They need a spillover for Spillover

Our story and photos on the new Spillover restaurant got a lot of play. Thousands of readers enjoyed it and there were over 100 shares on Facebook. It went viral. That's the first thing Matt Kuscher, owner of Spillover, told me when we stopped by for lunch on Tuesday - the story went viral!

On Tuesday, the place was packed. People were standing at the front door waiting for a table, that's why I say that Spillover needs a spillover restaurant, for the overflow!

This photo makes it look sparce, but every table was taken for the lunch hours; mostly the office workers, but I did see some other restaurant owners there checking out the place. The outside tables were not set up yet, so dining was inside only.

There were two of us, so we got a few things to share. Our bill came to $72 with the tip. Austin was our waiter. Excellent service. This looks like calamari, but they are Conch Strips, Fried Bahamian conch and Florida grouper scraps served with their homemade creamy garlic, spicy Kush and cocktail sauces. ($12).

This is Paul & Alba's Jambalaya. They source the sausage from Proper Sausages in Miami Shores and sauté them with Gulf shrimp, local grouper, red and yellow peppers, onions, brown rice and their secret Cajun sauce. Add a local fried egg (add $1) on top and you’ll really “spice” things up. ($14).

We also got Pan Con Minuta. I hadn't had this since one of the seafood food trucks used to visit these parts, so I wanted to try it again. Fried yellowtail snapper topped with a homemade fish dressing, dry slaw, diced red onions and tomato, served on a challah bun. ($12).

For dessert we got espresso and Mama Louise's Cheesecake. Chef Spider’s mother, Mildred Louise, taught him this recipe. It’s a classic creamy style cheesecake topped with their very own Homestead strawberry sauce. ($8). 

I enjoyed the place, enjoyed the setting and enjoyed seeing so many people. I asked my friend who I was with, where they all came from, as I don't normally see these people  during lunchtime in the Grove. Lots of new faces. The bar was full as you can see here and lots of people came in for take-out. The take-out area is on the other side of the brick post at the bar.

Another thing I enjoyed was seeing Matt go from one place to another in the Grove on a bicycle. He's got it perfect here. He went from Spillover, to LoKal, to the Bank, etc. All on bike.

Spillover is bringing life back to the Mayfair Promenade and once the tables are outside, it will be a very lively place. When the Typsy Mermaid opens across the way, that area is going to be really jumping.