The Art of Plating: Chef Bradley Kilgore of Alter

Has it really been only a year since Chef Bradley Kilgore opened Alter? Today's announcement from the James Beard Foundation that not only is Alter a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, but that Chef Brad is semifinalist for Rising Star Chef has Miami celebrating, as for the first time in years, the James Beard Foundation has recognized that something very special is happening in the Miami food scene. And never before two noms for both the chef and restaurant!

The following is a reprint of a MIAbites feature from December 2014, on Chef Brad, before Alter and while hosting pop up dinners in Wynwood during Art Basel. It shares his vision and passion for creating unique and innovative dishes and is what has made Alter the best restaurant in Miami...and on March 15th when the winners are announced...hopefully the whole country!

Miami is still recovering from the over 50,000 art enthusiasts who clogged the roadways, causeways, buses, Metromovers and trolleys during this month's Art Basel and Miami Art Week, and made getting even a simple dinner reservation next to impossible.

The creativity and art seemed to be everywhere and even though many of the talented artists may have packed up now and left the area, one artist has remained and set the bar pretty high during Art Basel / Miami Art Week for his creativity and artistic ability…in creating food!

Chef Bradley Kilgore, all of 27 years old, garnered some excellent reviews for his unique PopUp Dinners hosted at Miam Café and Boutique in Wynwood.

RestaurantsEllen BowenFebruary 17, 2016Wynwood, MiamiComment

NOMA: The Traveling ErGagit

ErGagit checks off another spot on the “Foodie Bucket List”….noma!

A little food history to set the tone:

In November 2004, on the initiative of the Danish chefs René Redzepi and Claus Meyer of the then newly opened noma restaurant, chefs and food professionals from all the Nordic countries met in Copenhagen to discuss how best to develop what they called the "New Nordic Cuisine." In particular, they sought to emphasize the need for what they described as "purity, simplicity, and freshness" as well as increased use of seasonal foods. Restaurants were encouraged to develop traditional dishes making use of ingredients benefitting from the local region's climate, water, and soil. This included edible flowers, moss, hay and other local ingredients foraged and taken from the land.

10 years later, noma has gone on to not only set the standard for New Nordic cuisine, but also to lead the movement towards sustainable dining and garner Top Restaurant awards from multiple publications for its unique dishes and dining experience.

The Gagit’s and friends have been to noma before, but we believed its Number 2 rating in 2012 would become number 1 again for 2013, and it did.

Noma is not only the number 1 restaurant in the world it is also the toughest reservation in the world. However, thanks to our connection on Twitter, Gagit just asked @ReneRedzepiNoma and the requested reservation was secured (hint hint). We secured a reservation to dinner this trip and as we walked in we were warmly greeted by Rene, as shown, and welcomed back to his “home” for a five hour experience of food and drink, service, and friendliness. This is what noma is all about.

We are seated by the hostess and introduced to our lead server of the night Cat, although by the end the night we might have met the whole staff of 50.

We order our first bottle of wine and a member of the staff, both chefs and servers begin the nights experience.

Travel Bites, RestaurantsMIAbites TeamAugust 15, 2014Worlds Best Restaurants, NomaComment