Miami Beach, FL – June 8, 2018 – Inside the Betsy Hotel, The Alley is serving South Floridians with unique pizzas, homemade pastas, and delicious desserts. World Red Eye has partnered together again with Jennifer Chaplin aka TheFoodLegend, to bring you behind The Alley’s kitchen to discuss all things pizza with Executive Chef Danny Ganem and Ed Ponder, Director of Food and Beverage at the Betsy Hotel. Located in the hotel’s 14th Place breezeway, which connects Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, the classic Italian Pizzeria and Gelateria is the perfect destination for family and friends to sit back and enjoy the taste of Italy right to your plate.

WRE: How did the concept of The Alley come together?

EP: At The Betsy, we already have a wonderful fine dining restaurant (LT Steak and Seafood) so when we set out to create a second eatery, we wanted to create something equally special and delicious, with a more accessible price point. With Laurent Tourondel’s interest in global cuisine, Italian fare (in The Alley) was just a perfect choice for us.

WRE: Have you always be interested in opening an Italian restaurant? What is your favorite type of cuisine? What is the menu like at The Alley? 

EP: I am a foodie, and am excited about food in general. Breaking bread is one of the most powerful ways to bring people together. Opening an Italian restaurant was a dream come true for me. My favorite food (like everyone else) though is what I ate growing up. At my house, Sunday dinner was the best time of the week, and we ate all of mom’s and grandmom’s favorites. I still love that food best to this day. Our Alley menu is diverse within the context of traditional Italian fare. It’s a unique pasta dish each day, created by Danny and our Chef John, as well as wide ranging pizzas, unforgettable salads and side items like meatballs, and calamari. We also offer other incredible main dishes offerings such as fish, chicken, beef, and vegetarian options.

WRE: The Alley is located at The Betsy Hotel South Beach, what made you choose this location? 

EP: The Alley is part of The Betsy-South Beach. Our unique location was actually designed with this restaurant in mind, so there wasn’t any retrofitting of the idea into an existing space. With an open kitchen and lots of glass, the space emanates light into a thoroughfare that is traversed by thousands of people a day. We hoped that would draw them in – and it does. BTW, right outside the restaurant is The Betsy Orb and Poetry Rail – two pieces of public art that inspire people to stop and take pictures. We’re always thrilled when they notice we’re there too, and come in to eat.

Miami’s culinary scene has made has made 180 degree change in the past 10 years… I’ve seen the rise of neighborhood restaurants and local chefs getting national attention.

Danny Ganem

WRE: What is your favorite dish on The Alley’s menu? What is the most popular item on the menu? 

DG: One of my favorite dishes on The Alley is the Funghi e Tartufo Pizza, the amount of mushrooms, quality of the cheese and the amazing dough makes this dish fabulous, I always put a little spicy oil to add a little kick. One of our most popular items at The Alley is our Meatballs, they are so soft and juicy that when you bite them is like touching a pillow.

WRE: How long did it take to perfect your secret pizza dough recipe? What is your secret to perfect dough?

DG: Well Chef Laurent Tourondel has been working with this dough for the past 5 years. He has perfected the dough by choosing the right ingredients and putting a lot of love in the process.

WRE: What are some of your favorite ingredients to work with?

DG: I love to work with vegetables and fruits, there is nothing better than looking, tasting and smelling any seasonal produce and let your mind open up and be creative in the process. Pair the vegetable or fruit with fish, meat, pastas or pizzas and make those dishes special.

I had the privilege of working with some of the best Chefs in the world like Michael Mina, Norman Van Aken, Martin Berasategui, Michael Schwartz and of course Chef Laurent Tourondel. Each experience has taught me different ways to organize, be creative, play with flavors, techniques, and attention detail.

Danny Ganem

WRE: Chef Daniel, we know you have a love for photography. What is the most photographable dish at The Alley?

DG: All the dishes have their own singularity, but the most eye popping out of all dishes is our Frozen Orange. When the dish is presented to the guests you can always hear the wows!

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

DG: I had the privilege of working with some of the best Chefs in the world like Michael Mina, Norman Van Aken, Martin Berasategui, Michael Schwartz and of course Chef Laurent Tourondel. Each experience has taught me different ways to organize, be creative, play with flavors, techniques, and attention detail.

WRE: How do you feel Miami’s culinary scene has changed over the past 5 years?

DG: Miami’s culinary scene has made has made 180 degree change in the past 10 years when we opened The Betsy in 2009 it was all about South Beach and which Chef from NYC came to Miami and open their restaurant here. In the past 5 years, I’ve seen the rise of neighborhood restaurants and local chefs getting national attention. Also you can see Miami Concepts opening up in other cities like Sugarcane and Yardbird.

WRE: We love how The Alley feels like a speakeasy, was this your intention? What was the vision behind the design? 

EP: As I mentioned, we created this space for this particular restaurant. It’s so powerful to create the space you need to present a particular kind of food – in a particular way. Working with our hotel designers, Diamante Perdersoli and Carmelina Santoro, and of course, our culinary partner Laurent Tourondel who is very particular about design in all things, we wanted to create an intimate space, yet at the same time something that was broadly accessible and relaxed. We called on some of our favorite artist partners, like the Rockarchive collection in the UK, actor/turned/artist Val Kilmer and local photographer, Robert Zuckerman to share some celebrity portraits and we were good to go. We’re proud of the way things turned out.