If you like Argentine food but want a more elevated yet casually attractive ambiance that many Argentine restaurants here lack, La Fernetaría Miami in Wynwood is for you. It is the Miami outpost of the award-winning restaurant and bar from Buenos Aires, known for blending Italian culinary tradition with Argentine soul. Perched on the 9th floor, the open-air rooftop offers lush greenery, very good service, delicious food and a show on weekends. And if you like high energy, go after 9 p.m. when the Wynwood crowd starts coming in and the bar is several feet deep.
The menu is divided into appetizers, homemade pasta, seafood platter, salads, main course, sides and dessert. There are also caviar and oyster options.
We started with a typical Argentine dish, provoleta – very tasty cheese that is flambeed tableside with Fernet. We ordered the house baked sourdough bread with garlic butter to go with it. There’s an appealing variety of house made pastas. It was a tossup between the garganelli all vodka and the cavatelli al fungi but we chose the former. The pasta was al dente and the sauce tasted homemade, even including small chunks of tomato.
We shared the cheese and pasta as we were ordering a 14-ounce steak au poivre with large cut French fries and truffles and asparagus. A welcome feature at La Fernetaria Miami, the sauce was served on the side as I was trying to watch my calories though admittedly, I did have some fries, all in the name of research, plus I couldn’t resist the aroma of the truffles. Argentines know how to cook steak so no surprise, it was very tender and perfectly charred. The fries were crispy outside and soft inside, delicious.
For dessert our contenders were the volcano dulce de leche which is a chocolate lava cake stuffed with dulce de leche and topped with ice cream and sea salt. But we opted for the pancakes (crepes) with dulce de leche that were flamed tableside with burnt caramel + 5 vanilla affogato. They were a hint crispy which made them even more delicious. They’re a fave.
Next time at La Fernetaria Miami I’d like to try the ten-layer lasagna made with slow cooked pulled short rib and mozzarella di bufala, the whole branzino served butterflied with radicchio, fennel and herbs salad and the cacio e pepe prepared table side with caviar add ons.
No surprise at La Fernetaria Miami there’s a signature cocktail offering ($18-$25). A glass of wine (5-ounce pour) starts at $17 and bottles at $68.
They also offer a three-course tasting menu for $70 per person plus tax and tip which can be teamed with a cocktail and wine pairing for $120 per person.
It’s open for dinner nightly from 5 p.m. If you want quiet conversation, I suggest going around 7 p.m. which is pretty much the rule these days in Miami. We went on Saturday at that time and it was relaxing. After 9 p.m. on weekends is the party time. There’s a live DJ starting around 10:30 pm Thursdays-Saturdays and dancing. The party goes on until around 2-3 am. On Saturdays there’s also a fire dancer starting around 10:00 pm.
Dinner for two with a cocktail each, one starter, a pasta dish, entree and dessert will run you $175 plus tax and tip.
La Fernetaria Miami, 230 NW 24th Street, Wynwood. There’s street parking and valet parking is $25.
