Angler’s Resort’s New 660 Mediterranean Kitchen

MIAMI BEACH - Located in the heart of South Beach on bustling Washington Avenue, The Angler’s Resort presents their new dining hotspot 660 Mediterranean Kitchen. Within the hideaway of luxurious Angler’s Boutique Resort the restaurant and lounge features local seafood infused with a touch of the Mediterranean.

Dubbed “Twilight Dining” guests are encouraged to dine under the stars on the terraces or enjoy the interior dining space, the newly refined twilight menu and cocktail selection features an assortment of tapas and old world cocktails including the Cuba Libre, Bloody Mary, or a Manhattan.

660 Mediterranean Kitchen provides guests with an enclave of exclusivity for style-savvy locals and international travelers with the casual elegance and comfort of a friend’s home and the allure of a five star restaurant and resort. Originally built in 1930 the resort echoes an earlier, more gracious era, suspended from the constraints and concerns of the real world, a charm that 660 Mediterranean Kitchen echoes and it delivers with a sensual and unparalleled dining experience.

Managed by Boutique Hospitality Management www.boutique-hospitality.com, The Angler’s Resort is more than just a flagship resort destination and restaurant; both are a testament to the quality of the management. Since founding Boutique Hospitality Management in 1997, President Keith Space and his team take a unique approach in managing the boutique hotel and fine dining experience. “At 660 Mediterranean Kitchen we encourage diners to start their night with us,” says Keith Space.

660 Mediterranean Kitchen makes its mark with an emphasis on fine dining. Starters, which are perfectly paired with signature cocktails from 660′s cocktail menu or as a prelude to dinner, include Andalusian Gazpacho, and Baked Brie Salad. Entrées include the decadent Pasta Carbonara “My Way,” Paella Del Mar, and Grilled Organic Chicken. 660 Mediterranean Kitchen offers a full bar along with an array of creative signature cocktails including Pick your Poison made with ice filtered fruit consommés and Blame it on The Angler’s.

660 Mediterranean Kitchen, located at 660 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, has a capacity of 50 indoors and 100 on the expansive outdoor courtyard. The restaurant offers catering services for private parties and special events both onsite and offsite.

Call 305-534-9600 or see www.theanglersresort.com

Beringer Event at Smith & Wollensky

MIAMI – Smith & Wollensky, America’s famous steakhouse, will join Napa Valley’s premier winery, Beringer Estates, in hosting a delicious 5-course dinner paired with four wines from the region’s oldest continuously operating winery on May 20 at 6:30pm at their Miami location. The menu will include colossal-lump crab cocktail, filet mignon and vanilla panna cotta. Seating is limited; tickets are $125. Call 305-673-2800.

Brief: Orlando Marriott Chef Makes Chocolate Lighthouse

ORLANDO – Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center Executive Pastry Chef, Lucy Martin will be one of four competitors vying for the $10,000 first place award in the Food Network Challenge: “Wonders of the World.”

Chef Martin has only eight hours to create out of chocolate one of the Seven Wonders of the World and she has selected the Lighthouse of Alexandria, which once stood as a beacon of light to mariners in Alexandria, Egypt. According to Martin, when this solid chocolate masterpiece is complete, it will stand over four feet tall and weigh nearly 60 pounds. “I am thrilled and proud to be a part of this competition,” said Martin in a Business Wire press release to FloridaSnapshot. “It’s a unique opportunity and I’m really looking forward to this challenge.”

The Executive Pastry Chef inside the world’s largest Marriott for the past six years, Martin oversees all pastries & breads for the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center’s 10 food & beverage outlets and banquets inside the largest pillar-free resort ballroom in the nation. She launched her career at the New York Marriott Marquis in 1991 while attending the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan. Chef Martin also apprenticed with Colette’s Cakes and has an extensive wedding cake clientele.

Over the years, this highly respected and award-wining chef holds one silver and two bronze medals for her awe-inspiring chocolate showpieces and is a silver medal recipient for the Super Team Challenge at the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show. In addition, Chef Lucy Martin was inducted into the Institute of Culinary Education Alumni Hall of Achievement in 2006.

This award-winning and eco-savvy meeting destination showcases a remarkable 450,000 total square-feet of event space, all under one roof and most entirely on one level. It is home to 2,000 beautifully designed guest rooms and suites, most with spacious balconies; 18-hole championship golf course and a full service spa and fitness center. The sprawling outdoor spaces and terraces, which surround or overlook the resort’s million-gallon pool complex, are also perfect venues to host outdoor functions.

For information, please call 407-239-4200, or visit www.marriottworldcenter.com.

New Restaurant Concept Opens in Boca Raton

BOCA RATON – ZED451, a new restaurant concept of original cuisine and delivery opened last fall in Mizner Park mall.

Boca Raton is the first location for ZED451 outside of Chicago, where the critically acclaimed flagship restaurant is located downtown. “Boca Raton is home to some of the nation’s most sophisticated diners, which is why we selected this market as our first foray outside of the Chicago area,” said chief operating fficer Bill Bartlett, in a press release.

The concept behind ZED451 lets customers be made to feel more like attending a party in someone’s house than being in a restaurant.

The cuisine at ZED451 – modern upscale grilling – includes fire grilled steaks, ribs, fish, poultry and game served tableside by the chefs who created them. At any time, guests are invited to help themselves to several Harvest Tables, featuring seasonal soups, composed salads, artisan cheese and charcuterie. The fixed price is intended to inspire experimentation and discovery. “The beauty of our menu is that there is no risk,” says Steve Byrne, director of culinary operations. “You can try something new like antelope or wild boar sausage and if you like it, have more.”

Chefs as Waiters?

ZED451 breaks down the barriers between the front-of-house and the back. Instead of servers and runners, dishes are delivered tableside by the chefs who created them.

In addition, the staff at ZED451 is trained to serve as a concierge by helping customers make reservations at other restaurants, lounges and bars following their meal.

General Manager of ZED451 in Boca Raton is Tim Fannin, and the 20-member team of chefs is led by Executive Chef Armando Galeas.

ZED451 in Boca Raton is a 14,000 square foot space designed by architect Chris Smith (ZED451, Chicago; Buddakan, Philadelphia and New York; Grayz, Restaurant 81 and Haru, New York; OLA and Strike, Miami; and Charlie Palmer Steak, Las Vegas.) ZED451 is Smith’s first Boca Raton project. RCC Associates built the 338-seat restaurant.

A rich landscape of natural elements with a highly stylized, contemporary edge makes up the look of ZED451 in Boca Raton. A focal point is the large communal table in the center of the restaurant, which is surrounded by the completely open kitchen and lavish Harvest Tables. “Guests have described the space as ‘rustic and sexy,’” says Chief Brand Officer Daniel Harf.

ZED451 in Boca Raton offers dinner seven days a week beginning at 4 p.m. Reservations can be made by calling 561-393-3451 or www.zed451.com, 201 Plaza Real, Mizner Park

Beach Bistro on Anna Maria Island

HOLMES BEACH – It doesn’t look like it’s going to be fancy because its kind of connected to an old motel. But don’t let Beach Bistro fool you.

Beach Bistro, situated at the end of 66th St. in really beachy neighborhood on Anna Maria Island, is one of the most celebrated on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The restaurant is pricey but full surprises, and famous for their lobstercargots (a tasty Florida riff on escargot). Many dishes have a Southern take, with items like corn casserole and citrus grits.

Owner (and Nova Scotia native) Sean Murphy worked at Arnaud’s, so his work has a New Orleans feel, but you won’t find any Folgers hiding in the coffee pot here. Compared to other local restaurants, it has a bit of a feel of Euphemia Haye, but a little bit more creative.

On my husband’s birthday, we particularly liked the menu of small plates. His lamb chops were “best ever” and there were a number of surprises. The salad was a field of greens covered with grilled fruit, covered with a scoop of lime sherbet and feta cheese. As inconceivable as the dish sounded, it worked, thought it was kind of weird that you had this icy thing on top.

6600 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach, 941-778-6444 or Beachbistro.com

The Beach Bistro is situated in the Resort Sixty Six, 6600 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach, FL 34217, 941-778-2238.

New Pass Grill and City Island, Sarasota

SARASOTA – The pass between Longboat Key and City Island has three great restaurants. On City Island, there is the more casual New Pass Grill. It is extremely casual and sits almost next to the bridge between the islands.

It dates from 1929; you can get a burger there for just over $5. They also offer bait and hats, over 1,000. Fun spot. Read more

Hungry for Maas Brothers Cinnamon Rolls

TAMPA – We hear that they were the best ever. We are, of course, talking about those cinnamon twists from Tampa’s Maas Brothers.

The website Group Recipes has the twist recipe. Try it at home before you head here to Florida, and get a taste of old Florida. Here is the technique for making the twists:

You fold the long sides toward the middle til they meet and then, butter, sprinkle and fold them again. I wish I could draw a picture and show you. Have you see the pictures of a palmiers? They kind of look like that before they get cut into strips and then twisted. Next time I feel like baking…..and we do have Customer Service Week coming up at work (need to feed the masses then)……And if I don’t have to work all weekend again, I’ll see if I can make a batch. They aren’t hard, it is mostly waiting for the yeast to do it’s thing. Of course, this is mostly a memory thing for me, Maas Brothers was a treat with my mom. The cinnamon twists were wonderful, the atmosphere “fancy”, and the shopping was delightful. It was the old time department store with a bargain basement and 3 floors of wonderful items. The Mezzanine had the lunchroom and the best tables in the house were overlooking the sales floor below and watching the frenzied shopping ballet.

Hyatt Grand Cypress Culinary Weekends

LAKE BUENA VISTA – Those looking for a little VIP treatment won’t have to travel far or break the bank to experience a fun and relaxing getaway with Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress’ brand new Culinary Weekend Escapes, on select weekends throughout 2009.

The Culinary Weekend Escape Package invites guests to dine, relax and have fun in the sun, right near Orlando’s famous theme parks, for a package rate of $299*per room including:

• FREE Saturday Afternoon Chef Demonstration and Tasting by our Award-Winning Culinary Team
• Saturday Night Stay in a Deluxe Room
• $200 Resort Credit for Brunch at La Coquina, Dinner at Hemingway’s or the Resort Activity of the Guest’s Choice.
• Additional Nights at a Special Rate of $139

Culinary Weekend Escape Dates:

• Easter Weekend: Saturday, April 11
• Mother’s Day Weekend: Saturday, May 9
• Father’s Day Weekend: Saturday, June 20
• Ernest Hemingway’s Birthday: Saturday, July 18
• Pre-Thanksgiving: Saturday, November 21
• Christmas Weekend: Saturday, December 26

To Book : Call 407-239-1234 and Use code CULIN.

About Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

The award-winning Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is situated on 1,500 acres in the Lake Buena Vista area, close to all of the Orlando’s famous theme parks. The resort features a variety of recreational activities, including 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus Signature Design golf, racquet club, 21-acre lake with water sports, Lagoon swimming pool with waterfalls and waterslides and Camp Hyatt children’s programs. The resort’s address is One Grand Cypress Blvd., Orlando, Florida, USA 32836. Visit the resort’s Web site at www.hyattgrandcypress.com or call the hotel directly at 407-239-1234.

A Handy Sarasota Restaurant Cheat Sheet

From Lido Key, Old Salty Dog

Below are some of our favorite Sarasota restaurants. There are many more; perhaps readers can add favorites on the comments at the end if we have left a favorite off. We could go on and on; instead we’ve made this quick and handy list so you can have them all in one place.

Downtown

• El Greco: Classic downtown Greek dinner spot. The perfect Greek-American restaurant. They opened in 1969, year of moon launch, and still consistent each time.
• Selva Grill: Peruvian, and sensuously so. Scene at night. Happening without attitude. We do agree with the skirt steak and plantains dinner entree.
• Marina Jack’s: Big wide view of Sarasota Bay; the place you take mom for Mother’s Day, or just want the big atmosphere. Dinner boat too.
• Mattison’s City Grille: Downtown on Main Street, Mattison’s is part outdoor, and is always a scene. Great food but the view is better. Love the torches.

Longboat Key/St. Armand’s Circle

• Cha Cha Coconuts: Perfect spot for a beer and sandwich or burger on the circle. Good prices. Make that GREAT prices. Sister location in Tampa.
• Columbia Restaurant: Always good, and with the same menu as sister restaurants around the state, but a Sarasota flair all its own. As close to Cuba as you will get, but with a St. Armand’s flair. www.columbiarestaurant.com - (941) 388-3987
• The Old Salty Dog: This is our favorite Sarasota restaurant, not just because of the view, but the food, which includes local fish. Still, the big appeal is the view; the rumble rumble of the drawbridge gives it all a sense of drama. You could eat there every night. Really.
• Tommy Bahama’s: If you like this sort of thing, it’s here.
• The Colony and Monkey Room. At The Colony Beach and Tennis Resort, the main dining room attracts regulars from Longboat, and is the sort of place that would have been called “fancy” 30 years ago. Still is. The outdoor Monkey Room is a less expensive bar; at night there is jazz. Make sure the kids order the pasta, which is shaped like tennis racquets.
• Chart House: Expansive and extravaganza few of the pass between Longboat Key and City Island. Chart House was one of the great 1970s restaurant innovators, and it is still that amusing.
• Euphemia Haye: Gourmet stuff at Chef Raymond Arpke’s romantic restaurant at the north end of Longboat.

Siesta Key

• Lobster Pot: A cozy little seafood restaurant in Siesta Key Village.
• Salty Dog: A streetside version of the one near St. Armand’s. It’s great but we love the other one so much that it always disappoints.
• Turtle’s on Little Sarasota Bay: Overlooking the Intracoastal near Turtle Beach, it’s the quintessential cozy waterfront restaurant where the bar is hopping and an upstairs terrace gives you the perfect date night. Casual but not too casual. Cozy in a Thursday-night-drinks-out sort of way.

South County, Tamiami Trail

• Alpine Steak House: We’re not fans of the Terducken they serve here, but we are fans of the other burgers and meat. With a mean deli, too; if you are in town do stop by and see what they have in the way of tenderloins, etc.
• Demetrio’s Pizza: Fast service, a local favorite for pizza since 1973.
• Philippi Creek Oyster House: Busy place, the ultimate “you have to stop here on vacation” spot. Seafood is workable; folks just like to be there. Wish more folks would come via the dock.
• Sam Snead’s: In the area around Morton’s, this is a golf course grill type restaurant that turns luxe at dinner. Food is great, but you want to be there to see what’s going on and who drops in. Oh, and chomp on a big steak.
• J. Ryan’s on the Grill: What more good can be said about this bistro? The prices are seemingly right out of 1968 (we exaggerate a bit) as is the completely original menu. Chateaubriand, chicken piccata? What you imagined a restaurant to be, and no self important chef attitude. Fast service too.

Osprey/Casey Key

• Casey Key Fish House: How many good things can we say about this place? First, its ultra-casual, but on expensive Casey Key. Seafood is always fresh; the whole place just smells right. Pelicans on the marina get a bit close, but that’s all part of the scene. Tiki bar was kept closed by weasels in the county and pesky neighbors, but was set to reopen with limited hours. What a great Florida restaurant looks like. Osprey, (941) 966-1901

Venice

• Briandi’s: The sort of restaurant Frank would have stopped in at; it’s intimate (around a dozen tables) and has Italian classics. The Italian restaurant you remember from 1962. Nothing has changed, thankfully. No website that we can find.202 S Tamiami Tr., Venice, 941-488-9511
• Sharkey’s on the Pier: Kids will love the shark bones and teeth, and parents will love the fact that kids can run on the beach while you wait for a table. Packed, at the south end of Venice near the airport.

Whopper Bar, Whopper Studio at Universal

ORLANDO – Universal Studios has gone Whopper.

Burger King Corp. (NYSE:BKC) just opened the world’s first Whopper Bar restaurant at Universal CityWalk at Universal Orlando Resort. The Whopper bar offers diners the ability to pick toppings for their Whopper.

Visitors to the Whopper Bar can also visit to the Burger King Studio kiosk. There, guests can create customized t-shirts using original designs by young artists inspired by Burger King, and have them printed on site. Part art gallery, part creative laboratory, the first t-shirt factory opened in Chicago last fall.

Studio first hit the underground scene in Chicago last fall. The outpost at Universal CityWalk marks the next stage of the concept, which Burger King Corp. makes available via an interactive Web site, www.burgerkingstudio.com.

See www.bkwhopperbar.com for more information.

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