Mutra To Bring A Melting Pot Of Flavors To Miami - First Miami Restaurant From Chef Raz Shabtai To Open In North Miami In January 2025

Mutra, which translates to “rain of blessings,” is an innovative dining concept from the talented Israeli-born chef which will feature a menu that defies easy categorization. Featuring a farm-to-table ethos and respect for local farmers and purveyors, Shabtai draws from great culinary traditions from around the globe, many of which can be found in his hometown of Jerusalem. One of the world’s true melting pots, Israel is also home to the flavors and traditions these immigrants brought with them – a Mecca for spices, homegrown ingredients, and a true blending of Old World recipes in a modern setting. Indeed, when asked to define his own cuisine, Chef Shabtai credits Levantine, Galilean/North Israel, and Baladi influences.

Shabtai, whose mantra for Mutra is “food is holy,” is excited to bring these diverse flavors to Miami and add a twist to beloved dishes for savvy diners hungry for something different. Says the chef, “For Mutra, we’re taking the traditional dishes that we grew up on, food that my grandmother made and we ate as kids and making something new from it. For example, my grandmother grew up in Tunisia, where fricassee was a very popular sandwich, served on fried bread like a donut and stuffed with harissa, lemon, potatoes, tuna from the can, cooked carrots, and chopped salad. What we will do at Mutra is honor the past but cook forward, if you like. For my version of this dish, I sub in the fresh catch of the day, as we work with local fishermen, and will use special techniques to elevate it.”

Mutra will be open from 12:00 p.m. Noon to 6:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., offering a modern upscale street food experience. Everything will be made in-house in the scratch kitchen, with fresh ingredients sourced from local farms. Twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, the restaurant will offer the street food experience and then stay open for full-service dinner. Adding a third layer to its mutable culinary concept, Shabati plans to host a special Chef’s Tasting for up to 18 guests, with guests seated at the bar surrounding the open kitchen with a bird’s eye view of all the action. A specially designed seven-course menu will be paired with exquisite highly allocated wines and liquors, with music curated by Shabtai to match the cuisine, lending to an overall sensory experience. Special tableware for these dinners will include handmade plates imported from Spain, Italy, and Turkey. A Sunday Brunch is in the works.

The dynamic and delectable menu will feature such dishes as Chraime San – slow-cooked for eight hours, Mutra's rich tomato base is transformed into a velvety cream, complemented by tender chickpeas and fingerling potatoes and served with the day's fresh catch, seared on the plancha and finished over an open-flame Japanese clay grill, accompanied by a crisp fennel salad dressed in a tangy sumac vinaigrette; One Thousand Layer Skewer – delicate slices of beef steak are layered and grilled to perfection on a traditional mangal, served alongside Campari tomato foam, tahini sourced from the Samarian mountains, and smoky Romanian eggplant salsa. Also on tap, Yemenite Street Taco – freshly made Lachuch (traditional Yemenite bread) filled with tender, slow-cooked lamb breast, root vegetables, schug, charred tomatoes, red onions, raw tahini, and a vibrant mix of freshly picked herbs.

Spanning 2,150 square feet, with seating for sixty in a spacious dining room surrounding a big open kitchen, guests get to enjoy all of the action whether seated at the bar, in the dining room, or at an elegant large family table perfect for larger groups, nestled behind a wall.

Chef Shabtai (40) has no formal kitchen education, learning his way by watching his grandmother – first, seated on the kitchen counter as a young boy inhaling the smells and watching her work, and then by her side as he got older – his love for her and the food and nourishment she provided became one and the same. Starting as a young teenager, he has worked in every aspect of the restaurant industry, working his way up the ranks, both in the front and the back of the house – dishwasher, busboy, server, cold line, hot line, bartender, and liquor salesman. That translated into high-level culinary positions in Israel and New York, – invited by Meir Adoni, a well-renowned Israeli chef, to open Nur, an instant sensation in the city’s Flatiron District in 2018, followed by stints at Alenbi, Basta, Raphael, Le Relais Jaffa and other cutting edge restaurants between New York and Israel. A stint as a private chef, servicing well-known celebrities and high net-worth figures, followed and prompted a move to Miami, where Shabtai saw the food landscape as ripe for innovation. He spent a year searching for the perfect location and found it with the assistance of Noa Figari, a realtor who became so enthralled with Shabtai’s vision. Figari now runs the operation and business development of Gourmet Hospitality Group, Mutra’s parent company. Another integral piece of the puzzle is Michael Werzberger, a businessman from New York who initially hired Raz as a private chef and became such a fan of his culinary creations that he decided to invest. Michael is deeply passionate about transforming the kosher dining experience while redefining an upscale yet approachable hospitality environment.

Mutra aims to deliver an unparalleled dining experience with the freshest farm-to-table ingredients. With a focus on sustainability and creativity, Mutra is where the old meets the new, creating a truly unique dining atmosphere and redefining the concept of kosher as more about healthy eating than anything else.

There is only one picture hanging in the restaurant – of Mutra herself from her wedding day. “By putting my grandmother’s name on this restaurant I am ensuring that there is no compromise, and I must perform at my best to deliver the most incredible experience I can – to live up to her memory and her cooking.”

Mutra is located at 2188 Northeast 123rd Street, North Miami, Florida 33181. Website: www.mutramiami.com - Telephone: (786) 860-1213.

Photo Credit: Chef Raz Shabtai (@chefrazs)