Feast on organic eats at North Miami Beach's Green House

Linda Bladholm11/13/2012

Never had purple truffle pizza or ostrich carpaccio with lavender-infused olive oil? Green House Organic Food in North Miami Beach is the place to try them along with a seasonal menu made with ingredients sourced from around the globe. The eclectic offerings range from mussels in soy milk to house-cured meats.

Chef Marcelo Marino’s roots are in Cordova, Argentina, but he grew up in Italy, Germany and Brazil as his pilot father was often transferred. He graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in New Hampshire and worked internationally as a chef and restaurant consultant before moving to South Florida, where he also teaches at Le Cordon Bleu in Miramar.

At Green House, his tender octopus is cooked sous-vide, then lightly grilled and served on a ginger-carrot coulis with pineapple foam. Brazilian moqueca is coconut seafood soup enriched with bright orange dende (palm oil). Halibut comes in lobster sauce with kale and farotto (faro risotto). New Zealand lamb chops are enhanced with three-pepper jelly. The house salad has seven greens including maroon Lola Rosa lettuce and Malabar spinach with candied lemon zest and cocoa.

Dessert choices include confit heirloom tomatoes and apple strudel crumbs in strawberry “spaghetti” made from fruit gel topped with butternut Chantilly cream and Hawaiian smoked salt brittle.