The Bazaar in South Beach

[Miss Needle]

Hi. I've made a reservation for The Bazaar for an upcoming trip. I've been to the Los Angeles one several years ago and thought it was great. I took a look at the Miami menu and it is quite overwhelming. Any standout dishes? Any dishes I should avoid?

I would prefer to avoid the more traditional dishes that I can get at many tapas places in my hometown. The LA menu (at least the one I saw years ago) had a clear delineation between the traditional items and the modern ones. It doesn't seem as clear looking at the Miami menu. Are the traditional items in the section labeled "Spain Yesterday and Today?"

[Miss Needle]

Thanks to everybody for your responses.

I'm going to try not to repeat what I've had at LA's Bazaar -- which means no salmon cone, eel wrapped in cucumber and caprese. There are so many delicious sounding items on the menu that I want to save stomach space and try stuff I haven't had before. I was debating whether I should do the tasting menu. But I'm leaning against it as there are many items I want to try that do not seem to be on it (eg. colada cubana, foie gras pb&j, mango uni) and a few items that I don't care to try that are on the menu (eg. cubano, dragon fruit, japanese taco).

Have a question about the Pà amb Tomàquet Catalan-style toasted bread. Seems that there are many recommendations for that dish. This kind of sounds like pan de tomate, something that I have found in virtually every tapas restaurant. Is there something really distinctive about Bazaar's version?

[Frodnesor]

pa amb tomaquet = pan con tomate. Yes it is a tapas bar staple, and yes it's basically bread rubbed with garlic, olive oil and tomato. Andrés' version is just about as close to the great versions I've had in Spain as I have found this side of the ocean - the right bread, right consistency to the pureed tomato, and if you wish, good jamon or anchovies on top. It's not particularly distinctive other than that it's done right.

[Blind Mind]

Exactly. It's not that it's distinctive but that it's executed to perfection. With the anchovies it's elevated even more. Just a beautiful execution of a simple dish.

[tpigeon]

I just went tonight and have to agree. Have not had this in a while there but now it is among my favorites and definitely a must have. Their bread with the meats selection is actually a pretty good value too.

As an aside, I am pulling the PB&J rec. I think it is not among the best dishes anymore. Not a bad dish, just not among the best.

[Blind Mind]

Cant go wrong with any of these suggestions. Silly to stay away from any part of the menu. Pa' amb Tomaquet with anchovy is the bomb. Rossejat a must order. Secreto de Iberico comes w/ Pa' amb Tomaquet & great dish. PB&J Foie not one of my favorites but many love it. Bagels & Lox cone is an awesome bite.

[tpigeon]

I like Bagel & Lox bite but really not worth the money. Plus coming from NYC (which I am almost positive the OP is from), it would not be my first choice.

[Frodnesor]

What does coming from NY have to do with the Bagels & Lox cone? I don't think it's really in the same category as Russ & Daughters.

[tpigeon]

There are places that do and have done fancy versions of Bagels and Lox in NYC (EMP specifically comes to mind) so I don't think Miss Needle who I believe frequents high end restaurants in NYC will be blown away by that dish at Bazaar. It is very specific to the OP.

[Frodnesor]

EMP's is a completely different take. If anything, it's closer to Thomas Keller's salmon cornet - which, yes, you can also get at Per Se, but for $7 a pop, why not try Andres' version (though I prefer the one with La Sirena cheese)?

[tpigeon]

That's where I had it before, thanks for reminding me. I just feel that someone coming from NYC and goes to places like that, the cone is not among the dishes not to miss. I could be wrong. Personally, I order it myself all the time, but I get a lot of dishes every time I go to Bazaar that I did not list.

[emily]

I've enjoyed the following:
Kueh Pai Ti Singapore’s favorite street food - shrimp, peanuts, chili sauce
Smoked Oysters ice and smoke, apple mignonette
Yuca ‘Churros’ with peanut butter and honey (though admittedly I'm a fan of yuca and I could have done without the PB)
‘Cubano’ In Honor of Café Versailles
Pà amb Tomàquet Catalan-style toasted bread, tomato (probably the best version I've eaten and I've been to Barcelona)

Btw, I've eaten at both the LA and Miami outposts and much preferred Miami.

[tpigeon]

Interesting, you say that. Some friends of mine said they were not thrilled with the concept of going to Bazaar in Miami because they went to the one in LA and were not blown away. I told them Bazaar here was really, really good. So your statement about eating at both places kind of confirms that.

[Frodnesor]

The menu actually is broken up pretty clearly - half is "Miami Meets the World" which is a hodge-podge of Latin and Asian influences, mostly in a more modern style. The other half is "Spain Yesterday and Today," some of which are pretty straight renditions of classic Spanish tapas, others more updated. I wouldn't shy away even from traditional dishes. Bazaar's pa amb tomaquet is money, so are his croquetas de pollo.

Thanks to TP for linking to both versions of my Bazaar write-ups and I pretty much agree with all his particulars as well.

[tpigeon]

Not a huge fan of the dragon fruit ceviche -- the brussles sprouts and bone marrow didn't do much for me either.

You must get the
Rossejat
Papas a la Huancaina
Burrata

These are great too
Frozen Blue Cheese Sandwich
PP&J Foie
Kueh Pai Ti
Both King Crab and Mussles conservas

for more detail and I mean 19 footnotes of detail...
http://www.foodforthoughtmiami.com/2012/07/the-bazaar-south-beach.html

he made a dummy version too for people like me
http://www.foodforthoughtmiami.com/20...

note that the PP&J foie was put on the menu after our esteemed board member wrote his review.

[tpigeon]

I meant PB&J Foie BTW...I don't think anyone wants to eat PP&J Foie.

[Miss Needle]

Thanks for the links! That is quite a bit of reading -- the dummies guide is very helpful.

I'm not a large fan of dragon fruit so I probably wouldn't have ordered that anyway. And, yes, I figured that it was PB&J. PP&J would probably be too soggy for my taste. ; )