Michelin Announces New Additions to Florida Guide
Miami, Orlando, and Tampa get new restaurants in advance of April's Michelin Star Ceremony
The Michelin Guide has just sent a Valentine to Florida in the way of an announcement.
Turns out, on this day of romance Michelin sent love letters to 19 Florida restaurants, including them in the Florida Guide.
So why the out-of-the-blue announcement?
Well, Michelin loves to tease its new guides and generally announces some new additions ahead of its annual star ceremony, scheduled for April 18 in Tampa.
According to Michelin, the 2024 Florida Guide will list 137 restaurants (although its website currently lists 156). As a reminder, though this is the “Florida” Guide, the only cities eligible for inclusion are Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Winter Park (a metro suburb of Orlando). The addition of Winter Park is a bone of contention for restaurateurs in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach who rightly claim that many formidable restaurants in the region are just a stone’s throw from Miami.
As always, Miami received the lion’s share of new restaurants entering the Michelin stratosphere with eight eateries earning their spot in the sun.
Tampa, once considered a sleepier city than Miami, is coming in hot in the culinary scene with six new restaurants entering the Michelin Guide.
Four new Orlando spots have been included in the Michelin Guide, with one Winter Park being added to the book.
These restaurants are all in the running for Michelin stars or Bib Gourmands — we’ll just have to wait until April to find out.
Here’s the complete rundown of new Florida entries into the Michelin Guide for 2024, along with Michelin’s tasting notes. As always, Broken Palate is here with the latest breaking food news around the country and beyond.
Miami
EntreNos
Chefs Evan Burgess and Osmel Gonzalez are at the helm of this dinner-only spot where a tightly edited à la carte menu puts the spotlight on Florida's seasons (and almost everything is sourced from the Sunshine State). The smoked dry-aged cobia is a perfect example of what this place does so well.
Tam Tam
Husband-and-husband team Tam Pham and Harrison Ramhofer are throwing a party on their own terms. Come as you are for this celebration of Vietnamese cooking that started out as a supper club. Much of the food doesn’t require silverware: Think wings glossed in fish sauce caramel. Bold, funky, and fun, the restaurant is a good time all around, down to the hidden karaoke machine.
Pez
Pop over to Pez in downtown Miami for a taste of Baja. Choose from an array of tempting menu items but don't skip the Ensenada-style tacos for a true taste of the coast. And, while the usual array of ceviches is on offer, the one to order is the atún con “mashaca," made with diced yellowfin tuna, dried shredded beef and habanero cream for a thoroughly unexpected delight.
Kaori
Upscale Asian fusion menus are a dime a dozen in Magic City, but this attractive Brickell restaurant is a cut above the rest. The space is sized on the more intimate side and, fittingly so, the menu is equally well measured. Indulgent wagyu and foie gras gyoza arrive with picture-perfect searing, and bluefin tuna comes dressed in a sharp coconut-lime sauce.
Maty's
With the beloved Itamae now closed, chef Valerie Chang strikes out on her own with this full-service follow-up in Midtown. Pulling inspiration from her childhood and from her grandmother, after whom the restaurant is named, Chang uses quality seafood to deliver bright, citrus-forward Peruvian flavors. Those who’ve eaten with Chang before will recognize some of the dishes: Black grouper, kanpachi and ocean trout arrive dressed with the likes of aji dulce, kiwiberries, finger limes and passionfruit.
Ossobuco
Wynwood’s newest tenant is making some noise in an already-bustling zip code. Indeed, the steakhouse portion of the menu offers obvious appeal but so too do the lighter courses. Smoked baby beets with ricotta mousse is right on target, while the ossobuco empanada and sweetbreads with wagyu potato purée are the makings of a meal of their own. A stylish patio with a vibe of its own, a thoughtful cocktail list worth digging into, and a weekend DJ who knows how to work a room seal the deal.
Ogawa
Chef/co-owner Masayuki Komatsu commands a presence with an omakase that stuns with a series of enticing cooked dishes and a procession of focused and skillful nigiri. From baby sea eels with a soy-cured quail egg and bigfin reef squid in a shiso-miso sauce to baby snow crab and Japanese-style herring roe, this appetizer of four bites is the first sign that this isn't your typical sushi counter.
Shingo
Chef Shingo Akikuni, ever gracious and welcoming, has returned, now back in action behind a spacious, 14-seat counter in Coral Gables. Chef Akikuni and his second-in-command handle the crowd without breaking a sweat and even switch sides midway through the meal. Fish is sourced almost entirely from Japan, sliced in uniform fashion, and, dressed with little more than a swipe of nikiri. They keep a close eye on the seasons too.
Tampa
Supernatural Food & Wine
Located in downtown Tampa, this casual concept is all about sandwiches—at breakfast and lunch—as well as a few sides and salads. It's a bright, mood-elevating kind of place where diners come in the morning for the olive and feta sandwich, served on a toasted focaccia bun with a black olive tapenade, fluffy egg, feta, thinly sliced red onion, and roasted peppers.
Predalina
The large menu is a nod to the Mediterranean, beginning with a wide variety of mezzes (the blistered cauliflower surrounded by whipped tahini is a winner). Lunch offers a nice mix of sandwiches and salads, while dinner is squarely focused on entrées and house-made pastas. The tomato calamarata looks every bit the calamari it's named for, and dressed with a chunky, herb-laced tomato sauce and delicious kefalograviera, or Greek sheep's milk cheese, it's a satisfying dish.
Streetlight Taco
This South Tampa taqueria certainly ups the style quotient on the typical taqueria. Heirloom corn is nixtamalized in house for a menu featuring tacos, tostadas, salsas, sides and more. Don't skip the Sunday snack tostada, an equal parts sweet-and-savory delight with two blue corn tostadas layered with cream cheese with lump crab, diced sweet mango and a mango habanero sauce.
The Pearl
The large American menu with shareable options aplenty sports a seafood focus, but don't sleep on dessert, as the in-house pastry chef oversees the pie-only menu. Come with friends for a fun time and to snack on treats such as fried pickles with a creamy dipping sauce or raw, baked or fried oysters. Go for broke with a seafood tower or enjoy a humbler entree, like the fish and chips.
Ebbe
Chef Ebbe Vollmer's eponymous downtown dweller isn't your typical Tampa restaurant. Sleek and contemporary with a space dominated by a U-shaped marble bar, it's hyper-focused with just one tasting menu. Scandinavian elements make their way onto the dishes here, hinting at the chef's Swedish background, and the cooking is both clever and confident without superfluous fuss.
Kōsen
Though a two-concept spot (Kō is a separate space for kaiseki), all eyes should be on the omakase, which chef Wei Chen runs with skill and precision. Delicate sea bream wrapped around sprouts with shaved black truffle delivers dialed-in flavors, while tempura-fried kamasu, served with myoga and chilled, roasted sweet eggplant, is smart and spot on.
Orlando
Zaru
This sleek, Mills 50 eatery is located in the same strip as the Tien Hung Market. With an upbeat playlist and an attractive dining room, the restaurant specializes in chewy noodles made from wheat sourced from Japan’s Kagawa Prefecture. Ikura, tempura and top-notch ingredients like Hokkaido uni and A5 Kagoshima wagyu pair with broths of wonderful smokiness and depth.
Sushi Saint
Mike Collantes, chef/owner of Soseki, has another hit on his hands with Sushi Saint. This downtown temaki spot lures guests with its lounge-y vibe and contemporary design. The team takes great care in sourcing high-quality rice and nori for their cone-shaped temaki, and while the hand rolls take center stage, their small plates, like Sichuan cucumbers with chili crunch, are worth trying.
Natsu
There are just two seatings a night at this intimate omakase, where a ten-seat counter dominates a spartan-styled room. Meals begin with four dishes from the kitchen, including chawanmushi and truffle kampachi, served with crispy potato straws and a yuzu truffle vinaigrette for an unexpected flavor combination that is especially memorable. The sushi is impressive and doesn't gild the lily.
Camille
Chef Tung Phan has taken the pop-up and given it permanence at this space just off Lake Baldwin. Rooted in French techniques, Vietnamese flavors are given a refined twist here. Salmon over king trumpet noodles in a tamarind and pineapple sauce is creative, but the best may be saved for last. The sweet potato brioche topped with a "gold" chocolate ice cream and Vietnamese coffee sauce is an elegant finale.
Winter Park
Chuan Fu
The large Szechuan menu features many of the classics served in a traditional family-style manner, and the solid cooking shows its skill with layered flavors and bold takes. First, tuck into the cucumber salad, with its punch of soy and garlic, before settling into the Chongqing chicken with its chili and peanut garnish.