Fine food is always having a moment. Popularized by TV shows like Top Chef, simplified by meal delivery services like Blue Apron (as seen here), and glamorized by Hollywood productions, fresh and healthy gourmet grub is on everyone’s minds these days. Delivery services, food trucks, and farm-to-table restaurants have popped up all over the U.S., making quality gourmet fare more affordable and more accessible than it’s ever been.
South Beach has no shortage of fabulous eateries where you can eat to your stomach’s content. Here are some of our favorite foodie movies that remind us of our favorite SoBe hot spots.
Chef
This 2014 flick starring John Favreau and Sofia Vergara depicts a once-famed chef with a now tarnished reputation taking his craft back to his Miami roots. He renovates an old food truck into a mobile Cuban sandwich shop and drives it from Miami back to L.A. Along the way he restores his relationship with his son, rediscovers his passion for cooking, and even remarries his beautiful ex-wife.
Cuban cuisine is a staple of the Miami diet, and Cuban sandwiches just might be the quintessential Miami food. Our favorite spot to sink our teeth into a crispy Cuban is at Las Olas Cafe. This no-frills hole in the wall serves up some of the most authentic Cuban cuisines in Miami Beach.
And while we’re on the subject of sandwiches, we must also mention La Sandwicherie. While they don’t serve Cubans (those aren’t French after all), they do serve up a delicious smattering of other delightful carb bullets including the SOBE club, which is stacked with a mouth-watering combination of turkey, brie, and avocado.
Chocolat
Nothing is as tempting as a chocolate truffle melting in your mouth and cascading its velvety sweetness all over your tongue. No movie better captures the sensuality and seduction of chocolate than the movie Chocolat. Set in 1950s France, this film shows how a chocolatier and her daughter shake up life in a small, conservative French village who have never been tempted by something so powerful or troubling as their Chocolat confections.
Every time I watch this movie, I have to stop halfway through and ride my bike over to Miami Beach Chocolates to whet my cravings. Upon walking through the door the overwhelmingly chocolatey smells make you want to start eating the air – it’s just heavenly. With a large variety of truffles, there’s sure to be something that strikes your fancy. My faves are the Jamaican rum and the peanut butter cups that put Reese’s to shame.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
This documentary chronicles the life and restaurant of world-renowned sushi chef Jiro Ono whose Michelin rated restaurant is nothing more than a tiny shop with room for 10 in a Tokyo subway station. A perfectionist, Jiro delights his guests with perfectly plated 20-course tastings of his sushi creations.
While I dream of Jiro’s sushi, Zen Sai on Miami Beach is my favorite spot for local sushi. Even Jiro could acknowledge the artistry of Zen Sai’s rolls. My go-to here are the spicy tuna rolls. Delish.
