Fusion Caribbean and Latin American cuisine isn’t one of my favorites. But now I’m a convert, thanks to The Rum Room Miami Beach. With that name, you’d think rum was “the” main event. For sure, it’s “a” major event, but the food is the surprise star. At the hands of Miami-born executive chef Samantha Cruz, formerly of PLANTA in Miami Beach and leading chef at events like Super Bowl LIV, Miami Open, and Art Basel Miami Beach, take dishes, some you’ve seen elsewhere and others that are unique creations and elevate them to exceptional flavor. And note, it is participating in Miami Spice 2023 (see below for details).
The Rum Room and its adjacent special event space, Venu, is in an unlikely place across a green lawn from the Miami Beach Convention Center. So it’s a surprise when you walk through the door and find a clubby, dimly lit, inviting space with bar housing five dozen different kinds of rum, one alone valued at $1400 retail, along with other spirits.
Next to the bar are high-top tables at one side and a comfy leather couch and armchairs to the other side. Walk further back and find traditional tables aside from working mini rum casks. There’s outdoor patio dining beside another small wooden house that serves as an event space.
The menu is divided into snacks and starters, salads, entrees that include one side, pressed sandwiches served with fries, sides, and desserts. We started with fish dip nachos which are not something I usually order (too caloric and unexciting). When I saw the ingredients, I thought I have to try this, as they were intriguing and different. House-made plantain chips are served with a creamy sauce of Corvina and salmon smoked in-house with Monterey jack cheese and queso blanco, garnished with pickle relish. The flavor was at once smokey and creamy and exciting ($15). Next up was again something I’ve had in the past but never found special =- conch fritters.
Mr. W, who lived in the Bahamas, the land of conch, said they were the best he’s ever had, and I’m putting them on my best dishes of the year list. Filled with local conch and corn batter, they were oh-so tasty, plump, and exquisitely fried, served with creole mayo on the side ($16). Next time I’d like to try the Not Crab Cakes, which are made with hearts of palm to substitute the crab remoulade, Old Bay, and Lemon ($15).
We were going to try the riff on a classic Caesar salad, here made with crispy pork belly “croutons”, but we decided we couldn’t eat this plus an entrée and sandwich, so we passed on the salad. Next time ($18). There’s also a shrimp and papaya salad that sounded appealing. Protein can be added to the salads. The entrée decided on was the catch of the day which turned out to be red grouper which you can have fried, grilled, or blackened. It was served on a bed of couscous with peas and a flavorful broth. It’d be difficult to find fresher fish (MP/ours 8 ounces for $48).
We chose as a side to team up with it, grilled organic broccolini with red pepper aioli ($10). Next up a tough choice: chorizo sliders or jerk chicken sandwich. The latter was our choice: tender and tasty jerk chicken thighs with red slaw and grilled pineapple served on rosemary focaccia ($17). It’s served with housemade (from scratch) French fries that you can have with parmesan truffle (do it).
Between a guava cheesecake with maria cookie streusel and a pineapple upside-down rum cake, we opted for the latter – a tough choice. Served warm, it was delicious ($12).
And now the rum part of The Rum Room. We’re talking 60 different kinds of rum, including a local flight of four for $20. Cocktails, twists on traditional ones like a negroni and mai tai, are all made with rum ($17). There’s also a small selection of wines and beer. A glass of wine (6-ounce pour) starts at $9, and bottles at $36.
The night we went, there was a good crowd enjoying their everyday happy hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Cocktails are $12, beer $3.50 to $4, wine by the glass $4.50 to $7, and light bites including the fish dip nachos, not crab cakes ($7.50), wild fish crudo ($8) and others.
The Miami Beach Convention Center is at 1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139. The Rum Room Miami Beach is on the northeast corner of the MBCC Campus Center, where Washington Avenue meets Dade Boulevard. For more information, visit https://www.rumroommiamibeach.com/. It’s open for a late lunch or dinner from Tuesday to Thursday from 3 pm. To 9 p .m. and Friday and Saturday from Noon 1 PM to 10 p.m. Brunch is also offered Sunday from Noon to 8 p.m. They expect to open soon for lunch as well.
NOTE: It is participating in Miami Spice 2023. For details, click here.
