I am very happy that I was able to attend the Dishcrawl Miami’s Battledish. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Dishcrawl or Battledish, shame on you (ha!). A Dishcrawl is an event where you sample dishes from a collection of restaurants for a set price (very similar in essence to my birthday event this year). Battledish takes the concept a step further. You are asked to vote on your favorite dishes in categories like “Most Authentic” or “Best Drink”.
Due to timing issues, I was only able to visit 3 of the six competing restaurants. I chose the DiLido Beach Club at the Ritz Carlton, the Terrazza at the Shore Club, and the Social Club at the Surfcomber. Though I took pictures at all three, only one of them gave me an experience worth sharing… the DiLido Beach Club.
DiLido Beach Club
One Lincoln Road
Chef Andres Meraz
Tasting Option:
Di’Crudo – Corvina, calamari and prawns marinated in a mixture of fresh lime juice, Thai coconut milk and spicy Mexican sauce mixed with red onion, cilantro and grilled pineapple. Garnished with crispy potato, micro cilantro, micro leeks and edible flowers.
Mixologist Ramsey Pimentel
Di’spicy Rita – Herradura Tequila combined with jalapeno puree, Cointreau, pineapple juice, lemon/lime sour mix, simple syrup and the frothiness of egg whites.
Food: If you know me, you know that spicy food is my culinary Kryptonite, so this is definitely a tasting for the record books. Both the drink and the ceviche had “kicking spice”. Yes, I literally wrote kicking spice on my notes. At first taste, I was like “oh boy here we go”. But both were able to balance the POW of the Mexican spice and jalapeno puree, with the calming sweetness of the pineapple. I am grateful.
Experience: I was very impressed by their unwillingness to “go cheap”. They didn’t degrade their food by putting it in styrofoam bowls or to go containers. They made sure the tasting was set in an area with a lovely view of the ocean (I know I know it’s an oceanfront restaurant which is kinda cheating). The drinks and plating were done as you stood there, itself adding to the experience. Chef Meraz was extremely humble and personable, coming to speak to each person for their input (and posing for a picture to boot).
The experience didn’t stop when you finished eating either. They offered each of the locals a complimentary “DiLido Beach Club” card. With the card, you receive 20% of your bills at the restaurant, VIP Seating and Access at events and discount spa treatments. They have given us an additional reason to come back (as if the food was enough). Kudos to them!
Hello 40s (formerly the Kword) 