This week on "Check, Please!

South Florida," a cool spot for the perfect selfie in Miami Beach.

Reasonable price considered South Beach.

[Michelle] A Mediterranean surprise in the design district.

I just love the environment.

Everybody there seemed very friendly.

[Michelle] And a place to reconnect in Coral Gables.

They made that in-house, so it tastes really fresh and crunchy.

[Announcer] Cultural culinary secrets, and global flavors.

We have a passion for blending ingredients and seasonings from around the world.

Additional funding for "Check, Please!

South Florida" is provided by George and Helen Weaver and the Friends of South Florida PBS.

You just wanted to savor every bit of that dessert.

It's delicious.

The best tiramisu I've ever had.

There's nothing else like that in South Florida that I know about.

You'll pull the cheese, and it'll be all the way up to here.

Hello, I'm Michelle Bernstein and welcome to "Check, Please!

South Florida."

The show where regular people from all over South Florida recommend and review their favorite restaurants.

So this is how the show works.

Every week we have three guests.

Each recommends his or her favorite spot, and then the other two go to check them out and see what they think.

This week, communications student, Madison Hurtado says that her pick is the perfect place to indulge your literary curiosity, all while enjoying some delicious croquetas and a comforting cup of coffee.

She says you'll gladly abandon your cyber zombie ways at this Coral Gables gem.

Prosecutor Paul Johnson is ready to present you with all of the positive evidence for his pick.

He says that even though the dining style may not be what you expect, you'll be won over by the delicious food, excellent customer service, and vibrant Design District location.

But first, NSU student, station manager, Paulina Rojas, is ready to get you acquainted with her modern pick.

She says that this restaurant is the perfect blend of an elegant and laid-back vibe.

A place with chic and cool decor that serves as the perfect photo backdrop.

Get your selfie timer ready for this Instagram worthy spot.

It's located in Miami Beach and it's called Oliver's Bistro.

Hi, my name is Nicolas Legrand, I am the owner of Oliver's Bistro in Miami Beach.

My wife and I decided to move from France to open a restaurant in Miami Beach.

We had a restaurant before in France in the city of Lyon.

So from breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, menu like here is the most local kitchen, local food.

We have some few European and French items, which is like escargot, boeuf bourguignon, beef tartare, and mostly it's a daily kitchen.

The area where we are located it's on West Avenue, which is the avenue where there are more condos in Miami Beach and most of the locals they live there.

So the ambience, it's a corner bistro like European style where you can find in Paris or in Italy.

Just you come, you grab a chair, you sit down very easy.

Oliver's Bistro is a nice and local and cozy restaurant in Miami Beach.

So Paulina, what can you expect when you walk into Oliver's Bistro?

Well, definitely your mouth will drop instantly.

You will not even care that, well, it depends on when you come, but parking was really easy for me to find.

Okay.

But on a busy day, it's probably gonna be a little bit tougher.

But you wanna get to that seat.

You wanna sit down and have a nice meal with anybody you bring.

It's a definitely like, depending on the type of like vibe you're going for.

Mmhmm.

If it's more at night, it's a perfect like date night.

It's very intimate, it's quiet, the music in the background is very low, so you can hear the other person talk.

So it's a very nice spot to grab a pic or you know, enjoy a nice meal.

What did you think when you walked in, Madison?

The lights were great, they were beautiful outside.

It made it feel really welcoming.

I really liked the inside as well.

Very many opportunities for photos.

There's a wall of flowers as well with lights on it.

So it was really cool.

I liked it, I thought it was nice.

It's so funny nowadays because every time, 'cause I happen to own restaurants and we talk about, well, do we do it?

Like, do we give in?

Do we do the Instagram wall?

I would rather people just love their experience but I understand that this is such a big thing now, you know?

Did you Instagram?

I didn't.

I'm not young enough to Instagram, I don't think.

But no, what I thought about this place.

[Michelle] Oh, come on, Paul, never.

What I thought about this place was I was actually the least attractive person in there.

Everyone there was good looking.

I mean, I'll say that.

And it was, yeah, no, but this was a really bumping place and I get the impression that if you went Paulina, like in the evening, it would be less busy.

But this was, we went like around brunch time, but it was like lunch brunch.

It was very loud, very noisy.

Oh.

Really?

I mean, extensive, extensive array of stuff, but yeah, it was bumping.

Yeah.

Definitely.

Was it too loud?

No, because, no, I'm a good sport.

No, I'm just saying it was loud.

Right, right.

It was definitely loud.

I mean, I sometimes love that, you know?

You have to be ready for it.

But sometimes I want liveliness, you know, not on my table, but definitely on everybody else's.

[Paulina] Yeah.

So tell me a little bit more, what did you eat when you went this last time?

So I had the specialty fish that they had there.

[Michelle] It was a whole branzino that you had.

Yes, the whole branzino.

I had, I asked the server, what's the best thing on the menu?

He recommended that, that's not usually my usual pick.

I really enjoyed it.

And you know, it was really fresh fish and I had a little bit of lemon on top, perfect.

It was honestly perfect.

They had Greek goddess sauce, like drizzled on the bottom.

[Michelle] Okay.

And that was just like the best part of the whole meal.

Okay, how about you Madison?

I had a chicken curry dish.

It was good.

I am, you know?

My eyes are digging into your soul right now.

What does good mean?

So I somehow have to fill that.

So I am somebody who likes a lot of flavor, a lot of seasoning.

Okay.

And it was good, but it was definitely something that the waiter had said was a favorite, a top dish.

And as a top dish, I expect it to be fulfilled, to be the top dish.

Right.

So when I ate it, I was let down, but I wasn't, you know, maybe it's something that you have to try another time.

Maybe it's just the timing I went, you know?

People were coming.

Well, maybe you just didn't pick the right dish?

Yeah, it could've been that too.

I mean, not every restaurant has everything, you know?

Yeah.

Up to everyone's standards.

Yeah, yeah.

It's hard to know everyone's palate.

Exactly, yeah.

The list is extensive.

I mean, there's just, it's too, it's like the LSAT.

I mean, it was, there's a lot.

The menu?

Yes, yeah.

There's a lot of stuff on there, and so the guest I was with, I just said, hey listen, why don't we do like three, four appetizers and we'll split an entree.

Get another.

And then the server said, try the tartar, the escargot, because we didn't want brunch.

Okay.

Yeah.

And then we had the rodeo burger, which was, that's, you know, barbecue, medium rare.

That's the only way to eat meat.

No, I'm kidding, no.

Sorry if you don't.

I like mine well done.

But I don't care, no, I'm kidding.

[Michelle] You had a fresh goat cheese arugula salad.

Do you want to tell me about that?

[Paul] That was nice.

Who doesn't like arugula?

I mean like, no, seriously, I grow it, it's delicious.

Really?

[Paulina] Oh, I didn't know.

[Michelle] And I grow a really spicy arugula.

Was your arugula at Oliver's?

Do you, no?

It's only at my house.

Oh, only at your place, okay well.

Anybody have anything sweet?

The key lime pie we had.

Oh, you had key lime pie?

How was that?

That was delicious.

Yeah, that was delicious.

So what you had was good?

I'd go back.

Okay, okay.

Yeah.

So let's talk a little bit about the prices.

Branzino can be pretty expensive.

What did you think about the prices?

Yeah, I think it was really fair.

Yeah, I would definitely go back and get it again.

The prices for a college student, you know, it was good for one weekend out.

It's great.

I mean, it's South Beach.

Let's be honest, you're not, this isn't Minot, North Dakota pricing.

I mean it's, so you're gonna get, I think it's actually reasonable considering other places.

Yeah.

If you go east, you're gonna be paying 30% more.

Oliver's Bistro was your pick.

Sum it up for me.

It's a beautiful spot.

Especially get your phone out, make sure you wanna get this on Instagram.

It's especially good for, you know, a date night, late at night, intimate spot.

So yeah, definitely check it out.

Paul?

Extensive menu, reasonable price considered South Beach.

And not even a date, just I'd go back.

Madison?

I'd say I'd go back to try it out again 'cause sometimes you gotta give it multiple tries.

You can take the perfect group shot and enjoy a delicious meal at Oliver's Bistro.

Located at 959 West Avenue in Miami Beach.

They are open daily for brunch and dinner.

Reservations are accepted where the average price for dinner without drinks is about $45.

Now, prosecutor Paul Johnson says that his pick offers delicious Mediterranean food in an unexpected yet very cool setting.

It's located in Miami and it's called Jaffa Israeli Kitchen and Wine Bar.

Hi everyone, my name is Yaniv Cohen and I'm the chef and owner of Jaffa Restaurant in Miami.

It's always been a passion of mine to share my cuisine from my homeland with the Miami audience.

Jaffa, it's a very old port city in Israel and it's one of my favorite little towns.

It's on the water, it's very old, but it's also going through a renaissance.

For me, when opening Jaffa it was like modernized street food.

So it's like simple rustic, delicious street food, but in a very modern environment.

What's different here in Mia Market, even though it's a food court, it's chef driven, so it's not your usual, you know, mall super fast food chains.

One of the favorite things that people have here is the turmeric roasted cauliflower.

So it's a whole roast cauliflower that's been bathed in turmeric water.

And then I top it with tahini, which is our staple sauce for everything, which is super delicious.

I have tourists who make Jaffa their first stop from the airport to South Beach.

Jaffa is a modern middle-Eastern street food in the most dynamic and fun space.

So we're talking about a food hall, food court.

[Paul] Yeah.

Which seems to be getting more and more popular in South Florida, so tell us about it.

This place is actually authentic, really, really flavorful Israeli food or Middle Eastern food.

What did you all think?

First of all?

I love it.

Have you been to Design District?

Yes.

Before?

I've seen Design District multiple times.

[Both] Multiple times.

Okay.

I've always walked past like that little food court area, but I've never walked in.

[Madison] Well, you have to go up, which there's not a lot of stores up there.

[Paulina] Yeah.

[Madison] So you have to kind of want to go or decide to go.

Everything was very nice and the customer service, I went on a downtime again, like on a Wednesday.

Not a lot of people there.

Middle day.

Yeah, middle of the day.

But yeah, it was a very nice place.

I really liked it.

It was very, I don't know, I just loved the environment.

Everybody there seemed very friendly.

They were all smiling, waving, just having a good time and enjoying each other's company.

All right, so let's talk about what you had first.

I'm not a cauliflower person.

I've never been.

He said try it.

Is it whole roasted?

Yeah.

[Paul] And it's the turmeric roasted and it comes with, there's something else that it comes with.

Maybe tahini?

Possibly.

That's it, you beat me.

Sorry.

That's why it's your show.

You beat me.

No, you know how I know, it's a traditional dish that you'd have in Israel.

Yeah.

And magnifique, it was wonderful.

And then the mezza platter with beef brisket.

[Michelle] And you had crispy Brussels sprouts?

Oh yeah, crispy Brussels.

We had that too.

Okay.

Yeah, and it was just two of us.

But the portions again, you know, kind of use the same principle.

It's like Oliver Bistro or the rents are high, you're not gonna get as much.

It's, they're not huge portions.

Very flavorful, very.

Okay, Paulina, what did you have?

I started off with the hummus and they gave me pita bread on the side.

It was warmed up right in front of me.

It was really yummy.

It was very huge though.

Like, definitely shareable with three other people.

Definitely I would go back for that.

How about you, Madison?

I had the mint lemonade.

Okay.

Oh my gosh, super refreshing.

He made it there, so it wasn't something premade.

It was like a slushy consistency.

Yeah.

It was super refreshing.

I loved it.

I had the baklava, that was really good too.

It was Oh, I had that too.

You had it too?

No, no, I just said that was good.

Oh yes, yes, you had it.

I had it too.

Yeah, it was good.

It was a sweet pecan little dessert.

It's very sweet.

So I have a sweet tooth.

I can eat it all, but if you wanna share, you can.

[Michelle] Okay.

I also tried the hummus as well.

The hummus was good, I liked it.

I love the pita.

It was super fluffy and warm, so yeah.

Anything else?

That's all I had, but I definitely will go back every time I'm in the Design District to drink that minty lemonade, so refreshing.

How were the prices for y'all?

It was honestly, yeah, really decent.

Especially for where you are.

And plus the portions, you can't beat that with the price, especially with the hummus.

So I'll definitely go back, especially get a little drink when it's so hot out there in the Design District.

Yeah, for sure.

Definitely go back.

[Michelle] So you don't mind the whole food hall, food court experience?

I'm low maintenance.

Okay.

I love that.

It love it too.

Because it also gives you like more places too.

Yeah.

So that's the great thing about walking into one of these food halls is that you, you know, if you're in the mood for hummus, you can have that, but maybe while you wait, you can have a little top ramen.

Sushi.

Or yeah, whatever else.

A lot of people have like, you know, families, different people.

Like it's not just a place where it's like specifically dressed up or whatever.

You can come in jeans, work on, bring out your laptop, have meetings.

Paul, would you like to sum up your experience?

If you're in the Design District or if you're not, this is a wonderful place for a very authentic Middle Eastern, Tel Avivian Israeli food.

Lovely, Paulina?

This is definitely a spot that you wanna bring your girlfriends after shopping.

It's shareable and the portions are really great.

Okay, Madison?

Come one, come all, it's definitely a place to hit.

Beautiful.

Well, you can enjoy the cool Design District vibes at Jaffa Israeli Kitchen and Wine Bar located at 140 Northeast 39th Street on the second floor in Miami.

They're open daily for lunch and dinner.

Reservations are not accepted at this location where the average price of dinner without drinks is about $45.

If you love lamb chops, you have to try this recipe.

I adore lamb chops and they're just so good on their own I know, but try this 'cause it might boost them up a little bit.

So take a bag, any type of a bag with closure.

I'm gonna add a little bit of garlic powder, onion powder, little bit of fresh garlic, some dried oregano, and then a little bit of fresh sliced mint leaves right in there too.

And then a little bit, if you haven't tried pomegranate molasses, it's a thing and it's so delicious.

It has like a sweetness tartness to it.

So good, you can find it in any Middle Eastern store.

They also make date molasses, which are also delicious.

If you don't find either one, throw a little bit of balsamic vinegar into a bag.

It'll also work.

A pinch of salt, some black pepper, and then finally some olive oil.

All right.

Mix that up a little bit and then add your chops to the bag.

All right, so I'm gonna set a pan over a medium heat, add a little bit of oil.

These are gonna cook in no time because they're already chopped.

So it'd be different if it was a whole rack and by the bone I'll take them out and start searing them.

Now it does have pomegranate molasses, or in your case you might be using balsamic.

Just be a little careful because that could easily cause it to caramelize a little bit quicker than if it was just the oil with all the different ingredients.

But it does make it really yummy.

So I highly, highly recommend it.

For the top of the lamb once they're done, I've taken a little bit of Greek yogurt, no flavor of course, and added just a little bit of water.

And I'm just gonna add a little bit of oil to it to give it a better texture for drizzling.

I've also added a really heavy pinch of salt to it.

I'm also gonna top it with a little bit of that pomegranate molasses that we used for the marinade.

I have some za'atar.

Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice.

It has sesame, it has dried thyme.

Sometimes you'll be lucky and you'll find a za'atar that has some dried mint in it, but not very often.

Let's go ahead and season this lamb chop just a little bit.

We had some salt in the marinade, but not too much 'cause I didn't want the meat to break down which salt can cause.

Let's flip 'em over.

Oh look, this just smells so good and they're caramelizing so beautifully.

Go ahead and place the lamb chops down on a pretty plate like so.

And then let's do this little yogurt drizzle with the olive oil.

A tiny bit of this pomegranate molasses right over the top.

Not too much, go light now.

And then of course, some fresh mint.

And like I told you, the za'atar spice.

I think we've done a beautiful job here today, everybody.

There you go.

Gorgeous lamb chops with Middle Eastern spices and yogurt.

Finally, communications student Madison Hurtado says that you'll be ready to disconnect from your devices and enjoy a comforting meal at her pick.

Located in Coral Gables and it's called Tinta y Cafe.

My name is Neli Santamarina, and I'm one of the owners of Tinta y Cafe in Coral Gables.

The idea for Tinta y Cafe was always on my mind.

I had that thought of creating a place that I would like to go to all the time.

I am a big music buff, love coffee, and I wanted to elevate the iconic ventanita experience that is so linked to Miami coffee culture.

So I'm also an avid reader and love books, and I wanted to curate the space to have eclectic book selection.

Most of the items at Tinta y Cafe, if not all, are finds.

Most of them are secondhand.

And I tried to always focus on bringing in that Miami lifestyle that was so midcentury.

Part of our menu, in a way, is what I describe as the new Miami, because for me growing up in Miami, Miami has changed so much for the better.

We have become a more diverse multiethnic city that all the different cultures, the Colombian culture, the Peruvian culture, the Brazilian culture have melted.

In some of our sandwiches we've created that mixture.

Tinta y Cafe is the OG quintessential Miami coffee house.

Tell us what people can expect when they walk into Tinta.

So when you walk into Tinta, you can expect disconnect.

It is someplace that I definitely love to go when I ever I wanna catch up with an old friend.

Some of my family lives out of state, so I would bring them there and I'd be like, let's go here.

No phones, no laptops, no meetings.

Disconnect from the world, and it's just us.

And we have a nice conversation.

I feel like that's very nice to have.

[Paul] Bravo.

In a world that we live in with, you know, social media.

So we should talk about the fact that they don't have wi-fi to encourage you, correct?

Yeah.

To disconnect.

[Madison] Exactly, yes.

[Michelle] Which could drive some people absolutely mad, but I kind of think it's great.

[Paul] What's wrong with them?

No, I love that.

But you know, some people don't know how to disconnect.

Maybe they teach you how to do that.

Yeah.

No, it's really great.

And the food, the food is great.

The coffee is great.

Yeah.

Is it?

Yes.

Oh my God, yeah.

That can wake you up, especially.

[Michelle] Paul, what'd you think of when you walked in?

I like the neighborhood and I've been, I mean, Coral Gables is a great place.

I got the impression that everyone there kind of was like knew each other when I went there.

[Madison] Yeah.

[Paul] It just seemed like there were a lot of regulars.

But it felt like it was a kind of almost like a library setting.

[Paulina] Yes.

[Madison] Because of the beautiful bookcase on the [Michelle] Can you read the books?

Can you grab the books?

Yeah, you can pick them up.

Just peruse, yeah?

[Paulina] Yeah.

Lovely.

No, it was very serene.

I mean, it was peaceful.

All right, so let's dive into the food.

What did you have this last time you went?

So I got an iced latte with oat milk.

Super great, a little bit of sugar.

The coffee that they made is a three blend coffee.

It was delicious.

I also had a tostada, which is just a toasted bread and butter signature to eat with your coffee.

[Michelle] Usually to dip in, but not on iced coffee.

To dip in, exactly.

Well... [Michelle] Do you dip into your iced coffee?

Honestly, yeah, it's a vibe.

Yeah.

[Both] It's a vibe.

All right.

Yeah.

So what else did you have?

I also got the ham croquetas, which is a signature if you go.

[Paulina] Oh, I tried that, it was good.

[Madison] They were very delicious.

They were very crunchy, and I loved crunchy and my croqueta, so it was definitely something to try.

What did you have?

I had the, the Game Seven, which is Yes, I had the same thing.

Yeah.

Oh, that's good.

It was great.

I will just say this, the sandwiches are great, but if you happen to be fearful of pork, you're gonna have limitations at this place.

[Madison] Yeah.

Oh, is there pork in a lot of food there?

Oh, this is heavy.

Have you ever been to Espana before?

Yeah.

Yes.

Which is why I go to eat all the pork I can possibly handle as a nice Jewish girl.

Yeah, yeah.

Wow, all right.

So it's laden?

Yeah.

Heavy.

Okay, but yummy.

Yummy and heavy.

Yummy.

Okay.

Yeah.

Did you have a coffee?

[Paul] Cafe con leche, it was very nice.

It was yummy?

Mmhmm.

Okay, what did you have?

You haven't told me yet.

I had the tomato mozzarella.

That doesn't have ham.

That doesn't have ham, no.

Heavy, I didn't say exclusive.

Heavy.

Okay, okay.

But that's an option.

But I really liked it.

All the sandwiches I noticed have like a Cuban twist to it, because they serve it on a Cuban bread.

[Michelle] Oh, I was just gonna ask you what kind of bread it was.

Yeah, it was Cuban.

It is a Cuban bread.

Their owners are Cuban, so they always have like a little twist with everything that they have on the menu.

So it was really yum, and then they served it with plantain chips.

They made that inhouse, so it tastes really fresh and crunchy.

And then I had an espresso, which is always a good pickup at the end of the day.

So yeah.

Okay, how were prices?

I think they were good.

Very affordable, very.

Yeah, very affordable.

For sure.

No, no issues, none.

All right, well, Madison, Tinta y Cafe was your pick.

Sum it up for us.

Tinta y Cafe, I would say it's somewhere if you wanna disconnect, if you want to have really great coffee and just enjoy a great time.

[Michelle] Paulina?

Tinta y Cafe, it's definitely a spot where you can disconnect from social media.

You're forced to and enjoy a great cup of coffee.

Okay, Paul?

A great Coral Gables, like, small little bistro place to go.

Yes, we'll go again.

Well, you can enjoy a cafecito and a good book at Tinta y Cafe located at 1315 Ponce De Leon in Coral Gables.

They're open daily for breakfast and lunch.

Reservations are not accepted.

And the average price for lunch without drinks is about $30.

Well, we've had a wonderful time.

I wanna thank my guests, Paulina Rojas, Madison Hortado, and Paul Johnson.

For more about the restaurants and recipes featured in the show if you'd like to apply to be a guest reviewer, visit us at CheckPleaseFL.com and as always, find us on Facebook and Instagram.

Join us next time for three new guests recommending three of their favorite restaurants right here on "Check, Please!

South Florida."

I'm Michelle Bernstein, and I will see you then.

Gracias.

Thank you.

[Announcer] Cultural culinary secrets and global flavors.

We have a passion for blending ingredients and seasonings from around the world.