My previous vision of Miami was probably that of most: topless women on South Beach, packed techno clubs with neon confetti, and money flaunting for the rich and famous. This past trip, however, showed me that Miami has a LOT more to offer. It’s a foodie paradise! We started off the weekend paddle-boarding in Key Biscayne (shout out to our instructor, Leo @ TKS Miami). We took an hour long paddle, worked up an appetite, then headed to Achie’s Pizza (in the Winn-Dixie shopping plaza on Crandon Blvd) for some legit Napoli-style amazingness. This place took me right back to Italia! Thin crust, bianca style (no tomato sauce- just olive oil) topped with ricotta, arugula, fresh pears, manchego, and prosciutto. Heaven.
Luckily for us, from August 1- September 30, some of Miami’s top restaurants participate in a promotion called Miami Spice, offering set three-course menus (Lunches $19 or $23, Dinners $33 or $39) featuring signature dishes created by world-renowned chefs. We chose The Oceanaire Seafood Room, located in the Brickell area.
Our first course was a baby arugula salad with mixed berries salad and candied pecans, chevre cheese and white balsamic vinaigrette.
For the main course, we ordered parmesan crusted Maine lobster tail with wild mushrooms, shaved truffles, linguini, and lobster brandy cream. Unfortunately, they were out of the lobster tail, but my fellow dietitian asked to substitute jumbo shrimp instead. The chef humored us and agreed.
Dessert was crème brûlée. All-in-all: a pleasant experience, a luxurious dinner for the $39 price tag, and a cool ambiance reminiscent of a 1930’s ocean- liner, but I wasn’t blown out of the water (no pun intended).