Mesazul Steakhouse

Sara Liss5/23/2010

The goods: Just when you thought the steakhouse phenomenon had run its course, along comes this polished newcomer at the Doral Golf Resort. Mesazul Steakhouse is a tony supper club with Latin flair flanking the legendary Blue Monster golf course. This swanky steak emporium tweaks the old-school steakhouse formula just enough to keep thing interesting while remaining true to the revered tradition of tucking into slabs of beef after a long day on the links.

Ambience: With unobstructed views of the iconic golf course from every seat in the house you can't really go wrong with any table, but you'll probably want to claim one of the cream-colored booths on the raised platform facing the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The grub: Steakhouse classics with Latin influences. Executive chef Michael Lottermoser sources much of the produce from local farms and the beef from Harris Ranch, a California purveyor of hormone-free beef. Prices are par for the luxury resort, starting at $9 for appetizers, $22 for entrees and $10-$16 for cocktails.  Wines are $8-$95 per glass; bottles start at $45.

Start off with a Plant City (as in Central Florida) tomato tasting and then make your way through beef carpaccio and a 14-ounce bone-in filet served with a trio of chimichurri sauces. All cuts and chops are aged up to four weeks and broiled at 1600 degrees for maximum juiciness. Fish dishes include a grouper Oscar topped with crab claw meat and hollandaise. Sides like rum-soaked maduros and petite lobster pot pie are mini-meals. For dessert a crme brulee tasting of guava, mango and vanilla bean refreshes after the hearty fare.

And regarding wine - more than 200 bottles of mostly South American varieties are housed in floor-to-ceiling wine towers, but you'll want to try the lush, fruity Chilean Purple Angel Carmenere, a "Jurassic grape" once thought to be extinct that was rediscovered in the mid '90s in Chile, where it had long been mistaken for merlot.

Verdict: The Doral resort gets caliente with a Latin-inspired steakhouse.