Neighborhood: South Beach, Miami
Genre: Italian
Badge: ambience, repeat
Nestled off of a busy road in Miami Beach, this Italian restaurant was clutch and thankfully not in the touristy side of SoBe. Each dish was yummy, inventive, and very well-prepared with quality ingredients. We sat outside and there were a good number of fans but was a slightly balmy place to sit in the deep summer months – but otherwise perfect. Who doesn’t love lots of plants and string lights for a romantic and casual dining experience! Way better than your average, Italian restaurant. Just make sure if it’s warm outside to find a seat close to a fan.
Main dishes went $23-$40 for pasta and $31-$45 for meats/fish.
Rye: The spaghetti pomodoro dish has stayed with me like the memory of a first kiss. Every other pasta now gets compared to this dish. It was full of flavor, not too much spice and perfectly cooked and fresh – though a bit spicy and portions were small (so not likely to have leftovers) and maybe a slightly too salty hand. The menu wasn’t super long so they try to focus on doing a few things well. For you picky eaters, there may not be a ton of dishes you’ll want on the menu so read through it before you go. I also enjoyed the wine selection; they have a little wine market when you enter. I’ll make this a repeat spot, but I may just get the same meal every time.
Masala: I ordered an escarole salad and branzino. I wouldn’t say Italian is my favorite cuisine typically, but the freshness and flavor of the escarole salad mixed with pecorino cheese and pistachio surprised me. It was tasty, healthy and just fresh. The branzino was a burst of contrasting flavors in my mouth with a kick at the end and felt straight out of Top Chef. It was wild caught and served on a bed of well-seasoned vegetables and had a tangy and mildly spicy juice to top off the medley. The dish elevated a relatively bland fish to beautiful complexity and something I could not get enough of. The restaurant prides itself on serving organic foods so properly health nutty!
The menu sometimes changes and they currently have king salmon instead of the branzino that I cannot wait to try!
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