A more grown-up Grass still sexy, sultry

BY VICTORIA PESCE ELLIOTT

velliott@MiamiHerald.com

Grass Restaurant & Lounge was so hot, hot, hot when it opened in 2003 that getting a table on a Saturday night was as tough as spotting a woman there over 35 -- at least one with all-original body parts.

Reopened and reinvented with a third set of owners in as many years, Grass is still sexy but in a slightly more mature way. With its lushly landscaped nooks divided by bamboo, palms and walls of ferns that tickle your shoulder as you lean back in the creamy banquettes, it really plays up Miami as tropical paradise.

Half the space is open to the sky, the other half partially covered by a thatched roof, so do check the weather report. Large, loud outdoor air conditioners take the edge off the heat on super-sweaty nights, and plans are in the works for an adjacent indoor lounge.

Music is hip but not obtrusive, and, in true subtropical fashion, the place doesn't get going until well after 9 p.m. The attitudinal bouncers have been replaced by gracious, pretty young things with micro skirts and macro legs, and the ''strong silent type'' waiters are professional and almost charming.

Michael Jacobs, a talented chef who cooked a decade ago at the similarly gimmicky Tantra, likes to play with sweet and savory flavor combinations.

Some of his starters, including a thud-producing tortilla loaded with Jarlsberg cheese, hunks of roasted duck and a sweet hoisin ponzu glaze, are simply too heavy. We were happier with a delicious little vegetarian tart with melty brie that melds perfectly seared sheets of summer squash and caramelized onions onto buttery puff pastry.

The simplest selections, especially fresh seafood, are best. As light as an afternoon sun shower, the spicy ceviches including a blood-red tuna and a superior wild salmon duo with a heavy hit of lime and fresh-cut chiles.

Another light and sumptuous starter is the poached shrimp served over thread-like buckwheat soba noodles in a whisper of a saffron broth studded with jewel-like pomegranate seeds. Pan-seared halibut with the same buckwheat noodles plus roasted tomato confit and a delicate lemon grass broth is another winner.

One of the best pieces of fish I have eaten in months was a simply grilled yellow jack with plump, lusciously meaty flesh. We chose it with a wasabi soy sauce (an extra three bucks!) that worked well with the rough-cut cabbage slaw and needle-thin shreds of pommes frites.

Miso-rubbed chicken salad with sweet-tart hunks of just-ripe mango and large shreds of purple and napa cabbage is a tasty new menu addition. The biggest letdown was a way-too-salty lump crab salad served alongside oddly pickled slivers of avocado.

A skimpy boneless rib-eye was cut not much thicker than a strip steak. We ordered it medium-rare but it showed up without a hint of pink -- a pity considering it still had plenty of flavor and gorgeous marbling. Perfect brussels sprouts cooked with a smooth lavender honey and slender lozenges of bacon almost made up for it. I passed on the Wagyu beef combo, not wanting to gamble $81.

Desserts, including hazelnut-chocolate beignets buried in an avalanche of granulated sugar and a fridge-tired chocolate mousse, are not worth the calories or price.

Service, especially for a place more lounge than restaurant, is unusually attentive, with dishes delivered promptly and glasses refilled quickly. The young and otherwise ho-hum wine list has a couple of organic selections.

Our dining experiences were a bit hit and miss, but a stop at this unique venue is still a must, even if only for a chilly mango mojito and a cool ceviche on a sultry summer night.

FYI: Reservations suggested. Full bar; corkage $20. Metered street parking available; valet $12. AX, DN, DS, MC, VS.