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The “New” Cypress Tavern

cypress tavern
Duck confit with French lentils

 

Chef and Entrepreneur Michael Schwartz is a stickler on doing everything right. So when his Cypress Room opened in the Design District and it wasn’t the big success he had planned on (the figurative bar was very high), he decided to retool it  into a more casual atmosphere in keeping with its name ‘tavern”, along with a lower priced menu, and brasserie type fare.  We went there in the former iteration and, as you may remember, named its burger one of the top three in Miami, and decided to check out the “new” Cypress Tavern, 3620 N.E. 2nd Avenue (T.305-520-5197). His right hand and Brand Director, Jackie Sayet, calls it an “approachable, elevated dining experience” with which you’ll see I agree.

First the setting. The décor is the same, but seems quite different simply with the removal of all but one of the deerheads, installation of billiard table style lamps on the wall giving the room a lighting that’s just right, the same wooden tables without the white tablecloths, and the addition of loungey music. The new, more casual and attractive ambiance seems to be a real crowd pleaser, along with some outdoor tables.

cypress tavern

The eclectic menu includes international favorites with a Michael Schwartz twist, along with totally original dishes. Portions are good sized, especially the appetizers, which can be a main course for smaller eaters. We started with the duck confit which was both crispy and tender, nothing to envy of a French restaurant, served with French lentils and bitter greens. The grilled romaine salad with lemon anchovy dressing , radicchio, and parmigiano was warm and savory.

cypress tavern
Grilled romaine salad

More complex and creative was the peach salad, an intriguing mix of sweet and sharp flavors thanks to the shaved fennel, arugula, pecorino and pine nuts.

CYPRESS TAVERN
Peach salad

For mains we were skeptical about how good the bucatini carbonara could be as it’s a dish that I’ve found hard to duplicate in the USA. Here it’s served with bacon instead of pancetta or guanciale, but it works well, along with poached egg and parmigiano. It was not the classic, but still super tasty and the pasta was perfectly al dente.

cypress tavern
Bucatini carbonara

The standout of the night was the wood roasted short rib with faro risotto, apricot, crunchy marcona almond and mint. The meat was so tender it broke apart with the touch of the fork, and the accompanying ingredients added a complexity and were a perfect foil to the richness of the sauce. For entrees, there’s a selection from the wood grill including a daily rotisserie item, local whole fish and porterhouse steak.

cypress tavern
Short rib

For dessert we had the Meyer lemon curd tart with blueberries and lemon curd, the pastry sufficiently buttery and the curd with just the right amount of tart. It was tough, but we decided to leave the enticing chocolate pot de creme with brioche toast and whipped  cream for next time.

cypress tavern
Meyer lemon curd tart

There’s an extensive selection of liquors (25 different gins, 15 tequilas, 15 vodkas) and a well chosen wine list. A glass of wine (6 ounce pour) starts at $9; a bottle at $36.

In other news, they’ve recently started a jazz brunch on Saturday and Sunday with a well curated, very appealing a la carte menu that works for those wanting more breakfast oriented selections and others already into lunch. So you’ll find french toast with fig compote with pistachio and creme fraiche, homemade everything bagel with smoked wild salmon, along with buttermilk pancakes, but also a rotisserie of the day such as spit roasted leg of lamb with roast potatoes, croque madame, steak frites and the bucatini carbonara. And leave it up to Michael, there’s also a special weekend cocktail list. Entrees are pretty much all under $20 and weekend cocktails are $11.

Between Michael’s Genuine, Harry’s Pizzeria and now Cypress Tavern, he has the Design District well covered with three different, very appealing options.

P.S. Here’s the blogpost on the top burgers in Miami in case you missed it.

The Cypress Room Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Karen Escalera

Karen Escalera

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