Pan-Asian in Miami

1200 Collins Ave., Miami Beach South Beach

305-695-0101

Asian Fusion, Pan-Asian, Recommended, Slideshow

When Michael Pirolo returned to the U.S. at age 25 after four years of staging in Italy, he brought back more than the recipes that helped make Scarpetta and later Macchialina successes. During his time there, he picked up a number of a tricks and lifelong lessons from the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cooks he worked alongside. They all manifest at Bazi, his seemingly unexpected Asian joint that opened in Collins Avenue's fabled Marlin Hotel. Throughout the week, vermilion snapper, hogfish, or whatever's available is delivered from Islamorada. The fish is deboned, dredged in rice flour, and pan-fried until the skin crisps into briny curls. The accompanying green papaya salad isn't for the faint of heart but should be heaped on. The musty funk of the fish sauce dressing is as pungent and awe-inspiring as anything on the streets of Southeast Asia. It's clear Pirolo isn't dumbing down his cooking or the robustness of Asian ingredients to capitalize on his successes.

19 articles

Dim Ssam A Gogo

Various Locations/Food Truck, 125 Midtown/Wynwood/Design District

305-576-8096

Fast Food, Pan-Asian, Food Trucks

To read more about this restaurant, click here!

9 articles

Lan Pan-Asian Cafe

8332 S. Dixie Highway, South Miami Coral Gables/S. Miami

305-661-8141

Japanese, Korean, Pan-Asian, Thai, Best Of, Menu

Yup, it's that same old cliché: a cute little café in a big ol' shopping mall. Or rather, in a big ol' parking garage. Located on the ground floor of Dadeland Station, next to a Romero Britto sculpture, Lan's pan-Asian fare is the perfect antidote to the surrounding chain stores. Items range from sushi to glazed spare ribs ($6.95), mushroom-crusted tuna ($18.95), and green papaya salad ($7.95). Although this restaurant has garnered many local fans, it can be inconsistent. For instance, the taro and crab croquettes are outstanding, but the chicken katsu isn't as good. Save space for Taiwanese bubble tea, which comes with tiny floating pearls of tapioca and is beloved by many loyal regulars. Flavors include jasmine, cherry green tea latte, kiwi, and almond. Great lunch specials are also available, but be forewarned: The place gets busy during weekday afternoons.

7 articles

Lettuce & Tomato

17070 W. Dixie Highway Aventura/North Miami Beach

305-760-2260

Fusion, Gastro Pub, Latin, Wine Bar, Asian Fusion, Pan-Asian, Slideshow

Lettuce & Tomato is a swank gastropub that offers an industrial yet warm atmosphere tucked away on West Dixie Highway at NE 171st Street. Featuring a juxtaposition of Latin and Asian flavors, the menu lists plates such as huevos rotos, served with hand-cut garlic French fries, sofrito, serrano ham, three fried eggs, and a pinch of sprouts; mantou, known as Asian-inspired steamed buns, stuffed with thick cuts of meat such as short rib or pork belly and drizzled with a homemade ají aioli sauce; and seared corvina with quinoa, slow-cooked mushrooms, piquillo peppers, and red onions.

3 articles

Pao by Paul Qui

3201 Collins Ave., Miami Beach Mid/North Beach

786-655-5630

Asian, Filipino, Pan-Asian, Slideshow

At Pao, which boasts a gold domed ceiling and $6 million gilded unicorn made by Damien Hirst, the prices match the accolades. Unfortunately, the precision of the cooking doesn't match the prices. Yet scattered throughout the menu are a few items worth sampling. Pao is ambitious, with an arsenal of show-stopping flavors many will never have encountered. Read more about Pao.

11 articles

Son Cubano

2530 Ponce de Leon Blvd. Coral Gables/S. Miami

305-902-6220

Cuban, Pan-Asian, Fusion, Slideshow

Like so many Cuban places across Miami, Son Cubano tries to replicate a jubilant Havana night. Sometime around 10 p.m., the fedora-wearing trumpet player inside the Coral Gables restaurant Son Cubano decides he's had enough of slow-paced melodies and jumps into some driving salsa. Soon a dozen guayabera- and pantsuit-clad diners are on their feet and shaking their hips. It doesn't take long before there's a conga line, led by one woman who's taken the musician's maraca as her own. The menu, however, is anything but classic Cuban. There are Wagyu picadillo-filled dumplings crisped on one side like gyoza, as well as meaty Prince Edward Island mussels in a savory black-bean broth akin to Chinese stir-fry. Croquetas de malanga offer a nice spin on this sometimes bland standby via an infusion of black garlic that provides a hint of earthy spice. It's matched with a pungent curry aioli. The flan is ingeniously spiked with the fermented soybean paste called miso. But if you want an old standby, the lechón asado — a Paleolithic-looking hunk of meat roasted until fork-tender and boasting bronze skin that has been pulled back to reveal a stub of bone — will never do you wrong.

2 articles

Sriracha House

1502 Washington Ave., Miami Beach South Beach

305-534-0303

Pan-Asian, Recommended, Best Of

At Washington Avenue's Sriracha House, ordering is done fast-casual style. Select your starch, your protein, your vegetables, and your sauce. Then have at it. The combination is quickly stir-fried in a wok and handed over in a Chinese-takeout-style box. Whole-wheat noodles have a pleasant bite and come with plenty of sliced pork, crunchy bok choy, and meaty shiitake mushrooms. All are topped with a variety of homemade sauces, ranging from Indonesian black pepper to lemongrass, that are a significant step up from your regular Chinese takeout joint. Prepare for slurping.

6 articles

Talde Miami Beach

4041 Collins Ave., Miami Beach Mid/North Beach

786-605-4094

Asian, Asian Fusion, Cantonese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Noodles, Pan-Asian, Vietnamese, Wings, Recommended, Slideshow

At Talde, the new Asian-American restaurant inside the Confidante Hotel, the chef and his crew — which includes executive chef Jeanine Denetdeel from Talde Brooklyn — dont take themselves too seriously. In fact, they want customers to know it's OK to let loose. To facilitate that, they have the underground-club vibe down pat — from the excessively dim lighting to the walls covered with graffiti by Brooklyn artist Mr. EwokOne to a playlist Chef Talde refers to as "baby-making music." So grab a seat and start with an order of kung pao chicken wings. Talde's version consists of Szechuan peppercorns, chilies, peanuts, cilantro, and a splash of sweet chili sauce. The result? Incredibly crisp, finger-licking wings that are addictive. Also good are the short ribs and the whole roasted branzino. At the bar, there's a lighted sign in Dutch that translates to "Unity makes strength." The saying is borrowed from the Brooklyn flag, and it befits a restaurant with such a cohesive ethos: Serve proudly inauthentic Asian-American cuisine in a convivial and hip setting.Read our full review.

15 articles

Pan-Asian in Miami

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