The Whet Palette Productions Food. Wine. Travel. Life.

MICHELIN Guide Florida 2026 Will Be Revealed Digitally on April 14th: No Ceremony, Statewide Expansion Confirmed

This morning, the MICHELIN Guide made it official: the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Florida selection will be announced digitally on Tuesday, April 14. No stage.No live ceremony.No ballroom full of chefs waiting for their names to be called. Instead, the results will be released via official press release and across the MICHELIN Guide’s digital channels, including Guide.Michelin.com, the app, and […]

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards Heads to Abu Dhabi for the First Time

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 awards, sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, will take place in November 2026, marking a new chapter for one of the most influential platforms in global gastronomy. Set against Abu Dhabi’s rapidly evolving dining scene, the week-long program will culminate in the highly anticipated awards ceremony, revealing the 2026 ranking. Supported […]

Wayan’s Wynwood Residency

Attending a small industry preview dinner by Cross Cultures made one thing immediately clear: it’s not just another opening, and it’s not trying to be. This restaurant stands out by offering something genuinely different for the neighborhood and for Miami as a whole. Wayan, from chef Cédric Vongerichten and partner Ochi Vongerichten, is now open in Wynwood for […]

S5 E71 Chef Jonathan Kaiser on Calusso, Pier Sixty-Six, and Raising the Bar in Fort Lauderdale

I am taking it to the 954, where “Michelin-level dining” used to feel like a Miami-only sport. Not anymore. In this episode, I’m joined by Chef Jonathan Kaiser, a South Florida native quietly helping rewrite Fort Lauderdale’s dining reputation from the inside out. We talk about his path from early kitchen curiosity to big-league fine dining, including […]

12 Seats. One Night.

Priority access for subscribers only

Hello friends,

This invitation is going to my The Whet Palette VIP subscribers.

Before tickets are released publicly, I wanted you to be the first to know about an intimate, one-night-only dinner I’m hosting on March 11:

DINNER: From Roots to Rise: A Celebration of Florida’s Culinary Lineage

by Brenda Popritkin

Meet Chef Wei Chen: A New Voice in Miami’s Omakase Conversation

“Cooking is a way of life. There’s no glitz and glamour. It’s long hours and thousands of repetitions, and constant refinement. It’s a lifelong commitment to learning and mastery. “ Chef Wei Chen

Stepping inside The Bath Club felt like stepping into old Miami glamour: less like entering a restaurant and more like being let in on a well-kept secret.

The intimate omakase counter revealed itself quietly within the darkly lit venue. And it’s quite the stunner. The room hums with a sultry, vintage energy. Sinatra-era tunes drift through the space. They set a mood that was unmistakably sexy and indulgent. It made me slow down and wish the night would linger a little longer.

by Brenda Popritkin

Top 25 Miami-Dade & Broward Restaurants of 2025: Palette Awards

The 2025 Top Miami & Broward Restaurants: Palette Awards expand to include Broward County, showcasing restaurants selected for their exceptional food, consistency, and overall dining experience. The list emphasizes authenticity over social media trends, celebrating spots that reflect South Florida’s culinary landscape.

by Brenda Popritkin

BREAKING: First Look at EMELINA, West Palm Beach’s New Cuban Chef’s Counter

When husband-and-wife chefs Osmel González and Camila Salazar open the doors to EMELINA next year, West Palm Beach will gain more than a restaurant. It will gain the vision of a reimagined Cuba. The question at the root of the concept: “What might Cuban food have become if it had been allowed to evolve without the constraints of communism—shaped instead by freedom of movement, global dialogue, creativity, and abundance.

S4 E70 Cajitas, Community & Cuban Coffee: The Vicky Bakery Story with Amy Cao

Miami y Hialeah, this one is for you. I’m joined by someone who feels like an extension of every 305 childhood: Amy Cao of Vicky Bakery. She embodies everything that makes this brand so beloved: warmth, family, community, and that unmistakable sense of Cuban hospitality that hits you the second you walk through the door. We chat about: If […]

by Brenda Popritkin

Tears, Triumphs & a New Northeast: Inside the MICHELIN Guide’s 2025 Reset

In the grand hall of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia this week, the MICHELIN Guide signaled a shift. With Philadelphia and Boston officially joining the “Northeast Cities” category, and a fresh star system already stirring commentary, this year’s ceremony felt like a pivot point in American dining. A night that surprised with emotion, warmth, and genuine connection.