Tastes Like Summer: Fresh Takes on Warm-Weather Classics
This season try these fresh new takes on warm-weather classics.
Corn on the cob
Nothing beats fresh sweet corn boiled briefly, then brushed with butter. But there are plenty of other ways to savor this summertime favorite. Japanese Street Corn – crispy corn, chili lime mayo and bonito flakes – is on the new summer menu at Sushi Maki’s restaurants in South Miami, Coral Gables, Palmetto Bay, Miami International Airport, Brickell and Kendall.
At Cake Thai Kitchen in MiMo, Grilled Corn Cob takes the cake, layering rich sweetness atop more sweetness by drenching the cobs in coconut cream and adding palm sugar. Follow this with a refreshing Spicy Roasted Duck, Crispy Shallot and Roasted Rice Salad, brightened by fresh cilantro, lime, mint and shallot and chili powder. They’ll heat you up, then cool you down.
Elote is grilled Mexican street corn typically slathered with mayonnaise, cotija cheese and covered with ancho chile powder. That’s how you’ll find elote served at HuaHua’s Taqueria in South Beach. At Taquiza Miami in South Beach, their version of this traditional charred corn calls for a topping of cilantro-jalapeno crema and aged cotija. For still more corn goodness, try their huitlacoche tacos made with corn fungus and fresh corn on handmade blue masa tortillas.
Soda Pop
These small-batch soda flavors, concocted by the mixologists at 15th and Vine Kitchen, are made without preservatives, corn syrup or artificial colors. And they’re so summery! Strawberry Dream combines fresh strawberries, lemon and mint; Berry Burst is blueberries, lime and sage; Lemon Daisy has lemon and basil; Pineapple Crush is flavored with pineapple, lemon and mint; and Cilantro Cooler mixes up pineapple with cilantro. Try them poolside at the Viceroy Miami.
Frozen Drinks
No matter what you grew up with – Icees, Slurpees, Slushies or other frozen drinks – the memory of sucking up sweet, icy slush is one of summer’s most enduring pleasures. Now you can recreate that frosty feeling at home – and at some of South Florida’s best cocktail bars – thanks to Kelvin Natural Slush Co., makers of all-natural, certified organic slush mixes that are vegan, gluten-free, kosher and sweetened with real cane sugar.
The company launched in Brooklyn as a food truck, when co-founder Zack Silverman left a corporate law career to find a way to make a better slushie. Rather than create a long list of flavors, he and partner Alex Rein developed three base flavors – green and black tea, ginger (spicy) and citrus (tangy) that could be combined with fresh pureed fruits and herbs like mint or basil.
As great as a frozen ginger iced tea or strawberry lemonade hits the spot on a steamy July afternoon, an adult version with an alcoholic bump is even better – “Everyone came to the food truck spiking their drinks,” says Silverman.
After developing a frozen cocktail program in Brooklyn and Manhattan, Kelvin Slush took their talents to South Florida bartenders. The results go far beyond fake-tasting Mai Tais. At the new Cena by Michy’s, look for a frozen Pimm’s Cup, made with cucumber and mint puree, Pimm’s, Citadelle gin and Kelvin citrus and ginger slush. Other bartenders are making cool concoctions at The Marlin, Soho House, Edition, One Hotel, the new Aloft Hotel, Menin Hospitality and The Standard. “Everyone is doing something unique,” he says. “Frozen bourbon drinks, frozen gin, savory not sweet choices, a Shandy – it’s unlimited creativity.”
Kelvin Slush nonalcoholic frozen drinks will be launching soon at coffee bars at Whole Foods Markets in Florida. For consumers, bottles of Kelvin Slush will be available by the end of the summer.
