When you can tout Michelle Bernstein as a mentor and cooked in the kitchens of acclaimed restos Casa Tua and Fratelli Lyon, the bar for success is, oh, skyscraper high. Throw in that everything on your menu must be eco-friendly and sustainable, and chef Alejandro Pinero is putting a lot on his plate (no pun intended). But that’s exactly the idea at Sustain, which opened recently in Midtown. Here, we talk to the Cuban cook talks roasted pig, braised oxtail and where you might find him on his day off.

We’re sure every dish on the menu is like a child, but which are you most proud of?

Since I have two children, I can’t choose favorites, but I must say that I love our Porchetta and the house-made sausages.

Most popular dish on the menu?

The yellowtail snapper with slow roasted tomatoes, sunchokes, and ocean broth is quickly becoming a favorite.

Was it difficult to create a menu that is completely sustainable?

The real challenge is finding a large variety of products from sustainable farms. In fact, it is even more challenging to source the majority of our products from South Florida, considering that our emphasis is not only sustainable farming but supporting our local economy.

Local ingredient you’re digging right now?

All produce from Worden farms.

Best advice anyone ever gave you about being a chef?

Strive for perfection and achieve excellence. (read full story)

Chef Piñero has worked under high-profile chefs like Michelle Bernstein, as well as Chef de Cuisine at Fratelli Lyon, and Sous Chef at Casa Tua. He has delicately crafted a menu that utilizes only local, sustainable products that are prepared directly from the restaurant’s Energy Star-approved wood burning oven and appliances. “My passion is deeply tied to our drive toward sustainability,” he explains. “I’m looking forward to sharing this commitment with our customers.” The restaurant uses only meat and produce that are from local sources and sustainable producers, and their seafood complies with the Monterey Bay Fish Guide. Menu items include delicious blend of classic and modern dishes such as Sustain’s specialty “50-mile” salad, made only from ingredients that have been sourced within fifty miles of the restaurant. In keeping with the restaurant’s eco-friendly theme, Sustain also serves filtered water from an in-house filtration system. (read full story)

Delectable bites ($4-$5) and starters ($6-$16) include warm house-made soft pretzels accompanied by wholegrain mustard and orange blossom honey; and retro pigs in a blanket served with spicy mustard. Generously portioned mains ($14-$24) include a signature roasted porchetta, a traditional herb and garlic infused Tuscan dish offered with braised escarole and confit rosemary potatoes; a delicious crispy skinned BBQ grilled quail with Brussels sprouts, cippolini onions, and mustard-horseradish cream; and a hearty wreckfish served with cannellini beans, escarole, chorizo, and local clams. (see original story)

The experience starts with the décor—mangrove trees were imported from one of the few such sustainable forests (in Guatemala) and the ceiling fixtures were produced from recycled aluminum. The real story, however, is the food. The menu is divided into “bites,” “starters,” “mains” and “sides,” with locavore elements interspersed throughout. The strip steak is sourced from Four Arrows Ranch in Ocala, the veggies from hydroponic farm Swank and Paradise Farms, and the snapper from P.T. Fish. Chef Alejandro Piñero (whose previous stints include Casa Tua and Fratelli Lyon) is “deeply tied to our drive toward sustainability.” Check out our menu preview and work up an appetite. Sustain opens this Saturday, December 18, and is located at 3252 NE 1st Avenue #107 (305-424-9079). (see original story)

They’re also plating free range meats from Four Arrows Ranch in Ocala, including porchetta pork loin rolled in herbs, wrapped in pork belly, and slow-roasted for 12 hours, and a wood oven-roasted 28oz cowboy steak served with Potatoes Anna, not to be confused with “Potatoes, Anna!”, which is what Enrique Iglesias shouts whenever he runs out of tater tots. (see original story)

Maybe you want banana peppers straight from the farm.

Maybe you care about doing right by Mother Earth.

Maybe it’s important to you that the meat on your plate grew up in the cow equivalent of Club Med.

Or maybe it’s not. At all. Maybe you’re one of those “whatever” people.

But either way, there will come a time when you’re on a date with a yoga instructor who grew up in Seattle, wears only hemp products and visits the farmers’ market every morning. (Trust us, it’ll happen. And don’t be surprised if her name is “Grass.”)

So say hello to Sustain, the city’s newest, greenest bistro, throwing open its earth-friendly doors this Saturday night in Midtown. (read the full story)

Sustain. Chef Alejandro Piñero, another Casa Tua alum, turns out contemporary American fare at this midtown spot. As befits the name, the food is locally sourced and the dining room outfitted with reclaimed wood and recycled aluminum (3252 N.E. First Avenue, Miami, 305.424.9079). (read the full story)

On the menu: homemade soft pretzels with whole grain mustard and orange blossom honey; mini grilled cheese; rock shrimp and mushrooms; 50 mile salad–wood oven roasted beets, pickled onions, Paradise Farms’ brassica and feta; soup of curried kabocha squash with spicy peanuts; local yellowtail snapper with roasted Jerusalem artichokes, slow-cooked tomatoes, olives and “Ocean Broth,” and for dessert, Key Lime pie, Key Lime creme brulee, meringue and graham cracker lime curd cookies. $65 per person ticket includes organic wine tasting, “life enhancing information,” gift bags, “and more.” To reserve your spot, send an email here.

Update: Sustain will open to the public on December 18. The restaurant will serve dinner Mon-Fri from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and on Fridays until midnight. Dinner Sat will be from 5 p.m. to midnight and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Lunch coming in the near future. For reservations call 305-424-9079.

When it opens, the eco-conscious, eco-friendly Sustain will feature a menu that will change with the seasons and include, among other things, pasture-raised Berkshire pork for its porchetta, regionally raised grass-fed beef will be used in house-made hamburgers, sausages, and corned beef and a “50-mile” salad, made with ingredients sourced within 50 miles of the restaurant. In an Eater Miami exclusive, Lazar recaps the experience with photos and words. (read the full story)

Lazar and Goldberg — transplants from New York and Philadelphia, respectively — met in Miami through a family friend.

“There’s a real passion,” said Goldberg. “It’s not two people trying to open a restaurant. It’s love for food, for good service and the environment.” (read the full story)