Mornings and Markets: New Places to Dine

MIAM Cafe

This casual bistro is the second of its kind in Miami — the original location in Wynwood opened back in 2014. And no, we didn’t spell “Miami” wrong — miam means “yum” in French.

The food is similar to the recently opened Bistro Café (see “New Places” in our June issue) with a menu consisting mostly of breakfast and brunch food, plus smoothies and sandwiches. The avocado toast is decently packed with smashed avocado, red onions, and radishes on multigrain toast, an invigorating start to the morning — and arguably the most aesthetically pleasing item on the menu.

The standouts here are the pastries, in particular the Nutella croissant ($4.50), which is large enough to count as a full meal, dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with hazelnut spread. The inside is also full of Nutella, though not an exorbitant amount – just a good mix of croissant and chocolate hazelnut richness.

Also available are coffees, ranging from cortaditos to lattes to macchiatos, with additions like vanilla, caramel, and chocolate. MIAM really shines in the beverage area, with a full menu of drinks beyond traditional coffee; there’s cold brew, chai and matcha lattes, tea, smoothies, juices, wine, and beer. The inside of the bistro is pleasing for Instagram aficionados too — full of pink murals, flowers, and bright neon coffee art. It’s the kind of place where you might stop to have a morning coffee before work or meet up with a friend on your lunch break. Miam!

Miam Cafe
2300 Ponce de Leon
305.200.3190
Hours: 7 am to 4 pm (opens at 7:30 am on Sat. and 8 am on Sun.)
miamcafe.com

Graziano’s Market

Located inside the Lifetime building on US-1, this new Graziano’s Market location has a slightly smaller market than the downtown Coral Gables location, but more space devoted to eating. It’s also wonderfully convenient if you are (like we are) a Trader Joe’s enthusiast — the grocery store is just a few steps away, meaning you can theoretically do all of your shopping in one building.

Our favorite part of Graziano’s Market isn’t the imported San Marzano tomatoes or the spicy salami calabrese you can have cut up at the deli though — it’s the meals. From steaks and Argentinian street food to milanesas and raviolis, the food at this iteration of Graziano’s is both fresh and toothsome with a touch of upscale authenticity.

Still, the prices are reasonable ($14.95 for a panini, $12.95 for a burger) and the pastas could give some of the Gables’ traditional Italian restaurants a run for their money. Particularly enjoyable is the spinach and ricotta ravioli ($18.95), which we chose to be served with Graziano’s pink sauce, a creamy tomato dressing for a well-sized and filling dish. Also available are regular tomato sauce and alfredo – you make the choice.

It’s casual dining, where you order at a counter and then wait at a table, but somehow still feels high-end, as if you were on vacation, taking a break from sightseeing for a bite at a European food hall.

Graziano’s Market
229 S Dixie Hwy
786.633.3948
Hours: 7 am to 10 pm 
grazianosgroup.com