Cecconi's

Valerie Nahmad Schimel10/8/2010

The Goods: The Beach gets a bit more chic this fall as Soho House opens its third North American members-only club one block south of the Fontainebleau. Like its London and Los Angeles outposts, Soho Beach House features a Cecconi's restaurant, open to the public and billed as "modern day classic Italian." Chef Sergio Sigala, freshly pinched from Casa Tua, presents a pricey, Venetian-inspired breakfast, lunch and dinner menu, with appetizers $12-$18 and entrees $30-$58.

Ambience: The airy 178-seat space is on the ground floor amid a garden of silver buttonwood trees, shaded by a retractable awning, creating a tranquil indoor/outdoor escape. Design is "Venice meets Miami Beach" with sea-green striped tile floors, flickering white lights and an ocean breeze.

The Grub: Simple, seaonal, rustic Italian fare. Think risotto, wood-oven pizza and Italian classics. Menu highlights include wood-oven roasted scallops; burrata, red onion and tomato pizza; Maine lobster with house-made spaghetti and ossobucco with gremolata. The 230-bottle wine list is Euro-centric with heavy Italian and Spanish accents. And because this is Miami, there are caipirinhas and mojitos, too.

The 

Verdict: Chic Italian eats is your ticket into one of Miami Beach's most exclusive enclaves.