The Bazaar (and the Bizarre) by Jose Andres

On the corner of Collins Ave and 17th Street in South Beach, Miami is a place named SLS Hotel. 

Inside this hotel, there is a treasure. You won't find signs for it, you just have to know.

For those that have marveled in Jose Andres' groundbreaking, awe-inspiring cuisine as I have, this is a gem not to be missed:

The Bazaar by Jose Andres. 

I was recently stuck in Miami due to Hurricane Sandy. It barely hit us in Florida before it went up north and caused all the devastation. We still had a "Hurricane Party" the first night we were there!

And yes, I was stuck. 

Many people will say it's not fair to complain about something like this. I say, you try planning for a 4 day vacation and ending up having to stay for 8. There are things you just don't think about: 

What if you didn't over pack (as I luckily did and always do)? 

What if you take some kind of medication and you didn't bring extra? 

What if, God forbid, your family or house is in danger due to the weather and you have no way of getting home? We had three flights cancelled before we were able to get home. 

But yeah, being stuck in Miami wasn't the worst thing in the world! 

I went with one of my oldest friends, Lance Owen, and his parents. They were generous enough to treat me like a princess the entire time, paying for food and hotel accommodations. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay them the favor (short of marrying their son- and lets face it, that ain't gonna happen!) 

Throughout the trip, I acted as the self-proclaimed "culinary tour guide." I was in charge of locating the restaurant for each meal, preparing the group for what to expect in terms of the "best dish" or "specialty", and making the reservations, if needed. This was the best. job. ever. 

If I could somehow make a living going on vacations with people and telling them where to eat (while being treated to the meals myself, of course) I'd be in heaven. 

I couldn't have done it without my smartphone, of course. Apps like Around Me, Urbanspoon, Open Table, and Yelp! really made it easy. Otherwise, I wouldn't have even known about The Bazaar by Jose Andres. 

It was in a hotel literally three hotels away from ours. 

We dressed up because we knew this was going to be a special meal!

Our first course was a dish of the Baby Japanese Peaches. Apparently, they are so rare that not even the waitstaff are allowed to taste them without paying the $18 for the dish. Served with mozzarella "spheres" that pop in your mouth, hazelnuts, and a peanut sauce. Each dish comes with instructions on how to properly eat them, as well. It's almost like a performance. Much in the traditional Jose Andres style. 

Next I ordered the Croquetas de pollo, or Chicken-bechamel fritters. These I had to enjoy on my own, as the entire Owen family are vegetarians. Served in a glass replica of Andres' shoe, this dish is surely the oddest on the menu- and thats saying a lot! 

The shoe-croquettes were followed by smoked oysters- a beautiful display of one of Andres' signature techniques: flavored air. The server walked up to us, he cloche came off the dish and a huge cloud of smoke dispersed around us.

This dish is called the 21 Vegetable Quinoa. Little pieces of little veggies, a nice broth and some crispy crunchies on top. Delicious! 

There were other dishes, of course, all interesting, unique, and delicious in their own ways. 

And of course, the best part of the night (it always is)- Dessert!



We ordered the chocolate mousse with house-made coffee ice cream and the deconstructed key lime pie.

I could not get enough of the pie. 

Luckily, the chocolate was the favorite of all my meal-mates, so I was able to devour the key lime pie on my own! 

The blobs around the plate are meringue. The swirl in the middle is the pie filling, and the ends are piles of "crust". That bubbly-looking thing on the side is lime "air". I could have eaten two more of these, easily. 









We were full, happy, and entertained. I can't speak to the price of the meal, as I was treated. I think its the kind of place you visit on a special occasions. And thats what this was. 

Super special. Just like every meal at one of Chef Andres' restaurants. 

Cheers!