The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 82

lro2 FOOD DINING HZ 17 mo FOOD TO GO ETHNIC EXPLORER BY I A BLAOHOLM TIM MAPMAN HfRALD STAFF FRESH-BAKED: Chef DirJer Bercot with his wares PHOTOS BY CAN DACE BARBOT HERALD STAFF HANDMADE: Chef Kamel Dahmani rolls couscous in a 'guesaa' a shallow bowl made of black walnut the COUSCOUS CA3BAH HOT STOVE Fabio Rolandi: A new home for an old favorite BY JOAN fLEtSCHMAM The new restaurant Fabio Rolandi in Coral Gables is owned by you guessed it the former chef of the gone-but-not-forgotten four-star Casa Rolandi Chef Fabio 54 has cooked in San Francisco Hawaii and Paraguay since his 94 departure He returned here to open his own place a ISO-seat gourmet dining room with an adjoining 50-seat family-style "trattoria pizzeria" in the former Claudius space on Ponce de Leon Boulevard Dinner offerings range from shrimp-filled ravioli with lobster sauce I $1995) to Rolandi's signature fish fillet baked in parchment with shrimp scallops squid and diced tomato in a white wine-anise bisque ($1895) And there's his yummy puffed bread brick oven-baked pita drizzled in oil The trattoria has pizzas from $799 to $18 even spaghetti and meatballs ($1199) Dinner seven days lunch Monday to Friday 11:30 am to 3 pm Location: 2626 Ponce Phone: 305-448-2626 TROPICAL OASIS The 44-seat Middle Eastern restaurant Far-ah's Oasis has opened in Kendall in the former Thai Silk space Co-owners are Vivian Chalala a Colombian native of Lebanese descent and Georgette Farah who operates El Restaurante Arabe in Cartagena One-page menu is easy to navigate: hummus and baba ghan-oush ($395) falafel with pita and a side salad ($195) and lentil soup ($295) Specialty is the almond rice platter chicken kibbe grape leaves meat-stuffed cabbage leaves and salad or yogurt sauce ($895) Open 11 am to 10 pm seven days Location: 9050 Dixie Hwy JACK'S NAMESAKE New in Fort Lauderdale is Mancini's an Italian restaurant owned by Broward builder Jack Mancini "I'm a frustrated chef" quips Mancini 46 He won't be cooking though Chef is Antonino Tizzano 38 raised in Capri Mancini's seats 110 50 inside 60 on the patio Start with Roman-style artichokes baked in olive oil garlic and wine topped with bread crumbs and served with Gaeta olives ($14) Entrees include gnocchi in Gorgonzola sauce ($17) Colorado rack of lamb ($36) and Tuscan-grilled tuna with polenta ($28) Lunch and dinner seven days Location: 1017 Las Olas Blvd Phone: 954-764-5510 FUSION Canton Restaurant with five Miami-Dade locations has remodeled Dadeland North adding a sushi bar and Japanese menu The family-owned chain founded in 79 by Allan and Betty Ng of Hong Kong is known for its sizzling steak and honey chicken But the sushi menu gives patrons "lighter food options" says son Abe 28 who owns Sushi Maki Canton is open seven days 11:30 am to midnight Monday through Saturday 2 pm to midnight Sunday Home delivery available Location: 6661 South Dixie Hwy Phone: 305-666-5511 8 La Baguette perfects soup combo ByJODI MAILANDER FAHRELL jfTttilanderheraldcofn The old combo of soup and a sandwich is elevated to new heights at La Baguette French Bakery Cafe Thick homemade soup is ladled into a crusty round French bread bowl that grows slightly soggy with flavor making it hard to resist devouring the pain de campagne before its contents disappear On the side is a small sandwich on a fresh baguette your choice of turkey chicken salad tuna or grilled herbed chicken The soup du jour and demi-sandwich is only $675 and better yet it transports surprisingly well for takeout PACKED WITH CARE Tasty cream of asparagus soup came in a sealed plastic container tucked neatly into the bread bowl its little bread cap perched atop The entire meal like our other orders was stacked with great care in a white bakery box Even the special of the day mahi-mahi in vegetable sauce with yellow saffron rice and a side salad ($895) remained intact its topping of tomatoes onions and carrots giving it a spicy edge HAIL CAESAR La Baguette distinguishes itself with Caesar salads in bread bowls ($695) panini sandwiches ($795) and a ham and melted Swiss cheese croissant ($795) that comes with a bechamel sauce But don't ignore the quiches accompanied by a nde of Caesar salad for Our quiche Lor-ane its custard full of smoky ham chunks practically floated Two display cases of sweets make it impossible to skip dessert The chocolate mousse cake and apple tart ($295 each) harken back to La Baguette's beginnings when it was merely a bakery Today fortunately for us it is much much more La Baguette French Bakery Caf6 13274 Biscayne Blvd North Miami 305-893-3336 7:30 am -6 pm Monday-Saturday 9:30 am -3 pm Sunday El Baraka is a palace of North African cuisine SPsaS! Kir BASTILLA: Cinnamon-infused pastry enfolds shredded Cornish hen raisins and toasted almond slivers Park your party and rock the Cas-bah at El Baraka restaurant in Hollywood Glowing lanterns dangle everywhere in the sultry dimness Waves of plush plum fabric billow above the tables creating the illusion of being in a tent The far side of the room is encircled by a real tent where you can sit on low couches or leather diwans (stools) Each of these tables comes with a kif or water pipe Most of the Arab customers drift over here often corning just for tea and a smoke Others fill their tables with a communal spread of salads briouats couscous and tagines inspired by the Maghreb and Mediterranean El Baraka is owned by French-born Algerian chef Kamel Dahmani and three Algerian brothers Rano Samir and Farid Nefraoul One of the brothers will greet you warmly at the door and lead you to a table "Baraka" means "generosity" in Arabic and you will certainly feel that when dining here The food is reason enough to come although the belly dancer adds to the entertainment A small mirrored ball over the dance floor spins colored flecks of light around the room while haunting Rai music grabs your soul So does Dahmani's cooking "My food is modern Mediterranean I mix it up to make everyone happy at the table" he says His dishes are drenched in the spices of the Maghreb the region of North Africa facing the Mediterranean Sea Maghrebi food blends influences from the Turks Arabs Africans Bedouins Berbers French Italian and Spanish into a heady cuisine of spicy red sauces sweet and savory pastries honeyed sweets and of course couscous The Arabic name for couscous is maghrebia and this is the staple of the region which encompasses Algeria Morocco and Tunisia It is believed that the Berbers developed couscous calling it seksoo or ta'am which means "nourishment" Couscous has great spiritual significance to the peoples of the Maghreb and symbolizes happiness and abundance Dahmani sticks to tradition and rolls his own couscous by hand from a mixture of semolina wheat flour and water in a big black walnut bowl the texture determined by the size of the sieve through which the soft pellets are sifted Eating is an art form in the Maghreb and it can be here too Start with an order of briouat lightly tered with pomegranate molasses To eat here is to feel like an honored guest El Baraka 715 21st Ave (two blocks south of Hollywood Boulevard) Hollywood 954-926-1105 7 pm-2 am Tuesday-Sunday spiced chicken with spinach and orange zest rolled in a paper-thin pastry called ouarka The crispy hot-from-the-oven rolls are pooled in pale green pistachio sauce and garnished with caramelized onions Or try the roasted tomato stuffed with a mixture of couscous wild mushrooms and pine nuts served in a lemony corn sauce The tagine of mussels brings a dozen or more in a cumin and garlic-laced Provencal lobster stock with pistou (basil sauce) Best of all is the Moroccan bastilla (also spelled pastilla) a savory cinnamon-infused pastry Delicate ouarka sheets enfold shredded Cornish hen raisinr and toasted almond slivers the golden top stenciled in a powdered sugar crescent moon and star At this point Farid leans over and says in his British-Italian-Algerian accent "Pace yourself baby" Have a glass of sweet mint tea or sip some wine before pressing on The Royal couscous combination should be shared A glazed earthenware tagine will arrive with a pyramid of couscous topped with a grilled lamb chop chicken breast and mer-guez (spicy homemade beef sausage) with sweet slabs of carrot Chickpeas in light tomato broth and harissa sauce pungent blend of red chil-ies pounded with caraway garlic and salt moistened with olive oil come on the side There's also a garden vegetable couscous and Tunisian chicken tagine succulent stewed chicken harissa-roasted potatoes and cracked green olives in a preserved lemon confit End with boureks filled with soft pomegranate cheesecake in a swirl of creamy mint sauce or baklava splat- MAIN DISH Tunisian Saut6ed Shrimp 4 tablespoons olive oil 5 cloves of garlic crushed 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes finely crushed 1 pound medium-size shrimp peeled and cleaned 2 tablespoons sweet paprika 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley Heat the oil in a large frying pan When very hot add the garlic and crushed red Fry for 1 minute Add the prawns and paprika stir-fry about 3 minutes on high heat or until shrimp are pink Serve sprinkled with salt and parsley Makes 4 servings Per serving: 347 calories (45 percent from fat) 175 fat (26 saturated 105 monounsaturated) 302 mg cholesterol 411 protein 52 carbohydrates 09 fiber 879 mg sodium TIM CHAPMAN HERALD STAFF BREAD BOWL: Soups and salads are put in edible holders A i.