The November Hit List: Rao’s, Casadonna, La Bibliothèque, and More

One of New York’s hardest tables to get has arrived in Miami. (If you’re not familiar with this iconic Southern Italian restaurant, around since 1896, you’ve probably seen their tomato sauce at the grocery store.) And it’s actually replacing another famed NYC hot spot, Lure Fishbar, which closed at Loews Miami Beach Hotel earlier this year. Luckily for us, instead of the 10 tables at the original, Rao’s Miami Beach will seat about 160 and is taking reservations on Resy so you actually have a chance of eating here.

But VIPs looking for something more exclusive need not fret — there’ll also be an adjacent Rao’s Room that replicates the intimacy of the original restaurant in Harlem. Expect homey Neapolitan-style comfort food, with dishes like meatballs, roasted red peppers, lemon chicken, lobster fra diavolo, and veal ragout, plus the traditional family ambiance for which Rao’s is known.

Take in the Tulum vibes and the crisp fall air from the Fabel Miami rooftop. The open-air restaurant and lounge on the second floor of Wynwood Jungle spans 10,000 square feet and is designed to let guests create their own fairytale-worthy experience (hence the name). The high-energy oasis comes alive at night with eccentric performers, music, and dancing, though it’s also a great spot to enjoy a St. Tropez-style Sunday brunch in a bohemian setting. While the shareable Mediterranean-inspired food menu is divided into “chapters,” the cocktail list has sections like Fabel Tales (unique craft cocktails), Folk Tales (the classics), and Mock Tales (we think you get it). 

Florentine flavor meets farm-to-table at chef Niven Patel’s newest outpost. The restaurant is inspired by Patel’s formative time cooking in Florence. But it’s no ordinary Italian joint: the menu is influenced by Miami’s fresh, local ingredients and produce sourced from his homestead farm, in true Patel fashion. The menu showcases handmade pastas with unique Florida twists — think mafaldine with Bahamian conch, and gnocchi with Key West pink shrimp — an entire vegetable section among the starters (always the move at a  Patel restaurant), and even farm-to-glass cocktails. Book your table before 7 p.m. to enjoy a pasta tasting for $45 per person and get a sample size of most of the pasta menu, or for an elevated experience, choose the 8-course chef’s table experience ($195 per person) with seating in a tucked-away booth with a direct view of the open kitchen.

Call 305-712-7788 for more info.

If you’re like us and Thanksgiving is on your mind as soon as the calendar says November, you don’t have to wait until the end of the month to get your fill of turkey and your favorite comfort food sides like mac ‘n’ cheese, baked beans, and cornbread. One of our favorite barbecue spots, Hometown BBQ, has all of that and more (and yes, they usually do Thanksgiving catering, too). Try the pit-smoked meats that can be ordered by the pound, from smoked turkey to brisket and pulled pork, or wood-fired plates like grilled elote and charred broccoli. While Hometown is a casual counter-service format for lunch, it transforms into a full-service restaurant for dinner and you can reserve your table on Resy. Grab a bench in the outdoor garden for the homiest vibes.

Fans of TV’s feistiest chef will be excited about his opening in Miami, where the the sprawling open kitchen — the focal point of the dining room — gives diners the sense that they’re on the set of the competition show. The two-story restaurant also features two bars, a chef’s table, a terrace, patio and multiple private dining rooms.

The menu? Well, it leans into Ramsay’s signature dishes, including his beef Wellington, lobster risotto, and sticky toffee pudding. And there are Miami-exclusive plates, too, like steamed mussels with Spanish chorizo in a tomato saffron broth. If you’re brave enough to withstand a signature Ramsay insult, order the Notes from Gordon cocktail, complete with a not-so-subtle message from the man of the hour himself.

Call 786-688-0052 for more info.

Two kings of nightlife and entertainment — Tao Group and Grutman Hospitality — have come together to open this coastal Italian-inspired restaurant. If that alone isn’t exciting enough, it’s located along the Biscayne Bay waterfront in the historic Miami Woman’s Club building, so it’s sure to be a stunner.

The Riviera-inspired menu features classic recipes from seaside Italian towns like Naples, Taormina, and Positano. Enjoy crudo bar offerings like langoustine ceviche and tuna carpaccio, handmade pasta, and signature dishes including crispy young artichoke, dorade, and bistecca Fiorentina. And that setting? The Courtyard Bar in the historic building’s original atrium features a retractable roof, arched windows, and second-story arcade; the Garden Dining Room is designed to feel like a conservatory; the Loggia Dining Room showcases custom blown-glass chandeliers; and the Ocean Bar offers alfresco dining on the bay-front terrace. 

This latest spot from the ever-growing Ariete Hospitality Group, specializes in Caribbean-inspired raw bar classics, small plates, and craft cocktails. Situated in CocoWalk, the intimate nine-seat seafood and cocktail bar is part of a much larger space that will soon house chef and restaurateur Michael Beltran’s next restaurant venture, Eva.

Dive into a daily selection of oysters on the half-shell, conch salad, and corvina ceviche, or savor small plates like clam dip with aji amarillo and Peruvian crackers and the Snapper Dog made with pork and snapper sausage and garlic-fennel slaw. Don’t miss the spiked snow cones in flavors like piña colada and mango. You’ll want to make this your new happy hour hangout in the Grove with $1.50 oysters, $6 beers, and $9 well spirits and wine from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Find more info here.

Cheese lovers, if you haven’t been to Chèvre, now’s the time. This hidden-gem cheese shop on Coral Way not only sells hard-to-find cheeses from around the world but also cheesy gourmet sandwiches, and their signature Basque burnt cheesecake. At La Bibliothèque, Chèvre’s temperature-controlled library room with bar seating, they host cheese master classes, wine tastings and other special ticketed events. But now you can also book a seat for lunch Wednesday to Sundays to enjoy those artisan sandwiches in an elegant setting.

Try specialities like La Italiana, with sheep’s milk ricotta, Italian mortadella, fresh basil pesto, Sicilian pistachios, and a drizzle of truffle wildflower honey; or the Messi with thinly sliced Bresaola, whipped olive oil ricotta, and spicy arugula, topped with truffled Marcona almonds and aged balsamico.

Chef Cindy Hutson and partner Delius Shirley have temporarily revived their iconic Miami restaurant, which shuttered at the start of the pandemic. Beloved for its Florida- and island-inspired cuisine (which Hutson dubbed “Cuisine of the Sun”), Ortanique is back in Coral Gables for a three-month pop-up at MKT Kitchen running through Dec. 16. (Don’t consider this a glimmer of hope that it’ll be back permanently. Shirley says it’s meant to be a tribute for longing fans more than a relaunch.)

The Ortanique team has enhanced MKT’s simple café space with hints of their signature tropical aesthetic, including green and orange chairs. Guests will enjoy an amuse bouche upon arrival and a three-course meal for $98 per person, with choice of appetizer, entree, and dessert. While the menu will rotate each weekend to give diehard Ortanique fans a chance to return and experience a different set of favorites, the beverage menu will include craft cocktails like Ortanique’s famed mojito. The pop-up will run Thursday through Saturday with two seatings a night, limited to 40 guests. Make your reservations while you still can.

Call 305-458-8422 for more info.

At award-winning chef Michael Schwartz’s pizza joint, the pies range from traditional (pepperoni, margherita) to inventive options like short rib with Gruyère and caramelized onion. Add to that funky monthly specials like November’s butter chicken pizza, a collaboration with Indian street food spot Cho:Tu. Pick your pies (their meal deals let you get two pizzas and an app or salad for $42 or three pizzas, an app, and salad for $68), or better yet, make your own. Sign up for one of Harry’s monthly pizza making classes at the Miami Beach location (the next one is Nov. 15). The hands-on tutorial with a pizza chef will walk through making your own pizza and molding your dough, and includes a welcome cocktail; appetizers like polenta fries, arancini, meatballs, and escarole salad; and olive oil cake for dessert.