![]() The hotel's restaurant is the Bazaar by José Andrés. The SLS Miami Beach has been slow to rise from the ashes of endless construction, which leaves us sad. If so, we'll surely make the drive, but it won't fill the gastronomic gap left in the Gables. Singh lives in Fort Lauderdale and is said to be exploring the possibility of opening a House of India there. The restaurant's large band of loyal fans will lament the loss of the fresh, authentic Indian and Pakistani cuisine - and we'll really miss the $12 lunch buffet, one of the best deals around. But this past March, owner Darshan Singh, faced with rising rent, threw in the towel. It debuted in Coral Gables in 1975 - that's seven years before the movie Gandhi was released. Nor did the subtraction of Eden, Mai Tardi, and the Water Club from our restaurant roster have much impact. Corporate-driven hotel restaurants such as Ago, Soleà, Emeril's, and Norman's 180 went down for the count, but, quite frankly, nobody was counting. China Grill is also rising again in another location. The loss of Charlotte Bistro would hurt more too if we didn't know that Elida Villarroel was coming back with a new name in the same space. Naoe's closure would normally have left us inconsolable, but Kevin Cory is reopening his omakase oasis on Brickell Key. Chef Allen's Seafood Grill and Joe Allen called it quits before the last "Best of Miami" issue came out, so they don't count. It may be cruel to say, but we didn't lose as many nostalgic favorites during the past year as usual. And if it's your birthday, there are specially designed ice-cream cakes to go. The Frieze also churns out fantastic malts, floats, and milkshakes. If you can resist the smell of fresh waffle cones, let one of the friendly employees make you a sundae topped with hot fudge, caramel, butterscotch, or cherry syrup. They also offer the basics such as vanilla, strawberry, and pistachio, but we usually go for more interesting options like green tea, key lime pie, and Jamaican Blue Mountain chip, a heady coffee ice cream. Consider the Nuttiest Buddy (peanut butter ice cream loaded with chocolate chips, fudge, and nuts) or the Banana Wafer (a banana base with vanilla wafer cookies, inspired by Elvis's preferred snack). What makes this "ice cream factory" our winner is the creative range of its inventions. The Frieze produces it all without any artificial colors or preservatives, so there's no misleading sugar mischief the sorbets are made with real fruit and purified water. Everything is homemade using 16 percent buttercream. But that would be a real shame, because it makes the best ice cream in town. In fact, it's very easy to miss the Frieze. ![]() Dulce de leche ice cream surpasses any Neapolitan or vanilla filler we've come across, so expect a happy ending every time (the dessert-fairy-tale kind, not the other kind). This treat's dense pistachio cake is not unlike banana bread, and dollops of tart passionfruit and mango salsa in the corners of the plate add color and tang. ![]() The pièce de résistance is the baked Alaska, a layered symphony of flavors beneath a fluffy canopy of lightly browned meringue. Whether it's deep-fried fruit pie or coconut hibiscus panna cotta with citrus salad and shaved coconut, Michy's desserts ($9 apiece) are a sweet success. Chocolate croquetas with a spicy pot de crème for dipping are long, thin, crisp cylinders, more refined than their counterpart churros at Bernstein's Sra. A little orange rind cuts through the richness, and vanilla ice cream becomes a slowly melting puddle on top. The bread pudding is soaked in cognac and loaded with raisins and chunks of chocolate. For years we've been having a love affair with the fluffy bread pudding and baked Alaska, which have reached iconic status. Although pastry chefs have come and gone at the restaurant, the sweetest surprise is that the desserts are always consistent and incredible - worth the calories no matter who is wearing the toque. Her "luxurious comfort food" appeals to hungry locals and Food Network fans alike with amazing savories such as sweetbreads, short ribs, and those Serrano ham and blue cheese croquetas with fig marmalade that have become almost as well-known as Bernstein. Michelle Bernstein's original baby in MiMo has established the chef as one of Florida's finest and most famous.
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