3.5 stars for South Beach's "excellent" PB Steak

Victoria Pesce Elliott3/5/2013

Andreas Schreiner, Sergio Navarro and Jose Mendin, otherwise known as the Pubbelly boys, have done it again. Their Midas touch has transformed a gastropub, sushi bar, pasta joint and tapas spot into gold. Their latest buzz-worthy baby, PB Steak, may just be my favorite.  If you thought Miami had enough meat markets, think again. This one is, ahem, a cut above.

It starts with PB’s signature coolness, as close as Miami gets to Boho Brooklyn. Tattoos and shaggy facial hair are well represented, but so are expensive haircuts and Gucci bags. The soundtrack ranges from reggae to rock, indie and vintage, and the place itself exudes energy, integrity and an unpretentious confidence. Price-wise, it’s a great value compared to swankier steak houses like Bourbon, Prime 112, STK and Red, with meat quality on a par or better than most of the best places in town.

Ambience: The space is unrecognizable from its former incarnations (most notably Joe Allen). The ceilings have been stripped to expose bare wood beams, and the walls are lined with chalkboards and bovine butcher diagrams. Seating in booths and chairs at thick wooden or metal tables is close, but you don’t feel as if you are sitting in your neighbor’s lap.

What Worked

• Foie gras brûlée with berry compote 
• French onion soup-filled dumplings
• Steak tartare sliders (gently handled raw sirloin on a potato bun with a hint of Parmesan and truffle)
• Chicken liver with toasted brioche triangles, baby greens and tiny, sharply pickled veggies
• Delicious colorful beet salad with tiny marbles of goat-cheese croquettes, toasty pistachio shards and maple dressing
• A chunky romaine salad with a whisper of Caesar-style dressing, huge house-made croutons and fat anchovies
• Addictive ceviche taquitos - a crunchy gyoza shell stuffed with miso-tinged hamachi, avocado, corn and a flourish of Bibb lettuce (pictured)
• A massive cross-section of roasted beef bone that exposes buttery marrow topped with tender short ribs
• Pork cheek and ricotta ravioli with hazelnut butter and green peas
• Miso-roasted black cod
• Dry-aged Black Angus cooked at 1,200 degrees and finished with a dusting of sea salt
• A bargain hanger (butcher) steak - 10 ounces of juicy, slightly chewy, minerally meat served sliced and smoking hot, paired with a pile of not-to-be-missed fries
• Skirt, strip, rib-eye and a 14-ounce, bone-in Kansas City steaks
• Wagyu steaks from Jackman Ranch in Clewiston with intensely striated marbling that makes for incredible tenderness and luxurious mouth-feel
• Plump, moist swordfish steak cooked sous vide with clarified butter, garlic and thyme
• Half-battered and fried asparagus sticks
• Buttery potato puree with a roasted garlic jus
• Bacon-studded brussels sprouts
• A carefully crafted wine, beer and cocktail menu
• A small but impressive collection of ports and dessert wines thoughtfully offered by the glass
• Cinnamon bread pudding
• PB&J with pickled grapes
• Exceptional apple pie with a subtle dulce de leche mousse & golden twizzles of kataifi pastry

What Didn't Work

• A floury, runny macaroni and Cheddar studded with extraneous escargot and porcini mushrooms