sugarcane raw bar grill

good food, poor drink service. overall i like the place, however, there's one big problem. my friend and i both ordered beer, right after sitting down. it was sunday evening and the place was half-empty. it took 20 minutes for our beer to arrive. the waitress apologized, telling us the thebarwas always backed up, due to the fact that their "signature cocktails" took a long time to make and kept the bartenders very busy. we ordered beer. imagine how long we would have waited on a saturday night. mr. owner, are you listening, hire another bartender. you're losing sales and alienating your customers.

the wait staff, although willing to please, seemed really inexperienced , poorly trained and completely without supervision on the floor. the place is like a boat with no captain on deck.

food was very good, but not great. we ordered a broad sample of smaller plates.

i liked the ambiance, music and the overall vibe.

sugarcane rawbargrill opened a few months after we started organizing cobaya experiments and chef timon balloo was one of our initial targets. he was cooking interesting and unusual food that was packed with great flavors. tripe, bone marrow, sweetbreads, chicken necks and pig ears were on full display for mainstream miami to enjoy. sugarcane was packed nightly and there was a buzz in the food community. timon had turned the food scene up a notch. his bold menu knocked down culinary barriers in miami and paved the way for the next wave of chefs to follow. sugarcane opened in january of 2010 and the following year they were a james beard award semifinallist for best new restaurant in the country. that same year timon was nominated for best new chef in the gulf coast by food & wine magazine. unfortunately, despite several attempts and getting close a couple of times, it took four years to finally get timon locked into the cobaya kitchen. the wait was worth it. forty gourmet guinea pigs

globally-inspired small plates come from three distinct kitchens - a robata grill, rawbarand hot kitchen – and provide eclectic selections inspired by executive chef timon balloo’s celebration of local spirit and flavor. embarking on quest to celebrate the simple pleasures in life.

we ordered the brunch items and each dish was one better than the other. we were so glad to have fresh pressed juice than to get stuff out from a juice box carton :)

dishes were delicious. the idea of small plates like tapas so you can taste very different things is great !

sugarcane is part of samba brands management which also manages bocce and sushi samba. its ambience and outdoorbarhas made it the best gathering place in midtown. we suggest you order “family style” so you can all share small plates and enjoy a wide array of specialties that range from sushi and oysters to meat, and waffle & duck. sugarcane is also known for its wide rum selection.

mad people as host. on friday march 6 at around 11:20 pm ( so management knows who are this two disrespectful employees that are damaging their business) i walk into the restaurant i was rudely informed that there was no space and that i could sit outside while was pouring rain i decided to get some drinks at thebarwhile i waited for one of the 6 to 10 tables (we were a party of 2 so no challenge here). i was put on a waiting list and informed i they will text me when table is ready after 20 minutes i notice they were seating new arrivals so i reach the desk and ask her that i was still waiting for a table, she said she had nothing open so i asked her to sit us the grillbar(i feel silly now they made me feel i was begging for a space to give them business). at that moment a man that was helping the host told me that he though i had left and he erased me from the list, that they were not opening that space for us and if i was in a hurry i could either wait or leave, i was very disappointed. drinks andbartender were good though. i honestly feel they should hire people that knows how to organize a restaurant in a crucial position as is the host.
funny remark when i was paying for my dinner at novecento right next door they texted me that my table was ready ( i just laugh)

the food concept of sugarcane is very interesting. it is mainly a selection of random tapas, created in one of their three kitchens; with a few large plates to choose from. their kitchens are basically the rawbar(where the sushi is made), the robata grill (where the items are grilled over bincho-tan charcoal) and the regular inside kitchen.

bad experience. a large group of friends went there after work for a friends happy hour and we could barely get the bartenders attention. we walked around thebaruntil a waiter helped us out. the bartender that finally took out order gave us attitude; as if we were disturbing him for doing his job. food is good but potions are small and overpriced. i would not go back there.

sat at the bar.... thebarservice was good though food service was a little slow. the bartender was thoughtful as we talked about cocktails on the list. i had a criticism of one of the signatures i tried. the bartender agreed, and made one of his own off the cuff. lots of depth and flavor. i like that sort of ability in my bartender.

the sweetbreads were quite tasty too.

this was my second time back to sugarcane, and i will go back.

three of us went there for dinner @6:30 prior to catching a flight out. promptly seated, quickly greeted by a friendly waiter who gave us a good overview of food and drink for our first time there. we ordered a couple beers, about 10 plates including the poki tuna(sp?). quick delivery of the drinks was immediately followed by the rapid succession of dishes. each selection was very good and uniquely presented. haven't had brussels sprouts in years, but ate more than my share since they were so good. overall experience was great. only two drawbacks; the dishes came out so quickly that we felt like they were stacking up on us. could be that they were sensitive to our need to eat and run for our flight; we'll come back to try a more leisurely sitting. other thing is the inside/outsidebarlooks cool, but with open doors we found that we were sharing our meal with pesky flies. either need to keep doors closed or stronger air curtain. it was good; we certainly look forward to goin back again.

sunday i had brunch with 30 of my super passionate "food friends" at sugarcane rawbargrille in midtown miami. it was my first time there but at least half of the group has been there before and dare i say it, are regulars. fanatic 'sugarcane' worshipper

don't go for drinks. thebarstaff is lost and seem unorganized and will take forever for a simple beer or cocktail. food is ok and place is currently popular

sugarcane rawbargrill. great new spot from owners of sushisamba.

the place is beautiful, airy, big fans, very tropical. decor is lovely, random chairs, tile, wood floors, very rustic and homey.

sugarcane has 3 separate kitchens scattered through out:
* a raw bar
* japanese grill
* hot kitchen

think tapas with an exotic/asian flare - not your typical spanish tapas. if you've been to señora martinez, you know what to expect except this was way more affordable and better tasting in every way. we tried 10 dishes and they came fast and prompt. favorites were:
* florida tomatoes w/ burrata cheese, strawberries and balsamic
* golden beets salad
* goat cheese croquettes w/ marmalade
* the sugarcane lobster roll w/ peanut soy
* madagascar shrimp w/ sweet chili
* yellowtail crudos w/ grapefruit and avocado

last but not least, the torrejas dessert which was soaked in custard for 24 hours and baked w/ fiji apples and served w/ vanilla bean ice cream.

staff was wonderfully flashing smiles left and right. our waiter came thru with every suggestion. can't wait to come back for happy hour and get a pitcher of the red sangria.

ps i added some pics so make sure to scope them out.