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ANDREW SWERSKY
THE FORGE
Eye candy and culinary debauchery abound at The Forge, Miami Beach’s renowned, glamorous grand dame, where tuxedo-clad waiters theatrically remove the silver covers from diners’ 16-ounce Super Steaks and Lobsters Thermidor, which taste best paired with sides of luscious creamed corn and spinach and wines from the restaurant’s spectacular 200,000-bottle cellar. Philadelphia-born chef Andrew Swersky draws upon the Caribbean and Latin America to add indigenous flair to his menu: The free-range chicken breast is served on a bed of Cuban boniatos (potatoes); the smoked Scottish salmon is served in a brown-sugar chipotle-vodka cure. Don’t be fooled by the 17th-century artwork and museum-worthy stained-glass accents, as this restaurant’s heart, soul and flavors are pure hip-hop and rock ‘n’ roll.
Behind the bone-in: “Ten years ago, I started doing the bone-in filet. I noticed that the filet mignon on a T-bone tastes completely different than the filet mignon off the bone. So I called up the butcher and told him I wanted him to cut me a filet with the bone in, so it would hold its natural juices and sugars. I wanted the center-cut filet mignon only—the real, actual filet mignon, not tenderloin. We use only four of them from an entire steer: We take two center cuts on each side of it. It’s a little more difficult to eat—a little more masculine than eating a filet mignon off the bone—but it’s well worth it because the flavor is much more intense. The T-bone has surpassed the Super Steak as our best seller. It’s cooked on the hickory wood-burning grill and is prepared with a beet salad consisting of candied, spiced pistachios, crumbled blue cheese, roasted beets, balsamic-shallot vinaigrette, au poivre sauce and cippolini onions.”
Luscious muscle: “I came up with The Deckle steak about four years ago. I dissect the prime rib and take its latissimus-dorsi muscle off. This is supposed to be the most tender, juiciest piece of meat on the entire cow. I did a lot of research, and a graduate from Yale University’s agricultural program did his thesis on the most flavorful piece of the animal—and this was it. It’s served with roasted shallots and Oregon morel mushrooms.”
Lucky duck: “My favorite two bottles of wine are the Romanée-Conti from Burgundy, France, and Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, California—which is extremely rare. Most of the time we have it at The Forge, although it’s very hard to get. We are lucky to have it. The Screaming Eagle is dry, extremely fruity and would taste great with the duck—a complicated dish that’s done over a four-day process. The duck is marinated in a Peking marinade, and the legs are stuffed with a cornbread stuffing and cooked confit-style in their own fat. They’re stored in their own fat for three days and then cooked again until they’re crispy, and sliced. The breast is cooked on the hickory wood-burning grill mid-rare—sliced and served with a cassis sauce.”
Eat-ertainment tonight: “Everyone—from Tom Cruise to Sharon Stone—has eaten at The Forge. Jennifer Lopez loves the snapper; Marc Anthony loves the bone-in filet. Matt Damon loves his steaks mid-rare, Hulk Hogan and The Big Show love the Tomahawk Steak, with sweet-potato pancakes, crème fraîche and shallots. Janet Jackson loves the Tuna Tartare Four Ways.”
432 41st Street, Miami Beach
305-538-8533
theforge.com
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Macaluso’s is pure New York Italian food, just like chef Michael D’Andrea, right, who excels in preparing home-style favorites such as baked rigatoni and chicken parmigiana, and homemade Staten Island-style sausage and peppers appetizer. |
MICHAEL D’ANDREA
MACALUSO’S
Thanks to its menu of mouth-watering Italian-American cuisine and an ambiance that oozes with charisma, Macaluso’s single-handedly put its location—in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Miami Beach strip mall at Dade Boulevard and Alton Road—on every foodie’s map. Born and raised in New York, chef-owner Michael D’Andrea has poured his passionate personality into the place and turned hordes of South Beachers—and luminous regulars including Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, P. Diddy, Hilary Duff and Tommy Mottola—into die-hard fans of his Staten Island home cooking, which features sweet sausage, zesty shrimp, succulent pasta and, of course, the world-famous, to-die-for meatballs luscious enough to turn even the most die-hard vegetarian around (really).
Meatball mania: “My meatballs can’t be duplicated because of the respect and honor I put into them: It’s a 70-year-old family recipe. I made meatballs famous and trendy in Miami, and now other restaurants put them on their menus. Not one is like mine! I can’t tell you how they’re made because it’s a secret, but I have rolled every one myself for the past eight years.”
A cure for hunger: “The underdog dish is definitely Macaluso’s homemade sausages. I’ve been making sausages since I was 14 years old—when my father taught me—and now the tradition lives on. It’s very tedious and a labor of love but worth the price. A lot of chefs and restaurateurs buy them frozen from suppliers, and others maybe bribe the butcher or something. But I want to know what’s going in them. Customers who have been dining at Macaluso’s for years have never tried our sausages, but when they do, they’re hooked. We now sell about 200 pounds a week right next door at our market, Macaluso’s & Co. So I believe in underdogs—I always have.”
Italian dreamin’: “My dream started with just my recipes and my will. I took my chances and followed my instincts. I left my bartending job, maxed out my credit cards, second-mortgaged my house, sold a car and borrowed money. Most South Beach restaurants spend millions of dollars on décor and hundreds on food. I only had hundreds, so I spent it on the food.”
Mama-mia milieu: “My cooking style is healthy—like the European lifestyle, eating quality ingredients and using the best olive oils. You are what you eat! When it comes to décor, at Macaluso’s you can’t help but feel like you’re in New York. The music, of course, is important. I grew up listening to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Tony Bennett. I want my customers to feel like they’re at my home, enjoying a home-cooked meal with the steam coming out of it like a locomotive!”
No reservations: “Macaluso’s has shown success in many different ways, but the best was when Rosie O’Donnell came in for the first time with Gloria Estefan, who is a regular. I went to the table to say hello, and Rosie yelled, ‘What’s the matter with you? I called the place 14 times and you don’t answer the phone!’ That was one of the high points. She’s right: We don’t answer the phone.”
1747 Alton Road, Miami Beach
305-604-1811
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Chefs—and brothers—Nicola and Fabrizio Carro proudly serve up authentic Northern Italian cuisine from their native Piemonte at Quattro, including not-to-miss dishes such as house-made green and yellow pappardelle with Chianti lamb ragu , Mediterranean octopus in a lemon emulsion served atop steamed potatoes, and carpaccio of pineapple with seasonal fruit sorbets. |
FABRIZIO AND
NICOLA CARRO
QUATTRO GASTRONOMIE ITALIANA
Quattro Gastronomie Italiana (just “Quattro” to locals) is Lincoln Road’s hottest and hardest Italian restaurant reservation, thanks to a finely tuned, can’t-miss recipe for success. At the helm is a seasoned group of South Beach nightlife impresarios (Karim Masri, Nicola Siervo, Rony Seikaly and Nicola Schon) well versed in the art of pleasing the city’s finicky diners. Behind the stoves is a gorgeous pair of twin chefs from Alessandria, Italy—Nicola and Fabrizio Carro—obsessed with replicating the fine Northern Italian cuisine of their beloved Piemonte region. Almost as captivating as the succulent, tantalizing fontina ravioli drizzled in white-truffle oil is the gorgeous clientele, illuminated by the room’s beautiful Murano-glass chandeliers.
Regional as a rule: Fabrizio: “We never cooked in America before cooking at Quattro, so our menu is completely authentic. We don’t believe in fusion and practice the purest form of Northern Italian cuisine. Our emphasis is to remain traditional, but some of our patrons are looking for more Italian-American dishes [more red-sauce pastas and meatballs], but we don’t offer this kind of fare at Quattro. If anything, we hope to educate our clientele that has never been to Italy by transporting them there right here on Lincoln Road.”
Italian imports: Nicola: “The herbs and spices in Italian cuisine are diverse, and, here at Quattro, we stick to Italian ingredients exclusively: Even the flour and salt we use for our fresh pasta are sourced from Italy. American flour is heavier than Italian flour, so it’s better to use the Italian kind, which gives our pasta the right light and fluffy texture. We never use artificial products, premade items, fake sugar or anything like that. We buy most of our ingredients directly from Italy, and we cook using old-fashioned, artisan methods—it’s one of our secrets.”
Great balls of carnaroli: Nicola: “We have made some dishes that were excellent but not very well received, such as the barley risotto with Taleggio cheese. One dish that seemed like an underdog but ended up performing well was the arancini—a deep-fried, crispy ball of saffron risotto stuffed with meat ragout and mozzarella cheese.”
The real veal: Fabrizio: “For any special occasion, our mother cooked the best vitello glassato—one of our signature dishes at Quattro. It’s braised veal glazed with white Martini vermouth and served with a pearl-onion sauce. It’s an homage to our mother, who is, by the way, a fantastic cook, as well.”
Italian stallions: Nicola: “If cooking for myself, I usually don’t cook more than three plates. It should be something not very complicated and easy to clean up. For a really good experience, I always use time, passion and love—especially if I have to cook for my girlfriend. And the wine needs to be delicious. We like Nebbiolo, because it comes from our region of Italy [Piemonte]. This grape is the base for Barbaresco and Barolo—the best wines Italy has to offer.”
1014 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach
305-531-4833
quattromiami.com |
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