Miami is really coming into its own as a restaurant town. Not just because of its high end restaurants, both locally grown and outposts of uberchefs from New York, London, Barcelona and others. But we’re starting to have quality neighborhood eateries in the cities within cities that is Miami.
I’ve been hearing and reading good things about Bocce , 3252 N.E. 1st Street ( T.786-245-6211), which is from the Samba Group Management that owns Sugarcane, a perennial fave of mine, so a friend and I made our way to Midtown Miami to check it out.
According to Neopolitan chef Nunzio Fuschillo the cuisine is from all regions of Italy, though I think he shines the most with southern Italian dishes. Whatever we ordered one thing was for certain – you could taste that everything was housemade, from the tomato sauce to the pastas and sausage. We started with a Suppli di Riso, crispy carnaroli rice with mozzarella, the Italian version of a croquette, and that to die for sauce. .
Next up were two pastas, the first the Ravioli di Barbabietola, with not your usual filling of goat cheese and red beets that were roasted in ash so they come out charred, and seasoned with horseradish and aged balsamic vinegar. It was light and tasty, and the presentation looked like a painting by Jackson Pollack. Our favorite hands down and reason for a visit was the Orecchiettte Salsiccia e Borlotti with that homemade sausage I was talking about with the right amount of picante (pepper), rosemary oil and borlotti beans that were cooked in pork skin and then crusted with parmigian cheese . The pasta was perfectly al dente, the medley of flavors came through and meshed beautifully. Accompanying the pasta we chose Caponata di Scarola, a sweet and piquant dish with one of my new favorite vegetables – escarole – along with eggplant, raisin, tomato and ricotta salata.
Time to go light after that so we had the branzino with artichokes, asparagus and bottarga. The sea bass was fresh,though I would have preferred it steamed so it would be more moist. Dessert was another winner — mulistrato di cioccolato made with buttermilk gelato, crushed toasted hazelnuts and espresso gelee. Bocce is also a good place to go for light bites – as in cheese and salumi platters to share, and an enticing selection of antipasti ranging from salads and lamb meatballs with goat cheese to grilled octopus and beef tartare.
The rustic décor with distressed wood walls, open timber beamed ceilings and ceiling lights reminiscent of billiard lamps work well. Plus, how could I forget the Bocce court in front where diners can strike up a game. Like its sister, the place is buzzy, fun, casual and when it’s full at peak times, I imagine an “energetic” noise level( We went early on a Friday night – at 7 p.m. and it was just fine). There’s also outdoor seating.
Antipasti at this midtown Miami restaurant are in the low teens, pastas average around $18, entrees $28-$34, and several dishes are offered at half portions.
Decor photos courtesy of www.chuboknives; shot of orecchiette courtesy of www.miami.com.
