Dining Out in North Miami
Touring North Miami Restaurants Including Timo's Restaurant and Bar and Hiro’s Yakko-San Japanese Restaurant
When you want to have appetizers in Italy and your mains in Japan, look no further than the North Miami area for all of your culinary desires.
Miami Chef Tim Norris knows what he likes and where to get it! This week, we take a tour with Norris through North Miami's culinary hot spots, including Timo's Restaurant and Bar and Hiro's Yakko-San Japanese Restaurant.
As a food writer and food fan, the bonus of having a friend like Miami chef Tim Norris - apart from his fantastic cooking - is that he's in the culinary know regarding the untapped hot spots in his city. Tim's worked at some of the finest dining establishments in the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area, and in the restaurant industry, what's new, intriguing and down-right worth a visit is quickly disseminated amongst the ranks. It was under Tim's tutelage that his wife and long time friend Anne Maree, my husband and I set out one fine Florida spring night to hit two distinctly different restaurants around the Ft. Lauderdale area- both a journey into different cultures and foods.
We started off with a Mediterranean prelude to our gastronomic feast at Timo Restaurant and Bar in Sunny Isles. Timo (or thyme in Italian) reflects Chef Tim Andriola's love of Italian and Spanish cooking, as do the warm surroundings. A large, wood burning oven is the restaurant's focal point- drawing admiring stares to the oven's mellow yellow glow. Ada and Mike Sheerin, former colleagues and friends joined us for this part of the evening which included some terrific appetizers and a few mains to share amongst our party. Most memorable to my palate were the crisp oyster salad with white beans, tomato, and smoked pancetta served over fresh greens. The feather-light oysters were battered and fried and not at all heavy. Served with a tomato and pancetta salsa along with the white beans over tender greens was a perfect pairing. Another fantastic dish comprised of the broiled lamb shank with a gorgonzola risotto. Traditionally, I'm not a huge lamb fan- something about the gamey flavour of the meat never appealed to me. Chef Tim's version however is a stunner. Fall off the bone meat that was perfectly prepared with a creamy risotto- it was one of the best dishes I had while in Florida. Best of all- no funky gamey taste- just wonderfully spiced meat that was a perfect, tender consistency.
We actually turned down dessert at Timo's. Insane, I know, but with thoughts of as-of-yet undiscovered culinary treats, we headed off into the night for a Japanese tour-de-force, sadly, without Ada and Mike's company. A short drive away in North Miami Beach, tucked in amongst an unassuming strip mall was Hiro's Yakko-San Japanese Restaurant. Neon blue lights announced "Japanese Tapas" as the theme of this part of the night, as we walked into a small, modest dining room. Seated in the right hand side of the restaurant, I noticed autographed pictures of a smiling Chef Morimoto, Japanese golf stars and other assorted celebs, all extolling Hiro's culinary prowess.
By this time, it was midnight (the place is open until 3:30 am!) and there was one (1) free table left in the crowded digs- a very good sign. We were greeted by a friendly server who offered up the house specials (some of it local, freshly-caught fish) on a portable chalk board he placed near our table. Chef Tim ordered some of the more adventurous dishes for the table- monkfish liver served alongside green and purple seaweed salad, kamachi- Japanese yellowtail fish cheeks with a dipping sauce and my new favourite-the miso marinated roasted black cod fish. In a word: sublime.
The sweetness of the miso marinated cod was buttery, as smooth as silk and a welcomed new flavour sensation. This is the dish I was informed, that helped make Nobu what it is today. Having recently eaten there himself, Tim told us this version was very comparable- the biggest difference was the price. The four of us ate well from the varied tapas dishes, with the cod costing about $12 USD for a fair sized portion. Tim sipped his Onigoroshi Wakatake sake (purported to be mild yet full-bodied), which he enjoyed while the rest of us took it a bit easier with our Japanese green tea. It was the perfect way to end a cross-cultural culinary tour of the area, and just as sweet as the desserts we didn't get to sample at Timo's. There's always next time, so until then, thanks for the ride Chef Tim!
