Variety Act Miami #23: Meet Ryan Pfeffer, Editor, The Infatuation Miami.
Grand gourmand, editor about town, dining-out devotee.
Welcome to a special Monday edition of Variety Act Miami! I’m your compère, Natalie Guevara. If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter, you’re likely asking, “Where were you on Friday morning?” (My newsletter is famously Venusian.) Battling with Substack’s mercurial CMS, that’s where. Because I’m the opposite of Lex in Jurassic Park and couldn’t crack the code in time, now you’re blessed with a Monday morning Variety Act! See, patience is a virtue.
And what a Monday it is, for today you all get to let your tabs run amok thanks to Ryan Pfeffer and his incredible Miami food industry knowledge. (In a week’s time, I’ve tried five of the places he mentions below! We’re not playing games.) Once you have your weekend dining plans set after reading this issue, you can thank Ryan.
An alum of The Miami New Times and Time Out Miami who has also published work in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Billboard, and more, Ryan is a journalist who’s built his career covering Miami’s music and cultural scenes, his writing brimming with an incisive, curiosity-first approach. Now, as editor of The Infatuation Miami, he gets to eat his way through the 305 and report on how its many flavors, culinary talents, and new approaches to dining out are transforming how we experience community and connection in our city. It’s an enviable job, for sure, but also one that comes with its own challenges.
Read on for how Ryan got into writing professionally, his favorite (and not-so-favorite) trends he’s observing in the Miami food scene and beyond, and, of course, his Magic City favorites.
MEET RYAN PFEFFER, EDITOR, THE INFATUATION MIAMI.
On when he first realized he gravitated towards writing:
What pushed me towards writing was probably the fact that I was unbelievably bad at math. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been repulsed by anything in school that involved even a single number. I still can’t really multiply anything past five. Looking back now, I think it was my brain’s way of telling me to stick to words.
On the first piece he ever filed:
I was an Editing, Writing, and Media major at FSU. We were required to do some sort of internship or something vaguely professional for course credit. Somehow I found this odd little college blog called Uloop (who shockingly still exist). Their business model was essentially to let any college student with a pulse write for them. About anything. There were literally no rules to what you could or couldn’t submit. 2012 was the tail-end of blogging’s Wild West days, and there were almost no standards as to what could be considered a “blog.” I honestly don’t remember the first thing I filed for them, but I do remember I once wrote an essay about how I disliked sneezing etiquette. I was immensely proud of it at the time, and absolutely horrified by it now. The unearned confidence of 21-year-old writers is terrifying.
On the writers he grew up admiring:
My secret shame as a writer is that I was a terrible childhood reader. I was incredibly lazy, a SparkNotes lover, and only ever wanted to play video games and watch TV. It did help me gain a decent base of pop culture knowledge—but not much else. When I reached college, I realized I was going to have to read a book or two if I ever wanted to call myself a writer. Tragically, I did the classic white man cliché of getting really into David Foster Wallace for a few years. Luckily, I had good professors, including Miami’s very own Jennine Capó Crucet, who introduced me to other great short story writers like Raymond Carver, Edward P. Jones, and many more. The short story is still one of my favorite forms to read and write, and I’m proud to say I’ve traded in my DFW obsession for a George Saunders one.
On growing up in Fort Lauderdale and the childhood haunts he’s glad are still standing:
Ah, Fort Lauderdale! I’ve grown to really appreciate my weird little hometown. All my favorite spots in Lauderdale are slightly old school.
Jack's Old Fashion Hamburgers is an institution with multiple Broward locations. They make burgers that taste like the ‘50s (in the best way possible) and milkshakes so thick you can rupture a blood vessel trying to suck ‘em up.
Mai-Kai is one of the greatest tiki bars in the country, though I’m kind of terrified the new hospitality groups who’re taking it over will Miami-fy it and ruin it.
The Wreck Bar is a classic hotel bar on the beach that serves the worst food and drinks you’ll ever have but also put on a mermaid (and merman!) burlesque show that’s such a goddamn blast.
Laspada's makes the greatest Italian hoagie in the world and whenever anyone disagrees with me on that I make a mental note to never respect them again.
On the newer end of the spectrum, Fort Lauderdale has some great beer bars too. Riverside Market (the downtown location) and Laser Wolf are two places where I love to drink any time I’m in town.
On how he found himself covering music and culture in Miami as opposed to in a more “mainstream” media market, like New York:
You know, I, like most liberal arts majors, actually really did want to go to New York after college. Really bad. I thought it was the only city where a person could do the kind of interesting, creative work I saw myself doing. But it turns out you can’t just snap your fingers and land a job in New York, so after nearly a year of unsuccessful job applications, I found a part-time gig at New Times. I worked that first year still half-thinking I’d flee to New York eventually, but the more time I spent writing in Miami, the more I realized that the New York myth I’d created in my head was kind of bullshit. Fulfilling, creative, important work can happen in any city—especially in Miami, a place filthy rich with the kind of characters and narratives a writer dreams of. I’m so thankful I ended up here.
As for what drew me to covering music? The New Times editor-in-chief called me into the office one day and said I could either get laid off or replace the music editor who’d just quit. So I decided why not give it a try, they’ll probably just lay me off again in a year or two (which they did) if I didn’t like it. But I’m very glad I did it, because it let me write lots of fun stories, gave me an opportunity to attend so many concerts, and it’s also when I got my first real look at Miami’s cultural scene. It also let me write criticism for the first time, which remains my absolute favorite thing to write.
On his biggest day-to-day challenge working at The Infatuation:
The perks sure are obvious, but the daily challenge of the job that keeps me awake at night is the pressure to rise to the occasion, and give the city’s restaurants the coverage they deserve. The Miami food scene is so thrilling right now. There is so much incredible work happening—and not just in the big, flashy James Beard-y restaurants, but also in the mom and pop restaurants west of 95, in the old-school spots fighting gentrification, and in young chefs starting their own pop-ups. It’s a food scene that deserves comprehensive, thoughtful, and savvy coverage. That’s hard to do with such a small team, but we try our best and I hope it shows and if it doesn’t please don’t send me a mean email because I will spend the next nine days thinking about it in the shower.
On how he keeps his job fresh for himself:
The universe has actually done that for me lately. I literally can’t think of a city whose food scene underwent such massive shifts during the pandemic. The sheer amount of openings and attention Miami—in general, but particularly its food scene—has received over the last two years is staggering. Covering it has been so exciting and also the reason why there are three new gray hairs in my beard. As for trying new restaurants? That’s (almost) always fun. I haven’t gotten sick of it yet, and I might never.
On the greatest shift his dining-out routines underwent during COVID that he’ll uphold in the post-pandemic era:
I think the biggest thing I still carry with me from the chaotic time of navigating dining during the pandemic is an immense respect for restaurant workers. They were a workforce that suffered so much, so thanklessly. Not only did restaurant workers have to do their normal, very difficult jobs—but they found themselves also acting as enforcers of a public health policy they had no say in creating, with no sense of job security, and often taking on a greater workload due to staff shortages. They also weren’t given vaccine priority initially, despite the level of face-to-face interaction they had with customers. Lots of these issues are still going on right now. The moral of the story: treat all restaurant staff with respect and empathy. There is a special place in hell for people who are rude to their server and don’t tip—especially in this current reality.
On the unique Miami food scene characteristic he wishes got more recognition:
The diversity in Miami food is stunning. People talk a lot about our lack of various Asian and African restaurants, which is fair. But we’re also one of the epicenters of Nicaraguan, Haitian, Peruvian, and Venezuelan food in the whole entire country. People know Miami does Cuban food amazingly, but I think they forget about how much more we have to offer. And I think it’s very much the Miami food media’s job to remind them.
On a food scene trend he’s excited by, be it in Miami or nationally…
It’s been so fun to watch Miami pop-ups go from cooking in parking lots and apartments to opening up their own restaurants. This has been going on a bit all over the country, but especially in Miami lately. In the last few years alone, it’s happened to Benh Mi, Old Greg’s, El Bagel, and the outstanding Zitz Sum. Union Beer Store is also home to some incredible pop-ups, like Haochi and Peacock Ramen. And it’s only a matter of time before some very smart investor throws money at people like Ted’s Burgers, Wolf of Tacos, and Drinking Pig BBQ. Opening up a restaurant in Miami has never been more difficult and prohibitively expensive, but it’s so encouraging to see that it’s still possible for local talent to make it.
…and on the food scene trend he’d rather see wane:
Membership-based restaurants! A handful have opened in Miami recently. I really don’t see the point. I just think there are more than enough safe spaces for rich assholes in this city. Miami is already good enough at making a person feel poor, ugly, and generally less-than. We don’t need a new wave of classist restaurants to start doing the same.
On the best possible soundtrack that could play as he tucks into an epic meal:
I like anything that feels informed by an actual human. Often, you can tell when the ownership has put some thought into the soundtrack versus just paying for some generic playlist. I’ve heard 2 Live Crew while eating at Ariete, which was just perfect. Paradis Books & Bread is always playing something great too. Los Felix in Coconut Grove has a DJ spin vinyl in the dining room during the weekend, and it’s so fun. I’m less picky about soundtrack, and more of a stickler about volume. A way-too-loud-restaurant can really ruin a meal. But you also don’t want it to be so quiet that people can hear you chew. It’s a delicate balance.
On other scenes he’s looking forward to writing about one day:
There are still plenty of people who know a lot more about these things in Miami than me, but my philosophy on writing has always been: say yes to any assignment. Both because paid writing gigs are increasingly rare these days, and also because one of the joys of being a journalist is getting to dive into new topics, talk to interesting people, and learn new things. I’ve written about everything from sea turtles to DJ Khaled to Cuban sandwiches—and I’m not only a better writer because of it, but a slightly better person. At least I hope. So I really try to stay open, and if I find the topic even mildly interesting, I will say yes. But I am a sucker for a good celebrity profile, I must admit.
On his cultural diet:
I am a strong proponent of reading local, so I’m a Herald subscriber and I check in with New Times, New Tropic, WLRN and various local influencers every day to keep up with Miami news. Michael Beltrán and Nicolás Jiménez of DADE have a very fun podcast called Pan Con Podcast where they talk all kinds of interesting and funny shit about Miami food and beyond. Miami also has a great new literary journal called Islandia Journal, which you should totally buy. On the national end of the spectrum, love me some MEL Magazine and basically anything New York Magazine does. As for movies: anything A24-related.
On what he’s up to at 5 pm on a Wednesday:
Anxiously calculating how long it will take me to get to my 7 pm reservation based on what traffic’s looking like.
On where we’d find him at 10 am on a Saturday:
If the weather cooperates, on my paddle board somewhere in Biscayne Bay frantically searching for signs of nearby manatees. Or on my way back from the Legion Park Farmers Market carrying lots of delicious things from the legendary Crackerman.
RYAN’S MIAMI FAVORITES.
Miami anthem (current or classic!): “Hustlin'” by Rick Ross. It’s no lyrical masterpiece, but it does make me feel 30% cooler when it comes on in my Honda Accord.
Miami movie: Moonlight! It’s a masterpiece, features a Jimmy’s cameo, and I was lucky enough to interview Patrick Decile after it came out. He’s a very talented Miami native who played the bully in the movie. He’s incredibly nice in person, FYI.
Cultural centers, art shops, performing arts spaces, & bookstores: The North Beach Bandshell is such a special music venue. I try to go to shows there as often as I can. I love Dale Zine’s new store in Little River—there are so many things I want to buy there. The Center For Subtropical Affairs has some great programming. And obviously Books & Books for all reading material.
Restaurants & bars: I enthusiastically love everything on our Hit List and Bar Hit List (plus, Gramps and Mac’s forever). And also pretty much anything else featured on Infatuation’s many restaurant guides. We truly don’t promote places we don’t genuinely enjoy ourselves.
Cafés, diners, bakeries, & ventanitas: I’m a big bakery person, and love everything on our bakery guide, but particularly Flour & Weirdoughs, True Loaf, Zak, and Paradis. For ventanitas, I love Las Olas in South Beach. Their Cuban sandwich is killer too, and their juice/cafecito has helped me get through some hangovers.
The Great Outdoors: Almost anything on Key Biscayne. I’m an avid paddle boarder, and Key Biscayne has my favorite paddle boarding locations in Miami. It’s such a constant shitshow, but if I can get in, I launch at the Crandon Park Marina. If you paddle out from there, you get the best skyline view in Miami, in my opinion, plus lots of good wildlife spotting. The Virginia Key Outdoor Center is a good backup plan.
Miami-based chef: Seriously too many to name—but I’ve always got one eye on Akino West from Rosie’s. The man does not miss, and I’m so excited for the new Rosie’s location coming later this year.
Miami-based performer, artist, or creative: Big fan of Nicole Spencer. She’s the artist and creator behind this legendary T-shirt. My girlfriend commissioned a personalized print for me for my birthday. I love it so much.
Miami hidden gem: Literally any waterfront green space. I’m in constant awe of how empty they are. And I kind of like it that way. Forget I said anything!
The recommendation you’ll always give to a first-time Miami visitor: Don’t eat anything on Ocean Drive, unless it’s brunch at the Palace.
THANKS, RYAN!
Trust Ryan’s excellent tastes (literally!) and follow his mouth-watering food adventures with The Infatuation Miami at @infatuation_miami. For his personal musings, check him out at @ryanpfefferoni. Subscribe to The Infatuation Miami’s excellent newsletter here. (Without them, my personal Miami dining-out recs would be tragic and probably amount to Pollo Tropical.)
Until we meet again—and at our regularly scheduled time—besitos!