What’s Doug Rodriguez Been Up To?

Why, opening restaurants in Miami, of course! Blogalicious was down SoBe last week, and discovered a Rodriguez resto, Ola, in the lobby of our hotel, the Sanctuary. Seriously, is it just us or does Philadelphia follow you wherever we go too? We sat at the bar, sipped a mojito, and tried to eavesdrop on conversations in Spanish while pretending to peruse the menu. Rodriguez, the opening chef at Alma de Cuba (and mentor of Jose Garces), has put together a ceviche selection that echoes Pasion, RIP—the one on the left is the Rainbow, shimming salmon wrapped around white corvina and topped with cubes of pink tuna. White soy, cilantro, sesame seeds, orange, lemon, and lime juice finish it off. Also tried a wonderful smoked Florida marlin club cured with vanilla and rum and flaky short rib empanadas streaked with spicy-sweet orange-rosemary marmalade. Can’t ask for better hotel dining.

Photo: blogalicious, Miami411

Start Your Resumes

Talk about timing. As our review of Devil’s Den (slated to appear in PW Wednesday) was getting fact-checked, we found out chef Joe Turrisi had just gotten the bizoot. His resume includes turns at Union League, Four Seasons, Susanna Foo, and La Terrasse, where he invented the pretzel-crusted chicken fingers that made their way onto the Devil’s Den menu. Turrisi’s departure comes on the heels of a stinging critique in the South Philadelphia Review by Phyllis Stein-Novack. Perhaps their martinis were not large enough for her and Cousin Carl?

A little birdie in Avalon NJ clued us into this tidbit: Conshy’s acclaimed BYOB Blackfish is opening a satellite spot at the Shore. This Craigslist ad confirms. They’re opening June 1, and currently hiring managers, servers, bussers, food runners, line cooks, dishwashers, and prep cooks. Compensation is $$$$.

Photo: Amazon

¡Lime Cilantro Sorbetto!

Lime Cilantro Sorbetto, where have you been all our life? Why are we discovering your tart, herbaceous brilliance only now? Not fair, Capogiro, distracting us with your tangelo, your dark chocolate, your Goose-and-Meyer lemon, when possibly your most vivid, delicious flavor has been hiding under our nose this whole time. Perfectly smooth and chilly, the spring-green lip-puckering sorbetto is speckled with emerald flecks of cilantro that fill the tastebuds with savory vibrance. It’s the fresh, cooling yang to the rich creamy yin of the Thai iced tea gelato Capogiro just started scooping.

Photo: 3rd World House

Learning Is Cool!

If you’ve ever thought it might be fun to wander around a museum while drunk tonight might be your chance! Penn’s Archaeology Museum is hosting Wined Through History, a scavenger hunt through the halls and galleries fueled by wine from Panorama. Cost is $100 for a team of four. There are prizes, but getting to experience this awesome museum after-hours makes you a winner already.

Photo: All Movie Photo

Deux Pouces Up for 10 Arts’ Website

Kudos to Tasty Concepts, the hospitality branding company that pimped the website for Eric Ripert’s 10 Arts in the Ritz-Carlton. They’re taking reservations for their grand opening on May 20th, but more importantly, is that sea salt-sprinkled pretzel bites we see in the photo gallery?!

Photo: Grub Street

Is That a Banana Leaf in Your Pocket or Are You Just Happy to See Mee Siam?

Another check for the list of places we’ve been wanting to get to for a while now: Banana Leaf in Chinatown. Friday close to midnight, the place was packed with Malaysian club kids, Center City types, and immigrant families feasting on fragrant fish head curries, treated duck web, and chicken feet in the tropically decorated (bamboo, fake flora) space. Queasy? Fear not. The huge menu offers plenty of normal, delicious stuff. Tofu satay. Noodle bowls. Rendang. Crisp on the edges and chewy in the middle, the spool of roti canai was the perfect pull-apart finger food dunked into yellow chicken curry. The seafood tom yum crackled with chili heat, the orange firebroth rife with vermicelli, shrimp, calamari, scallops, baby corn, and snow peas. The tofu in the mee Siam (stir-fried vermicelli in chili peanut sauce) made us believers that the fauxtein could be as good as real meat. The edges of each cube were golden and caramelized, the interiors spongy and soft. Dy-no-mite. Mugatu never would have wanted to kill the Malaysian prime minister had he sampled the food at Banana Leaf. And could their bathroom be the coolest in town? The stainless steel vessel sinks are shapes like woks!

Photo: blogalicious

From the Road: Savannah

Hey, ya’ll! Blogalicious was way down the lovely lowcountry last week, enjoying lots of sweet Carolina 'que, local Bluffton oysters, yummy, heart-stopping Southern food at Paula Deen's obligatory buffet. Of course, we were right there with the snaps, even if folks were looking at us weird.

Alabama-style BBQ-ribs, pulled pork, brisket, and chicken-from Jim 'N' Nick's in Bluffton, SC.
Southern-fried chicken at the $13 buffet at Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady & Sons.

The Pink Pig, a very bubblegum-colored cinderblock BBQ in Levy, SC.

Inside the Pink Pig.
Pulled pork sandwich.
Four kinds of BBQ sauce.

Diver scallops with shaved white asparagus, avocado, and Cara Cara orange at Local 11 Ten, a swanky seaonally-driven Savannah resto with fresh-local menu.

At Local 11 Ten, Basque shrimp and grits, a Spanish riff on the lowcountry classic with tomatoes and chorizo.

Photo: blogalicious