Sitting at dinner tonight, I spontaenously shouted across the table, pointing at my husband, “Chef Allen’s!” I repeated myself several times as he registered the memory.
Many months ago I recalled a restaurant we went to several times over the 5 years I was in medical school and internship. It was in North Miami Beach, in a strip mall lacking any other tenants. It was cutting edge cuisine. I could picture the interior of the restaurant. The glass enclosed kitchen, the pencil thin bread stick they served that stood 3 feet tall. I rememeber some of the wine list selections(DeLoach Vineyards in the Russian River Valley in California). I remember the meals.
I could not remember the name. I called my mother and wrote my father. The four of us had eaten there several times. My mother had no recall of it whatsoever.
So, I set my brain to the task of compiling this memory. I knew somewhere in my memory bank was the name. Tonight, I was sitting eating a tasty burger on a fresh onion roll. It made me think of onion and poppy bialys and the Jewish community of North Miami Beach. Then I thought of The Silver Spoon restaurant in the Aventura Mall(which has gone out of business). I had tried to recreate a salad from that place for dinner tonight (I got close). Then I thought of The Unicorn Cafe at the Waterways and then Max’s Place in Bal Harbor. Then the main frame that is my brain starting to compile…….Max Place, Cafe Max, Stono Cafe, Chef Max……CHEF ALLENS! It just popped out of nowhere.
The google search shows it is still in business. Very cool!