On a Tuesday night, almost all of the 366 seats were filled indoors and outdoors in this waterfront landmark building in Edgewater. People were loving Casadonna. David Grutman, known for Komodo, Swan, Papi Steak and others, knows what Miamians like. Together with Tao Hospitality Group, they launched Grutman’s first Italian offering, where they showcase classics from seaside towns Naples, Taormina, and Positano among others, and describe the ambiance as “seaside dolce vita”. The décor, which warranted a major feature in Architectural Digest, would be reason enough for a visit for dinner or brunch. The menu is very well curated, with many Italian favorites, along with their own novel signature additions.

Housed in the Miami Women’s Club that’s on the National Register of Historic Places, Casadonna includes four spaces, each with its own décor designed in collaboration with Ken Fulk. You enter through a double height courtyard with glowing lanterns that hang from the retractable roof and a fin de siècle bar with antique mirrors. Then it’s on to the Garden Dining Room with archival Miami Women’s Club photos, colored terra cotta tiles in a bold geometric pattern for the floors, and fabric with flora and fauna of the region. Old Hollywood meets Old Havana glamour in the Loggia Dining Room with its Murano glass chandeliers, coffered ceilings and grand upholstered chairs. 

My personal favorite at Casadonna is the outdoor Ocean Bar and Lounge that reminded Mr. W and I of Palm Beach. Famed landscape architect Raymond Jungles was engaged to landscape the outdoor area which is lush with trees among the tables, and native plants and trees framing the waterside space from which you can see the Miami skyline. A rich deep wood pergola tops the terrace that’s outfitted with rattan armchairs, mid century modern sofas with plush cushions in tones of flamingo pink and mint, soft lighting and music.  Tables are well spaced apart adding to the sense of spaciousness.

The menu is divided into for the table, crudo, antipasti, primi, main, sides, and dessert.

We started with the not-to-be-missed house made signature focaccia which looks almost like a cake it’s so thick. It’s laced with tomato, taggiasca black olives and rosemary. It’s crusty, dense, tastes of rich olive oil, and is super delicious ($15). Next up was the Caesar salad that hugged to the classic with a perfect dressing, though without the anchovies ($22).

For a main I opted for the Dover Sole that was a thick filet and was swimmingly fresh and moist ($85). Mr. W tried one of their house made pastas, the campanelle, their take on the bolognese. I had read all the high marks it got on customer reviews, and they were indeed warranted. It was meaty, tasty, and a little creamy, thanks to the whipped ricotta ($28).

We shared the Mushroom Caponata cooked in a tomato agrodolce, a welcome riff on the usual sauteed mushrooms ($16), which my foodie son had tipped me off to.

For dessert, we had to try their instagrammable Delizie al Limone ($28). It looks like a real lemon, but when you break the thin crust, you find flavors of limoncello and mint. For large parties with multiple lemons, the dessert is served with a lemon tree and lemons are plucked from the tree and delivered to diners’ plates tableside. A real wow.

A great companion dessert is the Chocolate Hazelnut Torte ($20) that’s like a chocolate mousse cake served with roasted praline and vanilla anglaise.

There’s a menu of traditional and signature cocktails ($17-$20). A glass of wine starts at $16 (5 ounce pour) and bottles at $65.

Casadonna, 1737 N Bayshore Dr 1st Floor, Miami, FL 33132. Valet parking is available for $15 Monday through Thursday and $20 Friday through Sunday.. There’s a nearby garage at the Omni but it’s $15 for the first hour and street parking is hard to find.