Green House organic restaurant opens in North Miami Beach

By Lesley Abravanel | Lank@aol.com9/20/2012

Now open in the 8,000 square foot former Russian Palace: Green House, an organic and sustainable food restaurant where, according to its chef, Le Cordon Bleu Miami teacher Marcelo Marino, "nature meets food art halfway." It also meets technology, with each table using an iPad in lieu of a menu. "I subscribe to the Purist Philosophy," Marino, who implemented Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Miami inaugural Spanish-language diploma program, the first of its kind in the continental United States, says. "I try to extract the most natural flavors possible from the ingredients with the least amount of fat . . . We put great emhpasis on creating an atmosphere of consciousness, where people experience cuisine in its most elevated form--from the farming practices to the taste to the presentation."

About the farming, Marino has partnered with Ohio-based The Chef's Garden, known for growing micro-greens and specialty vegetables for chefs nationwide. Marino chose this farm "because of its best sustainable agriculture practices, hand harvesting, and overnight shipping."  

On that iPad menu, which also lists nutritional information: rabbit, swordfish, and purple truffle pizza baked in a wood-burning oven; side dishes including saffron rice pillows, wasabi leaves, lola rosa and callaloo; homemade breads and cheeses; and meats that are cured and brined in house. An all-day Sunday brunch is "designed around champagne, caviar, and quail and ostrich eggs."  There's also live jazz and blues on the weekend.