Miami Beach, FL – January 23, 2017 – With the abundance of distinct eateries and restaurants making their way to Miami, there never seems to be a shortage of innovation and diversity. Tucked inside The Confidante you can find TALDE Miami Beach and Bird & Bone, two culinary havens that are changing the food game here in South Beach. TALDE Miami Beach was founded by one of Brooklyn’s culinary greats: You may have seen Chef Dale Talde featured on Top Chef: Chicago as well as Top Chef All Stars, and has been serving up his top-notch delicacies for The Confidante’s eclectic eatery and bar. The hand-painted graffiti adorning the walls set the mood as guests enjoy crave-worthy dinner dishes, from Pretzel Pork & Chive Dumplings with tahini mustard to Korean Fried Chicken with spicy kimchee yogurt sauce. Along with the traditional menu available only for dinner, TALDE Miami Beach also boasts Late Night Noodles every Friday and Saturday from 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. With a menu that’s all about Asian-American fusion cuisine, TALDE Miami Beach effortlessly blends the chef’s heritage with innovative Floridian flavors. Bird & Bone transports guests from their Floridian landscape to a contemporary countryside farmhouse. The rustic restaurant showcases local Chef Richard Hales’ take on the American culinary landscape. Diners can choose dishes from an innovative menu that reflects the heart and soul of traditional country cuisine. Ingredients are locally sourced from independent small farms and organic butchers, illuminating our chef’s passion for Southern dining. At Bird & Bone, guests are able to travel to another time and place and indulge in American comfort cuisine.

World Red Eye caught up with the two chefs that have turned The Confidante into a foodie retreat, who gave us a closer look into how they got their start and what they look for in great food.

WRE: When and how did you realize that you wanted to be a chef?

DT: Growing up, my mother would come home after working a 16-hour shift and make dinner for the whole family. One night at the age of 10, I decided I wanted apple pancakes, not what my mom made. That night, I cooked my own dinner.

RH: When I walked out of the womb and I saw one of nurses eating a donut.

WRE: Where did your culinary training come from?

DT: I went to the Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park and then cooked with Jean-George at Vong in Chicago, then came to New York.

RH: As a kid my mom cooked a serious continental menu at home and my grandmother cooked Filipino food for me daily. I formally trained at The French Culinary Institute and got the training of hard knocks backpacking through Asia working at places here and there for free.

My favorite dish among my restaurants is the Korean Fried Chicken – it’s OG. I’m a fried chicken slut, that’s why Richard [Hales] and I get along so well.

Dale Talde, Founder of of TALDE Miami Beach

WRE: What is unique about Talde that guests can’t experience anywhere else in Miami?

DT: Talde is a fun restaurant, not stuffy at all. The food is fun but so is the dining experience. You can come in to enjoy a bowl of ramen and a beer, or you can ball out if you want to! The service, the drink, the music, the décor, the vibe all makes it special.

WRE: Your restaurant is so hip hop. Who’s your favorite rapper?

DT: Old school, Mos Def.

WRE: If you had a boat, what would it be named?

DT: I would name it My Princess Agnus (my wife).

WRE: We heard you invite Chef Richard to NY for a food tour. What restaurants will you be stopping by?

DT: I want to take him to a mix of places, lowbrow and highbrow. Russ & Daughters, Chinese Tuxedo, a Korean BBQ place that will blow his mind, and of course Massoni.

The menu of Bird & Bone is a blueprint of my travels through the south and up the east coast from Louisiana to Asheville and a bunch of places in between.

Richard Hales, Founder of of Bird & Bone

WRE: For those who may not already know, tell us about what we can expect cuisine wise at Bird & Bone?

RH: It’s a southern American restaurant mixed with a modern steak house feel. The menu of Bird & Bone is a blueprint of my travels through the south and up the east coast from Louisiana to Asheville and a bunch of places in between.

WRE: What is unique about Bird & Bone that guests can’t experience anywhere else in Miami?

RH: Nashville Hot Chicken is our specialty.

WRE: What is your favorite ingredient to work with and why?

RH: Chili pepper. It works for me at Sakaya Kitchen, Blackbrick and Bird & Bone.

WRE: Who do you consider to be your culinary mentors? What are some of the lessons you’ve learned from them?

RH: Working for Jean-Georges had a big impact on me early in my career. He taught me how to get flavor out of food without using fat, butter, cream and the like.

WRE: Chicken, duck or pork?

DT: Lately duck. Usually, I’m a pork guy, but I’m leaning duck.

RH: Chicken of course, Bird & Bone Nashville Hot Chicken.

WRE: Tell us an “only in Miami” story.

DT: Debauchery – going to E11EVEN for the first time and losing my mind. Walking out at 6am and the party is still going. On my way out, I ran into my bartender on his way in!

RH: My rent.

WRE: What makes The Confidante the perfect place to set up shop?

DT: We have mirroring sensibilities – it’s about the guest experience ultimately. It’s a unique property, as is Talde.

RH: Its location in mid-beach is ideal for my style of straightforward honest cooking with no tricks just damn good food.