Kosta

Sara Liss3/25/2011

The goods: Seafood is the focus at Kosta, a breezy newcomer on a mini-restaurant row a few blocks south of Mary Brickell Village with a spacious outdoor patio perfect for afternoons spent sampling ceviches.  The owners hail from Ecuador, and that country’s cuisine, as well as Peru’s and the Caribbean’s, influence the menu. Lunch crowds dig the $10 special (available from noon to 3 p.m.), which includes shrimp ceviche and scallops Alfredo along with sides like sweet plantains and tempura vegetables.

Ambience: The simple but handsome interior makes a fine backdrop for a nighttime  seafood feast, with fishing nets hanging from the walls and a flat screen quietly buzzing overhead.

The grub: Hearty seafood soups and zesty fresh ceviches, pillars. Nine types of ceviches—the brightest of which are shrimp, fish and octopus—swim in zingy bowlfuls of thinly sliced red onions, minced cilantro and lime juice, while the parihuela de mariscos brings a generous bowl of mixed seafood chowder in a tomato broth. Cooked dishes include crisp,  pan-fried coconut grouper and shrimp risotto. Land lubbers will find comfort in traditional lomo saltado (steak stir-fry with French fries) and chicken teriyaki with coconut rice.

Verdict: A Latin-influenced seafood pub on a stretch of South Miami Avenue that's fast becoming a Brickell restaurant row.

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