Ron DeSantis and Francis Suarez Unfortunately Believe They're Foodies

It seems in a new attempt to appeal to Gen Z and millennial voters, Republican politicians Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez are both being coerced into "dishing" their opinions on Miami's food scene — whether we care to listen to them or not.

In a post published to X on Monday, May 13, DeSantis proudly boasted his knowledge of Miami's current culinary scene with a caption that reads, "Miami doesn't just have great Cuban cuisine, tasty stone crab, and outstanding key lime pie — it also has tremendous pizza courtesy of Miami Slice."

The post included a photo of the governor posing with the owners and staff of downtown Miami's hidden pizza gem, Miami Slice, which even New Times can attest is one of the very best in town.

The caption concluded, "My favorite was pepperoni with hot honey, but everything was really good," and DeSantis even included a link to the restaurant and shared Miami Slice's address. More surprising to New Times staffers was his need to review the restaurant—why would we care what he thinks? Although we're glad he thinks they're "really good." It might be one of his only beliefs we can all agree on.

Miami doesn’t just have great Cuban cuisine, tasty stone crab and outstanding key lime pie—it also has tremendous pizza courtesy of Miami Slice.

My favorite was pepperoni with hot honey, but everything was really good.

You can check out their menu here https://t.co/DSs9Lo2I1f… pic.twitter.com/p88JQLZU0K

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 13, 2024

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond (AKA the construction puddle underneath I-95 in downtown), New York Times bestselling author, comedian, and television personality Dave Rubin, best known for his political commentary, interviewed Suarez in a video posted to his TikTok page, Rubin Report.

In the video, a man asks Rubin and Suarez a series of questions about Miami — and in true Suarez fashion, each of his responses had New Times staffers shaking their heads in disbelief (although we were not shocked in the slightest).

When asked whether South Beach was "overrated" or "underrated," Suarez immediately chimed in that it was "overrated, sorry." Then, just moments later, the self-proclaimed proud American of Cuban descent stumbled when asked if Cuban sandwiches were "overrated" or "underrated" — our Cuban mayor said they were properly rated but hesitated.

The City of Miami Mayor's enthusiasm quickly changed when asked about Carbone, the trendy Italian New York transplant in South Beach's South of Fifth neighborhood, in which he immediately quipped, "underrated, that's my guy," referring to Mario Carbone. (Mind you, both Carbone and his namesake restaurant are two of the most overhyped, popular, and well-known names in the city — plus, the restaurant is in South Beach). He adds, "It's a phenomenal place, and I'll get killed if I say otherwise."

Really? "Killed?" Is this the Sopranos?

@officialrubinreport Is Miami the best big city in America? #miami #miamibeach #southbeach ♬ original sound - Rubin Report

In another classic response, the mayor said soccer superstar Lionel Messi was "underrated," leaving us (and even Rubin himself) to believe he was confused about the meaning of "underrated."

Lastly, in the most eye-roll-inducing response of the video, the City of Miami mayor did not know what El Bagel was, the delicious, Miami-born bagel restaurant located in the city he represents.

In conclusion, Suarez feels passionate about New York transplant Carbone in Miami Beach, but El Bagel, in the city that he represents and runs — he's oblivious to.

All in all, DeSantis and his social team surprisingly nailed it. This is a "W" for Florida and an "L" for Miami.