Flood's On Draft [10]
Leaning into opulence under the banyan tree
How to Have a Good Time in Miami (?)
This is not a guide. I pose this as a question to you, my avid readers.
I had a lovely three-day Miami jaunt last week. Lovely because basking in the Florida sun amid a bitter, soggy stretch in New York feels fucking excellent. My serotonin levels feel replenished, and my outlook on life is a little brighter. But Miami, the city, doesn’t seem to click with me. I’m not convinced it’s a city for me. I’m actually pretty sure it’s not.
My first experience in Miami was during college — my hockey friends and I went down for spring break to catch some rays and make some memories. I remember it being a challenging experience. Miami’s not a great place for broke (male) college students. The girls we traveled with were emphatically treated to dinner, limo rides, bottle service — the works — by eager, slimy-looking club promoters. Meanwhile, us fellas were quoted $20k table minimums and scoffed at when we inquired about riding in the limo with the ladies. We ended up Ubering to Fort Lauderdale, which was more our speed (and budget). And honestly, it was a blast. I walked away from that trip writing off Miami — not in a bitter way, but in a “this place isn’t for me (yet)” way.
Years later, now with a solid financial footing, I’m still not convinced it’s a place worth spending significant time. Miami is a scene — that’s for sure. But is it a good one? Even if you can afford to be in it, do you really want to?
Nevertheless, I did find a couple of hits worth sharing, just in case you find yourself headed to the Sunshine State. But I want to open this up to you all — send me a note, or better yet leave a comment if you have a must-hit restaurant, a neighborhood worth spending time in (is it Coconut Grove?), or a general approach on how to enjoy this ridiculous city. Ubering around trying to find excellent cafes and Latin lunch counters proved to be a futile and frustrating approach. If there’s a better way to go about it, I’d love to hear it.
Sunny’s Steakhouse Little River, Miami
Rather than resist, I leaned into opulence on this trip. Sunny’s felt like the right place to go big — and it was. Started as an outdoor pandemic-era pop-up under an enormous banyan tree in Miami’s Little River, Sunny’s is now a full-ass operation. By my estimates, there are probably 150 outdoor seats and another hundred more inside — enormous. My New York gut tells me not to trust mega-restaurants, but Sunny’s rocked.
The leading dishes — scallop in a citrusy aguachile negro and buttery wagyu carpaccio — were both stellar. Corn and blue crab-packed agnolotti was another memorable dish — bright, with a salty sweetness. The steak, pork chop, and accompanying sides — pommes pure, creamed spinach, parker house rolls, and chicken fat potatoes — were all about as wonderful as you’d expect. No reinventing the wheel, just down-the-middle hits, like Ichiro in ‘04. The indoor space is art-deco-designed in a way that feels like it’s been around for years, even though it just opened in October. Sunny’s gave me a glimmer of direction for how to dine in Miami — that is, don’t shy away from over-the-top, majorly hyped restaurants.
Tâm Tâm Downtown, Miami
Tâm Tâm is another pop-up turned newly opened restaurant that’s getting all kinds of press and love. It sits in a part of town you probably wouldn’t venture to unless you’re going to Tâm Tâm (this is one of my gripes with Miami). The Vietnamese-ish, buzzingly cool, wine-forward spot had flashes of excellence, but most of those highs have to do with the space itself. The retro diner-turned-tastefully designed canteen is a very fun room to sit in. It has an almost bowling alley-like wear, the music is bouncing off the walls, and the wine is perfectly chilled — the vibe is right.
The menu leans heavily on its smaller plates, ranging from solid to very good, but never reaching great. At the end of the day, the two best dishes were fish sauce caramel chicken wings and tamarind-glazed pork ribs — which both feel a bit like layups. Scallop pomelo goi, floating in a creamy, herby coconut milk broth was another standout. The price point here (small plates $15-21) was more than reasonable. File it under the “very good, not quite great, still a worthy hit” column.
Got any thoughts on Miami? Drop a comment here.
Recently Added
The newest additions to the Flood’s hit list
Birds of a Feather Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Most of the time, I really want to lean into my Chinese food hangs — I’m talking Tsingtaos at Great NY Noodletown, obscene dumpling orders at Super Taste, and diving headfirst into peanut butter noodles at Shu Jiao Fu Zhou. I want it hectic, I want it a little gritty. Other times, I’m looking for a more polished experience. Not smoothed to fine-dining levels, just slightly elevated with a few more frills (like swapping fluorescent lighting for warmer, softer hues). That’s where Birds of a Feather taps in — Sichuan food that makes you tingle, in a modern, minimal prime-Williamsburg space. Birds of a Feather occupies an elusive sweet spot — consistent, excellent, and accessible. I’ve never had a bad time here — especially when dry-spiced fillets of fried dover sole are included in the order. There are plenty of hits on the menu: kung pao chicken is a crowd-pleaser, and the punchy poached wontons in chili sauce won’t let you down. Mix in a veg-forward cold appetizer or two and you’ll be in excellent shape. It’s a lively environment, with long communal tables and dishes being quickly passed to support that notion. The price point is fair. And even on a busy Friday night you can throw a name down and get seated. That’s a valuable card to have in your back pocket.
Studio Bumi Brooklyn-based pop-up
Dining is about way more than food. Way more. Studio Bumi is a creative project that I first came across at my friend Sophie’s Off-Menu Magazine launch party at Rodeo. That night, they were making steamed babi kecap pork buns, and galangal rice topped with crispy fried chicken — Indonesian-influenced comfort food bangers. But Studio Bumi’s offering runs deeper than pop-ups at tasteful wine bars. The creative studio’s driving mission is community building, and its principal offering is its dinner party series.
I was admittedly a little intimidated heading into the dinner — it’s a room of 30 strangers, after all. But once greeted by the friendly, gracious Bumi team, everyone seemed to let their guard down, and conversation started to flow. It’s also BYOB… popping open and sharing bottles of wine is a foolproof way to loosen things up. While the dinner is seated and coursed, Bagus (the founder and MC) bridges the room conversationally, prompting intros and telling stories about the dishes. Even though food isn’t the focus, it's certainly the medium for connection. The dishes carry that same Indonesian inspiration I found at Rodeo — family-style with a home-cooking feel. Banana leaf-wrapped fish cakes were a standout, as was the deeply flavorful oxtail soup. Gulai kikil, or beef tendon curry, was the biggest large-format hit — creamy, spicy, and nourishing. There are plenty of nights where I go out to the bar with friends and meet no one new — this, refreshingly, wasn’t one of those nights. I walked out feeling like I was a part of something special — a room full of intentional people making genuine connections. Dinner at Studio Bumi serves as a reminder that even in a fast-paced city like New York, you’re never isolated.
Best Dishes
Some of the best things I ate (or drank) recently
Aguachile — Ensenada Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I think Mexican seafood hits hardest in the winter. Light, refreshing, zesty — it jolts me into a sunny state of mind even on the dreariest days. Ensenada is not exclusively a restaurant de mariscos, but it’s what they do best. In addition to the obligatory tostada de atun, you should have an aguachile on the table, preferably campechao — a mix of shrimp and fish. There are three varieties to choose from: this one’s amarillo, or yellow if you didn’t take elementary-level Spanish classes. There’s a fruity heat from the aji amarillo pepper, bright, citrusy notes from turmeric and lemongrass, and a fresh crunch from cucumber and radish. It’s not dissimilar to the aguachile you’d find up the street at Mariscos el Submarino — but it lands with a touch more sophistication and complexity.
Rhubarb Tart & Gelato — Superiority Burger East Village, New York
Believe it or not, I was vegan for 3 years. I know, I know. While this doesn’t make me a definitive voice on veg-forward cuisine, I think it does demonstrate I can appreciate vegetables as the star. Superiority Burger is fine, I’d even give them pretty good. It’s not one of the 10 best restaurants in New York though — that’s a crazy take. Despite my lukewarm feelings about a lot of the menu (burger and TFT excluded), I will admit — the desserts are killer. This rhubarb puff pastry situation with gelato was truly delightful. Delicate and flaky, perfectly balanced between sweet and tart, creamy ice cream melting into the warm pastry. My producer is signaling that I should tread lightly because there are many overt rhubarb haters out there. I’m going full speed ahead. I think rhubarb rocks, and this is one of its best utilization.
Flood’s Hi-Fi
Artists and records for moving and grooving
Radiohead — In Rainbows (album)
It was only a matter of time before I immersed myself in Radiohead. I was grabbing coffee with my friend Dave and he pointed me toward the Dissect season on In Rainbows — and now I’m deep in the weeds. Cole Cuchna has that effect. He has an uncanny ability to make you care through context, really making the music click. Thom Yorke lore aside, In Rainbows really is that good. I’ve never encountered a record that rocks this hard but stays so smooth. It’s emotionally charged, hauntingly so. With each subsequent listen I hear a new element, a new component that shakes me to my core. I don’t know if there’s a better example of a rock/electronic album out there — acoustically driven, but amplified with deeply layered synths yielding plenty of sonically beautiful moments. For those of you who have been Radiohead fans for years (decades?), please forgive my naivety. Let me have this moment — let me have this first time.
Dido — White Flag (song)
It’s 9:30 pm on a Saturday in New York City. Snow is pounding the streets of Brooklyn. My Gore-tex boots are on, and I’m striding toward the one singular place I want to be: Hartley’s. A few minutes after I walk through the cherry red front door and find myself with a creamy pint in hand, there’s a rush in the opposite direction. The ensuing Guinness-fueled snowball fight on Putnam Ave was nothing short of cinematic. Beers in one hand, perfectly packed balls of snow being hurled with the other. As patrons came stumbling back inside, shoulders dusted with powder from crossfire, on comes Dido’s 2003 smash hit “White Flag.” My mind flashes to a drive to school in Mom’s Honda Element, 96.3 WDVD on the radio. Simpler times. Dido can sing. This song is timeless.
Up Next
Places on my radar
Chrissy’s Pizza Greenpoint, Brooklyn — The time is now. For pizza. For joy.
Salty Lunch Lady’s Little Luncheonette Ridgewood, Queens — Action Bronson could make eating dirt seem like a good time.
Rolf and Daughters, Locust, Kisser Nashville, Tennessee — Headed to Nashvegas this week and this is where I’ll be dining. Shoutout to long-time follower and Nashville vet Derrick for the recs.
Lung Yai Thai Tapas next time in Miami is amazing
holy. huuuge honor ◡̈ cant wait to welcome u back into the dining room!!