305-Local Chefs On Why, Actually, Summer is The Best Time to Dine in Miami

Resy: What do you love about summer in Miami?

Jeff Budnechky, pitmaster and owner of Apocalypse BBQ: Miami in the summer, if you can adjust to the heat and the rain is an incredible place to be. You have these incredible places to go, incredible restaurants that are accessible because there’s less people here and it’s more of a chill vibe. People understand we’re all cooking alive, so things’ll happen when they happen.

Sandy Sanchez, co-owner of Silverlake Bistro: It definitely gets quieter, it feels less crowded, there’s less traffic. We live in the Beach, and while we might still be melting in the car, at least we’re moving. No one loves the heat, but within the locals there’s a little bit of getting the place back to ourselves and that’s kinda cool.

Mark Falsetto, partner of Anthony’s Runway 84 and Pizza Craft: South Florida in summer is chill. Everybody leaves, and while we’re at 100 miles an hour in season, in summertime we can be at 25. It’s like going through a school zone. If you have the right mindset, you can enjoy it. A lot of people don’t like it, but it’s a good time to visit local spots when they’re not packed with all the out-of-towners.

Danny Ganem, Culinary Director of Daniel’s Steakhouse: I can’t wait for the mangoes, and all the great South Florida fruit to start popping out. I tend to glide around Florida at least once during the summer, trying to get some insight with the farmers for the next season. Organizing, shooting ideas between the farmers and myself.

Resy: What are you doing at your restaurant during the summer slowdown?

Pedro Valdes, Executive Chef of Elia on the River: Summers are when you sharpen your tools, it’s where you really work on your craft. When you’re in season, it’s hard to dial in on those things. So now is the time when you want to experiment with new items. Definitely a lot of cleaning projects, just all around trying to sharpen what we do operationally.

Michael Schwartz, chef and owner of Michael’s Genuine: It’s not the best time for local products, but we can dial in at Genuine with projects like canning and preserving, and menu rotation and creativity. I appreciate that about summer for sure.

Budnechky: Barbecue and summer go hand in hand. Our vision has been to be a community gathering place, and summer gives us a chance to do that. You have less wait time outside, so everyone gets more of the vibe like this is a neighborhood spot.

Ganem: For me it’s like the 5^th quarter for the Dolphins. It’s a post-mortem analysis of what you did wrong, what you did right. Seeing what’s the best team that will continue with you. You wanna get better every year and you gotta be ready for the crazy times ahead.

Sanchez: A lot of brainstorming. [Chef/Partner] Benoit [Rablat] likes to try dishes we might do once season starts. We also have staff that’s been with us a long time, and it’s a good time to sit with them and talk about wine, and service things, and other things we just don’t have time to talk about during season.

Resy: What do your guests appreciate about summer dining in Miami?

Schwartz: It’s less busy, so they can get a table easier, or a preferred seat at the bar. It’s always the goal to pay more attention to our guests, so we try and focus on taking better care of them when we’re not churning 500-600 covers a night. That’s a plus.

Falsetto: They can get a Friday or Saturday reservation, usually, so it’s a great time for them to come out. At Runway, we don’t change our programming at all, so they’re getting the same experience they would in the middle of season with the five-piece band, flying in crooners from across the country.

Sanchez: They appreciate having the restaurant to themselves. And what I hear a lot is, “We support you all year and I can’t get a table in season,” but in summer it’s a feeling that they can come in whenever they want.

Resy: How are you bringing people into your restaurant during the summer?

Schwartz: We try not to get too gimmicky, or do too many things at one. At Genuine, we just launched a Monday all-night happy hour, which I think is pretty robust. We introduced dollar oyster night on Thursdays. At Amara, we just launched a big, beautiful lunch buffet on Sundays, with dollar oysters there too.

Budnechky: One advantage of being a suburban restaurant, when others are suffering from people going out of town, we don’t see that as much. So not to bring people in, but because mango season is blowing up, we wanted to do some mango ribs. We’re doing our first seasonal menu, we’ve got a five-bean salad that’s very citrusy, refreshing. Summer to me was always my dad grilling parrilla, so we’ve got chorizo like we had at Oleta River barbecues when I was a kid.

Falsetto: We’re really focusing on enticing the locals. So at TacoCraft, we’ve got happy hour all day, instead of starting at 4pm. We’re rolling out some new lighter menu items like a poke bowl and some mocktails with coconut and watermelon.

Sanchez: At La Fresca Francesa, we decided to keep for summer a $30 special where you get a hanger steak, a crepe, and a glass of wine. And we don’t change the size of the steak, it’s the same as our regular menu steak. That’s how you stay in business in Hialeah for ten years – you don’t cut corners.

Ganem: In July, we’re doing a couple of wine dinners, and those are always well received. Also, we’re showcasing what farmers are doing. Some people don’t associate South Florida with great ingredients during the summer, so we’re doing stuff with this beautiful okra, mangoes, avocados, and tropical fruits.

Resy: What do you do with your staff during summer?

Ganem: Vacation time! Everyone takes vacation. For some of them it’s their time to enjoy family time, they want four or five days to be with their family, which during season is more difficult. They have downtime where they get to relax, and come back nice and refreshed and ready for work.

Budnechky: They’re grateful for our new location because the AC works way better. We’re a summer food, so every month there’s a holiday, and there’s business flowing. They have time to breathe, but they still feel that business.

Valdes: With hourlies, I’ll sit everybody down and say, “Listen guys, we always are willing to give. And now is the season for you to give. So we have to take some hours. Please feel free if you want to do a part-time job, find a part-time job.” For our fixed hours [employees] a lot of cleaning projects, a lot of maintenance, because that’s really when you wanna fix your restaurant, fix the menu, fix what’s broken.

Sanchez: I’m sure they hate it (laughs). We don’t let anyone go, but staff likes to take their vacation during summer. A lot of them have been with us for years, but they forget the pattern. I have to be like, “Guys, the business isn’t dying. People still love us. It’s just like last year and the year before.”

Schwartz: A lot of our front of the house staff leaves for the summer, and it paves the way for people that stay to maintain their hours. Some of the better, more senior servers appreciate the time to spend with guests and really refine their sales technique, as opposed to just taking orders.

Resy: What are your favorite spots to hit during the summer?

Falsetto: We like to go down to the 1 Hotel in Miami, hit some of our favorite restaurants down there. Pull up at Surf Club, Champagne Bar, we like to experience that as a local. We’ll do a weekend at The Breakers up in Palm Beach and enjoy that slow time during the summer.

Sanchez: It’s a great time to hit up restaurants that are impossible to go to during season, the “hotspots.” Because you can get a reservation when things are less chaotic, and everything is a little more fine-tuned.

Valdes: I like things that usually locals know, Captains Tavern, the Fish House. I like sushi, like Osaka and Matsuri. Tortilleria Mexicana, that’s the best taco shop in Miami and Broward. I like to go to Redlands, you can go to the flea market, and they have a whole section of food trucks.

Ganem: I tend to go to the local places my friends are cooking at. I love to go to Ghee, and I love to go and see Jose Mendin’s restaurants. I always try to go to Ariete. But then, I tend to travel during this time of year. I save some money and try to enjoy a couple of different cities and see what they’re doing. Learn something new.