Fickle South Floridians love to discover the new and different. We become enthralled with a novelty like the latest cellphone, the limited edition trainer or the off-the-beaten-path restaurant and quickly name drop our latest discovery to all of our friends before quickly moving on to our next infatuation. In recent months, the glut of restaurants offering hearth baked pizzas, juicy gourmet burgers and grass fed prime steaks has reached the tipping point. As 2010 approaches, we find ourselves casting about for WHAT’S NEXT…
Ancient Japanese cooking utilized blazing hot stones to sear fresh seafood and meat to flavorful perfection. Called “Ishi Yaki,” the technique traces back to traditional fishermen who utilized stones hot from the ship’s oven to warm their lunch in wooden buckets. Back on shore, the fresh catch was grilled in the hollow of a red hot rock. In Japan’s Akita region, super heated stones were tossed into a vessel of soup and raw veggies causing them to boil. If you can’t afford the airfare to Akita, try Surfside’s newest Ishi Yaki style restaurant Stone Grill 95 where a searing lava rock is placed on your table to flash grill steaks, chops and sausages.
Stone Grill 95 features a reasonably-priced and perfectly simple menu of wine-friendly hot and cold tapas-style starters including spicy chorizo mussels, lamb merguez sausage and steak tartare all under $10. Sides of mashed potatoes, creamy corn, garlicky mushrooms and a variety of fresh veggies are $5 each. Main plates, grilled on lava rocks or prepared by Chef “Punchy” Ryan are locally-sourced and reflect the chef’s passionate personal collaboration with his South Florida purveyors.
A Texas boy, Chef “Punchy” really knows his way around beef. Working at the Ritz Carlton South Beach under Top Chef Jeff McInnis and John Suley, he began as a butcher and later followed Chef Suley to open Cafe Joley in Boca Raton. When Shore Club SkyBar manager Donato DeMartiis called to say he was partnering with Miami philanthropist Linda Rinaldi on a dream restaurant project, Stone Grill 95 took flight.
As a special tip to our readers, we thought to mention that Rinaldi hosts a Wednesday night “Sake-Tini” Happy Hour from 5-9pm featuring free tapas and a casual insider’s vibe. We invite you to experience the newest source of sizzlingly delicious beef at Surfside’s “soon to be famous” Stone Grill 95 before everyone else finds out about it…
Stone Grill 95 is located at 9487 Harding Avenue, Miami Beach (in the former La Rotisserie spot). 305-868-7667
