Taste Of The Town: Mama Joon Serves Up Refreshing Mediterranean Fare In Miami Beach
MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) – Housed inside the new Life House Hotel in Collins Park is Mama Joon, an easy, breezy restaurant featuring home-style Mediterranean cuisine with a strong Lebanese influence.
The space is decorated with Persian and Moroccan rugs sourced locally. Its vibe takes you to a place that's a world away.
"Basically when you walk into this place it's like a little escape. It makes you feel like you're in the Mediterranean, as you soon as you walk into the hotel, the full fig trees are all over and the aromas greet you when you walk in," said Executive Chef Harry Capacetti.
There's a live-action station where guests can watch cold food preparation including many of the vegetarian style dishes.
Back in the kitchen, Chef Harry prepares Za'atar spiced chicken with harissa carrots and a yogurt sauce.
At the table, CBS4's Lisa Petrillo and Chef Harry have a plethora of plates in front of them, from all over the Mediterranean.
"So it seems this is a fun way of cooking with so much going on," said Petrillo
"Exactly, it's always going to be different. You have Spanish pastas, dishes from Greece, Israel, I can keep going," replied Chef Harry.
They begin with that Za'atar spiced chicken
"Sometimes chicken breasts can get dry, but not at all, you nailed it," Petrillo told Chef. "So much flavor and tender."
"The sauce is the flavor. It's impactful and adds to the wow factor," said Chef Harry.
Then, Greek-style grilled lamb chops.
"It has a marinade of garlic, red chili flakes, and goat cheese and cucumbers is for the freshness. Then, one of my favorites is pickled chilies just to give it that tanginess," said Chef.
They move on to the Mezze which includes babaganoush, marinated feta, and sunflower dip with harissa.
"This is called Manousheh. It is Lebanese flatbread covered in Za'atar. They eat this on everything!" said Chef.
"In my life, it's when in doubt - dip! I just want to dip, day and night," said Petrillo.
They try the delicious Za'atar and seed crusted eggplant served with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and honey and toast with Mama Joon signature cocktail spritzes.
A family-style feast sure to satisfy any palette.
Mama Joon is open 7 days a week serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
Click here for more information.
