Pubbelly Restaurant Group’s Food Republic, an eatery available on Miami-based Norwegian Escape, is a testament to the ship’s dedication to satisfying foodies on board.

A cozy, yet upscale venue featuring global cuisine and a modern sharing concept, Food Republic’s first at-sea experience is nothing short of a culinary paradise. And on September 12th, Norwegian Cruise Line and Pubbelly Restaurant Group’s resident food guru, Chef Jose Mendin, published 30 of the group’s most prized recipes in a digital cookbook titled Food Republic by Jose Mendin. We were on board Escape last week to sample some of the book’s most creative recipes and celebrate the group’s transition from table to tablet.

The Food Republic e-cookbook pays homage to Chef Jose Mendin’s traditional Puerto Rican cuisine style, while weaving some Spanish, Asian, European and American influence into his signature tantalizing dishes. The concept creatively merges flavors from all over the world, delivering a universal flair right to your own kitchen. And best of all, the receipes are designed to bring people together over the love of delicious food, regardless of cooking expertise.

“I want my food to act as an instrument to embrace social interaction and not compromise the cherished time we get to spend with our loved ones”, says Chef Mendin. “As such, the recipes I’ve created foster this mantra – they are quick, easy and encourage conversation.”

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We at The Citadel are happy to be growing with Miami as it undergoes its metamorphosis into a cultural juggernaut. We’ve highlighted the food and art scene, but let’s take the time to tip our hats off at some of our favorite things: cocktails. No longer is it the age of the over-priced and the watered-down. Miami’s cocktail scene is heating up and there are a lot of spirited individuals behind the movement. From passionate mixologists interested in educating the masses on the craft cocktail culture, to developers heart-set on breaking down the barriers of exclusivity that have usually separated cocktails bars from the masses in the city. Several pillars of thought need to be driven home, and successfully, in order to be accepted. Take a look at the key elements of the cocktail culture and who’s been making sure it’s well-shaken, not stirred.

The Art of the Cocktail

The first step in introducing a new state of consciousness, especially when it comes to food and beverage, is making sure you’re doing it right. Places like Craft Social Club provide the kind of environment that already draws club-goers, while boasting a menu of drinks that they’ve probably never experienced before. On a similar path, Beaker & Gray has brought the elevated bar experience to the raw setting of Wynwood while still bringing in a crowd that’s eagerly searching for somewhere show off to friends in town. Another great notch on The Pubbelly Boys’ belt comes in the form of The Pawn Broker, bringing craft cocktails to a Prohibition Era-themed rooftop bar at one of the city’s most historic hotels. And when Gramps first opened, the idea of charred rosemary in a cocktail in Wynwood seemed far-fetched, but unsurprisingly, the hand-crafted drinks were well-received and the spot quickly became a neighborhood staple yet to be rivaled.

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Chef Jose Mendin, known for his cult-followed Pubbelly Restaurant Group concepts, announce today in partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line the release of a digital cookbook, Food Republic by Jose Mendin, available for download on iTunes.  Featuring 30 innovative dishes for the home cook, recipes are inspired by flavors that bring distant places to one’s kitchen.

“My food is both rich and worldly, in part inspired by cultural and culinary traditions,” says Mendin. “I want my food to act as an instrument to embracesocial interaction and not compromise the cherished time we get to spend with our loved ones.  As such, the recipes I’ve created foster this mantra – they are quick, easy and encourage conversation.”

This 47-page book figuratively and literally journeys through Mendin’s pantry, highlighting best-selling recipes from the many culinary concepts that Pubbelly Restaurant Group has created.  The book’s namesake, Food Republic, honors the restaurant group’s first at-sea-venture that set sail in November 2015.  Food Republic, aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, Miami-based Norwegian Escape, is a modern, upscale small-plate concept featuring global cuisine for sampling and sharing.

International photographer, Juan Fernando Ayora captures full-page, breath-taking imagery of Mendin’s multi-ethnic recipes including tapas; dumplings; noodles, rice and soups; sushi, grilled items and desserts.  Among the 30 stand out dishes available, readers can expect to scoop the “know how” to create time-proven favorites like:

• Pubbelly Dates with Chorizo
• Hamachi Taquitos
• Short Rib Dumplings
• Kimchee Fried Rice
• Butter Crab Roll

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Non-profit organization, Florida Introduces Physical Activity and Nutrition to Youth (FLIPANY), celebrated another successful year with some of Miami’s best culinary talents at its “Chefs Up Front” event at the Biltmore Hotel. Here, the organization invited hundreds of guests to experience an exceptional evening of fine dining with Miami’s top chefs serving up some of their most inventive dishes. The event benefitted Cooking Matters™, a program designed to teach and educate children and families how to make healthy food choices and cook healthy meals on a budget in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. This year, an impressive total of $52,351 was raised, with over $42,000 allocated to direct program and services in Miami.

The event began with a silent auction where guests were able to bid on enviable gifts ranging from a 7-day trip to Aruba, to Miami Heat tickets, private cooking lessons, fine dining gift vouchers and more. Following the cocktail hour and silent auction, attendees moved upstairs to sit down to a uniquely tailored six-course meal, with each table featuring cuisine from one of the 20 talented chefs showcased at the event. We got to experience the culinary talents of Chef Cristian Cuevas, of 50 Eggs’ kitchen (as well as Miami favorites Yardbird, Swine and Spring Chicken). Highlights of the meal included the spicy Black Pepper Crab (with Carolina Gold Rice Potage, Shiitake Mushrooms and Sea Urchin) — a preview of Yardbird’s upcoming menu in Singapore — and the Chicken ‘n Dumplings dish — wish was generously covered in layers of freshly-grated truffle.

All chefs donate their time to take part in the event each year. Chef Cuevas noted that it was his third year at the event and that, “each year is better than the last. It’s fun to test out new dishes and see everyone enjoy them, and even better, it all goes toward a great cause.”

Other renowned chefs at the event included: Aaron Dreilinger/ Chef David Schwadron (Cuisine and Event Design), Jeremy Ford (Matador Room), Robyn Almodovar (Palate Party), Mike Fischetti (Zest), Eric Baker (Max’s Harvest), Ryan Martin and Michael Shikany (180 Degrees), Masamoto Hamaya (Dragonfly), Phil Bryant (The Local Craft Food & Drink), Nuno Grullon (Café Roval), Yetunde Shorters (The Afropolitan Chef), Dustin Ward (BLT Prime), Dave Hackett (Biltmore), Gabriel Medici (Novocento), Brian Nasajon (Beaker and Gray), Adrianne Calvo (Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Cafe), Jose Mendin (Pubbelly) and Pedro Lopez (Soyka).

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Hyde Beach at SLS South Beach hosts a monthly boutique food festival called “Taste.” It’s been an under-the-radar gathering of great chefs serving up delicious bites at Hyde Beach’s beautiful indoor-outdoor setting. For September’s installation, sbe has decided to up their game with a celebrity chef edition that will big out big names in cuisine to help raise funds for Feeding South Florida in honor of Hunger Action Month.

VIP “Golden Tickets” to the event run $125, with regular admission going for $75. VIP admission starts an hour earlier and includes a private sashimi demo by Master Sushi Chef Katsuya Uechi and their own dedicated bar. Whichever you choose nobody will be experiencing hunger at this event, which brings nationally respected chefs from many Miami restaurants to the fore.

Headlining the bill is Katsuya’s Katsuya Uechi will be in town the day before, September 21st, helming the kitchen for dinner in his namesake restaurant at the SLS South Beach for those who would prefer a sit-down experience, or just can’t get enough celebrity chef-prepared dishes.

Purchasing tickets is an easy way to help raise awareness about the issue of hunger in South Florida and take action to help end it. In support of September’s Hunger Action Month, Hyde Beach at SLS South Beach will partner with Feeding South Floridaâ, a member of the Feeding America network of food banks and the domestic hunger-relief organization serving Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties. A portion of the proceeds of tickets sales from Taste will be donated to Feeding South Florida. For every $1 donated, Feeding South Florida can provide 6 meals to families struggling to put food on the table.

Taste Celebrity Edition will take place on Thursday, September 22 from 8pm-11pm at the SLS Hotel South Beach at 1701 Collins Ave in Miami, FL. To purchase tickets please visit CelebrityTaste.com.

Attending chefs:

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Miami is a melting pot. An intricate, beefy, spicy stew of a city made up of people, cultures, and ideas from all over the world. And that makes it confusing as hell sometimes. That said, Miami’s diversity comes from its many neighborhoods, each of which breed a completely different line of Miamians. Fortunately for you, we’ve scoured through the Magic City and mapped out the different types of people you’ll meet while you’re there… and most importantly, where you’ll be most likely to engage with them in conversation.

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With its golden sands and carefree attitude, Miami has been a magnet for party lovers since the 1920s. Having boomed in the early part of the 20^th century (partly due to its blind eye on the Prohibition smuggling), the town’s reputation was tarnished in the late 90s with the shooting of designer Georgio Armani on his villa doorstep – the non-stop 90s jetset, just stopped coming.

But that was then, and this is now – and now, Miami is the place to be once more. A raft of new hotels have opened up all over town, from Miami Beach to more inland. 1Hotels Miami Beach feels like it’s always been on the island that was once an avocado growing swampland.

Grab a fork and get stuck in

But it takes more than just new hotels to create a destination worth revisiting. Miami’s restaurant scene is truly buzzing, with new outlets springing up every month.

Beaker & Gray opened during Basel Miami in December on the edge of the city’s hip Wynwood district (great for street art and cool industrial style bars). With a masculine leather mixed with bare concrete walls and a great cocktail list, its fast becoming one of the places to be on Friday nights. The menu is a fab twist on south American meets Spanish tapas with small plates like Scallop, white asparagus, black garlic, pea tendril or Grains, Key West pink shrimp, calamari, tomato water to share.

Another brand putting its own Miami stamp on things is Pubbelly, who have two ‘neighbourhood sushi’ joints in the city and are soon to open a third. It’s fun sushi plates with an atmosphere that’s more akin to a corner pub, where everyone knows your name. And with dishes like the Screaming Orgasm (seared bigeye tuna, spicy ponzu, daikon, masago roe) and plenty of Japanese lager you’ll want to become a regular.

Asian food is big business in Miami, and Thai food has had a makeover over at Naiyara which opened earlier this year. Paper posters advertising things in Thai adorn the concrete pillars while keen diners order one of Chef Bee’s special cocktails such as, Gaeng Klaw (Death’s Door gin, Thai basil, mint, cucumber and ginger beer). The large space is made more intimate with clever lighting while the Popcorn shrimp and Tuna garlic chip (with olive oil, yuzu lemon, dried miso and cilantro) keep things interesting on the table.

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Check in and check out these stellar hotel eateries.

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Photography by: Juan Fernando Ayora

 
Below is an exclusive preview of one of thirty recipes from Chef Mendin’s recipe book, a collaboration with Food Republic and Norwegian Cruise Lines.

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Ingredients

Servings: Makes 1

1 crispy tortilla (scroll down for recipe)

1 ½ tbsp. aioli (scroll down for recipe)

3 oz. (89g) sushi grade tuna, sliced thin

¼ tsp. fresh chives, finely chopped

1 tsp. pearl onion, sliced thin

1 tsp. Maldon salt

1 tsp. truffle oil

Method

Place the crispy tortilla on a serving plate and spread the aioli over the tortilla.

Place the sliced tuna on top, making sure to cover all of the pizza base.

Garnish with the chives, pearl onion, Maldon salt and truffle oil.

Slice into quarters.

Crispy Tortilla

Yield: 1

1 floured tortilla

Pre-heat the oven to 275°F.

Puncture the tortilla a few times with a fork, then place on baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place another tray on top, bottom side down. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and working quickly, take away the top tray and then put the tortilla on a cold surface. Place a cold tray on top, putting on slight pressure.

Aioli

Yield: 2 portions

3 tbsp. mayonnaise

1 tsp. garlic, peeled, minced

In a bowl mix the mayonnaise and garlic paste until well combined.