People often ask me to recommend restaurants with a water view, especially when they have friends coming to Miami from out of town. Alas, in many cases you have to settle in the food department to get the view. And then there’s the choice of going for a “buzzy” place or one that’s serene, so you can enjoy the beauty of nature. The terrace of La Mar by Gaston Acurio has a lovely water and city view, and the food is very good, especially if you order well. Il Gabbiano is also a good bet, though be sure to ask the price of daily specials. You can also eat well at Seaspice and Modern Garden on the River which I put in the “scenester” (as in a person who frequents a social or cultural scene) category. The River is a also good bet for visitors who have done the South Beach thing.
Then there are the places for the happy hour crowd that are all about the mingling and are mostly singles. There are numerous spots around town that fit this bill. Let’s just say they weren’t memorable. A prime water viewing spot I’ve been to over the years has been the restaurant at the Grove Isle Resort, almost like an island off of Coconut Grove. It has had numerous changes in chef and management in the past 20 years or so, and recently I went to the newest iteration, called Palmeiras Beach Club, 4 Grove Isle Drive (T.305-858-8300) .
First, let’s talk about a big point of differentiation. A hallmark of Palmeiras Beach Club is its musical entertainment and dancing for which I say “bravo”. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. there’s live music including Wesley Phillips, the “ King of Soul” who has performed with the likes of James Brown and Michael Jackson; A Brazilian duo; and the “piano man” who’s a keyboardist, performer and singer/songwriter. Plus on weekends a resident DJ takes to what’s called the Taittinger Lounge offering up more curated tunes.
Now the setting. It’s so close to the water, you can almost touch it. Expansive views are of downtown and Key Biscayne, several miles in the distance. There’s an appealing firepit for a pre dinner cocktail, seating under an arbor, or my favorite, in private tables nestled among the palm trees and black mangroves . If the weather is inclement, an indoor dining room has large windows that share the same wide ranging view.
The kitchen is under the direction of Venezuelan Alfredo Alvarez who was on the opening team of SeaSalt (precursor to Seaspice) and later Le Palme d’Or at The Biltmore. Alvarez pulls from all the culinary traditions of the Mediterranean so not surprisingly, seafood is a highlight here. All of the fish is fresh including branzino and turbot from Spain; Opa from Hawaii; and large 3 ounce prawns flown in overnight from Myanmar. We tried the branzino served with a golden browned skin with garlic broccolini, baby zucchini, and baby carrots in a saffron garlic sauce which was very good. My favorite, the standout in the seafood department, was the entree portion of grilled prawns served with steamed bamboo rice, lemon butter, scallion, tomato confit and the broccolini.They’re also offered as an appetizer. Other offerings include wahoo crudo, sea bass, mussels, king crab legs, stone crabs, Maine lobster, and seasonal oysters — no lack of choices heaven knows.
The menu in general is well curated, with something for everyone, because the restaurant is a clubhouse of sorts for the residents, their friends and family, who come for lunch or dinner. This includes salads, sandwiches and brick oven pizzas as well as solid choices for carnivores including veal and pork chops, steak and rack of lamb. The New Zealand lamb was good, served with persillade, couscous, and mustard spiced au jus.
In the appetizer category, I strongly recommend the glazed pork belly, oh so tender, flavorful, delicate, and a welcome sweetness due to the glazing. Find some not -your- usual pastas including tagliolini en brodo (in broth) with arugula, crisp lardon, thyme and garlic chips, or the carciofo raviolone with ricotta, baby artichokes, tomato, sage and lemon. We opted for the taglioni tartufo — as you probably know by now, we can’t resist truffles, black or the pricier white— which was very good, albeit rich.
Desserts are French inspired, not surprising since the pastry chef trained with Alain Ducasse. Find mango coconut mousse, banana tatin, brie tiramisu and chocolate feast, each served with ice cream or sorbet.
Appetizers range from $17 to $24; large composed salads are under $20; pizzas $15 to $24 and entrees from $32 for the branzino to $56 for the 10 ounce filet mignon (shellfish at market price). Entrees all come well garnished with vegetables so there’s no need to order side dishes. Glasses of wine start at $12; and bottles at $34.
Note that there’s some construction going on so be sure to ask when you pass the security gate how to get there. There’s valet parking.
