Karu Restaurant & Y

[chefAZ]

My first review here on e-gullet!!! So bear with me!....

It was not my intention on dining at Karu Restaurant & Y, infact I had made reservations to eat at David Bouley's Evolution. My wife and I were in Miami celebrating our 5 year anniversary, so a lot of planning went into that evening. I called a week prior to make sure we would get in and even drilled the receptionist with a list of questions. Finally we make the drive down to south beach....pull up to the door, only to be greeted with a peice of paper taped onto the door saying; "We would like to apologize, due to an incident we will be closed tonight April 12th, 2007". My jaw dropped.....I was stunned that no one had the courtesy to call me (which they said they would to confirm! ).

As we sat in the car for a few minutes...trying to get over the shock...I started to think where we could go instead. I wanted somthing new and innovative, somthing like ...Evolution! My mind quickly took me back to earlier that day when I was in the book store looking at a Dining Out magazine ( a quaterly published mag that lists all restaurants worth going to)....and thats when it hit me. I remember seeing this new place I have never heard of....after examining the preview menu I remember thinking "wow this place looks really interesting"...

A short 411 call and I was connected to the restaurant, 2 for 8pm....perfect!...10 minutes later we were in front of this sleek, modern-looking building with no name (sounds familiar?!) The staff were all dressed like somthing out of GQ. The place was just wreaking with style! Wish I had Pics! We were asked to be seated at the lounge and enjoy a complimentary cocktail while our table was being prepared:

Rosewater, Cranberry, Vodka. Very light and refreshing! nice first impression!

We were then taken to our table....the dining room was small ( I would guess 50 seats) and there was only one other table with people! Not sure if it was because it was a Thursday or because it was only one month old?!

Silverware, Stemware and China was all Designer french/spanish (Bernaud, Montgatina...ect) So far it looks good.

The menu was presented to us.....we looked it over but we had already decided to do the tasting menu. We did however sub the monkfish for the halibut....nothing against monkfish, it was just a personal taste. 5 courses @ $85, not bad for miami.

So here we go:

Amuse: Spanish Sardine with Heirloom Tomato and Stawberry Jus

notes: Didn't work for me, Sardine was not fresh...it was bland and flavours did not go well together. Not Good

First Course: Octopus Carpaccio, Myer Lemon Sorbet, Black Pepper.

notes: Very clean flavours. Served like Chef GEB's Kangaroo Carpaccio, in those really cool bowls stuck to the edges. Not listed was lemon-grass leaves below the sorbet. Made up for the Amuse! Excellent

Second Course: Berkshire Bacon, bananna, white bean puree, pickled date.

notes: Pork Belly....one of my favourite things to eat! This was no exception, waiter said it was cooked for 6hours sous-vide. Bean went well, however bananna and date did nothing for it. Very Good

Third Course: Halibut Sous Vide, black bean, eel and pineapple foam

notes: The eel was not of good quality, it made my wife feel a little uneasy and could not eat this. The fish was cooked perfectly, however they did not crisp the skin! Which doesnt make sense to me....the bean puree went nicely....and the foam dissolved quickly and had no real flavour. OK

Fourth Course: Lamb; Sausage, Loin, Chop. Smoked Grapes, Carrot, Cauliflower cous-cous

notes: nice, simple, delicious. Very Good

Dessert: "Granny Smith Apple" Carmelized Milk Ice Cream

notes: At this point the chef ( Alberto Cabrera) came out to say hello, he was nice and after talking figured I was a chef...so he invited me for a tour after dinner.

The apple was basically and apple pie deconstructed.And the Carmelized Milk Ice Cream was delicious! Very Good

Dessert #2: Lychee Sorbet, Cilatro Pearls.

After chatting the chef sent us out an exrta dessert which was a very nice palate cleanser. The pearls were tasty but didnt 'pop' in your mouth. I suspect they are using the original spherification process instead of the new way, with Calcium Gluconate. Anyways....it was still Good

Check was presented with a 'Take-home treat' as they said it, which was butter-scotch toffee with chocolate, Very addictive! And a nice touch...somthing you dont see very much here in miami....more like NYC.

The tour was fun, the kitchen was stocked with Liquid Nitrogen, your usual Chemicals...Thermomix, Immersion Circulators (all protien and some fruits/veg get the bath treatment) I even saw some Alinea Service ware...the Bow and the Antena. The Pasrty Chef was a t Nobu South Beach Previously, also a cool guy.

Overall it was a very ambitious restaurant, the chef is a cool guy and even invited me back for a 16 course tasting, which I definatley take him up on. Service was very good...very attentive...very detail oriented! Just needs some polishing and it has tremendous potential.

I am glad to see this type of restaurant in miami, although time will only tell how it will do. With previous closures like La Broche (which Alberto worked at) and Mosaico....we will have to see how miami takes to it.

Sorry for the LOOOOOOONG Post but I had to share this! Thanks!

[chefAZ]

Well after posting this I read the early reviews of this place in the Miami Herald + other Miami Periodicals and it seems like this placed is doomed! They really ripped it a new one! I must say though that they reviewed it before it was officially open, and the menu was different. Also I cant help but get a little annoyed with the negative conotation they give this style of cooking....refering to it as: "molecular gastronomy...scientist chefs screwing around with food to 'trick' you." I mean come on....

Now, I really believe that Miami critics are not ready to accept this style of cooking, and that they are more content eating classic, non imaginative food.

comments that stand out: refering to an oyster dish:"why not just a big platter of oysters?" "since when did foie gras had to be served with funnel cake" "portions are too small" "plates were not hot"<---I think this rule is a little old school.

While I agreed with some of the negative, I think they did not have to attack their selected style of cuisine......I mean you go there for that, not for a classical dinner.

Its like going to WD-50 and asking for a Green Salad with extra Ranch Dressing!

When I looked at the dates of the reviews it was obvious they were anxious to get in there and rip the place apart. I guess a place that took $20M and two years to build would create some type of expectation to live up to. But sheesh three dinners in the first week of opening?!?! Maybe I dont know how critics ought to do it, but I think that is a little unfair.

So now I wonder.......did I enjoy myself there because I had No Idea what to expect? unlike these people who have been waiting years to see open? Hmmmm.

I think that is partly so......THUS, I must return for the 16 course tasting and this time I PROMISE I will bring my camera!!

Or unless one of you brave e-gulleteers will take the dive?........

[joiei]

I hope this restaurant can prove the critics wrong. Miami really does need an injection of new. Anything instead of the same old same old relying on the Floribbean cuisine which is over. They need to realize that the world has changed since the Mango Mafia was new and hot. Those guys have done nothing new in years.

[robyn]

Miami often seems much better at doing "rude" than doing "food". Even though I don't live in Miami anymore (I live in NE Florida now) - I want to apologize if you came to our state as a tourist.

Note that something similar happened to me a few years ago. I made a reservation at Ola when I had to take a trip to Miami. The restaurant closed a few days before we arrived - and I would not have known that we were heading to a defunct establishment had I not spoken with the concierge at the Four Seasons about our dining plans. We wound up at Mosaico that night - which - also - was short lived. The chef from Mosaico is now up here at the Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island - and - judging from what I've read - his cooking talents seem to be stiffled by the tastes of the guests at the hotel. Too bad. Because I've been to a few food events at the Ritz Carlton there - and the chefs can really "strut their stuff" if they have an appreciative audience. Robyn

[Fat Guy]

The Herald review, by Victoria Pesce Elliott, is pretty rude. I don't even understand the context of "Walking into the futuristic, water-themed oasis from gritty Northwest 14th Street provides the first of many mind-blowing contrasts that make an evening here so disappointing. Hopscotching over a used condom and a pair of old underwear, we cross a sturdy moat and make our way through a corridor of waterfalls along a glass walkway set over Mediterranean-blue water." I'm hoping she means the condom and underwear were outside the restaurant, in which case it seems gratuitous to mention them, kind of like "There was some dog shit outside of [any restaurant] in [any city], quite a contrast with the inside, where there was no dog shit."

Anyway, my question is this: the name of the restaurant is "Karu Restaurant & Y." What's the "Y" about? Is it part of a YMCA?

[robyn]

Northwest 14th Street is a pretty rough part of Miami. It is not an area I would care to walk around in during the day - much less at night. There is a new arts center in the area - but it's the kind of place where if you walk 2 blocks in the wrong direction - you can get in trouble (think of walking 4 blocks west of the NYT building in Manhattan - which I did once by mistake on a trip to NYC). Robyn

[chefAZ]

The Herald review, by Victoria Pesce Elliott, is pretty rude. I don't even understand the context of "Walking into the futuristic, water-themed oasis from gritty Northwest 14th Street provides the first of many mind-blowing contrasts that make an evening here so disappointing. Hopscotching over a used condom and a pair of old underwear, we cross a sturdy moat and make our way through a corridor of waterfalls along a glass walkway set over Mediterranean-blue water." I'm hoping she means the condom and underwear were outside the restaurant, in which case it seems gratuitous to mention them, kind of like "There was some dog shit outside of [any restaurant] in [any city], quite a contrast with the inside, where there was no dog shit."

Anyway, my question is this: the name of the restaurant is "Karu Restaurant & Y." What's the "Y" about? Is it part of a YMCA?

←

The "Y" part of the name is refering to the lounge.....there are actually several lounges within this place, its huge!

Yeah, that condom comment is one I didnt point out.....but that reinforces my point that they were going in there already with a negative view. Quite vulgar for a food critic to mention 'used condom' then mention a food establishment.

[chefAZ]

Northwest 14th Street is a pretty rough part of Miami.  It is not an area I would care to walk around in during the day - much less at night.  There is a new arts center in the area - but it's the kind of place where if you walk 2 blocks in the wrong direction - you can get in trouble (think of walking 4 blocks west of the NYT building in Manhattan - which I did once by mistake on a trip to NYC).  Robyn

←

Yes, that is a rough part of town....actually its probably the roughest part of the entire state!.....BUT, how are things going to change unless someone says,'hey I am going to invest in this area and make it nicer'.

Like you have said, the new arts center is two blocks down the road and design district is within walking proximity. Bottom line: This area is on the up and up, more people need to start investing in the area and making it nicer, rather than staying away from it and telling everyone how scary it is.

Its like "the meat packing district" in every major city.....it was once shitty and scary.....now its cool and trendy! NYC and Chicago are good examples.

[robyn]

The meat packing district in New York is supposed to be trendy (I'm about 20 years too old for it) - but I suspect if I did that wrong turn at the NYT building again and walked 3 blocks west - that it's still not a great place to be in at 11 pm.

The problem with suburban cities (like Miami) is that people drive to get to places. It's not like NYC where the taxi picks you up and drops you off. You don't have to navigate through questionable areas on foot - or park your car where you suspect various parts will be missing when you finish dining (one night many years ago when we parked on a side street off Brickell - our whole car was missing!).

Moreover - in suburban spread out areas (like most metro areas in Florida) - a big deal restaurant has to be relatively close to a mass of affluent residents or tourists to attract steady business. Most South Beach tourists won't go to this part of Miami. And the affluent neighborhoods are all reasonably far away. Not many people will drive from the Gables or Pinecrest to 14th Street. It's not even in an area like Brickell where a lot of downtown workers would stop on their way home after work (there were a few restaurants on Brickell - like Cye's Rivergate - which used to attract that kind of business when I worked downtown).

When I was in Miami last year - my brother took us to a new Ethiopian restaurant in the design district at about 8 on a Wednesday. Wasn't a bad place (in terms of the food) - but I don't like being in the design district at night. It's just creepy (very few people - and I wish those who were there weren't).

As an aside - I think one problem in this area is that business people thought they'd get business from all the new spec condos which were going up in the area. I don't know how the spec condo business is doing there - but my guess in this real estate market is - not very good.

FWIW - I think northside Jacksonville (in my part of the state) is worse. Highest murder rate in the whole state if I recall correctly. You're not going to see any high end restaurants opening there anytime soon. It was hard enough to get Publix to open a store in that area. So my reaction is what bird brain put such an expensive restaurant in such a lousy neighborhood? Why not a place like Merrick Park - which I think is really nice - but has had so many problems attracting and keeping decent restaurants?

Or it could just be another manifestation of the "chain syndrome". We now have many high end chain restaurants in Jacksonville - and we are getting a lot more (we're even getting Louis Vuitton - imagine that). They are always packed. While many (but not all) local places go begging. Robyn

[annecros]

Northwest 14th Street is a pretty rough part of Miami.  It is not an area I would care to walk around in during the day - much less at night.  There is a new arts center in the area - but it's the kind of place where if you walk 2 blocks in the wrong direction - you can get in trouble (think of walking 4 blocks west of the NYT building in Manhattan - which I did once by mistake on a trip to NYC).  Robyn

←

Yes, that is a rough part of town....actually its probably the roughest part of the entire state!.....BUT, how are things going to change unless someone says,'hey I am going to invest in this area and make it nicer'.

Like you have said, the new arts center is two blocks down the road and design district is within walking proximity. Bottom line: This area is on the up and up, more people need to start investing in the area and making it nicer, rather than staying away from it and telling everyone how scary it is.

Its like "the meat packing district" in every major city.....it was once shitty and scary.....now its cool and trendy! NYC and Chicago are good examples.

←

First of all, thanks for your review and insights.

Reviewers in Miami? They miss much more often than they hit. Everyone down here takes them with a grain of salt.

The Design Destrict and its proximity are up and coming right now, and there has been quite a bit of talk of several new places going in the area.

I'm glad that you enjoyed your dining experience over all, especially after your initial disappointment with Evolution.

Edit to add: Here's an article on some of the things going on in the Design District lately:

Design District Article

The up and comeance of the Miami Design District in terms of its transformation into a viable nightlife-y area has been slow going, to say the least. It made the announcement of Anna Nicole Smith's cause of death seem rather speedy and the interminable presence of Sanjaya on American Idol seem, well, downright ephemeral. But eureka! Finally! Two surefire spurts of activity have emerged on the DD scene in addition to the ethno-sleek Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant and boozy boho W Wine Bistro, and we're jumping up and down like Paula Abdul after a sip from of her slap-happy Coke cup.

Michael's Genuine Food and Drink is open now and doing well, along with some other select places. Also a quick mention of Karu and Y. They are doing an invitation only thing.

[ecruz1026]

The Herald critics are notoriously bad with Victoria Pesce Elliott the worst by far. There are a couple of food writers there who are good (Enrique Fernandez and Linda Bladholm). Other than them, the food section is almost a joke.

The area around Karu & Y is extremely intimidating. It took guts to open a place there.

As for the Design District, I was there last Saturday at Michael's and it was packed. Also, it was gallery night, and there were people walking the streets with no cares (the art, by the way, blows away gallery night in Coral Gables, which seems to have become staid and boring). Add Grass, Bardot (a soon to open bar), and a Jonathan Eismann (from Pacific Time) venture and this area is going to be booming.

[chefAZ]

Well now, since a lot of you all are on the same page.....the page that says miami critics are rude, arrogant and have palates like a horses back side.......

I recomend that you all go and try this restaurant for yourselves. It is definaltey, in my opinion, a welcomed addition to miami's lacking restaurant scene.

[robyn]

The Herald critics are notoriously bad with Victoria Pesce Elliott the worst by far.  There are a couple of food writers there who are good (Enrique Fernandez and Linda Bladholm).  Other than them, the food section is almost a joke.

The area around Karu & Y is extremely intimidating.  It took guts to open a place there.

As for the Design District, I was there last Saturday at Michael's and it was packed.  Also, it was gallery night, and there were people walking the streets with no cares (the art, by the way, blows away gallery night in Coral Gables, which seems to have become staid and boring).  Add Grass, Bardot (a soon to open bar), and a Jonathan Eismann (from Pacific Time) venture and this area is going to be booming.

←

Everyone goes to gallery nights everywhere to see and be seen and drink free cheap wine.

When's the last time you and your friends ate in the Design District on a Wednesday in July? Robyn

P.S. The Design District has been "up and coming" since I first moved to Miami in 1971. The bottom line is no one wants to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a condo a few blocks from a slum (except during a real estate "boom" when people think they can flip the places - those that are being built today are like the Charter Club was maybe 20 years ago). There are in fact fewer nice shopping places there now than there were 30 years ago. Most of the higher class places moved to DCOTA a long time ago.

Edited April 17, 2007 by robyn (log)

[robyn]

The Herald review, by Victoria Pesce Elliott, is pretty rude...

←

Why did you think that? It sounds like a review of another expensive restaurant with mediocre food - not unusual for a lot of places - especially in Florida. Robyn

[annecros]

The Herald critics are notoriously bad with Victoria Pesce Elliott the worst by far.  There are a couple of food writers there who are good (Enrique Fernandez and Linda Bladholm).  Other than them, the food section is almost a joke.

The area around Karu & Y is extremely intimidating.  It took guts to open a place there.

As for the Design District, I was there last Saturday at Michael's and it was packed.  Also, it was gallery night, and there were people walking the streets with no cares (the art, by the way, blows away gallery night in Coral Gables, which seems to have become staid and boring).  Add Grass, Bardot (a soon to open bar), and a Jonathan Eismann (from Pacific Time) venture and this area is going to be booming.

←

I've been looking for someone who has been to Michael's. I was excited when I first read about the opening.

We have a topic open on it here:

Michael's Food and Drink Topic

If you could give us the lowdown it would be greatly appreciated.

[chefAZ]

The Herald review, by Victoria Pesce Elliott, is pretty rude...

←

Why did you think that? It sounds like a review of another expensive restaurant with mediocre food - not unusual for a lot of places - especially in Florida. Robyn

←

So Robyn, by the sounds of your comment you have eaten at Karu?

[Fat Guy]

The Herald review, by Victoria Pesce Elliott, is pretty rude...

←

Why did you think that? It sounds like a review of another expensive restaurant with mediocre food - not unusual for a lot of places - especially in Florida. Robyn

←

"Hopscotching over a used condom and a pair of old underwear . . . ."

[annecros]

P.S.  The Design District has been "up and coming" since I first moved to Miami in 1971.  The bottom line is no one wants to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a condo a few blocks from a slum (except during a real estate "boom" when people think they can flip the places - those that are being built today are like the Charter Club was maybe 20 years ago).  There are in fact fewer nice shopping places there now than there were 30 years ago.  Most of the higher class places moved to DCOTA a long time ago.

←

Oh gosh, there have been so many changes to Miami in the last 35 years or so. Even when I was living in Homestead in the mid-80's - South Beach was a slum then, Andrew and Wilma had not happened, the Haitian immigrants had just arrived, the South American influx and influence had not manifested itself.

The shopping is just fine in the Design District. In fact, the shopping has been just fine, the district has been kind of dead at night though - from what I have heard.

[Fat Guy]

Quite vulgar for a food critic to mention 'used condom' then mention a food establishment.

←

It is certainly vulgar, childish and embarrassing. But more importantly, it's irresponsible.

[Sneakeater]

but I suspect if I did that wrong turn at the NYT building again and walked 3 blocks west - that it's still not a great place to be in at 11 pm.

←

Just for the record, this is very not true anymore.

[robyn]

P.S.  The Design District has been "up and coming" since I first moved to Miami in 1971.  The bottom line is no one wants to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a condo a few blocks from a slum (except during a real estate "boom" when people think they can flip the places - those that are being built today are like the Charter Club was maybe 20 years ago).  There are in fact fewer nice shopping places there now than there were 30 years ago.  Most of the higher class places moved to DCOTA a long time ago.

←

Oh gosh, there have been so many changes to Miami in the last 35 years or so. Even when I was living in Homestead in the mid-80's - South Beach was a slum then, Andrew and Wilma had not happened, the Haitian immigrants had just arrived, the South American influx and influence had not manifested itself.

The shopping is just fine in the Design District. In fact, the shopping has been just fine, the district has been kind of dead at night though - from what I have heard.

←

Excuse me - South Beach a slum in the mid-80's? I don't think so (my ex-secretary is married to an ex-mayor of Miami Beach and I'm sure he'd beg to differ with you too).

South Beach wasn't even a slum in the 60's or 70's - just a place where most of the tourists were old and the hotels were a bit shabby.

Now Liberty City - that's a slum. Has been for decades - still is.

As for the design district - when's the last time you bought anything there? There are few places there left worth going to. Knoll still a place there - but since Knoll started selling retail in lots of places - including Luminaire in Coral Gables - not much reason for retail customers to go there.

Regarding comments about the condom in the restaurant review - I think it's a valid comment. I don't want to go to a restaurant where I'm going to spend a couple of hundred bucks or more and the surroundings are disgusting and/or filthy (I won't even mention dangerous). I can get $6 BBQ in a lot of places in the south and do that (although I've never had to step over used condoms in most $6 BBQ places here - most restaurant owners here - no matter how low end their surroundings are in general - keep their immediate locations clean - you'll see them sweeping the sidewalks in front of their places in the morning before they open). Perhaps that's because one sign of a good local BBQ place is the entire police force (maybe all 4 of them) eat there every day.

So just exactly why is it irresponsible to mention that when you arrive at an expensive restaurant wearing your Armani and your $600 Manolos that you will have to wade through through the urban equivalent of horsesh**? Robyn

[chefAZ]

P.S.  The Design District has been "up and coming" since I first moved to Miami in 1971.  The bottom line is no one wants to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a condo a few blocks from a slum (except during a real estate "boom" when people think they can flip the places - those that are being built today are like the Charter Club was maybe 20 years ago).  There are in fact fewer nice shopping places there now than there were 30 years ago.  Most of the higher class places moved to DCOTA a long time ago.

←

Oh gosh, there have been so many changes to Miami in the last 35 years or so. Even when I was living in Homestead in the mid-80's - South Beach was a slum then, Andrew and Wilma had not happened, the Haitian immigrants had just arrived, the South American influx and influence had not manifested itself.

The shopping is just fine in the Design District. In fact, the shopping has been just fine, the district has been kind of dead at night though - from what I have heard.

←

Excuse me - South Beach a slum in the mid-80's? I don't think so (my ex-secretary is married to an ex-mayor of Miami Beach and I'm sure he'd beg to differ with you too).

South Beach wasn't even a slum in the 60's or 70's - just a place where most of the tourists were old and the hotels were a bit shabby.

Now Liberty City - that's a slum. Has been for decades - still is.

As for the design district - when's the last time you bought anything there? There are few places there left worth going to. Knoll still a place there - but since Knoll started selling retail in lots of places - including Luminaire in Coral Gables - not much reason for retail customers to go there.

Regarding comments about the condom in the restaurant review - I think it's a valid comment. I don't want to go to a restaurant where I'm going to spend a couple of hundred bucks or more and the surroundings are disgusting and/or filthy (I won't even mention dangerous). I can get $6 BBQ in a lot of places in the south and do that (although I've never had to step over used condoms in most $6 BBQ places here - most restaurant owners here - no matter how low end their surroundings are in general - keep their immediate locations clean - you'll see them sweeping the sidewalks in front of their places in the morning before they open). Perhaps that's because one sign of a good local BBQ place is the entire police force (maybe all 4 of them) eat there every day.

So just exactly why is it irresponsible to mention that when you arrive at an expensive restaurant wearing your Armani and your $600 Manolos that you will have to wade through through the urban equivalent of horsesh**? Robyn

←

I think the comment was just to paint the picture of the extreme differences...I doubt that she literally 'hop-scotched' over a old pair of underwear and a used condom.....

Even so, you don't need to 'wade through' anything.....you literally pull up to the front door, valet takes your car and you get escorted inside. I was aware that we weren't in the best of areas but I certainly did not feel scared of getting robbed or anything like that and the side walk/ street area surronding was not at all littered.

I agree that this is an akward location to open a $20M establishment, but can we please stop knocking the city and start talking about the restaurant! I mean that is what this thread is about!

[ecruz1026]

robyn, did you step on some gum in the Design District or something? You're bashing absolutely everything positive that's being said yet everything negative (e.g. hopscotching over condomes) you're relishing.

Have I been to artwalks in the summer, yes, both in the Design District, the Gables and Wynwood.

The good places have left the Design District? Ligne Roset just moved there from the Gables (not to DCOTA). Plus, unlike DCOTA, there's galleries in the district and everything is accessible to the public, not just the trade. Plus the district now has the potential to become a nightime destination if places like Michael's succeed (which it seems to be doing). Plus in the same area you've got Ammendment XXI and A. They're not in the best neighborhood but give me a break.

And in defense of the ridiculing of the Herald's critic, Victoria Pesce-Elliott is awful. She's constantly making grammatical and factual errors. She's in love with the mediocre and considers tofu exotic. She should be writing the food column for Jacksonville or some other provincial place.

Edited April 20, 2007 by ecruz1026 (log)

[blais]

I was in Miami at the time of that review, and the months prior to the Karu opening.

I couldn't believe the amount of negative "buzz" surrounding such an ambitious effort. This is a serious multi million dollar fine dining restaurant, and so many people just wanted it to fail so bad. It was disgusting, and the review carried that same tone.

When Ducasse and WD-50 opened I remember there were discussions pertaining to the politics of those reviews. That was arguable.

There is no doubt in my mind the Karu & Y review was political and it reveals a depressing element of the Miami dining and social scene.

The review was intimidating.

The problem is, if you don't know the history, and read that review , than you aren't going there for dinner. And then your off for a 2 pound lobster tail, bad service, and unethical pricing at so many well reviewed Miami spots.

Irresponsibility by the food critic is hitting the nail square on the head. Screw the stars, new restaurants take time, but at least acknowledge the effort, passion, and money that went into that place and what they are trying to do for the community.

I'll be there Saturday night w/o body guard or entourage, and I hope they are busy.

[annecros]

I'll be there Saturday night w/o body guard or entourage, and I hope they are busy.

←

Amen and good for you.

Please come back and tell us about it.