1616-89 Various Miami Beach . In and Around South Beach,Focusing Squarely on Food Page 1 of 4
Travel NY to Salt Lake City click here now tor
gibe New ilork Elutesr
`°a'm'p $214 MORE SPECIAL FARES
and terms&conditions►
HOME Search Past 30 Days 0 Seal* ', -, 'bY `�` „ Weli
r:M I SHOP TRAVEL
,...4x.._,, Go to Advanced Search Sign Up for New
Find a Job
Poet a Job ®E-Mail This Article ®Printer-Friendly Format
Real Eetata NEW
Automobile, ®Most E-Mailed Articles a Single-Page View
AIS
NEWS ",, ,i
IMemdarial
National November 25,2001
Psilltize
B.ualness
Technoloav
same CHOICE TABLES
hub
Sods
New York Education •Region In and Around South Beach, Focusing
withes
NYT Front Paye
Squarely on Food
Corns
i Special:A Nation
ERIC ASIMOV
Editorials/OD-Ed ,�
G LANCING casually around the
1 N^I 3 pastel paradise of South Beach in � L" i
^,,E � «dieat mid-October, I could see the signposts of 8L '
1xN came �1� „ "t .. -. ;
p 0 y a'[ a simpler time everywhere. New ' ;
. restaurants were opening, old Art Deco ._!
' hotels were still being resurrected—mammal ak
Allo most recently the Hotel Nash—and ,, `sF• ' 4,. t
ROM mstike construction and beautification projects Richard Patterson for The New York Times
Travel Creole-style conch at Tap Tap in
- cerwemoiniattverie
pressed on,creating one-lane turmoil on ,;Beach.
R n Collins Avenue, Miami Beach's central
Fashion&Style
New York Today artery. i,�::.A: ->:) A I, I�_.i.s
ielMINMECVMAII
clams South Beach:Restaurant
magazine Yet,just as clearly, nothing was as usual. Information(November 25, .
Week In Reviser
Pia Tables at the swankiest new restaurants, 2001)
Qom
Leaminameneet hotly contested even out of season not so
Job darketNliami Beach's Down-to-Earth
Real Estate NEW long ago, were relatively easy to come Eating Spots(November 25,
swim: by, as were rooms at top hotels, a 2001)
caTammi discount prices. Even South Beach
NAYSr traffic on a Saturday night, once a snarl Miami Beach Art Deco: When
I Helpente
maggot go of Lexuses,Porsches and Ferraris, was More Was More(November
ES More tame, with parking spaces shockingly 25,2001)
About easy to come by.
Joboorr, � Blending in Quickly in
Our NEWSPAPER Though subdued by the current climate 2001)ertisers rttavtlle(November 25,
11e Deliviry of anxiety,Miami Beach is still a
Customer Service
nightly, if less crowded, oglefest of
g what's Doing: In Orlando
YOUR PROFILE beautiful people on parade. But beauty (November 25,2001)
seekeePnsla and money still must take a break to eat,
umusaceignaand inevitably they are drawn to the
Find additional information by
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/25/travelI25TAB.htm1 11/24/01
{
ea
In and Around South Beach,Focusing Squarely on Food Page 2 of 4
Taxa Varalon jangly heat of the region's newest and selecting from the following
most highly publicized restaurants. topics. Spruc!
❑South Beach Count
Some of the latest haunts seem like a roll l]Restaurants
call of old Manhattan favorites: Nobu,
Travel and Vacations
Sushi Samba,Bond Street and Cafeteria
have recently opened branches in the
- � Disco
Miami region. Other high-end amazing
newcomers, like Poppy and Pearl, are ON SALE NOW: A Sunshine
Active Ad,
decibel-loading nightclubs paying lip State of Elegance from Coconut
service to dinner. Grove to the Keys:Mandarin
Oriental Miami,The Biltmore
Hotel,Cheeca Lodge&more!
But three of the newer places, and a
slightly older restaurant with a new chef,
transcend the social imperatives to focus
squarely on food. These were the
restaurants I sought out with two Miami
- :;
friends on my brief visit. ..
Rumi
y, ;
k
The velvet rope outside the signless
entrance at Rumi, a winning restaurant ,' ( 1,1
near the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall,
4 ,
-,3,.� 10
seems like vestigial equipment from the FREE Life
days of carefree status-seeking. Nobody
is standing outside,begging to be let in,
but Rumi's food, courtesy of two young
co-chefs, Scott Fredel and J. D. Harris, is
worth lining up for.
In the evening, Rumi has a lively
elegance, with a small beige, tan and
brown bar leading to a boxy, windowless
dining room. Burgundy banquettes of Richard Patterson for The-New York Times
buttery leather are set off by a wall of TOP Tables at Wish,a restaurant
low on attitude.BOTTOM At
peach and blue mirrors, while exquisite coolly elegant Rumi's.
Deco light fixtures are staggered along a
high ceiling. A second level with round
leather booths winds over part of the
dining room. �.
Like the dining room, the food is an
r
elegant and well-conceived blend of
Europe and the Caribbean, a triumph of -= - -
subtlety and intelligence rather than a 'S .� ADVERT!
self-referential display of ego.
Richard Patterson for The New York Times
Holidays in Dui
90
If it were possible to sum up Rumi in Fresh fish and shellfish on display mins north c
for diners or for takeout at
one dish, it would be the ethereal Captain Jim's,North Miami.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/25/trave1/25TAB.html 11/24/01
In and Around South Beach,Focusing Squarely on Food Page 3 of 4
appetizer of boniato gnocchetti, feathery, Forever Adiron
slightly sweet dumplings, served in the Lake Placid Gt
lightest imaginable cream broth, accented with slender shavings of
fruity Parmesan and aromatic allspice. Another excellent appetizer, TQDAY@delta
rillettes of jerk pork, succeed on the inherent flavor of the meat rather fares on NY flit
than trace jerk spices and minimal chili heat.
Main courses are thoughtful combinations of flavors and textures.
Slices of rich duck breast go beautifully with earthy, slightly sweet REPRINTS i
white beans and warm ginger crepes. Slow-roasted pork loin is Click here to order F
meltingly tender. Crisp cubes of crunchy spiced bread and savory Permissions of this,
calabaza squash complement the soft-textured meat. Delicate,moist
snapper arrives in a lightly spicy tomato broth that sets the mouth
aglow, along with its textural contrast,a heart-of-palm croquette.
• The intelligent choices seem not to extend to the small wine list, which
is top-heavy with the usual suspects, and overpriced, too. If you're
willing to spend$60 a bottle, decent choices include the dry and
refreshing Pouilly Fume from Ladoucette or a fruity Santa Maria
Valley pinot noir from Byron.
Rumi offered a truly memorable dessert selection,a wonderful
variation on the molten chocolate cake made instead with a light coffee
flavor. On the side was a scoop of,believe it or not,cream-flavored ice
cream surrounded by chocolate cookie crumbs, a kind of visual Oreo.
In a similar sort of humorous nudge,Key lime pie was served in
components, with sweet-and-tart pudding alongside intact graham
crackers. It's easy to like a restaurant that makes you smile.
I Azul
I
When South Beach's celebrity atmosphere results in tunnel vision, or at
least causeway vision, it's time to leave the island. Just a little south of
Miami Beach is tiny Brickell Key, site of the austerely elegant, nouveau
Asian Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which opened last November, and its
restaurant, Azul.
By tank-top Beach standards,Azul is as formal as a Miami restaurant
gets, a place where some men actually wear ties, and where a whisper
speaks louder than a shout. Behind a small display of pristine fish on
ice and a dazzling waterfall is a handsome open kitchen, where you
,� may recognize the chef,Michelle Bernstein, from her appearances on
the Food Network. While the dining room is nice enough, I prefer the
serene, almost private balcony in the rear,overlooking shimmering
ij Biscayne Bay.
i; At her best,Ms. Bernstein, whose menu changes frequently, is capable
1, of works of art on a plate. A simple green salad,too often a restaurant
toss-away, is for her an opportunity to achieve a small perfection.
Tender,almost succulent greens are the basis, with candied walnuts,
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/25/travel/25TAB.html 11/24/01
In and Around South Beach,Focusing Squarely on Food Page 4 of 4
poached Asian pears and ricotta salata. Hamachi tataki is an equally
light and satisfying composition, with lush slices of tuna, seared at the
edges, at the bottom of an intricate arrangement of cucumber slaw,
sweet beet slices and pickled daikon, united by a grapefruit-ponzu
sauce. A special appetizer of soft-shell crab, fried until barely crisp, is
as delicate and sweet as can be, served over a sublime potato salad and
garnished with watermelon,the perfect extra flavor.
Main course ingredients are superb,but they don't match the appetizers
for clarity and precision. Though a waiter warns that Jamaican jerk tuna
is very spicy, it packs as much heat as a fruit salad,though it's a fine
piece of fish.
Similarly,though slow-braised short ribs are remarkably tender, meaty
and delicious, a Thai chili component is absent, despite the menu
description. Whole turbot is filleted before it arrives,a disappointment
to those of us who appreciate spectacle,but it's moist and delicately
flavorful, nicely matched with fennel and ginger-and-lemon confit.
Continued
l 12 I Next>> _
Home I Back to Travel I Search I Help Back to Top
®E-Mail This Article Printer-Friendly Format
®Most E-Mailed Articles 0 Sin le-Pse View
Click Here to Receive 50%Off Home Delivery of The
New York Times Newspaper.
NY to Salt Lake City click here now for Del
MORE SPECIAL FARES t
rivu�-hi"trill >'..`
!/owns $214
and terms&conditions lot.r cit.�.,om.
Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company I Privacy Information
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/25/travel/25TAB.html 11/24/01
+°