Downtown Miami Spris Offers Fast-Casual Service With a Side of Paninis

Just last month, the Downtown area welcomed a new tasty resident to the Southeast Financial Center. Say hello to the second Spris, the popular Italian pizza place which first opened on Lincoln Road. Droves of tourists and locals alike have been flocking to the Spris on the beach for a while now to get a taste of the real deal. It's become a signature spot on Lincoln Road. The new Spris, located at 200 S. Biscayne Boulevard, serves its usual menu of perfect Italian pizzas, gourmet salads and Panini sandwiches, but in a fast-paced, order-at-the-counter style to accommodate the hurried Downtown clientele. Not only can you eat your heart out here, but you can also lift your spirits with well..spirits.  There is a nice selection of craft beer and wine.

I headed over to the new Downtown Spris to pig out a bit (OK...a lot) and savor some of that homemade Italian flair I love. For those who have a hard time making up their mind, beware. Spris offers a selection of over twenty varieties of gourmet, thin-crusted pizza, with over a dozen vegetarian options on whole wheat and gluten-free pizza dough. The good news is, if you come here a twice a week, you'll have had a chance to try them all in just two and a half months. Then you can start all over again indulging in their fresh entree salads and lip-smacking good panini sandwiches. 

Why continue talking about it? Just check out the images below and run down to Downtown Miami to get in some people-watching (I love how they run in sneakers wearing skirts) and make some weekend plans to return. Stay tuned because who knows? There might be another one popping up somewhere else real soon.

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James Beard Award Winning Chef Allen Susser Brings New Cheesy Creations To The Daily Melt

Daily Melt

I don't know about you, but I associate the smell of toasted, buttery bread and warm, melted cheese with the carefree summers I spent at my grandmother's house growing up. If I fast forward a few years from those days, it also brings me back to my late night partying spells when hunger pangs would hit at about 4 o'clock in the morning and the quickest, most comforting dish I could put together in the kitchen was a grilled cheese sandwich. While these were simple days where two slices of bread and a slab of cheese would suffice, in today's gastronomically complex era and Instagram picture-taking euphoria (guilty), this simplicity just won't do. Over in Midtown, James Beard Award Winning Chef Allen Susser is creating some mouthwatering gourmet versions of the traditional favorites that would put my measly sammys to shame.

Cheese Please

Never seen one of
these before!

The cheese is selected by Chef Allen

The Daily Melt, located on Buena Vista Avenue  in The Shops at Midtown Miami, is a small place with big flavor. Having opened in March of this year, it's primary focus has been to showcase a selection of gourmet cheese sandwiches, coupled with shots of creamy soups, at very affordable prices. The open kitchen is the focal point of the room, with a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine off to the side that offers patrons over 100 soda flavor options. You probably know Chef/Partner Allen Susser from his famous Aventura restaurant, Chef Allens, which he opened in 1986 and ran successfully for 25 years. Since then, he has received numerous awards and recognition not only for his culinary talents, but also his humanitarian efforts through organizations such as Share Our Strength and Feeding South Florida.

With Chef Allen Susser

I Melt For You Too Daily Melt

Starting to drool a bit...

Chef Allen, as he is affectionately known, has recently taken cheese to new levels by adding a variety of Chef's Blackboard Specials to the menu that include everything from Prosciutto and Mozarella with slow roasted tomato to Roast Beef with Boursin Cheese and balsamic onion marmalade. The funnest part? He pairs each sandwich with gourmet housemade pickles that tickle your taste buds. I had the opportunity to sample these lip-smacking new specials and watch Chef Allen in action as he put together his favorite ingredients, fig and rosemary, into a creation of aromatic proportions. "There's a method to layering the ingredients in a sandwich to bring out the 'yum' factor," explained the Chef.  He also let us in on how he uses two different cheeses to add an extra gooeyness to his tasty treats.

True passion in the kitchen

Coming Soon: Pickling Bar

Gravity Brewlab

While we munched away on the new warm, crusty creations, Chef Allen taught us a bit of his pickling secrets. From the brine made with salt, water and vinegar, all the way up to the unique ingredients he uses to come up with the distinct flavors in his different pickles, he took our palates on a wild ride that gave us an Asian kickin' and helped us find our "mojo", sort of speak. What did we sip between gooey bites of cheese and creamy shots of soup? None other than wheat based local craft beers from Gravity Brewlab.

Difficult Decisions

I've been to Daily Melt a couple of times for lunch, and I'm happy to know I will also be able to start my mornings just a little bit cheesier now. They've recently launched breakfast service seven days a week that will include six new breakfast melts. I guess it all boils down to Chef Allen's take on good eating, "If I can bring in what my mother and my grandmother did, and serve some comfort with my food, then it will all be good." For more information on Daily Melt, call them at 305-573-0101.

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