Mia at Biscayne

Stephanie sirve tragos en MIA at Biscayne. Foto: Pedro Portal.

 

Victoria Pesce Elliott1/6/2010

Mia at Biscayne promises “a full visual and palate-pleasing experience that will provoke social intimacy and conversation.” Chef Gerdy Rodriguez (Red Fish Grill, Café Sambal, Abokado and others) spans tropical, Latin, Mediterranean and Japanese flavors in his melting pot menu that includes bread pizzettes, Peruvian-style pinchos, ceviches, smoked salmon bagel rolls, gazpacho and the inevitable Kobe sliders. Like the chef himself, Rodriguez’s cooking is bold and confident, clean and sometimes gimmicky. While it lasts, Mia is worth a shot for a fun night out and ... if you skip the cutesy offerings ... some tasty surprises on the plate.

Ambiance: Billed as a 14,000-square-foot “concept restaurant,” Mia at Biscayne includes a club, lounge, sidewalk café and cozy, velvety dining area on the ground floor of a bleak condo tower.

What Worked

• A platter of six gooey, golden, bechamel-rich balls of ham croquetas dabbed with a bit of cream and a tiny round of chive
• Shimmery grouper tiradito accented with a thread of lemon and a bit of Kalamata olive tapenade
• Restrained salads with bright baby greens, raspberries, toasted almond slivers and a sherry vinaigrette
• Heirloom tomato salad with razor-sharp arugula and a sweet onion dressing
• Simple, smoky arroz con mariscos with hunks of tender calamari and delicate snapper
• Cracker-like flatbreads with a salty smattering of fantastic Serrano ham, a garlicky dash of celery salad and loads of fresh herbs
• Puffy mini doughnuts evoking sugar-dusted churros

What Didn’t Work

• A brazen, flat tortilla espanola nueva
• Flabby “crisp” shallots wearing a ring of baked-on brown goo served with a watery egg
• Impossibly blah, indulgent-sounding “breakfast” of deep-fried egg yolks, pork belly confit and potato puree
• Unfortunate Miami service issues - disappearing waitresses, clueless food runners, over-eager bussers and cartoon-character bouncers