St. Roch Market joins the growing Miami Food Hall trend
They're like a food court but with sophisticated food and cooler surroundings. Food halls are all the rage right now and why not? They're great for when you're not sure what you want to eat but you've got to curb that hunger. I recently visited the one in the Miami Design District's upscale Palm Court. But first, I lingered under the Buckminster Fuller-designed Fly's Eye Dome which greeted me as I climbed the stairs from the parking lot. (I became fascinated with Fuller after attending an event at Miami Beach's Colony Theater many years ago that delved into his very unique designs.)
Ok, enough about Fuller, let's get down to the plethora of choices at this Food Hall. I mean there's something for every taste and craving. Seafood, Vietnamese, Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean, Korean, Japanese, American and a full bar that's the centerpiece of the place.I was lucky enough to have a partner in crime accompanying me that day and so was able to sample (and take home) more than enough food.Here goes:
Started off with the Bees Knees at the Mayhaw bar from their New Orleans Classics selection. The elegant lemony yellow cocktail consisted of Bombay Dry Gin, house cardamon-infused honey and lemon, served up in a classy Champagne glass. Sipping on it I felt like I should be in a Cary Grant movie.I then put my drink down and my partner in crime Laura Bries from Gnazzo Group and I visited various vendors and chose an international array of dishes to sample.
From Itamae, run by Chinese-Peruvian chef Fernando Chang who honed his skills in all things sushi at several restaurants, we had a true Japanese/Peruvian fusion with the Acebichado Sushi. That's right, a sushi roll topped with daily catch cebiche (yes, ceviche can also be spelled with a "b" I looked it up) and greens and filled with crispy shrimp and sweet potato. Crispy Peruvian corn cancha added a nice crunch. Fresh, light and delicious bite after bite. 
The short rib tacos from Hot Lime were next and they were the perfect size because we needed to save room for the rest of our food adventure. The trio of Daniel Fernandez, Jaime Villanueva and Carlos Padilla are behind this food concept serving up craft tacos and ceviche. Their simple corn tortilla tacos filled with slow braised short rib topped with finely diced red onions, cheese and cilantro were heavenly.
Good old Americana, traditional chicken 'n waffles and the chicken sandwich from Coop were another great choice. Brothers Robert, Ruben and Giancarlo Rodriguez debuted this spot as a pop-up at a Farmer's Market and now they're a permanent fixture at St. Roch Market. For the chicken 'n waffles fluffy cheddar waffles are accompanied by tender house brined fried chicken, tangy pickled onions and pepper jelly. A spicy version of their fried chicken is used in the "Some Like it Hot" chicken sandwich with cilantro slaw and homemade pickles on a brioche bun. Sorry, didn't snap a pic of the sandwich, was too busy eating it! Both were...perfection.
And as if we hadn't sampled enough, I had to try the Duck Bao Bun from Yuzu because if there's a bao bun, I'm gonna try it. The pillowy bun filled with tender, moist pulled barbecue duck with chili ginger is the creation of Miami-born chef Andrew Zarzosa. His extensive cross-border Asian travel means we foodies get to benefit from his love of that continent's outstanding cuisine.I could go on because these are certainly not all the food concepts here but go try it out for yourself. You'll definitely have to make more than one trip there, something you won't mind doing, believe me. And I promise, I took plenty of leftovers home for the family to enjoy.St. Roch Market at Palm Court in the Miami Design District, 140 NE 39 St., Ste. 241
