These days, Shabtai said he alternates between the joy of being recognized and the daily grind of running his North Miami eatery.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t know the reviewers had visited until he got a February email, which sought photos and further information about the restaurant, but didn\u2019t reveal any other details.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was like the Mossad or the KGB or the CIA coming through, and you don\u2019t know they\u2019re there and they\u2019re observing you,\u201d Shabtai said. \u201cThey blend with the crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mutra was one of two South Florida restaurants to get a star this year: The other is Emelina in West Palm Beach, a 16-seat chef\u2019s counter that serves Cuban cuisine.<\/p>\n
The reviewers clearly enjoyed their meals at Mutra<\/a> and showed what they ordered and where they sat (\u201cthis is a place where snagging a seat at the chef\u2019s counter is a must,\u201d according to the review).<\/p>\n \u201cThe menu is hyperlocal and rotates often, so don\u2019t be surprised when something runs out. Fear not, however, as the excellent staff will help you discover your new favorite,\u201d the review continued. \u201cSome notable dishes include a show-stopping plate of beets in a pool of ajo blanco and topped with beetroot sorbet. The signature lamb kebab with smoked aubergine cream and tomato oil is pure comfort, as is chicken a la Tunis, juicy and flavorful with harissa-studded chickpea tomato stew. Muhallebi, a creamy Middle Eastern milk pudding, is a sweet and satisfying finale.\u201d<\/p>\n Note to the reviewer: The muhallebi did not actually contain milk, as that would violate kosher laws that say meat and dairy products cannot be eaten in the same meal or cooked together.<\/p>\n Kosher restaurants adhere to strict Jewish dietary regulations, not only separating meat and milk but forbidding animals such as pork and shellfish and closing on Jewish holidays and the Jewish Sabbath. Mutra has a stamp of approval from Kosher Miami<\/a>, a certifying agency that supervises more than 150 sites in South Florida and \u201cadheres to only the strictest (kosher) standards,\u201d according to its website.<\/a><\/p>\n Shabtai said muhallebi is not on the menu now but he used alternative ingredients to create its signature creaminess.<\/p>\n He said that pudding, with its roots in ancient Persia, and his other dishes show how Mutra\u2019s cuisine spans the Middle East and stretches into Tunisia, Romania, Uzbekistan and the United States (the menu includes a Nebraska-raised black angus steak).<\/p>\n Shabtai, 42, a newly married resident of Miami Beach, grew up in Jerusalem and described himself as a lonely kid with few friends. He spent a lot of time with his family, including his grandmother, Mutra, whom he watched cook. Mutra means \u201crain of blessings\u201d in Hebrew.<\/p>\n \u201cI was not the most popular kid. I wasn\u2019t the prettiest, I didn\u2019t have many friends or a social life,\u201d he said. \u201cMy family would make barbecues in parks, and I would put everything I loved on that plate. It gave me comfort, it gave me joy, it gave me security.\u201d<\/p>\n As he got older, he worked many restaurant jobs, including as dishwasher, busboy, server, bartender and chef, in Israel and New York.<\/p>\n He grew up in a kosher home but sampled non-kosher foods as he traveled around the world as a young man. He decided about 10 years ago to recommit to being kosher. He was a chef in New York at a non-kosher restaurant, but \u201cI felt like something was missing,\u201d Shabtai said. \u201cI was losing my identity.\u201d<\/p>\n A job as a private chef prompted a 2021 move to Miami, where he became energized by the creative international food scene. He opened Mutra in February 2025.<\/p>\n The menu\u2019s dish names reflect Shabtai\u2019s love of Israel and international cuisine, as well as his sense of humor. His beloved Childhood Memories dish ($47), consisting of chicken satay, grilled lettuce, spicy tomato salad, caramelized shallots, grilled asparagus, and \u201ctahini with attitude,\u201d reminds him of his family\u2019s barbecues. And his Chicken Liver Dreaming To Become Foie Gras ($32), made with chicken liver pate, silan, shallot, pistachio crumble, cornichon and sourdough bread, also evokes the first part of his life, in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n \u201cLiver is not the most sexy piece of meat, it\u2019s very humble. In Israel, you can get it for free,\u201d Shabtai said. \u201cThe message is you can do so much with almost nothing. Don\u2019t underestimate yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Other inventive titles:<\/p>\n \u2022 A Tunisian and an Italian Grandma Walk into a Kitchen ($62) \u2014 a chicken breast with Tunisian gnocchi, Turkish spinach ragu and potato foam<\/p>\n \u2022 It\u2019s Gonna Freekeh You Out ($89) \u2014 chateaubriand basted in sumac with freekeh risotto, parsley coulis and vegetables<\/p>\n \u2022 What Rolls Royce Would Taste Like ($85) \u2014 beef cheek, vermicelli bulgur, Moroccan chickpea stew, roasted nuts and warm Yemenite flatbread served, according to the menu, with \u201cthe kind of dips every Jerusalem table deserves\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Chef](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TFL-L-Mutra2.jpg\")
Chef Raz Shabtai inside Mutra restaurant in North Miami on Thursday, July 9, 2026. Shabtai, 42, a newly married resident of Miami Beach, grew up in Jerusalem. (Carline Jean\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n