One of my favorite cuisines is Persian, one of the world’s oldest cuisines and often referred to as “refined”. It is similar to other Middle Eastern cuisines, but also different in its ingredients and is also considered healthy. Happily, what was the leading Persian restaurant here, Fooq’s Miami, has reopened after a hiatus due to Covid, in what they call a “hippie chic sanctuary” in Little River. In its 14,000 square feet it has an attractive indoor dining room, outdoor dining space with its own bar, and an upstairs vinyl lounge, which prioritizes “happy music only” and high-fidelity sound until 3 a.m.. The menu is exciting and the food is very good, well worth a visit.
The kitchen, helmed by Executive Chef Andrew Bazzini, centers around a custom wood-fired grill, turning out “New American” dishes with deep Persian roots—think whole wood-fired ducks, charcoal-grilled shawarma, and the Fooq’s Feast, a communal prix-fixe spread ($75 per person) featuring a snack, mezze, protein, stew, tahdig (crispy rice), pommes fifi, and delicious house baked bread
The menu is divided into snacks, dips, small plates, pides, kebabs, the Fooq’s Feast, main courses (large and small format), sides and desserts.
The core staples of Persian food are saffron (used for aroma and color), long-grain basmati rice (often served with tahdig), Rose water, turmeric, dried limes, barberries, pomegranate molasses, and loads of fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, and dill. Though the menu also features non Persian dishes, like steaks and broiled fish, the dishes to get are Persian.
At Fooq’s Miami, we started with two mezze, Ranch Mast O’Kiar – Greek yogurt with cucumbers and dill and burnt eggplant and tomato that was smokey and crunchy thanks to fried shallots, They were served with a delicious house made za’atar bread, a thick, leavened flatbread with a crisp crust topped with sesame seeds.. We followed it with a stew, Ghormeh Sabzi, that was so good I had it on my second visit as well. Very tasty, it was made with braised lamb, kidney beans and spinach. For a main we chose the heritage chicken kebab served with greens and cherry tomatoes. The flavor of the chicken was unlike any I had had. It was moist, very flavorful and delicious.
Accompanying it were the pommes fifi, crispy small chunks of potato made with clarified butter and a leafy green salad with Italian greens. We also tried the Basmati rice cake with herbs. Next time we’d like to try the 14 Day In House Dry Aged Peking Duck brushed in a glaze consisting of honey, orange blossom, orange vinegar and tamari, seasoned with the house spice mix of Sichuan peppercorn, cardamom, and dried rose petal. The breast is sliced very thinly and served with a sauce that is a play on l’orange.
Find some unusual cocktails at Fooq’s Miami including a pistachio martini and silk road, all priced at $20. There’s a solid wine list including aged (10 to 15 years) but ready to drink wines. A glass starts at $16 (5 ounce pour) and bottles from $75.
Dinner for two including two small plates, two main courses, two sides and two cocktails will run you about $165 plus tax and tip…