh and hip hotels like the Gansevoort or the Setai that are its neighbors. But if you're about the food and not the scene, Talula is the place to go on South Beach.
Talula
210 23rd Street
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305.672.0778
*Actually this list could go on quite a bit longer. Starfish, and then Cafe Maxx, back before Kerry Simon went Vegas; Mark's South Beach; Nemo back when Michael Schwartz was the chef; Johnny Vinczencz's first restaurant at the Astor Hotel (not the forgettable sequel), and perhaps even better, the casual Johnny V's Kitchen on Alton Road with the fantastic rib-meat hoagie; Chrysanthemum; Shoji Sushi back before it went to crap. Currently, Sardinia is very good, and Meat Market shows some promise. Perhaps I'm disproving my point here, and the general suckiness of South Beach is a more recent phenomenon.
Amidst it all, Talula has been quietly cranking out some amazingly good, inspired food for more than five years now. Talula is the product of husband-wife chef team Andrea Curto and Frank Randazzo, both of whom first had successful restaurant careers on their own. Curto's reputation was established at Wish, where she was the executive chef when it was named in Esquire magazine among the "Best New Restaurants" of 1999; the following year Food & Wine named her among the Best New Chefs in America. Frank Randazzo, meanwhile, was making a name for himself at the Gaucho Room, a Latin American steakhouse in the Loews Hotel, when he and Andrea joined forces to open Talula.
The menu shows signs of both of their influences, with Andrea's handiwork in evidence on a number of adventurous combinations like the seared foie gras over blue corn pancakes with a red chile syrup, while a whole section of the menu is devoted to "Frank's Char Grilled Steaks," including some interesting cuts like the "Spinalis Rib Steak" and a 32 ounce "Tomahawk Chop." But regardless of who is responsible for each dish (and, I should note, lately Andrea and Frank seem to be making some room for Chef Kyle, the main guy in the kitchen these days, to add to the menu), one of the things I consistently enjoy about Talula is the boldness of flavors. They are almost always quite assertive and there are often several at play in one dish; the most impressive part is how successfully they usually balance out.
A good example of this is the appetizer of pan seared diver scallops, served over roasted cauliflower griddle cakes (at various times these have also been made with winter squash), curried cashews, a bacon & corn emulsion, and a spiced root beer gastrique. It's the kind of dish that could easily risk a "Too many notes, Mozart" critique, and yet it works perfectly. Ubiquitous tuna tartare is enlivened here with the subtle heat of serrano chile, the cool crunch of finely diced cucumber, and the saline pop of trout roe, with rice crackers for scooping. A more recent addition to the menu is a "steak and eggs" appetizer, a substantial app of sliced skirt steak, served over a bed of diced potatoes speckled with house-cured ham and wilted greens, along with two sauces, one the consistency of a reduced jus with bbq sauce flavors, the other a thicker sweet (cranberry? apple?) ketchup, topped with a fried quail egg, and sprinkled with crystals of lava salt that give an intriguing smokiness.
Soups are also consistently outstanding. An example: recently Mrs. F ordered an eggplant soup even though she doesn't really like eggplant - she loved the soup, velvety smooth and brightly flavored. The menu always features a risotto of the day, available either as an app or an entree size portion. There are only a couple pastas (also available in half or full portions) and they are also excellent - a home-made cavatelli, served with a traditional pairing of broccoli rabe and (home-made) Italian sausage, and a parsnip-filled ravioli topped with lush, rich braised shortrib and a sprinkling of goat cheese.
A new tapas menu, offered during happy hour on weekdays (5-7pm), adds several very reasonably priced options - steamed clams with chiles, roasted cauliflower with house-smoked bacon, torchon of foie gras with cocoa nibs and vanilla salt, a potato-ham hash topped with a quail egg - all for $5-10. If the menu is on the table and you ask nicely, you may be able to get some of these items even if it's not happy hour.
In-house charcuterie has become a recent recurring theme on the menu, and at various times there may be any number of different things at work in the kitchen. Several of the items are mentioned above (house-cured ham and bacon, torchon of foie gras) and I've had the good fortune to try a number of others - duck prosciutto (with a salad pairing arugula and pickled watermelon rind), saucisson sec (with pickled plums and cubes of brie encased in crystallized honey), duck confit - and they have all been outstanding. Sometimes they offer a charcuterie sampler on the menu, and if it's available, it is not to be missed.
The entrees likewise follow through with similarly assertive layers of flavor. I've had a rack of lamb done a couple different ways there - once over a fregola salad with arugula, ricotta salata and pickled cipollini onions, more recently with nira moyashi (stir-fried chive and bean sprout) and an ume (pickled plum) jus (though the ume did not come through as clearly as I would have expected). Both times the lamb was perfectly cooked and the portion (two thick double-chops) so substantial that I ended up taking one chop home (for which there was much rejoicing by the dogs, who got the bones). The pork chop is likewise expertly cooked, a thick, bone-in, Fred Flintstone style chop, served over some wilted greens, paired with a ragout of scarlet runner beans (these beautiful, gigantic and delicious deep red beans) spiked with - yes, house-made bacon - and a caramelized apple/mustard sauce. We did a group lunch there about a year ago, and Frod Jr. and Little Miss F were both fans of a salmon dish done in an Asian style with udon noodles and a miso broth. I still occasionally pine for a lavender-rubbed venison loin that's been off the menu for a couple years now.
Funny, despite having been many times, I have no real recollection of the desserts - probably because we run out of steam before getting there. The wine list used to be a real sore point for me, a decent selection but some really outrageous markups. It seems lately they've made an effort to address the issue by paring down the list some, offering a better selection in the sub-$50 range and ratcheting back the markups. At this point it probably qualifies as reasonable by South Beach standards (which isn't saying much, but is still a sign of progress).
The place has a more relaxed, less trendy vibe than most other South Beach restaurants. It's classy and comfortable, and the patio area in back provides some nice outdoor seating (not only for dinner but their Sunday brunch as well), but it's a far cry from the posh and hip hotels like the Gansevoort or the Setai that are its neighbors. But if you're about the food and not the scene, Talula is the place to go on South Beach.
Talula
210 23rd Street
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305.672.0778
*Actually this list could go on quite a bit longer. Starfish, and then Cafe Maxx, back before Kerry Simon went Vegas; Mark's South Beach; Nemo back when Michael Schwartz was the chef; Johnny Vinczencz's first restaurant at the Astor Hotel (not the forgettable sequel), and perhaps even better, the casual Johnny V's Kitchen on Alton Road with the fantastic rib-meat hoagie; Chrysanthemum; Shoji Sushi back before it went to crap. Currently, Sardinia is very good, and Meat Market shows some promise. Perhaps I'm disproving my point here, and the general suckiness of South Beach is a more recent phenomenon.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
North Beach / Biscayne Corridor Map of Good Eats
Just to get a start on the return to the original premise here - South Florida restaurants and dining - here's a Google map I created of good eats in my 'hood, the areas around North Beach, 79th Street Causeway and the Biscayne Corridor. If you click through to the actual map, each of the placemarks will pop up with a short description of the restaurant.
View Larger Map
The restaurants mentioned in the map:
Las Vacas Gordas
933 Normandy Drive
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.867.1717
Katana
920 71st Street
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.864.0037
Ariston
940 71st Street
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.864.9848
Che Sopranos
916 71st Street
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.868.8989
Tamarind Thai
946 Normandy Drive
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.861.6222
Dolce Vita Gelateria
954 Normandy Drive
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.865.2523
Prima Pasta Cafe
414 71st Street
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.867.0106
El Rancho Grande
314 72nd Street
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.864.7404
Sazon Cuban Cuisine
7305 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.861.4727
Le Banyan
7300 Ocean Terrace
Miami Beach, FL 33141
786.488.9902
El Rey de Chivito
6987 Collins Ave
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.864.5566
La Perrada de Edgar
6976 Collins Avenue
Miami FL 33141
305.866.4546
Edy's Chicken & Steak
1624 79th St. Causeway
North Bay Village, FL
305.864.9958
Siam Bayshore
1524 79th Street Causeway
North Bay Village FL 33141
305.864.7638
Sushi Deli
1412 79th Street Causeway
North Bay Village FL 33141
305.861.0143
Oggi Caffe
1666 79th Street Causeway
North Bay Village FL 33141
305.866.1238
Boteco
916 NE 79th Street
Miami FL 33138
305.757.7735
Royal Bavarian Schnitzel Haus
1085 NE 79th Street
Miami FL 33138
305.754.8002
Anise Taverna
620 SE 78th Street
Miami FL 33138
305.758.2929
Magnum Lounge
709 NE 79th Street Causeway
Miami FL 33138
305.757.3368
Pineapple Blossom Tea Room
8214 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.754.8328
Red Light
7700 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.757.7773
Ver Daddy Taco Shop
7501 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.381.5978
Vagabond Market
7301 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
Le Cafe
7295 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.754.6551
Dogma Grill
7030 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.759.3433
Karma Carwash
7010 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.759.1392
Casa Toscana
7001 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.758.3353
Michy's
6927 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.759.2001
Uva 69
6900 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.754.9022
Kingdom
6708 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.757.0074
Upper Eastside Green Market
6600 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL
Canela Cafe
5132 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33137
305.756.3930
(note that I have cut off this list before reaching the Design District, where there are a number of restaurants each meriting their own post). More details to come on several of these and many others.
View Larger Map
The restaurants mentioned in the map:
Las Vacas Gordas
933 Normandy Drive
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.867.1717
Katana
920 71st Street
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.864.0037
Ariston
940 71st Street
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.864.9848
Che Sopranos
916 71st Street
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.868.8989
Tamarind Thai
946 Normandy Drive
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.861.6222
Dolce Vita Gelateria
954 Normandy Drive
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.865.2523
Prima Pasta Cafe
414 71st Street
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.867.0106
El Rancho Grande
314 72nd Street
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.864.7404
Sazon Cuban Cuisine
7305 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.861.4727
Le Banyan
7300 Ocean Terrace
Miami Beach, FL 33141
786.488.9902
El Rey de Chivito
6987 Collins Ave
Miami Beach FL 33141
305.864.5566
La Perrada de Edgar
6976 Collins Avenue
Miami FL 33141
305.866.4546
Edy's Chicken & Steak
1624 79th St. Causeway
North Bay Village, FL
305.864.9958
Siam Bayshore
1524 79th Street Causeway
North Bay Village FL 33141
305.864.7638
Sushi Deli
1412 79th Street Causeway
North Bay Village FL 33141
305.861.0143
Oggi Caffe
1666 79th Street Causeway
North Bay Village FL 33141
305.866.1238
Boteco
916 NE 79th Street
Miami FL 33138
305.757.7735
Royal Bavarian Schnitzel Haus
1085 NE 79th Street
Miami FL 33138
305.754.8002
Anise Taverna
620 SE 78th Street
Miami FL 33138
305.758.2929
Magnum Lounge
709 NE 79th Street Causeway
Miami FL 33138
305.757.3368
Pineapple Blossom Tea Room
8214 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.754.8328
Red Light
7700 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.757.7773
Ver Daddy Taco Shop
7501 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.381.5978
Vagabond Market
7301 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
Le Cafe
7295 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.754.6551
Dogma Grill
7030 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.759.3433
Karma Carwash
7010 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.759.1392
Casa Toscana
7001 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.758.3353
Michy's
6927 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.759.2001
Uva 69
6900 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.754.9022
Kingdom
6708 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33138
305.757.0074
Upper Eastside Green Market
6600 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL
Canela Cafe
5132 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami FL 33137
305.756.3930
(note that I have cut off this list before reaching the Design District, where there are a number of restaurants each meriting their own post). More details to come on several of these and many others.
Friday, April 3, 2009
What I've Learned
During ten days in Spain, we had a chance to do some excellent eating. While we experienced a wide range of places, from humble tapas bars to Michelin 3-star restaurants, it was still only a small sample of what Spain has to offer. But I am nonetheless convinced that the Spaniards' passion for and dedication to great ingredients, and to the joy and satisfaction of good eating, make Spain one of the world's great dining destinations. So what broad, pat generalizations can I draw from this limited snapshot?
1. great ingredients cooked properly will make a great dish. This is not some Marco Pierre White* "the only way to cook fish is on the bone with olive oil lemon and salt" rant (about which you can find more discussion here). I'm completely agnostic as to preparation methods and techniques, and think it is just as possible that sous vide or anti-griddle is the proper way to cook something as a saute pan. But it is perhaps an obvious, almost tautological truth, that if you start with great product and don't screw it up, you will end up with something great. Some of the most exciting, satisfying things we ate on this trip were also the simplest - percebes at Goizeko, calçots at Cuines Santa Caterina. Even the Arzak egg we had was as much about wonderfully flavorful egg and truffle as about the technique and presentation.
2. it's just cooking. In large part, and with a couple exceptions, the places that are using contemporary techniques are not doing so as an end unto themselves, but rather just as part of the repertoire of making great food. At Arzak we had spherified mushrooms and solidified foie oils and powdered olive oil sauces, but it didn't seem contrived or forced. In part I think with such a greater concentration of restaurants that are exploring these contemporary techniques, it becomes less "look what I can do" (though there certainly remains an element of that), and more about how those techniques can be used to enhance the entire dining experience.
3. presentation is not a substitute for flavor. We were served some breathtakingly beautiful things in Spain. The "hot and cold crab salad" at Akelaŕe was a visually stunning dish, with the miniature carrot and radish made of vegetable purees, and the perfect-looking meringue mushroom - but it would have been a disappointing dish without such vivid flavors. The creations at Aloña Berri were some of the most beautiful bites I've ever seen, but what made the place so special was that they were just as good to eat as they were to look at. On the other hand, the "esmeraldas de chocolate" at Arzak were also a great visual feat, but that didn't change the fact that they didn't taste like much. Presentation is undoubtedly a component of a great meal, but it can never make up for lackluster flavors.
4. there are few things as revelatory as an unexpected complementary combination of flavors. Arzak used herbs in desserts, particularly in combination with chocolate, to great effect (basil ice cream paired with chocolate spheres and a red wine sauce; a chocolate-rosemary ice cream that was just fantastic). Aloña Berri's pintxo pairing mackerel and foie gras, along with a crisped leek sprinkled with various flavors, worked perfectly. To me, these kinds of combinations - when they work - can make for some of the most magical dining moments.
5. Asian influences would seem to be Spain's trend du jour. Albert Raurich spent nearly ten years as El Bulli's chef de cuisine, but his new restaurant, Dos Palillos, is doing pretty straight-ahead Chinese and Japanese food with only a smattering of hints of his former job. Other places riffing on Asian themes, like Kabuki Wellington and Diverxo in Madrid, are also getting much attention. I wonder how much this may just be a reflection of Spanish food culture not being as familiar with Asian cuisines as perhaps we are here in the U.S., as the East/West thing doesn't seem all that groundbreaking to me.
6. Arzak is doing some interesting things with colors. The manipulation of color was a recurring theme in our meal at Arzak. The "bronzed" monkfish, with a sauce that also became speckled with bronze when another sauce was added tableside; the "perdigones" in iridescent silver and pink with the duck, the "esmeraldas" of chocolate with a shiny green shell made from spinach, were remarkable effects. But see 3 above - if the flavors aren't there, the dish will still disappoint.
7. Akelaŕe is doing some interesting things with echoing of flavors. It only occurred to me in retrospect, but one of the things that was common to many of our dishes at Akelaŕe was that the same flavor would be repeated in different forms in the same dish. The crab came as a cold shredded salad and a warm grilled claw, as well as in the coral "soil" underneath. Prawns were served over another "soil" made from dried ground prawn shells. Sole was served with an emulsified sauce made from the fish's cooking juices. Roasted suckling pig came with pools of "Iberian emulsion" which echoed the porcine flavors. Many of these dishes only had a few predominant flavors, a far cry from, for instance, Alinea dishes with "too many garnishes to list." This is not to say that one is any better than the other, only to note the dramatic difference between the approaches.
8. there's no good reason for any restaurant to be stuffy. Arzak and Akelaŕe are both Michelin 3-star restaurants, but there was not the slightest hint of stuffiness or haughtiness at either place. The restaurant staff at both places were warm, friendly and relaxed. Indeed, the solicitude that Juan Mari and Elena Arzak showed for everyone in the restaurant while we there - ourselves included - was one of the most memorable, and rewarding, things about our meal. Elena in particular is just one of the warmest, most genuine people you could ever have the good fortune to meet.
So that closes the chapter on our venture to Spain, and we'll now return, for the time being, at least, to the original premise of this blog - good eats in Miami and surrounds. Thanks for your patience.
*Given that his "Chopping Block" show lasted only a few episodes and nobody other than Mrs. F and I have seen the movie "Mystery Men," I doubt there is anyone else in the universe that will get this reference, but MPW's messianic "insights" on the show reminded me of none other than The Sphinx -"He who questions training only trains himself at asking questions." "To learn my teachings, I must first teach you to learn." "When you can balance a tack hammer on your head, you will head off your foes with a balanced attack." Am I the only one who finds these things just a little bit formulaic? I know this guy was supposed to be one of the greatest chefs in England, but ... maybe it was the checkerboard Spicoli Vans that made it hard for me to take him seriously.
1. great ingredients cooked properly will make a great dish. This is not some Marco Pierre White* "the only way to cook fish is on the bone with olive oil lemon and salt" rant (about which you can find more discussion here). I'm completely agnostic as to preparation methods and techniques, and think it is just as possible that sous vide or anti-griddle is the proper way to cook something as a saute pan. But it is perhaps an obvious, almost tautological truth, that if you start with great product and don't screw it up, you will end up with something great. Some of the most exciting, satisfying things we ate on this trip were also the simplest - percebes at Goizeko, calçots at Cuines Santa Caterina. Even the Arzak egg we had was as much about wonderfully flavorful egg and truffle as about the technique and presentation.
2. it's just cooking. In large part, and with a couple exceptions, the places that are using contemporary techniques are not doing so as an end unto themselves, but rather just as part of the repertoire of making great food. At Arzak we had spherified mushrooms and solidified foie oils and powdered olive oil sauces, but it didn't seem contrived or forced. In part I think with such a greater concentration of restaurants that are exploring these contemporary techniques, it becomes less "look what I can do" (though there certainly remains an element of that), and more about how those techniques can be used to enhance the entire dining experience.
3. presentation is not a substitute for flavor. We were served some breathtakingly beautiful things in Spain. The "hot and cold crab salad" at Akelaŕe was a visually stunning dish, with the miniature carrot and radish made of vegetable purees, and the perfect-looking meringue mushroom - but it would have been a disappointing dish without such vivid flavors. The creations at Aloña Berri were some of the most beautiful bites I've ever seen, but what made the place so special was that they were just as good to eat as they were to look at. On the other hand, the "esmeraldas de chocolate" at Arzak were also a great visual feat, but that didn't change the fact that they didn't taste like much. Presentation is undoubtedly a component of a great meal, but it can never make up for lackluster flavors.
4. there are few things as revelatory as an unexpected complementary combination of flavors. Arzak used herbs in desserts, particularly in combination with chocolate, to great effect (basil ice cream paired with chocolate spheres and a red wine sauce; a chocolate-rosemary ice cream that was just fantastic). Aloña Berri's pintxo pairing mackerel and foie gras, along with a crisped leek sprinkled with various flavors, worked perfectly. To me, these kinds of combinations - when they work - can make for some of the most magical dining moments.
5. Asian influences would seem to be Spain's trend du jour. Albert Raurich spent nearly ten years as El Bulli's chef de cuisine, but his new restaurant, Dos Palillos, is doing pretty straight-ahead Chinese and Japanese food with only a smattering of hints of his former job. Other places riffing on Asian themes, like Kabuki Wellington and Diverxo in Madrid, are also getting much attention. I wonder how much this may just be a reflection of Spanish food culture not being as familiar with Asian cuisines as perhaps we are here in the U.S., as the East/West thing doesn't seem all that groundbreaking to me.
6. Arzak is doing some interesting things with colors. The manipulation of color was a recurring theme in our meal at Arzak. The "bronzed" monkfish, with a sauce that also became speckled with bronze when another sauce was added tableside; the "perdigones" in iridescent silver and pink with the duck, the "esmeraldas" of chocolate with a shiny green shell made from spinach, were remarkable effects. But see 3 above - if the flavors aren't there, the dish will still disappoint.
7. Akelaŕe is doing some interesting things with echoing of flavors. It only occurred to me in retrospect, but one of the things that was common to many of our dishes at Akelaŕe was that the same flavor would be repeated in different forms in the same dish. The crab came as a cold shredded salad and a warm grilled claw, as well as in the coral "soil" underneath. Prawns were served over another "soil" made from dried ground prawn shells. Sole was served with an emulsified sauce made from the fish's cooking juices. Roasted suckling pig came with pools of "Iberian emulsion" which echoed the porcine flavors. Many of these dishes only had a few predominant flavors, a far cry from, for instance, Alinea dishes with "too many garnishes to list." This is not to say that one is any better than the other, only to note the dramatic difference between the approaches.
8. there's no good reason for any restaurant to be stuffy. Arzak and Akelaŕe are both Michelin 3-star restaurants, but there was not the slightest hint of stuffiness or haughtiness at either place. The restaurant staff at both places were warm, friendly and relaxed. Indeed, the solicitude that Juan Mari and Elena Arzak showed for everyone in the restaurant while we there - ourselves included - was one of the most memorable, and rewarding, things about our meal. Elena in particular is just one of the warmest, most genuine people you could ever have the good fortune to meet.
So that closes the chapter on our venture to Spain, and we'll now return, for the time being, at least, to the original premise of this blog - good eats in Miami and surrounds. Thanks for your patience.
*Given that his "Chopping Block" show lasted only a few episodes and nobody other than Mrs. F and I have seen the movie "Mystery Men," I doubt there is anyone else in the universe that will get this reference, but MPW's messianic "insights" on the show reminded me of none other than The Sphinx -"He who questions training only trains himself at asking questions." "To learn my teachings, I must first teach you to learn." "When you can balance a tack hammer on your head, you will head off your foes with a balanced attack." Am I the only one who finds these things just a little bit formulaic? I know this guy was supposed to be one of the greatest chefs in England, but ... maybe it was the checkerboard Spicoli Vans that made it hard for me to take him seriously.
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