Home by Gigi coming to Main Highway

Chef Sebastian Fernandez with Gigi Alibhai, owner of Home by Gigi.

Home by Gigi is a new restaurant opening above Smooshies candy store at 3413 Main Highway. I met with Sebastian Fernandez, the chef of the new place. You may remember Sebastian from 33 Kitchen a couple of years ago on Commodore Plaza. The Gigi in the name is Gigi Alibhai, owner of Smooshies and the restaurant. Jean Carlos Tejada is the manager of the restaurant.

Sebastian is busy man, opening restaurants in Little Havana, part of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival and just announced he'll reincarnate 33 Kitchen at Time Out Market, South Beach's new food hall. And here we have him back in the Grove.

Home by Gigi has a sandwich shop downstairs and a sit down restaurant upstairs. They are working toward a June 4 opening day, where you can start out  with breakfast, and get lunch, too. No dinner currently, but they will rent the upstairs for private dinner events. They will be open from 8 am to 5 pm daily.

The place is bright and airy with large semi-circle windows looking out onto Main Highway, there are tables upstairs, downstairs and outside - lots of seating.  The place is eclectic, I don't know why, but it reminds me of the islands for some reason, you know, like maybe Guadeloupe or St. Johns. Maybe it's the wicker, maybe the hot air balloons hanging from the ceiling.

The breakfast menu consists of eggs, granola, oatmeal, avocado toast, french toast, fresh pancakes and more. Prices start at $6 for the oatmeal and go up to $13 for the French toast. Pancakes are $12, Granola is $7, Two eggs any style are $11.

Salads include shrimp, salmon, chicken and beef. There is a Watermelon Salad ($9), Kale and Quinoa ($14), Burrata ($16) and more.

Pastas include Tigliatelle al vongole ($17) and Rigatoni and meat balls ($18).

Main dishes include salmon, pan roasted branzino, steak and frites, roasted half chicken, mini sliders and there are lots of slides including mac and cheese and veggies.

Sandwiches, all served with a side salad start at $8 for country grilled cheese and go up to prosciutto for $13. There is tuna or chicken salad, ham and cheese, a steak sandwich and more.

They will offer a soup of the day and there are plenty more great things on the menu.