Tasting Table Miami's Fall 2013 Preview

Restaurants, breweries and markets to look forward to this fall

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Miami, we hope you've gotten your rest this summer, because "the season" approaches.

In addition to an influx of tourists and a flurry of events, this fall holds exciting culinary developments for our tropical town. We're stoked about a Miami brewery boom, a handful of markets, new food reads and a clutch of high-profile restaurant openings.

Clockwise from top: Batch Gastropub, Josh Capon, dessert by Andrew Bachour, rendering of Wynwood Brewing Company 

RESTAURANTS

The world-renown Gastón Acurio will open an outpost of La Mar at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in December. The pan-Peruvian menu will cover ceviches, Nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese) cuisine and new Andean cuisine, all served in an Arquitectonica-designed space.

Chicago chef and restaurateur Tony Mantuano is opening his first Miami restaurant, Lorenzo, in South Beach's new Redbury Hotel. Mantuano says, "We can't wait to bring our pastas to Miami and show guests what we've been creating at Spiaggia and Café Spiaggia for nearly 30 years."

More hotel restaurant launches in South Beach: Michael Mina's second Miami restaurant is in the works at the Fontainebleau Hotel. New York's Lure Fishbar will bring its retro-swanky nautical design, along with chef Josh Capon's menu of seafood, sushi and steaks, to the Loews Hotel this fall.

The Pubbelly Group continues its opening tear with the French-influenced Brasserie L'echon at the Hilton Cabana. The Pubbelly boys plan to keep the Taco Belly pop-up at PB Steak going while scouting for a permanent home for their ceviche tacos and huitlacoche quesadillas.

Chef Bee's post-Khong River House project, AiYaRa, will serve street food from Korea, Myanmar, Japan and Thailand (the location remains TBA). He's currently testing menu items as specials at Oishi Thai.

Fingers are crossed that the much anticipated Frita Shop–a Cuban burger joint in Coral Gables from Bread + Butter Counter chef Albert Cabrera–will open later this year.

Clockwise from top: Flor A, M.I.A. Brewing, Timon Balloo, Pubbelly's Jose Mendin

Samba Brands embraces the "eat and play" trend with the forthcoming Bocce Bar, next door to Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill in Midtown Miami. Sugarcane chef Timon Balloo will create an antipasti-inspired menu, and the bar will pour kegged cocktails and house-made liqueurs. Also look for Blackbrick in Midtown, where Sakaya Kitchen chef-owner Richard Hales will serve both modern and regional Chinese cuisine.

Chef Philippe Ruiz, formerly of The Biltmore's Palme D'Or, will take his talents to Lippi in Brickell. Of the menu, owner Tunu Puri (of Zuma and Lippi) says: "[It will feature] more than 80 small dishes inspired by my world travels."

DRINKING

La Rubia blonde ale and other beers from Wynwood Brewing Company will hit bars in mid-September, and the tap room will debut later this fall. Another Wynwood resident, Diego Ganoza's Gravity Brewlab, has been sampling its beers at events in recent months. Get a taste later this month at the Cluck Miami event, and drink an exclusive porter at the forthcoming Batch Gastropub in Brickell.

M.I.A. Brewing Co. has documented the progress of its Doral brewery on Facebook for months. After a name change–the brewery used to be called Most Wanted–and the arrival of a new brewmaster, owner Eddie Leon expects to open his tap lines near the end of the year.

In November, The Liquid Projects will host its first-ever CRAFT: Spirits and Beer, a tasting event, lecture series and dinner series for both industry folks and the public.

Tony Mantuano and Gastón Acurio

MARKETS

Obsessive fans have spent months noting the construction progress of South Florida's first Trader Joe's. No more Two Buck Chuck runs to the store in Naples: The Pinecrest location should open on October 18.

Coral Gables will welcome the third location of Epicure Gourmet Market, home of imported groceries and takeout deli favorites, this fall.

Good news for fans of Miami Smokers' candied bacon, currently sold at the Pinecrest Gardens Farmers' Market: A permanent smokehouse and market in Little Havana is in the works.

BOOKS

Antonio Bachour, pastry chef at the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, has penned his first cookbook. He says Bachour, out in November or December, will be geared toward pastry professionals, but we're eager to peek at the techniques behind his stunning creations.

Take note, urban foragers: Flor A: A Guide to Edible Plants in Miami will be available in November. Authors Tiffany Noe and George Echevarria claim: "With the right eye and a telescoping pole, mamey, ackee and star fruit are all within reach."